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

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the rear driver’s side door failed to open as needed. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the rear driver’s side door latch to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the rear passenger’s side door latch experienced a similar failure. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the rear passenger’s side door latch to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11528055

Driver side windshield trim detached from vehicle while driving at highway speed. Do not have the actual trim, have photographs of the A-post where trim detached. Safety of other drivers at risk due to part flying off vehicle at highway speeds. A quick Google search shows this as an issue for many drivers. No inspection of the issue completed. No warning lamps or messages. Rubber trim around windshield began to degrade and rattle could be heard on occasion at highway speeds.

NHTSA ODI 11527659

The windshield trim, A post, drivers side is loose and in jeopardy of falling off. I am going to have this repaired. But, should this come off during driving it could affect another driver. I have seen multiple vehicles like mine missing these pieces. Please investigate and see if a recall is needed to avoid accidents on our freeways.

NHTSA ODI 11527578

kI started experiencing some vibration while in the stopped position while in either reverse or drive. I had a few components replaced (throttle body, spark plugs, ignition coils, and vacuum pump. None of these helped alleviate the symptoms. I also had the transmission flushed. Additional symptoms ensued including, but not limited to, the car failing to accelerate, beginning to lose power while driving, etc. I had a mechanic come to access the vehicle and the Valvoline General Mgr come and confirm the mechanic's findings. The transmission ultimately failed on me while I was driving. The car has been incapacitated for almost 3 weeks to date while I researched the best route for repair. I did contact the Ford Consumer Line about the CSP 20N07. They told me they could not help me even though my symptoms were exactly as described within the verbiage.

NHTSA ODI 11527469

Before the safety recalls for the rear suspension the vehicle made a loud noise almost like helicopter blades from the rear. It stopped after the recall was fixed but has started again. The air bag light has been on since about a month after I bought the vehicle. After about 9 attempts of taking it to the ford dealership for them to look at it with no luck I believe it’s due to a broken seatbelt in the rear that nobody has a part for.

NHTSA ODI 11527542

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 70 MPH in a rainstorm, the rear of the vehicle started to violently fishtail from side to side. The contact stopped and inspected the vehicle but found no failure. The vehicle was later re-inspected, and the contact discovered that the rear tires showed severe treadwear. The contact stated that the failure had occurred previously while his wife was driving the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted, and a service appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 38,000. The contact stated that the vehicle needed an alignment and two new rear tires. The vehicle was repaired and the contact has it in their possession again.

NHTSA ODI 11526924

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the head gasket had blown/failed coolant leaked into cylinder # 4. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Ford Corporate was contacted and informed of the problem as dealership did not manufacture the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with TSB: 19-2346; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ODI 11526983

Hankook Ventus S1 Noble 2 P255R20 A/S BSW Tires 23,041 miles 2017 Ford Explorer Sport. These are the tires that came on the vehicle, there is only 23,041 miles on the vehicle and the tires are prematurely wearing on the outerside of all 4 tires. Chunks of the tire is pealing off. Hazardous to drive. The vehicle is not out of line, tires are rotated on schedule, and tire pressure maintained. Looks like defective tires, need to be investigated as safety recall. Ford Motor Company is aware of the problem and stated that we need they have a problem with those tires pealing and wearing out, most people have to replace around 20,000 to 30,000 miles. VERY DANGEROUS! I have safety inspections that shows tire are perfect.

NHTSA ODI 11527062

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

Car overheating, coolant holder looks empty, I added coolant and it overflowed. Once I opened the air tank all the coolant came up from below and over flowed. Took to Ford of West Covina and they said I have a water pump leak. Yet I see no leaking ever in my garage or driveway. Car is fairly new and I always take it to get serviced on time and I am very caring to my cars. I took my car for service on 2/23/2023 to Ford of West Covina where I have always gone to and they didn’t tell me anything was wrong with my vehicle, but now looking at the after visit summary paper work it says coolant leak. The service team told me my vehicle was in good condition when I picked my car up.

NHTSA ODI 11526892

My Wife, child, and I, were driving down the interstate and the exterior driver side panel by the windshield flew just flew off. When we stopped at a gas station it looked like serious deterioration to the seal and clips that held it together was present. The clips were all broken. On this same trip, we began to hear what sounded like bees buzzing in the dash. We stopped again to worry that something had to be going wrong. We did some research on the spot, and it seems to be the windshield cowl. After getting home it we did more research and it looks like these are very common issues, but when we talk to Ford, they just dismiss our concerns and tell us it's not covered under warranty. even though it's an apparent quality control issue on their part. We bought this vehicle used about 5 months ago and have put less than 5 thousand miles on it. We do not have the panel that flew off as we were unsure what had happened until we stopped down the road many miles at the next exit. The car itself is available to be inspected. Our safety was affected because this panel could have hit a motorist or become a road hazard.

NHTSA ODI 11526845

2017 Ford Explorer 92,361 miles. Car started over heating going 45 miles per hour. Pulled over and then had car towed to the mechanic. Mechanic said water pump was done and coolant had leaked in to the engine and engine was destroyed. Car needs a whole new engine replacement. This is happening with many Ford Explorers and Ford refuses to recall them or do anything about it!

NHTSA ODI 11526461

As I was driving 70mph on the interstate my driver’s side windshield pillar molding flew off.

NHTSA ODI 11525982

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the engine overheating message was displayed on the instrument panel. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the coolant level was low, and added coolant to the reservoir. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics and was informed that the water pump had failed, causing a coolant leak. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

NHTSA ODI 11526001

1 week ago the check engine light came on as the car was very heated. Coolant was used and the warning went off. A few days later the car was taken to have an oil change and we realized the coolant level was low and there was old coolant fluid dried onto the underneath of the car and a bead of coolant seen. The car was taken to the garage and a leak was found in the water pump, with coolant leaking from the seep whole. The water pump is located underneath the engine which requires an expensive long process to remove the engine and other parts to fix. The car is only 6 years old with 83K miles and a major component has failed which can not be easily accessed. The water pump has now been moved to another location in more recent models. There is a class law suit in process involving many people to address this design flaw and safety hazard. One website alone has over 100 people complaining about this issue with many cars seizing completely on roads whilst in use. There is no recall currently for this problem but dealerships, auto shops are aware of the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11526053

My wife took her 2017 Ford Explorer XLT to South Carolina from Florida. Upon her return last night, on 5 Jun 23 she was driving through Georgia and she heard a vibration coming from the drivers side windshield and then all of a sudden it stopped. When she parked inside our garage she noticed the drivers side A Pillar moulding trim piece had departed the vehicle and was missing. PN is BB5Z-7803145-AA.

NHTSA ODI 11525573

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while parked she observed paint bubbles, paint chippings, and corrosion on the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the aluminum paint needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11524390

When you hit the button to close the hatch whether it be by the hatch button, dash button or key fob button if something is in the way it doesn’t stop closing. So if your arm or a small child’s head, arm it would just keep closing. If it can’t latch it does go back up but that is only when it goes all the way down.

NHTSA ODI 11524528

Windshield trim flew off driving down the interstate, hit my side mirror, and passenger window. The trim piece put my family and me in a dangerous situation. It could have easily broken the window. No warning.

NHTSA ODI 11524275

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 pillar trim windshield molding on both sides detached and flew off the vehicle while driving on the highway.

NHTSA ODI 11524330

Right side pillar trim detached at 70 mph on freeway causing other vehicles to avoid flying debris.

NHTSA ODI 11524192

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, she heard an abnormal sound and noticed that the sunroof glass panel had shattered without impact. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the sunroof glass panel to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA ODI 11523152

The windshield trim on the drivers side flew off while I was driving on the highway unexpectedly and startled me. I was driving at 75mph and could have easily lost control of my vehicle. This is very dangerous! While searching for how to fix it online, I read that this is VERY common! How is this not a recall? This is awful!

NHTSA ODI 11522788

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, it was discovered that the passenger’s side windshield trim panel had detached from the vehicle. Later while driving approximately 70 MPH, the front driver’s side windshield trim panel detached from the vehicle. The contact rolled down the window to retrieve the detached panel to prevent the trim panel from separating from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who indicated that the trim panels needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact stated that vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the NHTSA Action Number: PE23001 (Equipment). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000.

NHTSA ODI 11522703