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

Driving on bridge Tampa Florida when I heard a loud noise and briefly felt like I ran over something. Once at destination, discovered the driver's side panel between windshield and door was missing.

NHTSA ODI 11517493

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

After turning left at a stop sign I lost the ability to turn the wheels right. The steering wheel turns all the way to the right however the wheels stop in the straight position. I am however able to turn the all the way to the left.

NHTSA ODI 11516983

When I was driving at 55 mph with a 25 mph crosswind my windshield trim broke apart and got thrown into the on coming lane of traffic because the white retaining tabs holding the trim in broke and then some of trim held because of the attachment of rubber the rubber was torn a bit because of the trim ultimately failing.

NHTSA ODI 11517039

Took 2016 Ford Explorer in for an oil change. Was informed that there is an Engine Water Pump leak and needs replacement. There were no warning lights or notifications. Concerns are a malfunction of only vehicle available to me and my family.

NHTSA ODI 11517050

While driving on I75 at 65MPH the front passenger side windshield panel on the edge of windshield flew off and and almost hit vehicle behind me. They had to swerve out of way of the flying object. Very scary incident on the highway. Had to have it replaced so as not to have an rust occur.

NHTSA ODI 11517055

Pillar Trim piece next to windshield on the passenger side flew off my car while driving the speed limit of 70 MPH on I-95 in Florida. The part flew off and hit the trailer of a tractor trailer in the neighboring lane. No one was hurt, but it's ridiculous that a trim piece that displayed no signs of damage would just fly off of the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11517078

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after noticing that the seat heaters were inoperable, he saw that the heated seat module connector had melted. The contact also stated that the front passenger’s side seat controls were inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11517131

My fuel evap pump check engine light keeps coming on. I’ve owned this vehicle since July 2022 and I have paid for the evap pump 3x’s. My fan constantly runs in the engine. My engine has a stutter when I press the gas. Ford absolutely dropped the ball with this vehicle. I have already paid thousands of dollars (water pump, evap pumps and more) please help on getting this car serviced. I still owe like 20k on this car. I cannot afford to keep getting it fixed. I have 121k miles on it.

NHTSA ODI 11516956

Right windshield trim panel flew off on the ighway.

NHTSA ODI 11516711

The vehicle became very difficult to steer while on the freeway and then the steering system completely failed. I was able to safely get off the freeway, but I was lucky. This could have been devastating. There were no warning lights until the system shut down. The system issues match exactly the complaints of those who experienced issues with the rear toe link. I live in California, in the Sierra Nevadas in an area with high snow and brine (corrosive) used daily in the winter. The recall is not showing in my area because Ford has deemed all of California as a non corrosive area. This is an extremely dangerous, recognized safety issue which I was not given notice of the recall because Ford mis-catergorized all of California as a non-snow area.

NHTSA ODI 11516282

The power steering has a tendency to go out at random, the wheel goes stiff mid-turn.

NHTSA ODI 11516341

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on the freeway approximately 70 MPH, the front passenger’s side windshield trim detached from the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11515722

While driving on the road my front windshield trims started to come loose, cracked and flew away. The windshield trims are compromised all around the front windshield trims. Did report the issue today at the Ford Dealership, they claimed I had to deal with FORD directly. I did reach out to FORD, they claimed no recall has been issued to that effect. Did ask them to address this issue as a serious safety issue that could cause the windshield to dislodge and cause a serious accident. No offer from FORD to fix it. Same issue has been reported to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by 164 other FORD Explorer owners.

NHTSA ODI 11515792

right side trim of windshield broke off while driving on highway this past weekend. 2APR2023. we heard a crack and then saw the trim flying behind us and then landing in middle of the road. lucky traffic was light and no one was directly behind us. the rubber weather stripping then wrapped around the side mirror which we had to physically remove.

NHTSA ODI 11515588

Driving NB on I95 in Georgia IVO MM 12, my windshield started vibrating on the passenger side with a loud flapping noise. Slowed down, pulled over at the next exit and discovered the trim around the windshield had detached. It appears that the trim allowed air to lift the side of the windshield. I used duct tape to secure the trim and drove at a reduced speed the rest of the way to Virginia. Contacted the local Ford dealer for a repair.

NHTSA ODI 11515349

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power of steering assist, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact sustained injuries to her face. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the parts to do the repair were not available. Additionally, the contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V435000 (Suspension) 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 approximately 160,000.

NHTSA ODI 11515182

The piece between the windshield and the passenger side door came off while I was driving on the interstate.

NHTSA ODI 11515052

The electronic Power Steering randomly goes out. It has caused the need to make immediate stops. It comes and goes, but strangely seems to work just fine when it is raining. Otherwise, it goes from power assist, to choppy assist, to no assist. This causes loss of steering control (dangerous). There are various similar complaints online via forums for the 2016 Ford Explorer, which seems to be common danger that these vehicles have. This started mid-December 2022 and has continued.

NHTSA ODI 11514923

My wife and I were driving on the interstate at 80 mph and without warning, the passenger side exterior A-pillar molding flew off of the car ,hit our windshield and disappeared behind us.

NHTSA ODI 11514689

Defective water pump. Water pump is leaking coolant , this could lead to engine damage. Repair is extremely costly.

NHTSA ODI 11514308

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

In 2020 the right windshield trim detached and flew from the car while driving down the interstate. I didn't know what happened and I thought maybe something hit my car. On March 22, 2023, while driving on the interstate, the left side detached and flew off the car into the left lane of the interstate. I don't know if it hit another car or not. It was too dangerous to try and stop and find it. This is a factory defect that could potentially cause someone to wreck. It has cost me about 600.00 to replace. I feel Ford should pay for the replacement. I understand parts get old and fail but I don't think "Detachment" is included in that. Your help is appreciated. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ODI 11513869

Pillar Trim piece next to windshield on the passagener side flew off my car while driving the speed limit of 65 on highway 20 in Iowa. Piece could have hit other cars, was fortunate no cars were near me.

NHTSA ODI 11513581

This model has a defective water pump. When it goes the engine stops even if in the middle of a busy intersection.

NHTSA ODI 11513593