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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
12,912 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2016 Ford Explorer body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2016 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #153

Apr 232024

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Vehicle was purchased from carmax, there is a crack on the trim ar the d-pillar around the window on the driver side and passenger side. My wife bought a 2014 Ford Explorer about a week prior to mine from the same place and there is a crack in the same exact spot on the driver and passenger side. Causes water to leak into the interior of the vehicle. In the summer months it's causes a musty smell with the potential for mold to develop.

- Cecilton, MD, USA

problem #152

Jul 092024

Explorer

  • miles
Just noticed B Pillars on both R&L front doors have become detached at the tops and I am concerned that one or both will come completely loose and fly off while driving and cause injuries or accident. No incidents or injuries to report as of yet.

- La Habra, CA, USA

problem #151

May 272024

Explorer

  • miles
trim piece flying off while the vehicle was in motion with traffic around me.

- Southampton, NJ, USA

problem #150

Jun 052024

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Trim on driver side windshield flew off while driving. ordered Replacement, 2 weeks after i replaced the driver side the passenger side has fallen off while driving. I have not yet ordered the passenger side yet but today while driving home down the interstate the driver side that was just replaced less than 30 days ago flew off again. Being on the interstate it hit my windshield and flew over and hit a truck traveling behind me who swerved I do not know if it did any damage to his vehicle neither of us stopped ( We were on the interstate but I did notice he swerved luckily did not hit any other vehicle. However now I am hearing a whistling I just got home to do some research and see this is in an ongoing issue but what do I do" order and replace again this will be 3 sets in less than 60 days. this site says there is not a known fix yet"

- Arab, AL, USA

problem #149

May 082024

Explorer

  • miles
A-pillar trim pieces have both become detached. One detached from the vehicle while traveling on the highway and flew into on-coming traffic. The other detached on the highway and hung on the drivers mirror. Ford advises that even though both parts have detached it is the customer's responsibility to pay for repairs since the recall is still in advanced notice status.

- Winchester, VA, USA

problem #148

May 042024

Explorer

  • miles
While driving on the highway at approximately 80 mph, the driver side A-pillar molding on my 2016 Ford Explorer flew off and struck a vehicle behind me. I am not able to determine if there was any damage to the impacted vehicle. On my vehicle, there are what appear to be scratches or smudges on my door and window due to the rubber molding flapping rapidly. I have attached a picture for reference. I have contacted Ford Motor Co., and all they communicated was they are working on a remedy but could not offer any other resolution to a potentially deadly and catastrophically unsafe situation. The speed at which this is being remedied is unacceptable. my family and the other lives in the impacted vehicle were put in danger. This is not an unserious matter.

- Indio, CA, USA

problem #147

Apr 262024

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After buying this vehicle on 4-10-24 checked with Car fax for any recalls. Found a recall on my vehicle 24S02 for the pillar trim. Inspected my vehicle and noticed passenger side pillar trim of the windshield at the very top is starting to come loose and is a bit separated. Didn't notice it till after hearing about this recall.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

problem #146

Mar 302024

Explorer

  • miles
Iba conduciendo por la avenida y de pronto salió volando el trim del lado del conductor que va cooocado al lado del parabrisas, por suerte no venía carros tan pegados a mi y no ocasionó ningún daño,

- Kansas City, MO, USA

problem #145

Apr 042024

Explorer

  • miles
Lost the driver side A pillar in January- now just lost passenger side A pillar driving on I-16

- Watkinsville , GA, USA

problem #144

Mar 302024

Explorer

  • miles
While traveling home from out of town this past Easter weekend, a large piece of something flew up, whipped in front of the passenger side windshield and then smacked the passenger side window before completely detaching in the road behind me. I pulled over to see what happened and saw the trim was missing from the entire side of the windshield. Only a piece of rubber was left dangling. I pulled it off so it would also not go flying. It was scary as my kids were in the car. I am thankful no one was hurt or injured.

- Holly Springs, NC, USA

problem #143

Mar 192024

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On 3/19/24, my left side exterior A-pillar trim part flew off my car on the highway. I have had a constant wind noise in my windshield for a very long time. I didn't think this was going to happen. Thank God there was no cars directly behind me because it came off and was hanging and then blew off before I actually knew what was going on and could pull over. I called the Dealer regarding repair and was informed that there is no fix but they could replace with the part that they have existing in stock which would cost me $366 for the part. Since this is a recall I was asking if I will be reimbursed and the Dealer told me I would need to call Ford. I did and they told me I would need to wait for a parts letter to be sent to me. I explained that I do not want to drive my car around with this piece missing. But they were unable to provide me guidance for reimbursement. I am wondering if you have any information or guidance re: reimbursement for the current parts fix until Ford provides a permanent solution to this recall?

- Vacavile, CA, USA

problem #142

Mar 112024

Explorer

  • 125,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that rainwater had leaked into the driver's side B-pillar trim panel causing electrical failures to occur which included the battery failure and the keyless entry failure. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 125,000.

- Garfield Heights, OH, USA

problem #141

Mar 012024

Explorer

  • miles
The roof rack on the left side of the vehicle became unattached in transit, and flew off into traffic.

- Hot Springs, AR, USA

problem #140

Jan 202024

Explorer

  • 160,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed MPH, the roof rack rails detached from the vehicle. No warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was confirmed the entire roof rack rails had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was previously repaired under the Customer Satisfaction Program recall 21S22. The contact stated the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The contact stated the dealer informed him he must pay for the repairs because the vehicle had been previously repaired under the recall program. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact back to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #139

Feb 092024

Explorer

  • miles
Trim piece on passenger side broke in half while driving and hit another car. No damage reported but it almost caused accident. Confirmed this is the recalled piece.

- Bay City, MI, USA

problem #138

Jan 282024

Explorer

  • miles
On 1/28/24 We were traveling 50-60 mph when all of a sudden we heard a popping noise and noticed the trim on drivers side was loosening. We were able to slow down and pull over which was when the trim then blew off. My husband retrieved the trim (which we now know is referenced as the a-pillar) off the side of the road. obviously this could have been worse if it had struck another vehicle /caused someone to swerve. I then contacted the ford dealership as we learned this was part of a recall. They came out and ended up fixing the roof rack of which that was not my complaint. Clearly there was a miscommunication on what my problem was when called in. I then took it into dealership for them to observe. He printed out a quote to fix pillar at 400-500$ but could not guarantee reimbursement by Ford. I called Ford motor company who gave me a case number and corresponded with local dealership. Essentially I have been told bc this is an advanced notice recall there is nothing that can be done to fix current situation. I will now be driving my vehicle without the trim and also concerned how long til the passenger side blows off as there was no loosening or sign of defect prior to this event. How will weather affect the exposed trim and windshield/aerodynamics. I just hope Ford will expedite the process of repair for safety first but also the look of the vehicle as this is a reflection of their company. My case number is CA547669778 approx mileage 123,000

- Watkinsville, GA, USA

problem #137

Jan 132024

Explorer

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a loud popping sound coming from the driver's side window trim panel detaching from the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000.

- Cashmere, WA, USA

problem #136

Jan 192024

Explorer

  • miles
I reported a problem 1/23/24 concerning the trim blowing off by the front windshield, I saw on the news that this is a recall issue but I also think that the cowling where the wipers are attached should be looked into, this piece is falling apart and when driving the wind gets under the trim pieces causing it to blow off.

- Chester, PA, USA

problem #135

Jan 222023

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving down the interstate and heard a tapping/clicking sound from the right side of my windshield that got progressively worse. Before I could stop at the next exit to examine the cause, I noticed an object falling to the ground in my rearview mirror just as the noise stopped. After exiting and looking at the area where the noise was coming from, I noticed a trim piece missing. I later identified the missing trim piece as the passenger side Windshield Outer A-Pillar Trim Molding. Our 2016 Explorer was purchased new in 2015 and has never been in an accident or suffered any damage that could have caused the trim piece to detach. Since replacing the trim piece, I can hear faint fluttering from the same area. The trim piece appears slightly loose, although I've been told it's as secure as it can get. This happened around a year ago. I didn't think to report it until I read an article earlier about a recall for a loose trim piece on Ford Explorers. My first thought was that it was going to be about the same issue I experienced, but it was for a trim piece on the roof rails. I decided to submit this report in case this has happened to others with similar generations of our Explorer.

- Spring Hill, TN, USA

problem #134

Jan 202024

Explorer

  • miles
We were driving down [XXX] between Houston and San Antonio on [XXX], when we heard a loud noise but felt nothing. When we were ready to leave our destination, the front-driver's side windshield panel was gone. It had blown off going down the road. There was no warning that the panel was loose nor any warning that it was gone. We could have been seriously hurt or killed if the part had come through the windshield. We are thankful that it did not hit and or kill a motorcyclist or cause a wreck where someone else could have been hurt or killed. There is no way to know if a later travelling car received damage due to the part being in the freeway or if it caused a wreck. I am also concerned that the windshield will leak since there is nothing covering the edge of the windshield. My car is available for inspection, but I do not have the panel. I spoke with Mia at Ford Customer Service (800-392-3673) on January 22, 2024. There is nothing that Ford is doing at the time to help car owners. Mia said to keep all paper work incase Ford decides to do some repairs in the future. I will get my car fixed but not at Ford. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Houston, TX, USA

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