What 1,668 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Explorer Hev

In 2022 I had the water pump replaced on my 2017 Ford Explorer as it was leaking and i was getting fluids into the oil tank. The mechanic advised that it could destroy the entire engine and cause massive safety issues when driving. Had repairs done at Forder Dealership. On September 26, 2024, I took my 2017 Ford Explorer into the Ford Dealership for another issue and found out that my water pump was cracked again, leaking antifreeze, and that it needed to be replaced. Again, if not replaced massive safety issue could occur when driving. Earlier in September when driving the vehicle on the highway the entire vehicle shut down, lost the power steering, and the vehicle literally died in the parking lot of a tire shop. Replaced the alternator but still had issues with the engine after the replacement which now I learned could have been from the antifreeze leaking out of the water pump. Ford will not cover the replacement of the water pump because it 9 months past the warranty.

NHTSA ODI 11618116

Engine shake due for engine mounting damage on transmission and engine mount 3 xplorer 2017 was at the same shop same problem

NHTSA ODI 11615424

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle lost motive power, prompting the contact to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection of the engine compartment, the contact observed that the oil dipstick had been ejected, allowing the orifice to leak oil onto the engine. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was able to determine that the engine was building excessive internal pressure but was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 121,000.

NHTSA ODI 11615497

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked violently. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who retrieved DTC code: P0300; and determined that there was an engine misfire. The contact's husband replaced the coil pack and spark plugs; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11614991

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised that the repair was not associated with any recalls. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11612825

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

While going up a steep hill or mountain the car starts to over heat when you stop pressing the gas the car will start to go back down in to cooler numbers and you can start driving again with no issues until you hit another hill.. car breaks wear out excessively also the car jerks when going into gear to shift

NHTSA ODI 11604366

2017 Ford Explorer 2.3L Ecoboost with 77,000 miles. Check engine light came on and I scanned the car for a cylinder 3 misfire. Changed all spark plugs and coil packs. Cleared the code and Cylinder 3 misfire is showing again. Overheating while idle. Car appears to be gulping down coolant with no sign of leaks.

NHTSA ODI 11603417

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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to safely drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway. The vehicle was towed the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

NHTSA ODI 11585218

There was a mechanical failure with the internal water pump that caused my engine to seize and render the vehicle non-operational. The water pump and motor have both been inspected by a certified mechanic who has deemed it as such. The vehicle could have broken down on the highway but I was one of the lucky ones that it did not. There was no warning of my engine being bad until the water pump was replaced. The weep hole in the pump caused coolant to enter my oil.

NHTSA ODI 11585023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to AutoZone, where it was diagnosed that the crankshaft solenoid had failed. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that there were metal shavings inside the engine. The dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. 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 141,595.

NHTSA ODI 11580381

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

I have replaced all the starter coil packs in my engine and still have the same problem the codes read misfiring on multiple cylinders wich causes the car to lose power and pull back on the transmission while pushing on the gas pedal this is an ongoing problem

NHTSA ODI 11580197

Vehicle began leaking coolant. No warning lights came on or anything. Took into repair center and they advised that the water pump needed to be replaced. Over $3,000 to repair and the car is barely over 100,000 miles. Seems to be a major defect as I have read many complaints about this issue.

NHTSA ODI 11579778

I was driving on the highway at around 60 mph, I accelerated to pass a car and then the "power" just cut off. The check engine light came on and having my foot on the gas did nothing and the car began to decelerate. Then it started to cycle between kicking in and cutting off for a few seconds, as if it was "catching". Then as I moved over towards the shoulder for safety it resumed normal operation.

NHTSA ODI 11577632

My transmission went out at 70k miles. Ford told me it was the engine causing the transmission to seize but since they didn’t have an official recall on it, they wouldn’t fix it. It cost me 5k to fix and they had to get 3 different transmissions from ford because the first two were defective. I was out of a car for 8 months

NHTSA ODI 11577467

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the coils and spark plugs were damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where a diagnostic was performed; the diagnostic test showed that coolant had leaked into cylinder #3. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance; the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 54,186.

NHTSA ODI 11576546

- Transmission/torque convertor has and is failing. Results in lack of acceleration during launch, sluggish vehicle operation and shudder - Known issue with this make/model/year of vehicle. Failure of the above began at 40,000 some miles and is presently not driveable at only 67,000 miles without an $8-$10,000 repair for a new transmission. - Confirmed with dealer the above issue and is in writing and submitted Case #CAS-47518676-K5Y6Y7 with Ford directly. Located letter sent to dealerships regarding this very issue dated 10/2020. - Vehicle has not been in any accidents, but am receiving a "warning" light indicating failure.

NHTSA ODI 11576723

On Friday March 1, 2024 approximately 10:30pm. My SUV caught on fire while parked and off.

NHTSA ODI 11575497

Since owning vehicle with around 60k, 2 serpentine belts have been replaced, high pressure hose replaced, water pump is now failing. Looking online, this vehicle has been plagued with issues and no recalls? A failing water pump from 2011 models on? Not sure how a car can have over $10k in problems and no recalls.

NHTSA ODI 11574408

Head gasket failure allowing coolant to leak into cylinder 1. Starts rough, but could result in lost of power or engine failure while driving. Ford dealer has confirmed the issue and said this shouldn't happen to a car with only 77,500 miles on it (2017 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD 2.3L Ecoboost 4 cyl. engine). Have to repair or replace engine depending upon the extend of damage.

NHTSA ODI 11574588

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the odor of burning oil was present coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the "Power Take Off Unit" was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 76,115.

NHTSA ODI 11573439

The water pump is in the engine on this vehicle. You have no clue if it is leaking and it can cause your vehicle's engine to blow. It is also a very very costly repair for a water pump.

NHTSA ODI 11570973

Issue with CAM Phasers when looking into the problem I noticed there was a recall for other 3.5 EcoBoost engines on other models but not on a Ford Explorer with the same engine.

NHTSA ODI 11567944