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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,843 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 4 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #118

Feb 012022

Explorer

  • miles

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

While driving would shudder when getting to approx. 60-65mph. No check engine light. Dealer stated could not diagnose if no check engine light on. This went on for 1.5 years. I kept taking back but still no light. March 2022 it started running really rough while sitting at a stop light, no power at take off. Took to the dealer who said it was covered, diagnosed it as Torque Converter, and pump waited 4 weeks to get parts after being told twice covered 100% but then found out not covered as when it was there previously they did not do the Customer Satisfaction Program 20N07 where PCM reflash was required. Now Ford corp and dealer say they are not covering this. Why did the dealer not advise of this while there before this program expired.

- Woodford, VA, USA

problem #117

Mar 202022

Explorer 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 84,000 miles
I was driving along in town and heard a real loud pop sound and the car jerked. The front started smoking heavily. I get off to the nearest parking lot and fluids had spewed underneath and there was a small fire from this that went out. I had two children both in child restraints that had to be removed from the vehicle, thankfully my husband was with me. It was towed to two repair shops whom both stated the PTU had exploded and broke the transmission as well. I tried to get assistance through Ford and have hit a dead end. It is at the local dealership where they claim the ptu exploded, broke transmission and cracked the engine block resulting in close to $14,000 dollars needed in repairs. This vehicle was running completely fine, no lights had been displaying on the dash. Consumer stated dealer is blaming the defects on a tread pattern on 1 tire(not size).

- Farmington, MO, USA

problem #116

Mar 012022

Explorer

  • 77,235 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was shaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission and engine mounts were damaged and needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the transmission and engine mounts; however, the failure recurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that a recall for the transmission had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,235.

- Richmond, TX, USA

problem #115

Mar 132022

Explorer

  • miles

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

Water pump has failed. Causing the engine to shutter and stop running normally. This happened on the highway with kids on board. Water pump is internally and cost of repairs are more expensive than what is fair for a consumer. No one should pay for that, it-??s misleading at least. If they were to warn that a regular wear an tear part would causes thousands. No one would buy Ford. The responsibility should be Ford and not the consumer

- La Porte , TX, USA

problem #114

Jul 012021

Explorer

  • 88,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, there was a loud snap sound and smoke came from the air vents. The contact rolled down the windows and pulled over while smoke was billowing from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with engine and transfer case housing failure, where the transfer case housing was fractured in half. The vehicle was repaired with an engine and transfer case housing replacement. The dealer and Napleton Ford in Libertyville (1010 S Milwaukee Ave, Libertyville, IL 60048) were made aware of the failure but informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty and the parts for the repair were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.

- Antioch, IL, USA

problem #113

Dec 222021

Explorer

  • miles
The Power transfer unit is leaking fluid onto the exhaust and it caught on fire as I pulled into my driveway. I was able to extinguish the fire before any damage was done. There is also a nauseous odor in the cabin of the vehicle that makes me sick, burns my eyes every time I drive my vehicle. I was told by a mechanic that this was the fluid from the PTU burning Did some research and discovered this is a common problem with these PTU's leaking fluid. Very concerned now that it will catch on fire again and cause damage or even a wreak if it locks up. I fear that this could harm me or someone else if this problem is not fixed ASAP. I have no other vehicle and not sure how to even get it fixed. The dealership said it would cost around $2000 to have it fixed. I would like someone to look at this issue, Ford advised that is not there problem and its not covered by any recalls. There is no way of knowing if it catches on fire going down the road until its actually on fire.

- Texarkana, TX, USA

problem #112

Dec 012021

Explorer

  • miles

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

Transmission failure, not shifting consistently, multiple times would not shift out of second gear after down shifting during driving. This is dangerous when merging into higher speeds where acceleration is needed, such as on highway. Took Vehicle to Ford dealership twice while under power train warranty and they stated they could not replicate the concern. They reset adaptive learning transmission, because they said shifting was likely due to different driving styles between husband and wife. Now 6 months later, issue continues and they admit it is a faulty transmission, but is no longer under warranty.

- South Bend, IN, USA

problem #111

Oct 252021

Explorer

  • miles
Vehicle power stalled on acceleration after pulling onto lane of travel. Road traffic heavy in both directions. Vehicle would not shift beyond initial gear of automatic transmission. Available travel speed of 40-45 mph only. Wrench light/powertrain light came on. No prior warning lights. No prior operational issues detected. After stopping vehicle, would not operate in reverse. Warning light indicator and manual reported to get to dealer asap. Dealer indicated transmission issue. Transmission was replaced. Vehicle had 56,418 miles (within 60,000 warranty) but beyond 5 year warranty.

- Greenville, NC, USA

problem #110

Nov 022021

Explorer

  • miles
The vehicle surges when drive at low speeds, I have to keep my foot on the brake so it don't take off or hit something in front of me. About a month ago the surging almost made me hit a child in the roadway in front of my house. I am really uncomfortable driving the vehicle and don't feel its safe to drive due to this problem. Ford dealership is not giving any info on what tis problem could be. I found several problems on here related to this issue.

- Texarkana, TX, USA

problem #109

Nov 122020

Explorer

  • miles
2016 Ford Explorer 3.5 Liter (non-turbo) front wheel drive, automatic, 44k miles. Loss of power, vehicle jerked and stayed in one gear. We limped the car home and let it cool down. After the car cooled down, we went on small test drive and confirmed it was shifting erratically. We took the car to the dealer and they confirmed a component in the transmission had failed, disabling the vehicle. Over $3,000 worth of transmission repairs were made under warranty.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #108

Aug 142021

Explorer

  • miles

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

Was driving on I-40 at approximately 75mph and vehicle lost all acceleration, wrench icon came on in dash. Pressed. Gas pedal to the floor, no acceleration. Had to pull over on side of road. Pulled over vehicle stared shaken. Cut off vehicle for about 1min. Tried to retest vehicle, vehicle did not want to restart/crank. Tried again vehicle stared up. Vehicle power is not the same. Thank God I was on the right side of the highway instead of the middle so I could get off the road. This could have been worse.

- Mount Olive, NC, USA

problem #107

Jul 092021

Explorer

  • 104,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while yielding to merge onto the highway, the vehicle would not accelerate above 3 mph, with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with transmission failure. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the Vin for the transmission. The failure mileage was 104,000.

- Mustang, OK, USA

problem #106

May 092021

Explorer

  • miles
Our Ford Explorer lost power in the rear gear position. It also had trouble shifting from certain gears to the next. We took it into the shop when we lost full reverse. The transmission transfer case had blew out a piece of the casing. This left a gaping hole in the case, exposing a gear in the transfer case. This also allowed fluid to drain from transmission. The mechanic said this should never happen on a 76,803 mile car, let alone on a part such as the transmission. This was the second one her did in a two week period. This not only put our family out of a car, it posed a huge safety concerning not being able to move the vehicle. I would hate for this to happen to any owner who is not automotive educated. I was luck I was driving and could get us to move.

- Evansville, IN, USA

problem #105

Jan 012019

Explorer

  • miles
The transmission is constantly slipping. While driving up or down any steeper grades, the RPMs are so high we have to adjust speed to get the transmission to shift properly as to not blow the engine. The suv surges and shifts hard while going only 15 to 20 mph on regular pavement. This has all been happening since we purchased the vehicle (in 2018 @ 27,000 miles). We took in right away and they did replace the transfer case. Since then we-??ve taken it to two different Ford dealerships in the area and they state there is nothing wrong. We were told -??sorry it-??s not like we can drive it up a hill to see what the issue is and it-??s just not bad enough to warrant replacing the transmission at this time-?? We-??ve had to swerve to the side of the highway to avoid rear end collisions due to poor shifting and reduced speeds. It-??s not trustworthy to travel and at our first chance we-??re dumping it for a Chevy. Ford knows there-??s an issue with their transmissions, but they push you off until you-??re outside of your warranty to tell you to replace the transmission. We helped our elderly mom purchase a Ford and her transmission went out with the same issues and she had to purchase another vehicle as well due to being put off outside of her warranty (by three days - WOW Ford!). -??It-??s not bad enough-?? - we-??ll it-??s not going to get better!!

- Clovis, CA, USA

problem #104

Apr 152021

Explorer

  • 72,647 miles
My husband was driving to work and lost drive power and the underneath of the SUV was on fire, my husband pulled over ad called 911. The dealer stated the ptu cracked from pressure leaking all the oil onto the exhaust. Also stated all of my tires were good.. so we are unsure where the pressure came from>

- Reynolds, IL, USA

problem #103

Feb 112021

Explorer

  • 123,519 miles
On multiple occasions transmission was slipping which led to an eventual complete failure. Explorer was on ca highway 76 going westbound when transmission failed. Driver wa forced to Dodge traffic and coast to an emergency stop at the right side of the highway. Explorer had to be towed.

- Murrieta, CA, USA

problem #102

Mar 222021

Explorer

  • 173,000 miles
The car loose the power and don't go over 20 miles an hour. RPM goes over 5000 car speed don't change make noise you can't go up the have the power to go only 20 miles to 23 miles an hour

- Buffalo, NY, USA

problem #101

Mar 282019

Explorer

  • 94,000 miles
94000 miles the transfer case burst and when 70000 miles charging cycle does not work, the vehicle suddenly stops.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #100

Jan 092021

Explorer

  • 24,950 miles
I took my 2016 Ford Explorer XLT on Dec 29th 2020 to get a oil change etc. They had the vehicle all day even though I took it in at 7am. I pick it up a 4:45 pm then drive it home because I work from home I did not drive it again until Saturday Jan 9th 2021, while driving it that morning I realized that the steering wheel was hard to steer and the truck would make noises when I turn the steering in either direction. I took it in to the dealership that morning and asked the service consultant to take a look at it. He told me while my father was on the phone that he believes it the rack and pinion and he can't take it because they are busy and it's okay for me to drive it. I also told him at that time I am supposed to drive out of town and I won't be back for awhile so if there is a problem I rather leave it so it can be fixed. I have damaged on my C5 vertebrae so I can feel the hardness in the steering. He assured or dismissed me but he said it's fine. A few hours later the steering wheel seized up and the dashboard started making noise and the warning lights and messages started to displaying. It almost killed both my mother and I on the highway. If you know nyc highway you know there is no shoulders. When I pulled of the road the steering wheel locked up and I could not move it. I had to pay for the truck to be towed and a uber for myself back to the dealership and then paid for me to get home. Now they are telling me that I have to pay $2719.81 for the rack and pinion repair and the also pay for the strut bearing to be repaired which they haven't given me the price for it because "it was too much to give me both price at once." Oh by the way, this is the same service consultant that told me it was fine for me to drive and almost killed 2 generation of my family at the same time. I am pissed!! now I see other customers complaining about the same issue on there SUV!!

- Fresh Meadows, NY, USA

problem #99

Dec 102020

Explorer

  • 80,000 miles
Whenever putting the vehicle into reverse there will be a loud pop and will slam into gear. Similarly will happen when shifted into drive. Then when changing gears from second to third the vehicle will hesitate switching gears and the RPM will go into the 5000 RPM. Will happen usually when shifting again into a higher gear. Usually can drive around five to ten miles and will sort itself out. However if you are entering traffic especially a busy road system this may not allow you to accelerate to a safe speed since the gears not shifting will cause the vehicle to stall and not accelerate.

- Braxton, MS, USA

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