What 2,423 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Ford Explorer

The explorer started having issues with the heater not working when stopped. After some research it recommended that we check the coolant level. The coolant was low. Then we refilled it and then it happened again 3 weeks later and the coolant was low. This made us believe there was a coolant leak. After removing the bottom cover under the car it was saturated with coolant with drops coming from various areas on the passenger side. We took it to a mechanic and then transferred to a dealer and both confirmed it was the water pump. Ford negligently designed the water pump within the engine with the timing chain. If enough of the coolant mixes with oil it will cause the engine to seize and the car to shut off. I have two little kids that are in the car with me. This negligent placement can lead to cars seizing in unsafe areas. It was confirmed by a private mechanic and a ford dealer and there were no warning lights. Other than the heat not functioning properly there we no other signs or lights of water pump failure.

NHTSA ODI 11573259

Several weeks ago we noticed a propane or natural gas smell in the vehicle' cab and around the vehicle. The smell was stronger sometimes and lesser others, but more so when the heater was on. In the very cold weather, I would have to dress in extra warm layers and keep the windows lowered with fresh air flowing through - in order to drive it... to keep the cab warm enough to drive with the heater on. The smell would be stronger when the heater/air was on. The smell would make me cough and gave me a headache. At first, we thought it was a bad batch of gas. Our mechanic couldn't say what it was and referred us to our local Ford dealer. I also researched on-line and found that several thousand U.S. customers have had the same problem [XXX] ; [XXX] ; [XXX] ). It looks from one article as if Ford settled a class action law suit on this issue in 2016, yet when I called the Ford Customer Service Help Line today, they said they cannot offer us any financial help for this repair, which is costing us over $3,100.00! The car is not that old! 2 days before we brought our vehicle to the Ford dealer, thick black liquid drained onto our garage floor under the front of the vehicle. The Ford dealer says the transfer case is going bad and spitting fluid on the vent/onto the exhaust and the smell was coming from that. The vehicle is still at the Ford dealer and repairs should be complete by 1/31/24. I am writing to you for help with this. It seems to me that Ford has already offered and should continue to offer some repair expense reimbursement for this apparently widespread problem! Can you help advocate for us in this? Thank you - [XXX] , [XXX] , [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11568132

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the vehicle failed to exceed 3000 RPM. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a general failure with the transmission. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 93,000.

NHTSA ODI 11560691

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the "PTU Failure" message was displayed before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed due to the faulty "PTU". The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 15,000.

NHTSA ODI 11558291

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle, and the vehicle was shifting hard. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the gear position sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ODI 11553498

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving uphill, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and the contact was informed that the torque converter was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11551869

On December 17th of 2022, I was driving my car when it abruptly became sluggish and felt like it wasn’t shifting gears correctly. After coming to a stop, when I resumed driving, it sounded like the engine was getting gas, racing, but the car was hardly moving at all. Then it seemed like it would shift into gear suddenly and lurch forward. A warning light came on the dashboard stating there was a “powertrain fault.” I was less than a mile from my home at the time, so I limped home, parked in my garage, and then looked up the issue in my owner’s manual. It said to quit driving it and to get it to a Ford dealership. The car was not driven thereafter. I had it towed to the Ford dealership, who did not honor my extended warranty because it wasn't towed in until 4 days after its expiration, despite having the failure occur while it was under the extended warranty. According to them, they couldn't tell from any "black box" that it happened while under warranty. So I was stuck for $6,031.55 for the repair. I implored the dealership to at least help me out with the price, but they would not. I wrote to Ford and explained in detail the event, and I sent that letter to every department I could find within Ford that may be able to help me or pass my letter to someone who could help me. No one ever even bothered to reply. The $6,000 expenditure was hugely hurtful. I had to leave it with the dealer for almost 3 months before I could pay. And this was a Certified Pre-Owned Vehicle with 53,000 miles on it. Maybe you can help? The repair bill was $6,031.55.

NHTSA ODI 11547786

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle was shifted into drive(D) and the brake pedal was released; however, the vehicle started shuddering and jerking significantly. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to shift into the intended gear while driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The check engine and the power train warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the insurance company later informed her of Ford Campaign Number: 20B27, which she related to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the Campaign. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000.

NHTSA ODI 11547318

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and made an abnormal sound. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driveshaft was fractured at the PTU connecting point. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V692000 (Power Train) and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11545188

While driving on the interstate and set MPH were 55, a series of notifications popped up on my dashboard. One stated “Steering assist fault repair required.” After I hit Ok to clear the screen my steering wheel tightened up and locked and caused me to almost crash into another family. We were able to move it to a safe location.

NHTSA ODI 11530035

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to shift the gear shifter into park(P), the transmission failed to shift as needed. The contact stated that the transmission would only shift into reverse(R). An independent mechanic flipped an unknown switch, and the contact was able to drive her vehicle to her residence; however, when the contact attempted to shift the transmission into park(P), the transmission would only shift into reverse(R). The contact's son flipped the switch, and the contact was able to shift the transmission into park(P). Additionally, the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

NHTSA ODI 11526511

I was driving my vehicle only a month after getting oil change and service. I was confident my vehicle was in good condition as it had passed the inspection. I suddenly noticed the temperature needle was rising. I immediately pulled over and asked for help and was told i needed water. My water pump was not working.

NHTSA ODI 11521119

Torque converter

NHTSA ODI 11517918

2016 Ford Explorer transmission failure while traveling at highway speeds, with less than 52,000 miles. Engine RPMs ramped up quickly and to unsafe levels as vehicle seemed to drop to a low gear, which then impacted vehicle speed and necessitate maneuvering multiple lanes of traffic to pull over to shoulder of road. Then had to limp along at very low speed to exit highway. Later testing at dealership generated two error codes, and suggested fix after initial diagnosis was tranny replacement, except the replacement tranny is on indefinite backorder through Ford. How issue will be addressed/corrected is still to be determined. A package of "kits" was best dealership could offer. There was no prior indication of an issue, no warning lights or other symptoms prior to failure.

NHTSA ODI 11517322

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal loud sound. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact’s wife was able to navigate off the road. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was previously recalled for a PCM software update. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11513952

The transmission on our vehicle has failed twice now. First in May 2019, at 41,000 miles, the transmission and torque converter failed, causing heavy shaking when idle. The repair was supposedly repaired under warranty by a Ford dealership. However, fast forward a few years and 40,000 miles, and the transmission failed again. In March 2023, my wife and daughter were at a busy intersection. My wife pressed the gas, but the car wouldn't move and began to lurch backward, putting my wife and daughter's lives in danger as well as the lives of anyone who came up behind us. Before this incident, we had also felt a violent shaking in idle that we had unsuccessfully tried to repair with a new motor mount. The transmission problem was diagnosed by police and confirmed by our local mechanic. It is now at another Ford dealership. But it is unclear how much Ford will cover. I want you to know, however, that a Ford dealer looked up my records on the first transmission repair that occurred under warranty. He said he was surprised that the Ford dealer that was supposed to do the initial warranty repair had only done a partial rebuild given the condition the transmission was in. The notes said the transmission was full of metal fragments and shards throughout, and he said that "they should overhauled the whole thing." The defect, combined with the shoddy repair, is likely why the transmission failed a 2nd time, putting my family's lives in danger. Transmission issues in Ford Explorers appear to be a known problem. I noticed on NHTSA's website that Ford has two customer satisfaction programs (20N07 and 20B27) related to Explorer transmissions. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10181988-0001.pdf I am hoping that NHTSA can look into these continuing Ford Explorer transmission issues and the botched warranty repair and get Ford to extend the customer satisfaction program or initiate a recall to refund customers' repair, tow and rental car costs. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11512936

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started to shake and vibrate. After restarting the vehicle, the failure recurred. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed that the motor mounts and spark plugs were faulty and needed to be replaced. The spark plugs and motor mounts were replaced but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11509833

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and while idling, the vehicle was vibrating abnormally. The dashboard was shaking, and the glove box was rattling. While shifting from park to drive or reverse, the vehicle vibrated. Additionally, the vehicle was hesitating and misfiring during acceleration. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11509901

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, he noticed that the power transfer unit (PTU) was leaking fluid onto the exhaust system. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ODI 11509377

I just bought this vehicle and only had the chance to drive it for a few days now. I was told all recalls were repaired. I have not had the chance to bring it to a certified garage yet. The problem is when the vehicle is going at say walking speed like turning into a parking spot the whole vehicle is jumping to the point where I could have no control and jump into another vehicle or someone walking nearby. As the wheels are turned it's much worse. I believe it's the transfer case.

NHTSA ODI 11500193

Water pump failed at 80,000 miles and cause the car to stall mid intersection putting out life at risk. This is a known issue that should be recalled . Not to mention the repair is $4,000-$6,000 mostly labor to fix. Whole motor has to be taken out to replace the water pump.

NHTSA ODI 11499220

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance, he was informed that the Power Train Unit (PTU) was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the Power Train Unit (PTU) installed on the vehicle was not the original part and would not be repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. Additionally, the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11498974

My 2016 Ford Explorer is in the dealership having the transmission repaired due to a recall that says there is an internal flaw in the design that has to be repaired. In removing the transmission, it was discovered that the transmission mount was cracked. I will have to personally pay for a new transmission mount according to Ford because that detail was not included in the specific recall. My contention is that the jerking and shuddering that happens every time I accelerate has caused the failure of the mount. I believe this is a reasonable explanation to a part of the drive train that is unaffected by normal driving. Bottom line is that the jerking and shuddering that was cause by the torque converter er.al, probably caused enough movement to crack the mount. Obviously the transmission doesnt move under normal circumstances.

NHTSA ODI 11492154

Crossing busy intersection with children in vehicle, vehicle lunged and wrench symbol came on dash, and as crossing intersection vehicle wouldn't go more than 5mph, this could possibly cause a serious accident injury wife and child or possibly death, this vehicle had approximately 60000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11491720

Power Transfer Unit (PTU) exploded cracking the PTU case and Leaking out all gear oil which can be caused by PTU being too close to the exhaust and the PTU overheats from the exhaust heat breaking down the gear oil, this gear oil being over heated and that close to the exhaust could have caught on fire and if I have been on the highway at a high speed it would have caused the vehicle to lose all power going down the highway and in turn we could have been hit and killed due to the immediate loss of power SSM 47993 which has the year make and model of my car already listed on it as well as other ones listed by NHTSA however Ford consumer affairs refuse to do anything or offer any help even though they have acknowledged that there is problems with the PTU in multiple models. Is this truly worth someone's life as this can cause severe damage to the drive shaft when they explode with absolutely no warning or lights on the dash coming on or anything? All Ford Motors consumer affairs could say to me was ma'am your vin number is not listed on our end. My car is a 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum AWD with 3.5L ecoboost with Twin Turbo, it only has 64,660 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11491392