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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the passenger’s side glove box console detached. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that the glove box console needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned that he could have been involved in accident or severely injured due to failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11592850

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while making left and right turns on several occasions at various speeds, the parking assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,312.

NHTSA ODI 11592895

Steering started grinding in the winter months around 110,900 and locked up while driving. Took to Ford Service and the Rack and Pinion is faulty. The tech said it was not due to any driving damage, but a faulty part. Vehicle currently has 120,000 miles on it and locks up driving down the road. The potential for a dangerous accident is high. This is a known issue for Ford Explorers in various years and Ford should recall this.

NHTSA ODI 11592624

Trim on driver side windshield flew off while driving. ordered Replacement, 2 weeks after i replaced the driver side the passenger side has fallen off while driving. I have not yet ordered the passenger side yet but today while driving home down the interstate the driver side that was just replaced less than 30 days ago flew off again. Being on the interstate it hit my windshield and flew over and hit a truck traveling behind me who swerved I do not know if it did any damage to his vehicle neither of us stopped ( We were on the interstate but I did notice he swerved luckily did not hit any other vehicle. However now I am hearing a whistling I just got home to do some research and see this is in an ongoing issue but what do I do? order and replace again this will be 3 sets in less than 60 days. this site says there is not a known fix yet?

NHTSA ODI 11592726

component or system failed or malfunctioned unavailable for inspection upon he safety of others put at risk Had the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer representatives or others warning lamps messages other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when didnt first appear What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center component been inspected by the manufacturer,representatives any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear fully report

NHTSA ODI 11592051

Popping noise from rack and pinion

NHTSA ODI 11592079

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the contact heard a loud clanking noise coming from the transmission. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the flex plate was cracked, causing transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,060.

NHTSA ODI 11592183

Rackin n pinion safety hazard

NHTSA ODI 11592050

While driving on the interstate my transmission decided to stop working. I was not able to safely get off the interstate because this happened going up an incline. My explorer will not shift into any gear and the cost to replace the transmission is $5300. Ford stated that the recall #20B27 was completed on my car in 2020 but when I called after the transmission died they stated that my VIN was not eligible for the #20B27 recall. So, how was it completed if they are now saying the recall wasn’t for my car? My explorer is a 2016/2.3L/6F35 Transmission code/built in Chicago. Ford needs to recall and replace every transmission in these explorers. With so many complaints and transmission failures/problems I’m floored that nothing has been done to remedy this situation that many explorer owners are experiencing. Do better Ford.

NHTSA ODI 11591861

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH and attempting to stop or decelerate, the rear tires were slippery and failed to stop as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11591835

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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the A-pillar trim on the passenger’s side raised up and blew off the vehicle by the slipstream. The contact was unable to stop to retrieve the part. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer or body shop. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11591359

The car caught on fire driving it to my brother's house to babysit his kids while #4 being born prematurely with complications at southwest ms regional medical center. I lost almost 15,000 in equity and my husband recently passed things inside I can't replace. It was about 11:00 at night and I made a uturn to stop at gas station and truck was already on fire. Many police officers and innocent bystanders almost were tremendously injured because the car was shooting whistling fire like rocket from all ends holding up traffic 1/2 mile on both sides of hwy and opposite side of hwys traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11590690

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, he was alerted to smoke emanating from underneath the vehicle by another driver. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power transfer unit, after observing that the unit was leaking fluid onto the exhaust, resulting in a brief fire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11590555

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact indicated that when she took the vehicle in for a routine service at an independent mechanic, the technician became aware that the water pump was leaking, and the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was also taken to a local dealer where the previous diagnosis was confirmed. The contact stated that before taking the vehicle for the routine service, she noticed a burning odor while exiting the vehicle. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11590477

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, and making a turn, the steering wheel seized, and the contact struggled to regain control of the steering wheel. In addition, the contact noticed a grinding sound while making a turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

NHTSA ODI 11589887

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the A-Pillar trim on the driver’s side detached from the vehicle and flew off. The contact stated that two months later the A-Pillar trim on the passenger’s side almost detached from the vehicle while driving. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road and removed the trim. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11590005

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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-Pillar applique trim detached from the vehicle. The contact replaced the part. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11589679

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the sunroof failed to close. The seat belt warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the sunroof motor had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

NHTSA ODI 11589314

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the seat belt retractor was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

NHTSA ODI 11589096

My car has 84000 miles on it. The car recently over heated, I checked the coolant level, and it was low. I filled it to the required level and the warning went away. 2 weeks later it came back, I brought it to the mechanic and was told that the engine needs to be replaced. That it is recycling exhaust from the engine back through the coolant system and that cylinder 3 is misfiring. I spent over an hour on the phone with Ford who repeatedly stiff armed me on any sort of assistance with the issue or information on expected or estimated failure rates for these issues. The car is currently at the mechanic where I have an estimate with a $12,000 price tag on it. To make this worse, in October of last year I was driving down [XXX] and when I went to exit the highway, there was a loud clunk and the car revved up real high before it started to move. This put me and all the drivers exiting this very busy off ramp in danger. At 74,000 miles I needed a new transmission because that loud clunk was me losing actual gears in the transmission. That repair cost right around $10,000 and again, Ford does not care. There were no warning lights with this issue, it just happened and left me in a very precarious predicament at a very busy intersection. The transmission has since been replaced for roughly a $10,000 price tag and now I am looking at another $12,000. All I want is Ford to do what is right. I could have been killed in that intersection or my car could have caught on fire recently with the engine issue. The financial strain of having to do 2 major repairs on a car that is relatively new and only had 74,000 for the transmission and 84,000 for the engine is unbelievable and unacceptable. Through research I feel that this transmission issue should be covered under an extension of the Customer Satisfaction Program #20B27 or #20N07 as the transmission issue fits the descriptions nearly perfectly. Built "Ford Tough" is apparently just a sales pitch. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11589114

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the A-pillar trim on the driver's side detached from the vehicle and flew off the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11588894

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 contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, there was a flapping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact observed that the rubber seal around the windshield was detaching. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not 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 issue. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11588729

A loud clunking noise was heard when the vehicle was turned to the right. Diagnosis at the CarMax repair facility indicated that the steering rack was broken. Diagnosis was complicated by the fact that the damaged part was hidden under a rubber boot. The actual damage on the steering rack appears to be a broken retainer, sealing washer, or similar that circles the jack screw of the steering rack. This retainer or washer is visible in the attached pictures. I believe there was a potential for the damaged retainer or washer to become jammed in the steering rack when the rack is in the right turn position which would make it impossible or difficult to turn the steering wheel. This could have resulted in an accident. I authorized CarMax to complete the repair and was informed that the steering rack was back ordered from Ford and would not be available for approximately 3 weeks. CarMax gave me a loaner vehicle and completed the repair when the part arrived. The broken steering rack was returned to Ford. A steering rack is not a part that I expect to fail. The fact that the part was back ordered for three weeks suggests that this part is in high demand because this is a common problem with this vehicle. The fact that the damaged part was concealed by a rubber boot made it difficult to diagnose. Clunking noises in the front suspension of a vehicle can be caused by many problems and a failure to correctly diagnose this problem could have resulted in a serious accident. I thanked the CarMax technicians for there perseverance in getting to the true cause of the noise. It is my opinion that this is a serious safety issue and that Ford should issue a safety recall for affected vehicles.

NHTSA ODI 11587838

A-pillar trim pieces have both become detached. One detached from the vehicle while traveling on the highway and flew into on-coming traffic. The other detached on the highway and hung on the drivers mirror. Ford advises that even though both parts have detached it is the customer's responsibility to pay for repairs since the recall is still in advanced notice status.

NHTSA ODI 11587856

Rack and pinion binds. This suddenly started around 70,000 miles. It makes a grinding noise that seems to be in the steering column. While driving it catches and takes effort to move steering wheel past the catch.

NHTSA ODI 11587595