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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the windshield plastic trim piece detached from vehicle. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the plastic trim piece needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. While driving the other plastic trim piece detached. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.

NHTSA ODI 11435595

Exhaust leaks into cab under moderate to heavy acceleration with windows closed it is even worse when accelerating with the windows open

NHTSA ODI 11435312

Component - passenger side rook rack rail cover. Safety of others - part flew off as I was driving vehicle between 55-60 mph. Not sure if it hit any other vehicles. Have not taken vehicle to dealer or other service center. Vehicle has not been inspected by any third party. The only symptom prior to the problem, was loud noises heard while driving. Waited until I could find an exit ramp to inspect the vehicle, but did not find anything. It was only after I arrived at my destination that I noticed the cover had fallen off. No warning lamps, messages, or indicators of any other kind were displayed to me.

NHTSA ODI 11435168

Anytime I accelerate above 55-60mph my vehicle smells like it is burning. This smell consumes the cab area for a period of time. I have owned the vehicle for 1 year now and it has done this since the day I purchased it.

NHTSA ODI 11434983

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the rubber from the windshield was flapping and making noises, almost causing a collision. The contact inspected the windshield and saw that the front passenger’s and driver’s side rubber on the windshield had deteriorated. The contact glued the rubber to the windshield to repair the failure. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall related to the failure and the contact had to pay for the same part already installed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.

NHTSA ODI 11433793

The tie rod on my 2016 Ford Explorer BROKE. Luckily my husband was just backing it out of our garage He heard a loud noise sounding like he had run over something metal and the car would not move. He got out to take a look and the right front wheel was turned completely sideways The dealership told us to bring it in. We had to hire a flat bed truck to get it there.so that was at our expense.When the flat bed truck driver came from another repair shop to help us, he immediately said "Oh,you have a broken tie rod huh?" We did not know. He said there is a rubber boot around the tie rods and our tie rod broke.My husband told the garage dealership this.They said they had never heard of that. BUT in taking it apart they discovered that was the case. We were without a car for 3 weeks as they had troubles locating a part. I wanted both sides fixed but they only fixed the one. They did give me the old part. It is a rusty, horrible looking piece of crap. It looks like it is 100 years old. It absolutely BROKE. Here is my concern. What if my husband and I and our friends would have been in the car driving 65 down the highway? I know what would have happened. There would have been deaths and severe injuries.THANK GOD it happened in our drive at home. We had no warning.Had there been an accident the report would have been "the driver and his passengers were killed after the driver lost control of the car". Never probably would have found this MAJOR LIFE THREATENING flaw in the car. How many accidents have there been with that conclusion. Did the driver really lost control or was there a major safety issue? I am scared to death to get in this car and go anywhere,Now we get a recall notice regarding possibility of a rear toe link fracture. REALLY? AND PARTS ARE UNAVAILABLE ACCORDING TO THE LETTER? Are we to park the car and wait for the parts to become available? we need a car to drive. Ford needs to replace or reimburse for these damaged vehicles. I feel very, very unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11433456

Plastic drivers seat mounting components have failed causing drivers seat to rock back & forth. Concerned that remainder of seat mounting system will fail and I will go through the windshield during a hard brake stop or cause me to swerve and hit or kill someone else.

NHTSA ODI 11432410

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V316000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, tapping noises were heard coming from the roof of the vehicle before the roof rack trim detached and hit another vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the recall and informed the contact that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11432501

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, excessive force was needed to steer the vehicle without warning. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where they informed her that the electrical rack and pinion needed to be replaced, followed by an alignment. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that the vehicle was not under recall or warranty. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ODI 11432001

On my 2016 Ford Explorer, the A Pillars on both the passenger and driver's side completely detached from the car while driving and flew back into the road while driving on the highway. The A pillars that detached could have easily hit another car/person and caused serious damage. My local Ford dealership inspected the car and pillars and confirmed this as a common failure. They have informed me that there is now a new version of this part because of this common failure. However, the part is currently back ordered and cannot be repaired on any timeline. They are currently duct taped onto the car to protect the car from any further damage. I believe since Ford acknowledged the failure and there was a need to create a new system/part, then this should be a recall of the current parts. There were no warnings or previous issues with the A pillar trim pieces before they just came completely detached, both within an hour of one another. A quick google search can find that this is a very common failure with many Ford explorers. I hope Ford would do the right thing and recall this part.

NHTSA ODI 11431320

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the contact heard a knocking noise from the front driver’s side window. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle and noticed that the weatherstrip on the front driver’s side door was detaching from the molding that held the weatherstrip from the windshield. The contact pushed the weather strip back into the molding and continued to drive back to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who inspected the vehicle and stated that the weatherstrip had loosened over time. The mechanic glued the weather strip back into the molding as a temporary fix and referred the contact to a local dealer for assistance. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that the molding needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.

NHTSA ODI 11431419

The front pillar cover has blown off my 2016 Explorer 3 times in the 4 years I’ve owned the vehicle. Two of the 3 times this occurred, I was traveling in heavy traffic on a limited access highway causing a hazard for the other drivers. I don’t know where the piece landed or if it hit other vehicles. I have complained about the flawed design to Ford, calling their Customer Service number and the tech told me he didn’t see any other complaints related to this from other Ford Explorer owners. What will it take for Ford to fix this design flaw to prevent repeat occurrences? Or at least acknowledge it in their database? The only risk to me is the distraction caused by the sudden noise which drew my attention from the road while I triaged the cause. I hope no motorcycle or convertibles were hit by the debris. I wouldn’t replace the trim but now the windshield is probably impacted. The windshield gasket is exposed and flapped in the wind for the entire trip home after this last time. It was like riding in a helicopter without ear protection.

NHTSA ODI 11431197

Ecoboost Base 76k miles had a steering rack failure . Over looking all other complaints, looks like I’m not the only one with the 2500$ bill . Ford dealership acknowledged that it was a very common issue and was easy to diagnosed . I was met with light flashing on dash then would disappear after I restarted the SUV . Until I turned it on one day at a sonic drive in and would not steer . I’ve read reports where people are driving on the freeway when it happens and I could only imagine how that would’ve been like especially since I drive with my child onboard . Dash says “ Advance Track Failure; Hill Assist Needs Maintence “ . It was quickly diagnosed over the phone but still took it to get looked at, at Ford . 100% should be a recall at such a low mileage, just thought since police use them in their fleet they had to be reliable . For it to be a 300$ core as well, sounds like it’s still a valuable part broken

NHTSA ODI 11431032

At approximately 102,000 miles, vehicle started making loud grinding noise when turning the steering wheel in either direction, very noticeable both inside and outside the vehicle, both when stopped and when driving. The steering wheel sticks in certain positions while driving, requiring extra force to maintain the vehicle's direction. Issue is worse at highway speeds, creating a dangerous condition that was getting progressively worse. Made it to a Ford dealership who indicated that a new rack and pinion assembly is required at $2,900. They also recommended not driving the vehicle in that the condition was unsafe.

NHTSA ODI 11431067

Lost steering all at once could not turn wheel luckily i was in my drive way when it happened i paid yes ford 1600.00 dollars for a new rack and pinion on 8-13-21 was given a release date on part for 8-24-21 then 8-25-21 and now 9-3-21 this is an emergency order thru ford they was quick to take my money but cant deliver part.I have turned in a complaint to ford and it has not helped no calls back from ford. Looks like this is a huge problem ford has with its explorer rack and pinion failure I guess there waiting on somebody to get killed with faulty racks before they do anything. My explorer has 65000 miles on it and it looks like this is a common failure for this vehicle.

NHTSA ODI 11430893

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the 2nd row seating air bag warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 39,000.

NHTSA ODI 11430431

Power Steering Assist Failure indicator appeared on dashboard resulting in inability to steer car. Vehicle was towed to dealership and reprogramming was attempted with no success. Requires replacement of EPS steering.

NHTSA ODI 11430456

EL RACK AN PINON YA FUE REMPLAZADO. ENTIENDO QUE ES MUY PREMATURO PARA REMPLARLO. ES UN FALLA DE FABRICA. TRANSLATION: "THE RACK AND PINION WAS REPLACED. TO MY UNDERSTANDING IS TOO PREMATURE TO BE REPLACED. IT SEEMS LIKE IS A MANUGACTURING DEFECT"

NHTSA ODI 11430305

Extreme sulphur/rotten egg smell coming into the cabin. It also reeks of exhaust fumes that are making me nauseous and light headed. This comes out of the A/C and you can smell it when you exit the vehicle too.

NHTSA ODI 11430106

Was driving on I-40 at approximately 75mph and vehicle lost all acceleration, wrench icon came on in dash. Pressed. Gas pedal to the floor, no acceleration. Had to pull over on side of road. Pulled over vehicle stared shaken. Cut off vehicle for about 1min. Tried to retest vehicle, vehicle did not want to restart/crank. Tried again vehicle stared up. Vehicle power is not the same. Thank God I was on the right side of the highway instead of the middle so I could get off the road. This could have been worse.

NHTSA ODI 11430121

Vehicle has a known airbag malfunction that is covered by a manufacturer published service bulletin. Ford and their Dealerships refuse to perform published safety service bulletin without charging for parts and labor. Ford and dealerships response to issue is that without the at owner cost repair of the faulty safety restraint, the entire safety system may not function. Bulletin is TSB 16-0001 Owners have no operable safety system unless paying to repair a known safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11429463

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the power steering and power steering assist failed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home, however, the steering was manual making it more difficult to maneuver the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11429207

Over the last year or so, my 2016 Ford Explorer would suddenly out of nowhere say on the dashboard that there is a steering fault that needed to be serviced. The steering would be a little off but after turning the car on and off, it would reset and wouldn’t happen again for a week or two. I took it in to the dealership to get a recall fixed and had them take a look at my actual steering issue (with videos and pictures of the problem) but they could not replicate the problem as the dashboard would reset. Fast forward to last Thursday when the problem was more persistent than normal. A few times in the last couple months or so, my steering wheel would LOCK UP completely because the power steering would give out and a few times I was ON A FREEWAY. I had to manually hand crank a very very stiff steering wheel and pull over which was extremely dangerous. Once I would, I would turn the car on and off again which then it would reset. The dashboard warning about the steering fault would come on more often than the steering wheel locking up but the several times it did lock it, proved a very dangerous situation. It happened again this past week which I had to drive slowly to my local mechanic. Due to it being a power steering/programming issue, the recommended me going back to the dealership. At that point, my car would no longer reset the issue and I was unable to drive home that day because the power steering permanently gave out. Thank god I was at the mechanic already. Currently, I have the car towed to the dealership and they are working on the problem. Because my extended warranty ended 2k miles ago, I am supposed to pay $3800 out of pocket for this?? It should be a RECALL situation. Extremely dangerous. Forum related issue that I did research on and it seems to be a common problem!!! : https://www.carproblemzoo.com/ford/explorer/2016/steering-rack-and-pinion-problems.php Please help make Ford do a recall for this dangerous issue!!

NHTSA ODI 11427811

Vehicle displays airbag warning light. Dealership diagnostic test determined there is a faulty connection to the 2nd-row inflatable seatbelt sensor. Ford issued a service bulletin to replace the wire harness pigtail connection. When the airbag light is illuminated due to this faulty connection, all of the airbags in the vehicle are deactivated. Directly from site: Https://Ford.oemdtc.com/1203/air-bag-warning-light-illuminated-with-dtc-B141B-B141C-2014-2016-Ford-Explorer tsb 16-0001 airbag warning light illuminated with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) B141B and/or B141C. This is not normal wear and tear but a safety item design by Ford that has failed in the vehicle. Ford dealership claims that this is not warranty failure. Cost to repair $1085 plus $230 diagnostic test charge.

NHTSA ODI 11427827

NY CAR OVERHEATED AND SPILLED ALL THE COOLANT DUE TO THE ENGINE BLOCK HEATERS IT HAS. I TOOK IT FOR AN INSPECTION AND THEY TOLD ME THESE ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND NEED TO BE CHANGED ASAP, I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE THIS RECALL AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME WHEN CLEARLY IT IS THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH RECALL # 16S14 FROM FORD. I NEED THIS FIXED ASAP AT NO CHARGE TO ME AS IT IS FORDS PROBLEM. I NEED MY CAR BACK TO GET TO WORK PLEASE

NHTSA ODI 11427602