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

While driving, the driver side windshield trim flew off almost hitting a car behind me. While inspecting the vehicle, the other side is also starting to coming off, and the panel near the code to enter the drive side door is also starting to come off. The auto body shop has confirmed that this was a recognized problem by Ford and they have seen many Explorers come in with this issue and the body problem was tweaked in upgrades on 2020 explorers and later. Luckily the car behind me was not damaged and it didn't cause an accident but this is not safe & when calling the auto body shop, it would be over $1000 to repair both side windshield trim; not including the door panel that is also starting to dislodge. For this to be a known problem, this should be covered by Ford.

NHTSA ODI 11505527

In Jan 2023, the driver's side windshield plastic trim flew off my car. It was at night so I do not know if there was an issue behind me. This is the second time we experienced this issue. It happened last year on the same side. We brought it to the Ford dealership and their parts person told me that she had seen this regularly and have talked to Ford about it. They fixed it, and were going to charge me $600 for each side, total $1200 (asked them to reseat the other side). There was no warning that the trim was going to separate from the car and fly off. I see there is a Safety probe on this issue and believe there should be a recall and force Ford to fix this since there could be accidents, injuries and potential for death if the trim comes off and causes other drivers to lose control or hit a motorcycle driver directly. It would be like a spear coming at the motorcycle rider. Thank you.

NHTSA ODI 11505438

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40-45 MPH, the windshield trim panel detached from the windshield. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the failure was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was repaired however, the contact stated that she repaired the trim panel at her own expense. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11505451

In October, 2022 I was traveling on interstate 75 in GA. Heard a strange sound in front of vehicle. When I stopped later, I noticed that the trim along the edge of my windshield was no longer there. Upon arriving in FL, later that week, I had Sunrise Ford in Ft. Pierce replace that windshield trim. They said that it was a pretty common problem.

NHTSA ODI 11505466

The trim on my windshield is coming off. I saw an article about people reporting this. Due to funds I have just put some medical tape on it to keep it on. It was flying off on the interstate and I had to pull off the road and only had a first aid kit with medical tape in it. The trim is unfortunately built into the plastic of the car so you have to replace the entire thing. There are also small chips of glass coming off the actual windshield. My car has its original windshield. I feel like this is unsafe because it could just go flying off an impair your vision. My car is available for inspection. There were no warnings. The dealer inspected it and said it is a common problem and would be $700-$800 to repair.

NHTSA ODI 11505103

The driver side windshield panel thing flew off while I was driving.

NHTSA ODI 11505171

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that she discovered that the side panel trim for the front passenger’s side window was missing from her vehicle upon exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they diagnosed that the adhesive had deteriorated causing the panel to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that she had read an article regarding the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11505203

I bought the 2017 Ford Explorer on 8/29/2020. The next month I drove to Nags Head, N.C. from Nashville, Tn. Sometime within an hour of arrival, the a piece of trim on the passenger side panel between the doors fell off while going over the bridges. We never saw it and did not know where it landed. I ordered a replacement from Ford Parts to replace it.

NHTSA ODI 11505117

The windshield trim became detached near the hood of the vehicle while driving on the freeway. I attempted to secure it back down but some of the clips had gotten brittle and broken. I taped it down until I could get off the freeway and get it repaired. It ended up detaching again and flying off the car. The replacement piece doesn’t seem to attach well either and seems like it’s only a matter of time before it happens again.

NHTSA ODI 11504829

The transmission would slip and/or lag. This started around 65k miles. It was reported to the dealer, they couldn’t reproduce it. Then at 101k miles the engine started vibrating when in gear and idling. Motor mounts were replaced, but the problem persisted. Eventually got the entire transmission replaced.

NHTSA ODI 11504831

Left windshield trim suddenly detached while driving on freeway, which presents the risk of flying debris striking other cars; since I was in the left lane during the incident in the middle of Nebraska and it landed in the median, no others were known to be struck. Since the problem was a known issue within a Ford Explorer owner's group on Facebook, I simply ordered a replacement part soon after it happened and did not notify anybody. However, keep in mind that since I had a windshield crack and it was replaced with a new trim panel in December 2022, the replacement part is not available anymore as well.

NHTSA ODI 11504834

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the driver's side front window trim detached. The contact pulled over but was unable to locate the window trim. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the driver's side front window trim needed to be replaced; however, the replacement part was on backorder. The contact was able to purchase the replacement part online; however, he had to glue it to the front driver's side window due to fractured clips used to secure the window trim in place. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

NHTSA ODI 11504883

The cowl needs to be repaired. It makes an annoying buzzing sound inside of the car on the dashboard. It distracts the drive and the driver, I can't go over 40mph. I did my research and put masking type over it and it stopped the noise. I've only had the vehicle since 2019

NHTSA ODI 11504918

While driving down the road, the right-side windshield trim came off and struck the vehicle following me.

NHTSA ODI 11504949

Front drivers side trim piece for windshield flew off going 75mph on interstate. Had it replace and did it again a few months later. Passenger side is loose but has not come off yet.

NHTSA ODI 11505055

Coolant intrusion into the motor causing the motor to overheat Ford recommend new motor but will not take responsibility of the cost. There was a recall on the 2.0 motor but not on the 2.3 and it is the same design of motor. The problem is the way Ford design the motor the new ones after 2017 are designed differently.

NHTSA ODI 11505072

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side front door trim panel detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the driver's side front door trim panel. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23001 (Structure). The failure mileage was approximately 58,800.

NHTSA ODI 11504957

Windshield trim panel flew off my car while traveling at highway speeds. I was traveling on the highway when suddenly the trim and seal under the trim flew off my car and got caught on my side mirror. I was in the middle of a trip nowhere near a ford dealer and had to tape up my car so that it was protected from the elements. I had to pay hundreds of dollars to fix this problem on my own.

NHTSA ODI 11504685

At the end of December 2022, my entire right side of my windshield trim piece flew off on the highway. In addition, my right side passenger applique has come off twice on the highway since summer of 2021. The second one was a replacement and it only lasted less than a year before flying off while on the highway again in the fall of 2022. Pictures attached show the windshield piece completely cracked and flew off taking the seal with it.

NHTSA ODI 11504732

Driving from Lubbock Texas home to Carlsbad New Mexico on January 18. Very windy out. At approximately 6:00 pm my wife and I heard a noise like something light hit our windshield. It was dark when we got home and we went to bed. Got up to go to the office in the am and same the drivers side A pillar windshield trim piece missing. Saw that there was a recall for this issued in Dec 2022. Went to the Ford Dealer and they said this vehicle was not in the recall list. Why?

NHTSA ODI 11504775

Water pump leaking

NHTSA ODI 11503819

The right side trim piece on the windshield came off while driving and was dangerous for me and my passenger. The whole side is exposed and will most likely leak. The rubber gasket tore after the trim piece came off and was hitting the side window.

NHTSA ODI 11503099

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she noticed a bluish-gray cloud of smoke coming from the rear of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to maneuver the vehicle off the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the turbocharger leaked on the engine and the turbocharger tubes needed to be replaced. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.

NHTSA ODI 11502566

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side windshield rubber seal detached. The dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the failure was caused by wear and tear. The dealer determined that the front windshield rubber seal needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ODI 11502577

2017 FORD EXPLORER. CONSUMER STATED THAT THE SEATBELT BUCKLE WOULD NOT RELEASE. THE CONSUMER STATED TOOK THE VEHICLE TO BE REPAIRED THE DEALER LOST THE STEP PANEL AND ALSO NEED ADDITIONAL PARTS TO INSTALL THE NEW SEATBELT.

NHTSA ODI 11501209