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

I am filing a complaint regarding a safety recall on my 2016 Ford Explorer that remains unrepaired despite repeated attempts to have it fixed. I purchased this vehicle from a dealership in 2024. At the time of purchase, the dealership did not disclose any outstanding safety recalls. Within a few weeks of purchasing the vehicle, I noticed the exterior trim panels were loose and beginning to separate from the vehicle. I returned to the dealership, where I was told that replacement parts were not yet available but should be available soon. Ford’s recall notice stated that parts were anticipated to be available toward the latter half of 2024. However, that representation has proven inaccurate. I have now been waiting more than two years for this safety recall to be repaired. During that time, I have contacted the dealership regularly, often weekly, seeking updates and a resolution. No repair has been offered, and no meaningful timeline has been provided. The unrepaired condition has created significant safety hazards. Because of the loose trim panels, my windshield frequently fogs on the inside, making it extremely difficult or impossible to properly defrost during cold weather. This severely limits visibility while driving. I have experienced multiple near-collisions while transporting my children because I could not adequately clear the windshield. More recently, the situation escalated when a trim panel from the driver’s side door detached while I was driving. The panel flew off the vehicle and struck my daughter in the face while she was seated in the rear seat with the window down. Fortunately, her injuries were not more severe, but the incident demonstrates the serious danger posed by this unresolved recall. As a single mother of four children, I rely on this vehicle for daily transportation and cannot simply replace it. I have made every reasonable effort to obtain the recall repair, yet I continue to drive a vehicle with a known safety defect that has alrea

NHTSA ODI 11743417

Description of Incident: The driver, [XXX] , was idling on a road near Lake Murray when her vehicle was rear-ended. Despite the force of the impact requiring Ms. [XXX] to be rushed to the hospital, the vehicle’s airbags failed to deploy. Post-Accident Concerns: Following the collision, the CEO of RideCare had the vehicle moved immediately to avoid public scrutiny. I have reason to believe the company is intentionally withholding the vehicle from inspection to prevent the XXX Highway Patrol or safety investigators from accessing the "black box" (Event Data Recorder). The vehicle is currently being stored inside the garage at the RideCare facility off [XXX] . Given that this company is responsible for the safe transport of vulnerable mental health patients, the failure of critical safety equipment and the subsequent attempt to hide evidence is a matter of urgent public safety. I request a formal investigation into the maintenance standards of this fleet and the specific safety failure INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11738165

Driving down the NJ Turnpike the dashboard started displaying lane assist no longer available along with a check engine light. Once stopped the front of the car had been burned with parts of the bumper melted. No visible fire at that time. Had the vehicle towed to Holman Ford. They assessed the damage to the Explorer and it was determined that the front facing camera had shorted causing an electrical fire that damaged the camera and front bumper writing harness along with the engine wiring harnesses. The car has been deemed a total loss due to the fire. The vehicle on has 67000 miles on it to date.

NHTSA ODI 11726751

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the driver's side roof rack cover panel ejected from the vehicle and made contact with a second vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle swerved to avoid the airborne projectile and crashed into a third vehicle. During the incident, no damage to the vehicles or injuries to the occupants in either vehicle were reported. No police report was taken. The local dealer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V316000(STRUCTURER). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. Also, the front driver's door exterior A-Pillar Trim had detached and was snapped back into position, and both the driver side and passenger side exterior B-Pillar Trim had come loose. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 70,000.

NHTSA ODI 11720474

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V435000 (SUSPENSION), 24V031000 (Structure), and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE). However, the parts to do the recall repairs for 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE) were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side A-pillar detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while the vehicle was idle and the contact was dropping off her child at school, the rear passenger seat caught on fire. The contact had turned on the seat warning, and when the daughter exited the vehicle, an abnormal burnt smell was coming from the back seat. The contact then noticed smoke was emitting from the seat. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and put out the fire. The seat was damaged beyond repair, and the wires were exposed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the most recent failure. No Fire and Police reports were filed. There were no injuries sustained. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

NHTSA ODI 11666632

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign number: 24V031000 (Structure) and NHTSA Campaign number: 25V347000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the driver's side A-pillar detached from the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The vehicle then crashed into the guardrail. The contact stated that the vehicle spun around, and went across the freeway and hit the guardrail on the other side, where it came to a stop. None of the air bags deployed. The contact suffered injuries to his back that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then it was towed to the dealer. The insurance company was not notified. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 50 MPH, the front passenger A-pillar trim and the back passenger B-Pillar trim were loose. The contact stated that the brackets on the front driver side seat are loose and the seat wobbles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the most recent failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11665905

I have already filed a complaint about the transmission issues of my vehicle a few months ago. Ford will not take credit and help me so we had to keep driving it. Hard shifting, slipping, losing reverse, losing power and jerking into gear. Now not only has it nearly killed us twice when we went to pull into traffic, it has jerked into gear and locked up throwing the car into a guardrail and causing an accident while my fiancée was driving it. I reported it was unsafe and no one did anything, now I have a wreck vehicle, fighting with insurance about the safety of it and it’s sitting at a body shop. We are all afraid to drive it. It nearly killed my family and no one cared to help us. Plus we have no vehicle to drive now. Thank you FORD for nearly killing my family and making us feel unimportant in every way possible. Plus NHTSA did nothing when I filed my first complaint!

NHTSA ODI 11651547

Unknown

NHTSA ODI 11645678

Ptu burnt out less than 53k miles. Molding on passenger side broke off while driving 60mph struck another vehicle causing to other vehicle to leave road. Thank God no one was injured. This thing could have killed a motorcycle driver. Checked online and there are thousands of reports of same molding breaking off while driving.ford tn# does not recognize and disconnects call.

NHTSA ODI 11644808

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURER); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure while driving approximately 40 MPH the passenger side A-Pillar trim ejected from the vehicle. During the failure, the driver became distracted and crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. During the crash, no injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 72,000. The VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ODI 11619783

The passenger side knee airbag went off in an accident causing my dad to have severe lacerations to both legs and a sprained ankle. Those were his only injuries from the accident. All caused by one airbag. There is a good chance he will need a skin graft on one of his legs. The emt and firefighters all said that they have never seen an airbag down there and loon like that. What it did to his legs is horrible. And should have never of happened.

NHTSA ODI 11617797

Rackin n pinion safety hazard

NHTSA ODI 11592050

The car caught on fire driving it to my brother's house to babysit his kids while #4 being born prematurely with complications at southwest ms regional medical center. I lost almost 15,000 in equity and my husband recently passed things inside I can't replace. It was about 11:00 at night and I made a uturn to stop at gas station and truck was already on fire. Many police officers and innocent bystanders almost were tremendously injured because the car was shooting whistling fire like rocket from all ends holding up traffic 1/2 mile on both sides of hwy and opposite side of hwys traffic.

NHTSA ODI 11590690

There has been many reports of electronic steering issue where it would just swerve you off the road and loose full control while driving for years 2013-2015 cars but 2016 years are also being effected. A dealership confirmed it was an electronic steering rack causing the issue. No warning lamps had went off either

NHTSA ODI 11577640

The rear toe suspension link failed on my Ford 2016 Explorer Sport for the 4th time on 10/20/2023 while I was driving. I heard a pop and lost total control of my vehicle. My vehicle immediately veered right going down an embankment. Thankfully trees where there to stop the vehicle from going into a roll. My safety was put at risk. I could of died. I have sustained injuries physically and mentally fromt he crash. My children were just in that car, I had just dropped them off at school an hour prior. No warning lamps. The police only did an accident report. My insurance has been contacting me about the noise I heard right before loosing all control. The rear suspension toe link has been recalled and fixed three times prior to this happening. This is the forth time this part has broke on me. This time I am lucky to walk away.

NHTSA ODI 11556061

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while crossing an intersection at 35 MPH, another driver crashed on the driver's side of the vehicle resulting in a T-bone collision. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. Both driver-side doors failed to open after the accident and special equipment was used by the authorities to extract the contact from the vehicle. The contact was taken to the hospital and was treated for minor scrapes, bruises, and soreness. The other driver sustained lacerations to the abdomen from the seat belt and also sought medical treatment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.

NHTSA ODI 11543829

My Ford Explorer 2016 windshield outer trim fell off while driving causing major danger on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11527485

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65-70 mph, there was an abnormal exhaust odor entering the vehicle. When the accelerator pedal was released, the odor dissipated. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The driver and passenger sustained a headache due to the odor but medical attention was not provided. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the seal was broken. Additionally, the mechanic informed her to use premium or Chevron fuel. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, and referred her to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

NHTSA ODI 11520907

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

Traveling at approximately 65mph on the highway, while beginning to enter a slight turn in the highway, the steering wheel "froze" as if the vehicle was off. It stayed locked ,about 15 degrees to the right, and would not free up. I tried applying brakes, which instantly began pulling me further left and into a ditch. Within 5 seconds I lost control of the vehicle, at around 50mph, impacted a guard rail, then went airborne, nose diving onto the service road below the highway. No lights were present at the time of the failure, a Ford dealership had done an inspection on my Steering Rack back on 10/29/2021 that found no issues present. The way the crash happened, I'm lucky to be alive, but how is this not a recall? How is there not a safety feature to allow for manual control of the steering if the electrical system dies? Scariest moment driving by far, a roller coaster I wish to not be put on again. I have significant bruising from the seat belt impacting my right side hip, my mirror dislodged and hit me in the head, seat airbag bruised my left shoulder, and my neck is about as sore as it can get

NHTSA ODI 11508168

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

On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at about 4:00 pm I proceeded to parallel park my vehicle and as I put my foot on the gas pedal the car took off uncontrollably at a very high speed, I tried to control the car but before I could stop it, I crashed and hit a tree. My vehicle was severely damaged. The vehicle was taken to the Dealer for inspection, and I was told there was nothing wrong. I know what happened and there is something wrong with this vehicle. I am glad that the tree was there because if not I believe I would have ended inside the house that was behind the tree and could have injured someone. My vehicle is at the body shop now, but I don't think I will drive it anymore, I don't feel safe in it.

NHTSA ODI 11492930

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a clicking sound coming from the vehicle and then there was an explosion. There was smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the PTU, transfer case and differential had exploded. The mechanic informed the contact that the PTU, transfer case and differential needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The manufacturer informed the contact that the warranty had expired and to research the lemon law. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11462282

I was driving along in town and heard a real loud pop sound and the car jerked. The front started smoking heavily. I get off to the nearest parking lot and fluids had spewed underneath and there was a small fire from this that went out. I had two children both in child restraints that had to be removed from the vehicle, thankfully my husband was with me. It was towed to two repair shops whom both stated the PTU had exploded and broke the transmission as well. I tried to get assistance through Ford and have hit a dead end. It is at the local dealership where they claim the ptu exploded, broke transmission and cracked the engine block resulting in close to $14,000 dollars needed in repairs. This vehicle was running completely fine, no lights had been displaying on the dash. Consumer stated dealer is blaming the defects on a tread pattern on 1 tire(not size).

NHTSA ODI 11459428

My wife has been reporting experiencing nausea, dizziness, sleepiness and headaches during and after her drive home from work throughout October/November 2021and into December 2021. Our vehicle was involved in a high speed collision on December 24, 2021 while traveling EB on I-90 at approximately MP 101. I was driving at the time. It was at about 3:29pm. I couldn't quite recall what had happened and I was disoriented and confused for some time after the collision though I hadn't hit my head. Everyone else in the car had fallen asleep despite being well rested and it being the middle of the afternoon. My symptoms and condition were the same as oxygen deprivation. I believe exhaust has been getting into the cabin of our vehicle and causing my wife's symptoms and caused the accident. The vehicle is totalled.

NHTSA ODI 11449167