What 2,429 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Explorer

60 mph y se calló 60 MPH and it stopped

NHTSA ODI 11613150

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that there was water leaking into the cabin of the vehicle whenever in rained from the sunroof, causing an electrical short circuit. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 151,455. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11612548

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ODI 11612220

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on both sides of the windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11611824

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing significantly rough idling while in drive(D) or while in reverse(R). Additionally, the contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle jolted and hesitated to respond. The contact also stated that the vehicle shuddered while driving at various speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to TSB Number: 20-2271. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the TSB was superseded and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11611832

All of my warning notifications (911 Assist, airbag, front camera, parking assist, lane departure, lane keeping, etc.) turn on after 10 minutes of driving or turning on ac/heat. I was told by Ford dealer that the steering column control module cluster needs to be replaced and that there is a backorder for the part meaning it is unknow when the part will be available ($1450 for repair plus $175 for diagnose). I have been waiting a month already and still no update. Dealer also said that they hope it will fix the problem but no knowing until it is done.

NHTSA ODI 11610429

My car started shaking while i stopped (like at a red light, stop or traffic) I had it diagnosed ($175) and was told it needed to have the transmission changed, my explorer was 6 yrs old with less than 50k miles. I have never hear of that happening as the car well kept. New transmission cost me $5585.40, it seems that every year this car has a new problem. I feel so ripped off this shouldn't happen on a $50k car.

NHTSA ODI 11610434

The water pump failed vehicle only has around 105,225 miles on it. This has been a known issue with the 3.5L Twin turbo ecoboost. The water and coolant continuously coming out happens to be on the alternator which has caused it to short out and no longer be working properly. There has not been any kind of malfunction or warning lights for any of the issues and because of the way ford designed the water pump to be inside the motor working off the timing chain it turns into what the book lists at 14-15 hours to complete. The motor has to come out taken apart to replace the water pump and with that not just one but both timing chains have to be set again which adds additional hours for the repair and of course more money to take it to a ford shop to have it fixed the rough estimate which they said did not include the labor for the timing chains being set nor the price of any of the parts needed as I have already purchased them myself so only labor for the water pump (not including timing chains) is about $4,350.00 + tax of course but they said that would increase because of the labor for the timing chains that you have no option or choice regarding having to work on them or not because of the water pump. oh and none of that includes rental fees while repaired nor the price to get and replace the alternator and labor for that. so my guess would be somewhere around $6,000 give or take to fix this disaster and Ford does not care about their known failed design and flawed water pump issues and expect someone to be able to fork out that kind of money instead of trying to help fix there issue.

NHTSA ODI 11610098

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the passenger’s side windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11609745

EPS electronic power steering. EPS failed without warning. Wheel jerked to left with no ability to control it doing 45 in town. Consulted for dealership, they're asking $3,500 in repairs. No warning lights. Problem happened on 08/15/2024

NHTSA ODI 11609371

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11608937

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the vehicle and observed that the center trim piece on the passenger’s side door frame was blown off the vehicle. The contact stated that the driver's side door trim was coming loose. The contact used tape to hold the trim piece in place. The contact had called a local dealer and was informed that the trim on the door frame was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

NHTSA ODI 11608940

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the contact was informed that the failure was related to the front passenger's side seat and the second-row rear passenger's side seat. The mechanic plugged an unknown wiring; however, the failure persisted. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11607926

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the driver’s and passenger’s sides of the windshield started detaching. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed as a failure with the A-pillar trim structure. The contact was informed that the A-pillar trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 76,222. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11607956

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI 11607957

The torque converter failed in my explorer while driving, making it act like it was in neutral. Luckily I was on a small road with little traffic, and able to pull over to a side street before my car was complete undrivable. If this happened on the highway or while turning, it probably would have cause a major issue or accident. NO warning lights on my dash and NO problem codes reported on OBD scanner tool. Ford has put out their own CSP for this issue a while ago and when I asked about it they told me it was expired. How can something they know is an issue expire? Dealership repair confirmed it was the torque converter and has to rebuild the transmission. I even found a service bulletin ford release about this problem, so they know about it.

NHTSA ODI 11607796

Water pump failure, like many others. Caused engine to overheat, lose AC. Issue caught before complete engine failure. INTERNAL WATER PUMP CAN GO OUT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO SUDDENLY LOSE POWER AND SHUT DOWN SUDDENLY CAUSING THE POWER BRAKES AND POWER STEERING TO FAIL ALL AT ONCE AND LEAD TO LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL WHICH IN TRAFFIC COULD CAUSE A FATAL ACCIDENT WHILE THE DRIVER STRUGGLES TO MAINTAIN CONTROL WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MOVE TO THE ROADSIDE OR EMERGENCY LANE . WHILE FORD HAS KNOWN OF THIS FLAW IN THE ENGINE DESIGN FOR YEARS AND DID NOTHING TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11607874

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel made abnormal grinding sounds. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 132,400.

NHTSA ODI 11607548

Vehicle was purchased from carmax, there is a crack on the trim ar the d-pillar around the window on the driver side and passenger side. My wife bought a 2014 Ford Explorer about a week prior to mine from the same place and there is a crack in the same exact spot on the driver and passenger side. Causes water to leak into the interior of the vehicle. In the summer months it's causes a musty smell with the potential for mold to develop.

NHTSA ODI 11607570

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ODI 11607208

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim had separated and flown off the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11606991

The water pump failed on my way home from work. A light in my vehicle started blinking rapidly and a warning alarm started sounding in the vehicle cabin unexpectedly. My vehicle suddenly overheated in the middle of a busy intersection causing me to stop unexpectedly to assess the situation before proceeding to safety. I (middle aged female) had returned from a long trip with two toddlers 800 miles round trip which extended late into the night on remote stretches of road without assistance available for several miles only a few days earlier. Had this happened a few days earlier, during that trip, I would have been stranded with two toddlers, alone after dark in a remote location. An independent service center made the diagnosis and performed a repair. They stated I was lucky the leak did not enter my oil reservoir based on the location of the water pump, locking up the engine and leaving the car completely inoperable in said intersection. The location of the water pump, and the fact it failed around 100,0000 miles seemed premature for similiar vehicles and the design/placement of the water pump is significantly more difficult to troubleshoot and repair. The cost of the repair was ultimately $3825.69 plus an additional cost to procure a rental vehicle while for the week my vehicle was being repaired.

NHTSA ODI 11606829

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while at a red light, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was drivable and was driven to a dealer. The dealer replaced the motor mounts and informed the contact that the torque converter and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. No further assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,393.

NHTSA ODI 11606897

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and was not able to exceed 50 MPH. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated for over 3 years. t uThe vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed the engine needed to be replaced due to the rear turbo causing damages to the front turbo and the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was determined that the turbos needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however; the contact was informed that the vehicle was nonder recall and that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ODI 11606616

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel was difficult to operate. The contact stated that the Hill Start Assist Not Available, The Terrain Management System Fault, and Service Advance-trac message was displayed on the instrument panel. The Traction Control and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the independent mechanic replaced the rack and pinion. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11606636