What 1,671 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the engine seized. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the message "No Oil Pressure" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown, causing coolant and oil to mix. The dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

NHTSA ODI 11534413

This vehicle has many blind spots and the blind spot alert only works sometimes. The locks only work sometimes too. It consistently does not lock the passenger side door with the lock or the key fob. When I was in traffic someone was able to open the door.

NHTSA ODI 11534429

OVERHEATING WARNING ILLUMINATED, RESULTED IN VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN WHILE BRIEFLY PULLING OVER IN A PARKING LOT TO GET DIRECTIONS TO A SPECIFIC HOSPITAL ENTRANCE. STOP TO SHUT DOWN, ABOUT 1 MIN. THIS HAS OCCURRED A TOTAL OF 7 OTHER TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS, BEGINNING WITH THE FIRST ONE IN JULY OF 2022. MY WIFE WAS IDLING WHILE AWAITING TO PICK UP THE KIDS FROM A GYMNASTICS CLASS. OVERHEATING WARNING ILLUMINATED, RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN. A MECHANIC WE KNOW WAS ALSO THERE AWAITING HIS CHILDREN AND DISCOVERED VERY LOW COOLANT LEVEL. IT WAS FILLED & THINGS SEEMED FINE UNTIL THIS SPRING, WHERE IT IS A BI-WEEKLY OCCURRENCE. COOLANT BOTTLES ARE ON STAND-BY AS WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTION. EVEN IF THE WATER PUMP IS FAILING, THIS IS ALL WE HAVE TO WORK WITH. OUR OTHER VEHICLE JUST SHUT DOWN MID-DRIVE IN MARCH. IT WAS TOWED TO THE MECHANIC. HERE WE ARE NEARLY 5 MONTHS LATER AND HE DOESN’T HAVE A GUESS AT WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT ACTUALLY BE. THAT VEHICLE, A 2012 FORD FOCUS SE.

NHTSA ODI 11534215

Driver's side rear suspension, toe-link arm broke while driving at approximately 30mph and I nearly lost control. After towing vehicle home, I found the toe-link broke completely off at the weld closest to the wheel hub.

NHTSA ODI 11533935

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while approaching a stop light the vehicle was shaking violently. The contact shifted into neutral, and the shaking stopped. While shifting into drive or reverse, the vehicle shuddered and was shaking and then stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty, and the transmission cooler line and plate needed to be replaced. The dealer informed him that the transmission line was contaminated. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 96,626.

NHTSA ODI 11533196

The black weather striping under the windshield trim molding is coming off / detaching while driving

NHTSA ODI 11533291

WATER PUMP LEAKING

NHTSA ODI 11532646

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

Front windshield pillars came off auto while driving. The passenger side flew off in July 2022 and the driver side came off in July 2023. Nether hit a car behind us but it happened on the freeway so could not stop to find the piece. We had the passenger side replaced by Vroom auto shop and just ordered a non OEM part for the driver side. If we have Ford replace it the cost is about $500 EACH.

NHTSA ODI 11531970

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed a thick cloud of gray smoke coming from the exhaust pipe and that had spread throughout the neighborhood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that an unknown fluid had leaked into the engine. The contact was informed that the turbo charger oil supply tubes needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon research, the contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) then notified the undisclosed dealer of the failure and the recall. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall and advised the contact to notify the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11531984

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was water leaking from around the front windshield. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11531738

windshield trim coming off before 5 year mark. had part of the trim come off and go flying along making a bad sound at highway speeds. had a about a 1 feet chunk fly off and hit the car behind me on the interstate.

NHTSA ODI 11531933

When driving the vehicle, it displayed a dashboard message "Engine Coolant Over Temperature". The vehicle was brought to the local Ford dealer where it is routinely serviced. Grapevine Ford identified that the water pump needed replacing. The part was $419 but it required 14 hours of labor to install it for a labor charge of $3,425. While the part failure isn't common but it can happen, 14 hours of labor to replace it is the real issue This is clearly an extremely serious design issue. What can the consumer do? A vehicle is needed & the repair was authorized. Reviewing the NHTSA website, multiple similar complaints were found. However, none of them referenced the extremely high labor charge to replace the water pump, which is the real issue.

NHTSA ODI 11531949

Both front plastic windshield covers have flown off on the highway traveling around at rate of 65. The passenger side detached and flew off in one piece and the driver side only half of it flew off after cracking in half.

NHTSA ODI 11531509

fuel vapor purge valve keeps going out or sticking causing RPMS to rev up, vehicle has shut off while driving.

NHTSA ODI 11531584

Pillar molding keeps flying out while driving. I have replaced 3 times and the last ones have flown off while driving. Thank God another vehicle has not been hit. It’s $150 every time I have replace them.

NHTSA ODI 11531202

Driving 70 mph on Interstate -10 the window seal came off and a side panel adjacent to the window flew off of the Explorer. I had to pay for the two parts and labor charges. I had the trim piece and the window seal replaced at a Ford dealership. The Ford Represenative told me, “Ford is aware it's been a problem”. At the present the rubber seal around the doors are coming apart from the frame.

NHTSA ODI 11530971

The driver side exterior black glossed facia on the "A" frame broke off while I was driving on the freeway at 80 miles per hour (speed limit). I did not see where it went, and luckily there were no cars behind me, but in a different situation it could have caused serious accidents. Much like their existing recall to replace roof racks. I called the dealer to get it replaced, and their response was "oh, ya this thing falls off all the time." There was no indication that it was loose.

NHTSA ODI 11530609

Since June 5th, 2023, I have had to have the passenger side windshield pillar mount trim replaced 3 different times due to clips breaking and the trim piece begins to become unattached when driving. It was replaced again yesterday and not even 2 hours after it was replaced, the top clip that is attached to the trim piece and clicks into the body of my car, it already broke off from the trim piece and the top of the trim piece is loose again. This is absolutely unacceptable and a major safety issue.

NHTSA ODI 11530348

The front windshield side trim piece detached from my vehicle while driving and was hanging on by a tiny piece of rubber. I had to pull over on the interstate to pull it off which was very dangerous.

NHTSA ODI 11529856

Component: Passenger side windshield trim Safety Risk: I was traveling on the interstate between 70-75mph when the trim flew off. It went directly in the path of the vehicle behind me causing them to swerve. They nearly hit the vehicle in the left lane by doing so. Problem confirmed: No, just happened and have not contacted dealership yet Component inspected: No, was destroyed after being run over multiple times in rush hour traffic Warnings, messages, or symptoms: Just as it was happening there was a clicking or smacking sound then it went. Maybe 30 seconds between sound and part flying off.

NHTSA ODI 11529522

For the third time in six months I had an unintended acceleration when stopped and shifting from drive to reverse or the other way. The rpm’s go way up, if I didn’t have my foot on the brake the vehicle may have crashed, injured someone, etc. Ford dealer was not helpful at all, saying they had no prior reports. I had same problem on previous Explorer but traded it in.

NHTSA ODI 11528823

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was jerking while shifting from park(P) to drive(D), and while shifting from drive(D) to park(P). Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to respond while shifting between gears. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked, hesitated, and made an abnormally loud sound while driving from a complete stop. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that she read on the news that the failure was related to an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11528855

The locks on my vehicle are going out one door at a time. Seems like a reoccurring problem for many Ford Explorer owners. No warnings given. Key fobs don't work only manual opening of the lock by pulling it up.

NHTSA ODI 11528925

Over the time of ownership for this Ford Explorer (original owner) the window trim and the gasket under the trim has continued to fall off. The gasket on the passenger side has come out enough to where when you are driving it is slapping the window which is very distracting and unsafe to the driver. Most of the gasket has already ripped off. I contacted Ford and they refused to cover it under the warranty. The trim is a one time use item so to replace it they must break it and it cost over $1000 per Ford. This needs to be a recall item it is unsafe!

NHTSA ODI 11528048