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

On freeway, pushed brakes but vehicle did not stop or slow down resulting in multi car rear end collision. Auto braking and ABS features did not engage. Vehicle was towed and our insurance agent claim adjuster recommended we reach out to you. No warning lamps, messages, etc. went off at the time or had gone off previously.

NHTSA ODI 11479574

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had the driver's side rear seat belt retainer replaced; however, the failure recurred with the passenger's side rear seat belt retainer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side rear seat belt retainer had fractured inside the buckle assembly. The dealer informed the contact that the passenger's side rear seat belt retainer needed to be replaced; however, the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11477725

Our model is a platinum explorer with the panoramic sunroof. Apparently there is a sunroof leak which due to the way the headliner is made , fills the headliner (holds like a bowl) then either spills out at the front of the vehicle or rear depending on going forward , reverse, accelerating, braking, uphill, or downhill etc. The front is worse because of the electrical in the overhead lights, sunroof motors, and lane departure at the rear view mirror. Also everything electronic below on the dashboard and center console. There are high expenses related to replacing these electronics due to water damage in addition to the driver being suddenly started by a wave of water crashing down on them while accelerating or braking.

NHTSA ODI 11477591

The windshield trim has flown off of my car twice. It's happened twice bc I repaired and then 3 mos. later it happened again. The 1st time it flew off I was driving home in rush hour traffic in downtown fort worth, tx and it flew off into the oncoming traffic. I could have seriously injured someone or caused a wreck, having car parts flying off at high rates of speed in the middle of a major city.

NHTSA ODI 11474698

Exhaust Fumes entering the passenger cabin through the heat/ac vents and causing carbon monoxide poisoning to passengers! Having medical issues due to this issue and it has been found twice and it’s been doing this since day 3 of owning it! Purchased new on February 21, 2018 with only 2 miles and 6 miles when paperwork was signed! On day 5, 02-26-2018, called dealer was told by the salesman Tommy, it was the new smell and it would go away, Never has and never will! I’ve been sick for over 2 years and 90% of my medical issues has came from purchasing this vehicle and it’s still releasing exhaust fumes and causing me problems. I would like to know WHY a recall has never been done and FORD to be made response for their actions and deceit for this major problem!

NHTSA ODI 11474481

Ford Eco Boost Coolant Intrusion Issues. If the car sits an idles the coolant light will come on an say the coolant is too hotIf I run the air conditioning it will do the say, or drive it on the freeway. There are no leaks, no were. And you can smell the coolant, it smells really hot. My engine line is on.

NHTSA ODI 11474338

The gasket or weatherstripping around windshield is falling away from the windshield. This has led to leaking into the headliner to the map light around the frame of the door on body of car and flooded floorboard.

NHTSA ODI 11474345

Transmission is giving out has turned off while driving and sometimes it won't go reverse and Or won't go into gears Machine shows code p0731

NHTSA ODI 11473808

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 80 MPH, the windshield trim detached from the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and had the trim replaced out of pocket. The contact then stated that both the driver’s and passenger’s side pillar trims had started to detach and was temporarily sealed with tape. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11473341

While backing out of our driveway the car started speeding up and the brakes failed. Even with repeated pumping of brakes the car wouldn’t stop. We finally jammed the shift lever into park and even then it continue moving for a short distance. We wiped out our neighbors mailbox. It did the same thing yesterday but we thought my husband accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake. Today we know it was the car.

NHTSA ODI 11473179

WINDSHIELD TRIM LOOSENED AND DETACHES WHILE DRIVING. CAN CREATE A ROAD HAZARD FOR OTHERS, INCREASING RISK OF AN ACCIDENT. HAVE SEEN IN COUNTLESS OTHER EXPLORERS WITH SAME PROBLEM! THIS IS A MAJOR HAZARD!!!!

NHTSA ODI 11473217

Rear bushing has split causing the rear end to sway and rattle loudly. Extreme safety concern. Unable to get in contact with any of the dealerships in Tucson AZ in regards to this matter.

NHTSA ODI 11473115

Water pump failed and coolant leaked into the engine

NHTSA ODI 11472176

April 5th 2022 I took my 2017 ford explorer limited to City Ford here in Columbia City Indiana because the steering was sticking. It had been sticking slightly at times for several weeks prior to this. They couldn't find any problem. So in June 2022 my wife and I load up and leave for Virginia for vacation. The slight sticking got worse after several hours on the road, and finally the driver assist went out completely. making it most difficult to steer. A dangerous situation. Also I had no hill descent, no 4 wheel drive, park assist, cruise control. A multitude of warnings. I took it to Barton Ford in Suffolk Va. and was told it needed a rack and pinion steering which cost me over $3100.00 and over $600.00 for a rental during the time it took to complete the job. I noticed that I was charged for new bolts also. I researched and found that there was a previous recall on a select few of these explorers due to bolt failure. My explorer should have been selected, but there is no open recall on this explorer. Barton Ford told me that my vehicle wasn't effected by the recall. I believe Ford Motor Company should reimburse me for what it cost me.

NHTSA ODI 11472103

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle without warning. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the front passenger pillar trim had detached from the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where the pillar trim was replaced; however, a year later, the same pillar trim detached from the vehicle a second time. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was given an estimate for a second repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle; the contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11471332

I received two letters about this recall and scheduled an appointment with a ford dealer. When I showed up for the appointment they said it would take them a few days to even look at the vehicle and if the recall was not valid I would be charged. This was at the Bell Ford dealer in Phoenix.

NHTSA ODI 11470994

The low beam LED light has gone out which consists of replacing the whole headlight assembly. The dealership wants $2000 to replace this unit. Looking online at car forums this is a known issue on these explorers. Our explorer is from 2017 with only 31000 miles on it which means at most the headlight has been on for only 516 hours. LED lights should be lasting for 30000-40000 hours. This is a safety concern as driving without a low beam headlight is a concern to the person driving as well as any other person on the road. The vehicle issue has been confirmed and inspected by the dealer and there were no symptoms or messages of the problem prior to it occurring. Ford should be liable to repair the headlight in these instances as their product is a safety risk and malfunction on their end.

NHTSA ODI 11470086

We are experiencing a clunk in the rear along with some sway at times when driving. We have had a mechanic verify that is a bushing issue that has been recalled (21S32) on this vehicle, but ours was not included because it was determined to be outside of the region of the recall. Ford will not honor the recall.

NHTSA ODI 11469835

I backed into a parking spot, put the car in park and turned the vehicle off. As I was getting ready to get out of the car, it rolled backwards into another car parked to my passenger side rear. My vehicle did not give any warning, no sensor alert, or anything!

NHTSA ODI 11469449

The touch screen on the vehicle lags. It takes forever to go to stations. Changes to stations you haven’t pressed. Navigation doesn’t work properly. Phone Bluetooth doesn’t work properly. Informed the APIM NEEDS REPLACED. After researching, it appears a long list of ppl have the same complaints or very similar in nature. I think this should be investigated.

NHTSA ODI 11465812

On May 9, 2022, sometime during my drive on the HE Bailey Turnpike from Lawton Oklahoma to Oklahoma City, the driver side Pillar Trim of my 2017 Explorer came off; I was driving 70-75 miles per hour, and it was very windy. During the drive, I heard a noise but didn't think much about it until I got out of the car in Oklahoma City. Thats when I noticed the driver Pillar Trim missing. Traffic was very light during the drive and to my knowledge, the Pillar Trim did not hit another car or do any damage to anything. If there had been another person or automobile hit by the Pillar Trim, I feel that it could have resulted in an accident or serious injury to a person. When I contacted the Ford Dealership, I told them that a part of my Explorer had blown off; they knew exactly what had happened even before I told which part was missing.

NHTSA ODI 11464915

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after his wife exited the vehicle from the front driver’s side door, while attempting to open the rear driver’s side door, the vehicle began to roll backwards and knocked her to the ground. The contact's wife was taken to the hospital to seek medical attention but was not injured. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,281. The contact has stated that they have been in communicate with several Ford dealerships as well as their corporate offices. Neither of them have been able to replicate the issue and resolve it.

NHTSA ODI 11464408

Windshield Molding broke off while driving on road. Causing the vehicle behind me to swerve off the road. Damages were done to the other vehicles windshield.

NHTSA ODI 11464179

2017 ford 62,000 miles got vehicle brand new. On the freeway water light appears low coolant high temperature. I take vehicle water pump needed to be replaced. Vehicle is 2000 miles over and 5 Months over the warranty

NHTSA ODI 11463148

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the coolant temperature warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump weep hole was leaking, causing the water pump to be damaged. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle in for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

NHTSA ODI 11462107