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

Vehicle: 2016 Ford Explorer 2WD V6-3.5L VIN: [XXX] rchase: January 20, 2026 Odometer at Purchase: 70,929 miles (fraudulent — true mileage approximately 123,779 miles) Dealer: Drive Time Car Sales Company LLC, DBA Drive Time, 8805 E Adamo Dr, Tampa, FL 33619-3525 Narrative — Copy and Paste Into NHTSA Online Form: On January 20, 2026, I purchased a 2016 Ford Explorer 2WD V6-3.5L (VIN: [XXX] ) fr [XXX] Sales Company LLC, located at 8805 E Adamo Dr, Tampa, Florida 33619-3525. At the time of sale, the vehicle had three open, unrepaired federal safety recalls: 1. NHTSA Recall 19V435 / Ford 19S17 — Rear Suspension Toe Link Replacement (initiated June 26, 2019, affecting 1,194,173 vehicles). The rear suspension toe links may fracture, causing sudden loss of vehicle handling and risk of crash. 2. NHTSA Recall 21V537 / Ford 21S32 — Rear Suspension Toe Link Cross-Axis Ball Joint (owner notifications mailed March 2022, affecting 644,055 vehicles). The cross-axis ball joint may corrode and seize, causing toe link fracture and loss of steering control. 3. NHTSA Recall 25V347 / Ford 25S53 — B-Pillar Door Trim Detachment (owner notifications mailed June 2025, affecting 492,145 vehicles). B-pillar trim may detach while driving, creating a road hazard for other motorists. None of these recalls were repaired prior to sale. The dealer had documented actual knowledge of all three open recalls. Drive Time provided me with copies of the recall notices as part of the purchase paperwork at the time of sale. Additionally, the recall documentation included a printout from the NHTSA recall lookup website for this specific VIN, timestamped January 19, 2026, at 5:28 PM — the day before the sale — proving that Drive Time actively investigated and confirmed the open recalls within hours of delivering the vehicle. Ford's own dealer notice for Recall 19V435/19S17 states: "Federal law requires dealers to complete this recall service before a new vehicle is INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11738362

When I am driving at a speed limit of 35-45 mph, there is a shutter in my transmission accompanied by a rattling noise. It only happens at that range of speed, below 35 and above 45 it seems to work just fine. If I have to drive a considerate amount of time at that speed, it does it constantly and I can't make it stop. It feels like the transmission will blow up. I have seen multiple articles and recalls for the torque converter in the 2016-2020 models, but apparently my VIN number isn't included, although the symptoms are exactly like the open recall symptoms of other Explorers. I have taken it to a transmission shop to get it test driven and diagnosed and they agreed that it did feel like the torque converter was slipping, but their advise was to rebuild the whole transmission since there wasn't any recalls specifically for my VIN number. It does not show any messages or have any warning lights about this issue on the car itself, I don't know if the computer recognizes these type of issues or not.

NHTSA ODI 11738073

Transmission was rebuilt by Asheville Ford three years ago we’d only put 40,000 miles on it and now it needs a new transmission. We did bring it to another Ford and they had to reseal the casing saying the original sealant wasn’t done right

NHTSA ODI 11729762

The transmission shifts with a harsh jerk for no apparent reason and is an intermittent not constant problem. Also when stopped at an intersection refuses to engage to power the vehicle forward for a short time 5+ second time period.

NHTSA ODI 11714383

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle vibrated, and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the transmission. In addition, the vehicle drove roughly while the transmission was downshifting, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with torque converter failure. The contact was informed that the torque converter needed to be replaced, or the transmission could be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the Technical Service Bulletin: 20B27. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11681450

Transmission slips in and out of gear while driving causing loss of power. Many complaints online about this same issue from others.

NHTSA ODI 11668278

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced rough idles while his wife was driving the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, where it was confirmed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

NHTSA ODI 11666608

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle shuddered abnormally with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transfer case had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,401.

NHTSA ODI 11666400

I experienced two failures associated with other model years. The first was the right side A-pillar trim. It pulled free on the highway. I noticed it fly off and was able to recover the majority of it. It smashed on impact and there is a large piece missing. The remaining piece is available for inspection upon request. The A-pillar exterior trim flew off on a one-lane section of divided highway, there would have been no place for anyone to go if it flew back and there was a car behind me. This problem is a known issue I found out about on this (NHTSA) website. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, it flew off on the highway and has not been reported yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning at all that this was going to break loose. I also have an issue with the PTU. I was driving home from the airport and at a a stoplight, I noticed a ticking noise when I stopped at the exit of the parking lot. I noticed it again closer to home, after a fifty mile drive. When I stopped on the off ramp from the highway, I noticed smoke coming from under/behind my explorer. It smelled like antifreeze, but when I arrived home, and checked under the vehicle, I found black residue on the PTU and what looked like leaks from the axle seals that were not there for the last five months I've owned the vehicle. The vehicle smoked heavily when I stopped on the exit ramp, and when I went to accelerate into the traffic round-about, the vehicle lagged before moving, with an audible clunk and a lurch when it finally moved. Any reasonably hard acceleration produces a noise and will usually lag before moving. It may make a ticking noise when at idle cold, but is more pronounced the hotter the drivetrain gets. I had an OBD II scan done with no codes produced.

NHTSA ODI 11659710

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The contact stated that after several attempts to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle responded as intended. The contact stated that a dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V692000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.

NHTSA ODI 11653751

Transfer case replacement. Open recall on 2016 4x2 ford explorera for faulty transfer case but not recalled on 4x4 models. This is BS as the transfer case used for both models are the exact same. Should be covered under already open recall for transfer case.

NHTSA ODI 11653503

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

My vehicles wrench sign would turn on do a little jerk then I would lose power to my car. Showed malfunction to power train. Took it to mechanic said there was a Crack in the valve gasket and they fixed that and changed spark plugs. A month later car did the same thing. Has done it a total for 4 times very scary when on a high way and it does it and I have to pull over with traffic coming. Took it to another mechanic and he couldn't figure it out either because there are no codes but said he seem something similar and I needed to change all my coils. So I did that. Thousands of dollars later and no one can still figure out the problem. I don't know if it's some safety issue with the engine or transmission. But 3 certified mechanics can not figure out why my car continues to lose power.

NHTSA ODI 11649640

The second time my water pump has gone out in this vehicle. Causing over heating of the car and unrepairable wiring. Ford needs to get it right for us 2016 Ford Explorer owners. They [XXX] when it came to this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11647699

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot(H). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the water pump was replaced. The contact stated that several months later while in reverse(R), the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for a diagnostic test and remained with the dealer for months. The contact was informed that the vehicle had failed to accelerate while in drive(D) or reverse(R). The dealer later diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained unrepaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ODI 11646464

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the lower transmission and bolts had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 57,770.

NHTSA ODI 11646572

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 stated while driving 10 MPH, the message to service the vehicle was displayed. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle, and waited for several minutes before restarting the vehicle and the message was no longer displayed. The contact stated that while depressing accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was inspected to see if there were any leaks coming from the transmission. The contact called the Bob Johnson Auto Group to schedule an appointment for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.

NHTSA ODI 11643355

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked while shifting into gear. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive(D) on several occasions, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, overheated, and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence, where a mobile independent mechanic diagnosed that the head gasket was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ODI 11631843

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact’s spouse stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the link shaft bracket had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V692000 (Power Train). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 157,627.

NHTSA ODI 11631060

There has been an ongoing issue with my vehicle since it was last taken to service for a recall. The transmission has premature failure. I have had the entire vehicle powertrain fluids changed and nothing has helped. My boyfriend has been driving the vehicle and will not let me drive it anymore because it is unsafe. The transmission has torque converter issues. It has got stuck in second gear and when we went to pull out into traffic it would not move and we nearly got T-Boned. That happened while I was with him and I'm afraid to use it. He has to drive it to work because I have his vehicle and he wants me and my daughter to be safe. He says its downshifting hard when slowing down. It will downshift hard and loose power when trying to speed up on the interstate or while trying to get on the interstate. It shifts hard into reverse and is delayed shifting. Its lost power due to the transmission slipping. There has never been any check engine lights come on. Ford will do absolutely nothing about it. The vehicle has around 62,000 miles on it now and its gotten worse and is going to cause an accident or kill someone. I have called ford several times and they don't seem to care. They want me to go have it fixed and pay for it. I don't have that kind of money and I should not have to pay for there problem. Its a known issue I found out by searching online, even lawsuits. They need to recall these transmissions and fix the issue with them before someone is killed. If there hasn't already been deaths. Its unsafe. It has put me and my daughter at risk. Other drivers at risk and now with him having to drive it, his life is at risk everyday! Ford does not care about people or their family. They know they put a bad transmission in these vehicles and it cause premature wear. The transmission fluid is black, smells burnt and even metal shavings in it. Its a ticking bomb and its unfair they want me to pay for their mistakes!

NHTSA ODI 11630790

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that oil from the turbo booster had leaked onto the catalytic converter and both the turbo booster and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that previously the power transfer off unit was faulty, causing the vehicle to suddenly lose accelerating power; and the front control arms and ball joints were replaced. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ODI 11621498

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to shift into reverse properly, the vehicle would reverse a few feet and suddenly stall or stop from reversing when reversing out of a parking lot while a crunching sound could be heard from underneath the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed that the PTU needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ODI 11620353

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud grinding sound. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle seized, and the vehicle started rolling. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and noticed that the gear box had blown out. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gear box had fractured and damaged the transmission front assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

NHTSA ODI 11616637

Randomly whilst driving, my dash had multiple error messages pop up and my power steering went out completely. The error messages were as follows: Service AdvanceTrac, Terrain Management System Fault, Hill Start Assist Not Available, & Power Steering Assit Fault. This keeps happening intermittently, while I am driving. This causes a serious safety issue, for my steering wheel to lock up while I am driving! I did get the codes for the errors and they are as follows: U0420-41, C0051-67, U0151-00, U0131-00. My ABS system failed check, as well. This is a known issue with Ford vehicles, as there have already been recalls for previous models. According to [XXX]: "Ford has recalled earlier model year Explorers with power steering problems before. In 2014, Ford recalled certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorers, saying these vehicles “may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear, which can cause a loss of the motor position sensor signal resulting a shut down of the power steering assist.” According to Ford, this issue “may increase the risk of a accident.” In 2015, Ford recalled certain model year Ford Fusion, Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Mercury Milan, Lincoln MKS, Lincoln MKT, and Lincoln MKZ vehicles. According to Ford, these vehicles had “electric power steering assist systems that may shut down as a result of a steering motor sensor fault.” As a result, “[i]f the vehicle experiences a loss of power steering assist, extra steering effort will be required at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash”. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11613985