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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after a rainy day, while entering the vehicle, she noticed water on the front passenger’s side floor. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be sealed. The vehicle was repaired but a year later she experienced the failure again. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

NHTSA ODI 11491293

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started overheating with the high temperature warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and notice that there was no coolant in the engine due to a coolant leak. The contact added more coolant and the vehicle started to operate normally. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and he stated that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11491335

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

Clunking and popping noise from steering while steering left or right while slowly traveling forward or reverse. Noise can be heard from steering while front end jacked up off ground. Afraid steering may lock up or fail while driving causing injury or death or stranding. Noise has become more frequent lately, started around 65k miles.

NHTSA ODI 11490957

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle intermittently started shuddering. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer at lower speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where unknown repairs were completed; however, several weeks later, the contact noticed an abnormally strong burning odor inside the vehicle while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, she noticed that there was oil leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the rear main seal was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the rear main seal was replaced a second time; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who contacted the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer sent out a field technician who diagnosed that the crankshaft had failed, and the small block or engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact followed up with the manufacturer who informed her that they could not assist as the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 82,700.

NHTSA ODI 11490874

While braking off a highway the steering light appeared and the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably. The ford motor co. stated there was no issue and did not address.

NHTSA ODI 11490464

Transmission died with no warning at under 80k miles. The car lost its ability to accelerate while merging on the highway. Got off highway and to friends home. Car would not reverse and could not accelerate over 15mph. Had it towed to AAA repair shop. According to AAA repair shop a new Transmission is needed. This is unacceptable with only 80k miles, never received warning lights, and regular maintenance. 2016 Ford Explorer has know Transmission issues.

NHTSA ODI 11490505

Steering rack failure causing loud popping inside of the rack and pinion causing trouble steering, also abruptly pulling the vehicle or hard steering several reports of people almost wrecking.

NHTSA ODI 11490431

It has a known problem of that the water pump leaks into engine and causes engine failure. It's all over the google. Today, car dealer called me and told me, I would be better replace the water pump before it fails. It is not failed yet, but they said they saw the symptom, which will cause fatality if I don't change it. And it will cost me not to die from that design failure. Is this not a matter for a car manufacturer to cover by recalling it? When I searched on google, there is a law suit going on, and many many forum of people who's having the exact same issue with multiple ford and lincoln model. Please help people on this matter...

NHTSA ODI 11490199

With no warning, the steering began to grind with turns and was harder to steer. No warning lights ever appeared. The car was no longer safe to drive. The vehicle is 2016 with low milage, approximately 57,000 miles. The mechanic assessed the vehicle and said the rack and pinion needed replaced. He stated he has begun to see multiple 2016 Ford Explorers coming in with with issues of low milage yet needing the rack and pinion replaced. The car was then taken to a local Ford Dealership. They agreed with the mechanics assessment. The car has now been in the shop for 43 days with no available parts to repair.

NHTSA ODI 11489779

The contact's father-in-law owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that an unknown fluid was leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was discovered that the water pump was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact paid for the repair; however, soon after the repair, the failure returned. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489523

On February 03, 2022 I took my to the Ford dealership in my area, I was told that rear toe link was replaced. After 8 months while I was driving the Explorer 2016, the car starts swerving from side to side, and lost the control. For few seconds I was struggling to stop the car, after I stopped the car I checked the tires, I saw the rear left passenger tire was loosen, and steering wheel wasn’t straight. Me and my friend were terrified and still not feeling alright. I lost the confidence in Ford Explorer.

NHTSA ODI 11489437

Steering started making grinding noise and when parked steering froze. Restarted and steering unfroze and made grinding noise and slowly drove to repair shop. Checked for recalls and none on this vehicle. Repair shop said no parts are available form Ford for a repair. This has to be a factory defect and could lead to serious injury or death.

NHTSA ODI 11489391

The water pump failed and is available for inspection. i was driving and my engine began smoking to the point of visibility loss and suffocating air fumes. I was forced onto an edge of the highway with a drastic drop into the road and had to evacuate my 5 and 2 year old daughters from their car seats. Had i not noticed the smoke im sure a fire would have put me and my kids at fatal risks. i had it taken to the dealer to check into the highspeed cooling fan. the service technician told me that he knew without checking that it was the water pump because ford knows that they have been faulty with issues up to catastrophic engine failure since their 2011 series ford explorer up to the current 2019 with the duratech 3.5 engine. it was inspected by the ford dealership. and i saw no warning or even problems prior that indicated an oncoming failure that could have endangered my kids or myself. After doign research, almost every ford explorer owner has had these issues and ford made a laughable fix to update our owners manual about the water pump. this disclosure should have been mentioned during the sale of the vehicle and had it been i would have chosen a different vehicle and manufacturing company all together. This has shown ford's negligence and complacency towards driver and consumer safety and they should have had the entire engine recalled. but thats appearantly to expensive. now i have a useless vehicle on my credit that i cant afford to fix because of their design issue and like many consumers i feel like ford owes it to us to fix these and offer a lifetime warranty for the water pumps. do your job correctly and with integrity and you wont have to fix so many problems.

NHTSA ODI 11489398

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he noticed a puddle on the ground of his driveway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that coolant had leaked from the water pump and into the engine block. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that no recalls were affiliated with the VIN and no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489279

My wife was driving our kids home from school when she experienced a sudden loss of steering followed by inaccurate control with no type of indication for an issue on the dashboard. Once she was able to (thankfully) make it home, I drove the vehicle around and noticed that there was a considerable lack of power steering when turning and the steering wheel would not return to the center position as typical. We brought it to an auto shop that diagnosed the issue as being the electric power steering rack which appears to be a fairly common issue with these Ford Explorers regardless of mileage. Tried to address the issue but the part if back-ordered for weeks and we are unable to fix our vehicle. Looking online, it appears that this is a common issue with Ford Explorers that could potentially lead to serious complications if experienced driving at higher speeds. Additionally, there are already a couple of recalls related to the steering of this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11489145

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Power Steering Assist Failed" was displayed. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized and became extremely difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488950

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while stopped in traffic, the vehicle was shuddering and appeared to be going into idle mode. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle responded as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under Customer Satisfaction Program Number: 20N07, which had expired. The failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11489017

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle began to sputter as if the vehicle was going to stall. The contact stated that "Shutdown Engine" warning light was illuminated and the temperature gauge was extremely high. The contact pulled off the road, stopped the vehicle, and opened the hood. The contact observed that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir. The contact left the vehicle and returned with coolant and refilled the reservoir. The contact drove the vehicle to her residence. The contact checked the coolant reservoir and stated that the coolant was bubbling in the reservoir. The contact stated that a puddle had formed underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been an ongoing failure. The contact stated that she had mistaken prior puddles underneath the vehicle for condensation from the air conditioning drain hose. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488236

I felt a thumping when turning the steering wheel and took it to the dealership who kept it for two days to attempt to replicate the same noise but they were unable to reproduce or replicate. Two or maybe three months later, the thumping noise turned into a clicking noise. Again, I immediately took it to the Ford dealership and fortunately a mechanic was still on duty. They test drove the vehicle and heard the same noise. They ask if I could leave the vehicle for more testing with their suspension specialist and they will contact me the next day. The next day they contacted me and I was told 'this is a common problem and Ford is aware of issue but has not issued a recall'. Concerned about the comment I took it to a second Ford dealership. The second dealership kept it for a day and of course they could not replicate the thumping or clicking sound. They even inspected the steering/wheel components but found nothing. Worried, I did some additional research and found this website with other people complaining about the same issue https://www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/2016/steering/steering-rack_and_pinion.shtml I even found a few YouTube videos addressing the same problem. October is here and winter is about to set in and my vehicle is still thumping and clicking. I am driving the vehicle but concerned I am putting my safety and the safety of others at risk. Based on the information I found, it is clear that I am not the only one with this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11488083

Water pump failure, leaking antifreeze all over my brand new concrete

NHTSA ODI 11487554

Water pump failure which causes the car to stall immediately when it overheats. This appears to be a common issue with 2016 Ford Explorers

NHTSA ODI 11486926

My purge valve was stuck open and had strong fuel vapors leaking inside of the car cabin. I became lightheaded and went to the ER. This was before the check engine light came on. It was very concerning.

NHTSA ODI 11486796

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the engine coolant warning light was illuminated with the engine overheating. The dealer was contacted and stated that the water pump and timing belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 64,000.

NHTSA ODI 11486116

Initially the steering on the vehicle appeared to be "notchy". It was holding the last steering wheel correction rather than returning to centered position. It appeared as if something lost lubrication. While driving the traction control and advance trac lights lit. Messages "Steering fault service now", "Service advance trac", "Hillstart assist not available", "Steering loss stop safely" appeared. After shutsown and restart "No steering" message appeared. There was no steering at this point. Code P07AE "Friction element" showed on code reader. If the vehicle was not stopped safely there could have been a serious accident of any variety. The vehicle is currently waiting for repair. This has been the case for over one month. The steering gear is on backorder. There has been no further inspection at this time.

NHTSA ODI 11486140