What 1,669 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Explorer Gas

Keyless entry panel on driver's side continues to fall off while driving, hanging by wires, which then blow fuses. Lift gate ajar warning comes on and then unable to open/close rear lift gate. Indoor overhead lighting remains on due to "liftgate ajar" even though liftgate is not ajar. This is a Safety hazard, panel could fly off during driving. Took to dealer, misdiagnosed as liftgate latch malfunction. Paid to get latch replaced and one week later, keyless entry panel fell off again and liftgate ajar warning came up and unable to open or close liftgate and interior lighting remains on.

NHTSA ODI 11636365

Driving on the highway heard large rattling noise coming from engine loss of power engine light came on battery light came on no acceleration cause to slow down on highway fortunately I was able to get to shoulder had it towed to service shop had p0012 code tensioner may have broken off on timing belt causing low oil pressure and causing engine rattling noise and engine shut down but service garage don’t do that type of work

NHTSA ODI 11611949

We notice we were getting a warning about our battery about a year ago, so we took it to Ford and they said they couldn’t find any issues. We found a mechanic in town who looked at it with a volt meter an instantly noticed that the red power cable coming from the battery had burst through the casing that once held it. Now we have an exposed power cable that could potentially catch on fire if fluids from the engine were exposed to it. We first knew something was wrong when the doors would not unlock properly. And while driving we would get a battery warning. Ford told us during our warranty period that they didn’t find anything wrong when this should have been noticed instantly. This is a serious fire hazard. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer but a lack of knowledge by their mechanics has led to us filling this report.

NHTSA ODI 11607695

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side door keypad fractured in half leaving the wires exposed. No warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that the parts to fix the vehicle was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

NHTSA ODI 11600845

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the "Liftgate Ajar" message was displayed. The contact's husband pulled over and inspected the trunk, and the trunk was properly closed. The contact's husband then became aware that while opening the front driver's side door, the keyless entry keypad had detached. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11600859

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 80 MPH, the contact heard a loud bang, and the "Door Ajar" message was displayed. The contact pulled over and noticed that the front driver's side keyless entry keypad had detached, exposing the wires from the door. The contact drove to her destination, but the rear liftgate failed to open as needed and the interior lights failed to turn off. The contact purchased and replaced the 10-amp fuse under the steering wheel, which resolved the failure with the rear liftgate and the interior lights; however, the front driver's side keyless entry keypad was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11596249

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the speedometer and RPM gauges were sticking. There was an abnormal ticking sound detected. While in gear, the speedometer and RPM were flashing on and off. The driver was unable to determine the speed of the vehicle while driving. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were flashing on and off. The contact disconnected the battery. The contact cleaned the cables and terminals and replaced the battery. The vehicle started working as designed, but the failure recurred. The contact called the local dealer, who scheduled an appointment. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 119,000.

NHTSA ODI 11595779

Vehicle’s coolant over temperature warning light comes on only on highway and vehicles slows, which can cause a crash. However, temp gauge fluctuates quickly going back and forth from normal to hot.

NHTSA ODI 11594563

My instrument panel completely went blank, flickering and when the car is shut off it continues to click, I'm having to disconnect battery when exiting the vehicle. I have no speedometer, oil gauge, temperature gage. I have no way of knowing my speed when driving. This vehicle has been very well taken care of and maintenance when called for. It believe it causes the battery to corrioid and having to clean battery all the time. This has been continuous since buying the car in Dec 2018.

NHTSA ODI 11594598

Like the existing recall for the exterior A pillar , the exterior B Pillar is lifting from the car at the top. This has since caused rain water to leak in from the top and caused a short in the touch entry keypad within the pillar, causing it to flash on and off over and over draining the cars battery until it is dead and won’t start.

NHTSA ODI 11591146

My locks on my doors will not lock with keyfob or when I push my lock button in the car. I am scared that if I can't lock them someone will fall out the car. Someone can steal my car because I cannot lock my doors.

NHTSA ODI 11585890

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was running rough and was shuddering while starting and driving. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic twice. The mechanic determined that rodents had damaged the wiring underneath the hood. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times, and the same assessment was made. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The dealer determined that the wiring underneath the hood and the wiring in the rear of the vehicle needed to be replaced due to rodent damage. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 52,877.

NHTSA ODI 11580451

The driver side heated seat does not work at all the passenger side heated seat works just the driver side does not work

NHTSA ODI 11580200

Air bag light came on the dash board Headed to dealer to see why Code B141C Cost to repair the problem was very high not covered by warranty The problem seems to me a poor design. Because of this weak design I feel this puts passengers in danger.

NHTSA ODI 11575483

Our Explorer, experienced this in June of 2022. My daughter had just graduated college and we were moving some of her stuff back home 350 miles away. The Driver side area where the codes are put into to unlock the door if locked out, fell off and was hanging while we were driving on the freeway. We had to exit the freeway and my husband had to buy duck tape to tape it up. Our hatchback would not work as well as some of the other electrical things. I refused to drive it the rest of the way home, and we switched cars. It did cause electrical to go out throughout the car, intermittently. My husband had to buy the part online and replace it. The passenger side is going to fall off also, I noticed while washing it. So yes we need this done, asap. And we had to incur charges for having to replace the other one. There were warning lights for electrical, not working. I cannot remember what they were.

NHTSA ODI 11574351

All plastic parts around all doors and windows have become detached. Windshield wipers do not stay on. All lights and gps go haywire and flash on and off gps system goes off and makes loud buzzing noise

NHTSA ODI 11572111

Car dies repeatedly while on the road driving and also while parked. Car has errors on dashboard when attempting to turn on, which I have a video of. First mechanic was able to replicate issue once and got some scan tool codes but he said after that, they all cleared out and he wasn't able to replicate. Car was given back to us, drove to store died and it wouldn't start in parking lot. Mechanic sent tow truck, car started when tow truck arrived. Took car to Ford, tech unable to replicate, car returned to us. Car died once again, which is when I took the error video and took the car back to Ford and showed service rep the video. Ford still unable to figure out the issue. We told Ford to keep the car because it isn't safe to drive until we find and fix the issue. Car has been in mechanic and Ford for about 4 months total.

NHTSA ODI 11558419

My two back doors wont lock or unlock. Very frustrating

NHTSA ODI 11555183

I had a piece of window trim fly off while I was driving on the highway at 70 mph. When it flew off, it may have hit another car. With the piece gone, I am not unable to open the hatch and the dome lights stays on for a considerable amount of time. There is no way to turn off the dome lights, you have to wait for them to go off, which is sometimes more than 10 minutes. When the piece was replaced, the hatch worked as normal. I had the window trim replaced and the same thing happened. I was traveling down the highway over 70 mph and the piece flew off in heavy traffic. I, again, have not been able to open the hatch nor turn off of the dome lights.

NHTSA ODI 11539307

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel did not return to center. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to respond normally while turning the steering wheel to center. Additionally, the contact stated that the instrument cluster went black, and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over safely and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the “System Communication Error" message was displayed on the infotainment screen after the restart. The contact later had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness and the GWM harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that after the repair, the battery had started to drain very quickly. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,833.

NHTSA ODI 11537949

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he attempted to start the vehicle however, the engine failed to turn over. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to and independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed that the relay and fuses failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that the independent mechanic test drove the vehicle and the vehicle stalled. The contact was then informed by the dealer that the vehicle was included in Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N01 (Cooling Fan Motor Relay). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the contact was unsure of the diagnostic results. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was then advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11532816

My door do not lock/unlock automatically. It started with one door. Then that door started working and another door stopped working. Then that started working and a different door stopped working. This cycle kept happening until all doors stopped working. Then they started working again and then stopped working again. On several occasions the locks I couldn't unlock door with the key or open the door from the inside with handle/button or lever. Also tried to lock car manually only for the lever to pop right back up. So my car was left unsecured on many occasions. Door problems Started may of 2022 until recent

NHTSA ODI 11526741

The locks on the doors do not all unlock at the same time or lock at the same time. The passenger door has locked and would not unlock. My daughter had to climb through car to get out. If there’s an accident my kids can not safely exit the vehicle due to the locks. You can’t unlock it either from the inside. It randomly will unlock on its own.

NHTSA ODI 11524286

The automatic locks on both right passenger sides quit working. It imposes a danger because if you are trying to get out of the vehicle you can’t if it’s locked. If it’s left unlocked then it imposes a danger if someone is trying to get into your vehicle that you don’t want and you can’t lock them out.

NHTSA ODI 11516792

The APIM module failed in our 2017 Ford Explorer. The module failed so the windshield wipers do not work, the turn signals do not work, the heater does not work, the speedometer does not work, the tachometer does not work, the temperature gauge does not work, the fuel gauge does not work, the center display does not work, the reverse camera does not work and the radio will not turn off and the center display lights will not turn off.

NHTSA ODI 11489475