This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Report #1 - My grandma brought this 08' Explorer back in 2014, and after she passed, my mom drove it for the next 2 years. It started having general maintenance issues, then the cats were stolen, but then, one night my mother was coming home from a relative's house, when she was trying to keep up with the flow of traffic on [XXX], and she noticed that the vehicle was not accelerating at all and the vehicle stalled out. She had it towed home and it sat on the streetside for some time. After digging through the internet, I figured that Ford designed the throttle-body wiring to settle next to the cooling hoses, and after time, the wires rot from the hot temperatures of the hoses and crack/snap causing the vehicle to either stall, or possibly have unintended acceleration. Ford never recalled this issue! Also, it had a massive coolant leak, from which was believed to be the cheap plastic T-Stat housings that Ford never recalled, and to top it all off: the right rear turn-indicator failed from the faulty wiring harnesses... As a result, we ended up having it scrapped/junked. It was sad to see her go, but obviously Ford doesn't care about their customers safety and will find any loophole to avoid recalling a vehicle... Ford needs to get their stuff together or they need to be shut down!... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
An orange wrench light comes on on my dashboard and I can't pick up speed. I've had it looked at a few times and no one can figure out the problem. There's been many people on youtube complaining of the samething. This is very dangerous and should be investigated immediately, luckily the interstate wasn't busy when my truck lost its ability to accelerate. I could've cause a car pile up and there could've been many lives lost
My 2008 Ford Explorer has been having issues recently where it turns over and will not start, then will start. Today while driving on the freeway at 65 mph my check engine light came on with the service wrench and the car lost all power and the steering stiffened up and was hard to steer at all almost causing me to wreck on the freeway. I lost all power and control at the gas pedal and then the check charging system icon came on also. I had to completely pull over to the shoulder and put it in park then shut off the car. I then had to restart the car which started right away and started to drive fine again. This happens more than once a day, my friend has checked the charging system and cleaned the battery cables and has over 14 volts charging from alternator to battery and still happens. The dtc code was pulled and was a P0607. Control module failure or corrupt.
My friend let me use his vehicle but he altered it and it is malfunctioning. He explains as if when I don't "behave" I have repercussions. He has altered the vehicle tremendously. If we get an argument he will tell me I have X amount of days and in those exact X amount of days the car ends up messing up and stopping. I was driving from the hospital one day and all of a sudden the vehicle started smoking and he told me because its his vehicle that he will fix it him self. He is a chemical engineer not a licensed mechanic to touch the obd on the car. He claims he is better than General Motors.
"transmission failure" at 100233 miles the wrench and engine light came while driving. Upon parking & turning off the vehicle, the transmission would not work. Cut thru all gears like butter. Wound not "enter" into any gear. Towed. After vehicle cooled, transmission works again, only to become hot, repeat tow. Code P0775. After cooling, same event. Transmission solenoid goes out while hot, in a hot climate. Manufacturer defect. Needs safety recall.
- Rockledge, FL, USA
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When driving the vehicle, the ignition switch will activate the driver's seat, causing it to move forward and backward, leaving the driver fully unable to reach the gas pedal, steering wheel, or brakes. This occurs on streets and highways when the vehicle is in motion, and creates a most unsafe and perhaps deadly situation. There is no current video of this available as the ignition switch fault and seat movement occur without warning.
While driving the vehicle, the ignition switch will activate the memory seat function causing interior lights to activate and the driver seat to move backward leaving the driver unable to reach pedals or steering wheel while vehicle is in motion. Occurs on both city streets and highways. Unseen cause triggers the event.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. While making a left turn, the vehicle stalled and all the warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was able to coast to the side of the road. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that a main computer chip had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 62,334.
I've had my 2008 eddie bauer Ford Explorer just over a year. As I'm driving on a local road, it starts acting like it's about to cut off. I get to a red light and as I'm about to take off, it shuts off. I placed it in park and restarted it then it sputters and then catches. A few minutes later this error message comes up on the dash with a wrench. I took it to the nearest auto store, they placed it on the machine and said it looks like my engine wiring harness or ECM/PCM. I had the harness replaced (almost $900) and a week later the wrench error message returned and the problem has returned as well.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. At any given moment, whether the vehicle was idling or moving, the service engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle lost all power. The contact would have to wait until the vehicle's computer system rebuilt itself in order for the power to return so the vehicle could be functional. The contact's husband, a certified mechanic, rebuilt the transmission and reconfigured the wiring on the vehicle, but the failure recurred. A certified mechanic diagnosed that the vehicle's PCM needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 156,000.
Key cylinder has loosened inside ignition housing. This condition while driving is a major safety concern for shorter individuals as when a bump or certain motions cause the automatic seats to retract to "off position" creating a 4-6" gap between foot and pedal for my wife is she were willing to drive the vehicle. This has become more frequent and dealer servicing knows of the problem as well as a local locksmith I had contacted for possible repair options. It has become more evident in the past 2 years from their knowledge. No current recall exists as no major injury has resulted. This occurs in stationary position or in motion of the vehicle adding to concerns. I will have this repaired at local Ford in the next week. Seat retracts on its own and if any bumps are hit may engage or disengage at will. And has been occurring over the past 3 years. I am the only owner for the vehicle and less than 70K miles currently
In my 2008 Ford Explorer eddie bauer, while driving, stopped or backing at any time if the keys in the ignition get jiggled, if by bump in road or by knee, the power driver seat moves backwards. There is a feature called easy entry where the seat moves completely back to allow you to exit the vehicle easier, the problem is with the ignition area the area where the key is inserted to start the vehicle it becomes loose over time and as a result the sensor in there for the easy entry is compromised. When the keys get jiggled, on accident or on purpose the seats move, it is very dangerous for it to happen while driving. The seat moves back so far that no one can reach the petals to operate the vehicle. This should be on recall it is very dangerous for short or tall people. It could cause many many accidents and many many injuries. If needed I can provide video of this happening.
While in operation, vehicle seat goes back and forth, interior lights come on and go off and pedal heights move. Upon some trial and error investigation, trying to replicate the problem, I found that it was directly related to key chain movement. Any bumps, moderate braking or hard braking resulted in the seat being thrown back and the interior lights coming on. ( this is a huge safety hazard, and could easily cause a crash, especially at night ) the ignition tumbler is faulty. Once the ignition tumbler was replaced at the dealer, the problems have not reoccurred. I waited a number of months to report this so that I would be sure the solution worked and did not re-ocur. I contacted Ford Motor Company, who refused to assist. This repair cost approximately $300
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 55 mph, a strong burning odor emitted inside the cabin. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The contact inspected underneath the hood and noticed that coolant leaked continuously onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the thermostat housing was replaced. In 2014, the thermostat and thermostat housing were both replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,194.
The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 70 mph over a bump, the brake pedal was applied and the front driver side power seat independently moved backwards. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road with caution. The failure recurred when driving over a bump or an uneven road surface. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who stated that the ignition switch would need to be replaced. In addition, the exhaust manifold would also needed to be replaced. The vehicle was schedule to be repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 80,416.
I purchased this truck in Sept 2014 about 2 months after I purchased it, as I was driving the dome lights go on and the seat moves back as it does when it lets you out. It will do this more so with one set of our keys then the other. It's continually getting worse. It will sometimes happen 1-15 times in a car trip.I have almost gotten into an accident a number of times because of this. I have visited my dealer who has estimated about $500 in repairs and was amazed when he seen this going on. He stated he never seen anything like this and probably wouldn't have believed me if he didn't see it with his own eyes.it also happens every time you hit a bump and now I fear my car shutting off because it thinks I'm getting out by moving my seat back and turning the lights on which my dealer says is a good possibility.I drive with 2 small children in this vehicle daily. I've researched online a seen a good amount of the same complaints, how can this not be a safety recall"? are you going to wait for someone to die to recall it?" and if you need to see it for yourself my truck will do this without fail for any technician. It's a lot of money for a repair that I don't feel we should have to make. When you purchase a vehicle for that amount of money it should be safe to drive! wear and tare is one thing safety should be at the expense of the manufacture. I think I can speak for most people that the number one quality you look for when purchasing a vehicle is safety & reliability.
I was driving my 2008 Explorer at about 30-40 mph. All of a sudden the interior lights pop on, the drivers seat goes all the way back, and this all happened when I was driving. How can this not be a recall"?" this has obviously happened to a ton of other people and is probably one of the most unsafe things to ever happen inside a running vehicle. If my wife was to drive my truck, and this happens, she would have lost control of the truck and possibly injured herself or one of my kids. Something must be done. Calling Ford and rectifying this.
Driving at night and all of the sudden...all the interior lights came on...then went back off shortly after they came on...caused a glare in the rear view mirror... it's now happened multiple times and I have read about hundreds of complaints for the same issue...some of them worse due to the automatic seats that move back when the ignition switched off...which means people's seats are moving backward while the vehicle is in motion...to temporary fix this issue costs $200....I feel that it's a safety concern and a recall needs to be issued.
The passenger seat in our 2008 Ford Explorer started on fire, likely from the seat heater. This resulted in massive fire damage to the car, and fortunately there was no one in the vehicle and it was parked in the driveway. Please look into faulty seat heating elements.
While driving along at any speed, all of a sudden the interior lights come on, seat moves all the way back, I assume the problem is in the ignition switch area as I push the ignition in and the seat resets and light goes off, the problem will come and go. Why is there no recall ? I'm looking for the dealership to fix problem at no cost due to ignition problem not caused by operator or owner. I have contacted Ford but they just blew me off.. Ford Motor Company [xxx] looked online and several hundred people have same problem this is my wife vehicle. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hazel Park, MI, USA