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

While traveling on I-85N at 70mph, the front passenger tire suddenly came apart from both sidewalls. The tire is a EVOLUXX CAPRICORN 4X4 HP, 255/50R20, 109V, XL. The tire blow-out only caused minor damage to the inner wheel well shroud.

NHTSA ODI 11539133

On 7/26/2023 the vehicle started a little rough in the morning. At start up the engine light came on. The vehicle was driving fine except for rough morning start. I took the vehicle to a Ford Dealer but was told I'd have to schedule appointment. At the time I was told that if the engine message wasn't flashing it wasn't too serious. After I left Ford I made a quick stop at Jiffy Lube just to get confirmation. They put the computer on the vehicle and spark plug #3 was misfiring and just needed a tune up. On 8/04/2023, a tune up was performed by a local mechanic. Vehicle seemed fine for the next day or two. On Monday 8/7/2023 the engine light came back on. The vehicle was taken back to mechanic on 8/8. The mechanic could not determine cause but believed it may be a fuel pump issue since the cold start seems to prompt engine light warning. I picked up the vehicle on 8/9/23, the mechanic told me to take it to a Ford dealer. On 8/10, I called Ford Dealership, they scheduled appointment for Monday 8/14/2023. Dealershiper called me and informed me I needed a new long block, fuel pump and pressure test. I did not approve the $15,000 repair. The dealership informed me coolant was leaking into engine.

NHTSA ODI 11538829

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for maintenance, the mechanic discovered that the water pump was faulty and causing water to leak from the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact also stated that on one occasion while the vehicle was idling, the message" Engine Overheating" was displayed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 96,000.

NHTSA ODI 11538958

The body-A pillar trim panel doorman on the passenger side. Flew off while driving on the highway. I happened to be the passenger this day and if I had the window rolled down a little more, this piece would have hit me in the face. At first, we thought it was a piece of debris from the ground on the highway so we kept driving. But then the rubber part that sits underneath the trim began to flap and that’s when we realized we needed to exit. There’s no way we were going to be able to recovery that piece from the highway. Luckily no one got hurt.

NHTSA ODI 11538545

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and examine the vehicle. The contact became aware that oil was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. On another occasion while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road. The contact examined under the hood and saw smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided some assistance with the repair cost and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V183000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11538609

I purchased this car in January of 2021 and in April of 2022 the passenger side front window A pillar trim flew off while driving down the highway. Since then, the same thing has happened to my driver’s side A pillar exterior trim, and just this week (August 2023) the B pillar trim that also held my keyless entry keypad has also flown off while driving down the highway. I’ve joined a “5th Generation Ford explorer” Facebook group, and it seems that this is a VERY common occurrence to many users of this vehicle. I’ve also seen many ford explorers driving around that have the trim pieces missing meaning that either they fly off so often that I am seeing these vehicles during this short time before the owner’s get them replaced, or they flew off and people just didn’t want to fix it because they fly off so often. I’m lucky that all 3 times it happened to me, there weren’t any motorcycles driving behind me that could have gotten seriously injured by these pieces flying off at highway speeds. I really believe something needs to happen to fix this. These seem to be poorly engineered parts if they continually fly off the vehicles, plus ford doesn’t make or sell these parts very cheap so it’s obvious they are just trying to make money while putting lives at risk. I unfortunately do not have specific dates/milage/pictures of my previous incidents, and didn’t think of filling out a report until now when I’m in the middle of replacing my B-Pillar, but I can provide the dates and pictures of the piece off of my B-pillar below. I hope this helps. Please investigate this and really review this issue. I’ve seen previous articles that mention the NHTSA has received reports of these flying off, but the number of reports was only around 160. I’m sure if anyone from the government reached out to the Facebook group mentioned above, along with other ford Facebook/Social Media groups that this would cover like the ford Edge groups, they would easily find that this is a major safety issu

NHTSA ODI 11538075

Trim piece on the front of the vehicle beside the windshield flew off while driving on the interstate. It smacked my windshield and flew off behind me. Very big safety concern considering there were other vehicles driving behind me and it could have hit them. I did not see where it went as I was confused as I did not know what the sound/item was at first.

NHTSA ODI 11537897

Complete steering rack failure out of the blue. No previous steering issues. No causal incident. I got in the car in the morning and all of the warning lights were on and there was no power steering. Repair cost me $2400 of which $1800 was parts. I've seen scores of people having the same problem and my shop said the Ford Dealership told them they were repairing this issue "Very frequently" This is a very well taken care of vehicle with approximately 70,000 miles.

NHTSA ODI 11537945

Back in April 2020 (34,418 miles)I began to hear a clicking noise from the front end of the vehicle when turning the steering wheel. I took the vehicle to dealer where I purchased the vehicle (2016 Explorer) - they determined the noise to be coming from the "power steering gear assembly". I declined the repair as I wanted to investigate further. The noise would come and go but there was a consistent noticeable point when turning left that the wheel sort of would catch when trying to turn back to the right. I have lived with this expecting at some point their would be a recall as I read of this issue being quite prevalent for the 2016 Explorer. I now (8-10-2023) have approximately 75,000 miles on the vehicle and the problem is getting more pronounced. When sitting still and you turn the wheel even just slightly either way their is significant noise from the steering system and I would anticipate it is only going to get worse so I need to have this investigated and repaired. I would encourage the NHTSA to pressure Ford Motor Company to issue a recall for this issue as from everything I see online this is a common issue and is certainly a safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11537587

The mouldings on the side of the windshield have detached multiple times. There is no warning lights, and I have been told by the dealership and outside repair shops that it is a common problem. Detachment of these parts puts other motorists at risk of injury. July 2021 driver side flew off on the highway - parts on backorder from dealership so they never repaired it. May 2022 had both sides replaced for $160 since they were done at time of windshield replacement. June 2022 passenger side flew off on the highway (no cost replacement since so soon after last replacement). August 2023 passenger side flew off on the highway and hit a semi, $100 repair quote.

NHTSA ODI 11537413

Water pump failure

NHTSA ODI 11537417

Both A-pillar pieces have blown off while driving. The first time this happened I had them replaced at a local windshield repair. And now they have both blown off again.

NHTSA ODI 11537067

Recently noticed a yellow airbag light appearing on the instrument panel. Took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that there was previously a recall for this issue, and that a repair was performed. However, the issue has now resurfaced. We are afraid to continue driving the vehicle in this condition, as we feel that it would put us at risk. Dealer refuses to pay for the repair, claiming that the recall 'expired' in January 2023. Hoping that the NHTSA can assist me in resolving this issue, since there is nothing that I as a consumer could have done differently to prevent this, yet the dealer is demanding that I pay to fix it. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11537088

Passenger side frame on windshield flew off my car while I was driving on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11537210

The airbag fault light on the dash of my 2016 Ford Explorer recently illuminated. I took it to Christian Brothers Automotive, who did a complete diagnostics check. They determined that the inflatable seat belt should read 2.2 Ohms but it reading at 5.5 Ohms, which is causing the light to illuminate. They stated that the inflatable seat belt needs to be replaced. This appears to be the same issue with a Ford recall notice issued on January 21, 2022 under Customer Satisfaction Program 21B11 related to 2014, 2015, and 2016 Ford Explorers. However, my VIN does not appear on the list of effected vehicles and Ford is refusing to repair it under the recall until it is added to the list.

NHTSA ODI 11536541

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated there was an unknown fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the internal water pump was leaking and that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ODI 11536097

Power steering failure No power steering Only extreme strength can turn wheel and only when vehicle Is moving Brought vehicle to BOB BELL FORD IN GLEN BURNIE MARYLAND Vehicle was at dealer for 2 weeks. They could not find a problem Picked up Explorer. Same problem next day NO POWER STEERING AFRAID TO DRIVE NOW I HAVE READ THAT MANY 2011-2016 Explorers have had same problem BUT NO RECALL. PLEASE ADVISE

NHTSA ODI 11536163

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 50 MPH, there was a loud grinding sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11535753

Rack and pinion steering assembly failed. Had to replace epas gear assembly and pmi module.

NHTSA ODI 11535807

Steering issue with our 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving at 60 mph steering without warning became very difficult to control and lost the ability to easier turn the wheel. We were in a slight curve and it was very difficult to steer back to the middle of the road. We had it looked at by a local Ford dealer and were told the electric power assist had failed and caused other electrical issues. If this would have happened in a new high speed off ramp we frequently are on I strongly believe we would have hit the side barrier due to the loss of steering control.

NHTSA ODI 11535591

On 07/30/2023 The right passenger front windshield trim plus rubber stripping flew off our 2016 Ford Explorer XL. We were travelling 60 mph down a mountain area from San Diego, CA heading into Yuma, AZ. The noise of the trim was so loud hitting the windshield then the windshield panel blew off and the windshield stripping blew off. We made sure no one was behind us as it could have caused damage if the cover would have hit car behind us. Vehicle inspection yearly and no signs of any areas of concern. No warning or signs of this part coming off.

NHTSA ODI 11535331

I was Driven down in Orlando FL while on vacation and 3 notifications popped up on the screen back to back. I pressed Ok to clear the notifications off the screen because I was Unsure what they meant. I soon lost control of my vehicle and was unable to steer. I ended Up veering into another lane and almost hit another vehicle. My boyfriend grabbed the wheel from the passenger side to help straighten it up. I was Thankful that incident did not harm my family or the other family. I get It towed to PepBoys and they inform me I need A new rack and pinion installed and that was going to run me up to $4500. I was Also told in the same sentence that the part I needed Was out of stock or unavailable pretty much everywhere. I contact Another shop and receive a cheaper quote but still no part is available. I contact Ford and speak to an agent. Not very helpful at all. I mentioned I was looking up the part online and read there are recalls on that. The representative asks for my VIN and she tells me there is a recall however not for my VIN. I’m livid. Here it is going into August and still no parts are available. Ford never will I ever Buy another vehicle with that name on it. Found On Road Dead is basically coming to light.

NHTSA ODI 11534960

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the instrument panel intermittently went blank. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The contact was informed that the APIM (Accessory Protocol Interface Module) had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer provided the contact with an estimate for the repair and agreed to cover half the cost of the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534981

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH, he heard an abnormal vibration coming from the passenger’s side front door. The contact stated that a plastic panel had partially detached from the windshield pillar. The contact stated that the plastic trim was held on by glue. The contact pulled over and removed the trim. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger’s side and driver's side windshield pillar trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534863

POWER STEERING RACK - The steering wheel turns hard and does not return to straight on corners without heavy assist. The tires or bearings are loud when turning.

NHTSA ODI 11534552