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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 6 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #78

May 122019

Explorer

  • 51,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact took the vehicle to star Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram (5101 S 1st St, abilene, tx 79605, (325) 698-2222) to have the vla emission computer update completed. After a few days, the vehicle began to exhibit a delayed response when the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the vehicle downshifted on its own suddenly, especially while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the vehicle was affected by the vla emission update. After the update, the vehicle tended to overheat and the fuel gauge did not accurately display the correct reading. The vehicle was taken to star Dodge a third time where it was diagnosed that the egr was throwing coolant into the turbo. The contact reached out to the manufacturer and was proivdecase number: 407224. The dealer stated that the case would be closed because they could not remedy the failure. Prior to updating the vla, the contact was informed by the eco system hotline that the vehicle would not be affected. The failure mileage was 51,000.

- Ludder, TX, USA

problem #77

Aug 012019

Explorer

  • 49,000 miles
As I was driving my 2016 Ford Explorer on the highway on 08/01/2019 I experienced the vehicle start to stutter just before I was going on to the on ramp merging on the highway and after I was on the high way the vehicle started smoking from under the hood and would no longer accelerate and I could smell oil burning and pulled over and shut the car off looked under the car and saw the pile of oil underneath but the vehicle did not have the any check engine light or warnings once we towed the vehicle home I looked under the car and saw that the transmission casing was cracked pretty much in half I could actually see the gears inside the casing of the transmission I also rememberd in the past year or so the vehicle would shift very hard after braking and then getting back on the gas it happened every once in a while.

- Bakersfiel, CA, USA

problem #76

Jul 272019

Explorer

  • 40,000 miles
With no warning - experienced sudden loss of power while driving. Engine light came on. Also the wrench light came on with a message that said "see manual." I was able to get out of traffice and pull over. After ten minutes, I restarted the car. The car started back up with no problem and the engine light was back off. From there it drove beautifully like it never happened - except that it did ! four days later, I take it to the dealorship. They determined that this happened due to a defective throttle body. I have to have it replaced and it's going to cost me $380. I find it hard to believe that with the significant number of complaints on this issue all over the internet that they didn't know about this at the dealorship when they sold me the car. And also that Ford has not recalled this yet considering the number of complaints. I have to have this fixed, I have no choice. I would definitly like to reumbersed for this repair. But in addition to the out of pocket cost, the power going out on the car while driving is a major safety issue. With the significant number of complaints on this issue with this specific vehicle model / year, I hope that somebody doesn't have to die before they place a recall on this issue.

- Lansing, MI, USA

problem #75

Jun 032016

Explorer

  • 10,000 miles

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

Problem first appeared on June 3, 2016 with about 10,000 miles. I was driving on interstate 95 past philadelphia airport about 9:30 am at about 60 mph. The vehicle had been driven from a cold start for about 20 minutes. It was raining moderately. The backup camera suddenly appeared on the screen in the center console and the transmission shuddered slightly. I also noticed that the dashboard drive indicator, which normally is lit red when in drive, was white, as were all the other indicators (R, N, etc). I jiggled the shifter without pressing the shifter button but that did not fix the problem. The transmission appeared to be still in drive since the car still had power and was not slowing down. It lasted for about 15 seconds and then the display returned to normal and the D indicator returned to its normal red mode. About 30 seconds later the problem returned and stayed for 10 to 15 seconds and then again reverted back to normal. This behavior repeated one or two more times in the next couple of minutes. After this series of events the car seemed to be normal for the rest of my 1.5 hour trip and has been fine until Aug 13, 2016 when the same behavior happened again. This could be a serious safety problem if it gets worse if for nothing else than it is certainly a distraction and may result in transmission damage and loss of control. I did talk to the service manager at my Ford dealer (sheridan Ford, rt 2 kirkwood highway, wilmington de) on July 21, 2016 when I was getting an oil change and I described the first incident. He did not seem very concerned. He said that they had never heard of that happening but did not have me write anything down. I told him that if it happened again, I would contact Ford and the dealer. The problem has occurred 12 more times. I have told the dealer about it every time. I have further text documentation.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #74

May 272019

Explorer

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 75 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that the vehicle went into limp mode. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who retrieved diagnostic trouble code: P2111 (throttle actuator control system stuck open). The vehicle was not repaired. Autonation Ford marietta (located at 869 cobb pkwy SE, marietta, ga 30060, (770) 674-6077) was infomred of the failure via phone. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.

- Smyrna, GA, USA

problem #73

Dec 012018

Explorer

  • 77,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. When the vehicle was placed into reverse, it jerked. The vehicle was taken to woody anderson Ford (2500 jordan ln nw, huntsville, al 35810, (877) 315-0514) to be diagnosed and repaired per an unknown recall regarding carbon monoxide. Prior to taking the vehicle to the dealer, the contact became very sleepy while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 77,000.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

problem #72

Feb 262019

Explorer

  • 45,000 miles

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

With the cruise control set at ~78 mph on an interstate highway the automatic transmission appeared to shift into a low gear causing the vehicle to suddenly decelerate and the engine to rev to match the set speed. The vehicle decelerated from 78 to about 40 as if I had slammed on the brakes. After stopping and talking with my dealer he recommended to continue as no warning lights or indicators appeared on the car. I continued on the road at a much reduced speed. After a short distance the vehicle again self shifted to a lower gear with the engine RPM's showing approximately 3000 at about 55 mph. Dealer is installing a new transmission but can not identify what caused the vehicle to shift gears on its own.

- Benson, MN, USA

problem #71

Mar 142019

Explorer

  • 13,650 miles
I received a "terrain management fault" alert while driving on a highway, and immediately had a loss of power and very slow acceleration after stopping. Upon reaching my home the vehicle would not drive up a small incline in my driveway. The "check engine light" came on and there is now a loud metallic clang when shifting into drive or reverse. The vehicle has only 13, 655 miles on it. I called Ford roadside assistance and they will have a tow truck take it to a Ford dealer in the morning for testing..

- Forest Heights, MD, USA

problem #70

Feb 172019

Explorer

  • 68,967 miles
Vehicle steering became stiff while driving in a parking lot, with multiple errors. Cannot drive vehicle safely. Happened without warning. -hill start assist not available -service advancetrac -terrain management system fault

- Neah Bay, WA, USA

problem #69

Oct 012018

Explorer

  • 40,000 miles
During acceleration, a brief pause in acceleration or down shifting of gears. Feels like the transmission is slipping. Usually noticed during 30 minutes of normal driving conditions.

- South San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #68

Jan 082018

Explorer

  • 49,000 miles

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

When you drives slowly in between 15mph to 20mph 2nd to 3rd gear shifting it gaves tugg when it was in warrenty I bring to Ford delarship but they said everything is ok never recommend Ford it was my 1st experience with Ford but all crap cars and SUVS

- Glen Burnie, MD, USA

problem #67

Dec 172018

Explorer

  • 24,000 miles
Complete vehicle power failure (loss of steering capabilities, etc)while in motion making left hand turn onto major surface street that connects to freeway entrance.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #66

Nov 152018

Explorer

  • 37,000 miles
Interior of car began to smell of burning oil, warning message "4WD temporarily disabled". leak from vent hose into ptu system. Ford (santa rosa, ca) says ptu must be replaced. 37K miles on car.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #65

Sep 152018

Explorer

  • 49,000 miles
The engine will stall and the car will buck/shake and almost die when put into drive after sitting overnight or for several hours takes 1-2 minutes to jerk/shake and then will run fine. Twice the wrench icon has come on in the dash. We have taken it to the dealership 3 times now to be fixed. They were able to validate what happened, as it happened to them but said that the car's computer did not generate any codes so they are unable to diagnose/repair.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #64

Jul 152018

Explorer

  • 40,000 miles
I have been driving my vehicle for the last month it has 40000 miles on it and had no problems until the last couple of weeks my vehicle has been jerking when accelerating and the gear drops.

- Safford, AZ, USA

problem #63

Apr 202018

Explorer

  • 34,000 miles
It jolts, lunges, transmission doesn't engage and slams into gear hard it makes you feel you got rear ended with a big bank. Slow to accelerate and when it finally does it lunges

- Avon Lake, OH, USA

problem #62

Mar 012018

Explorer

  • 7,000 miles
Same issue as NHTSA id number: 11042260. At 7,000 miles when the vehicle goes into reverse we hear a loud thumping sound as though you ran over something. This is happens more when reversing with a turn than straight but seldom while backing straight out as well. At 7,500 mile service the issue was bought to the attention of the dealership, the tech determined that it was a faulty rdu (rear drive unit) which was placed on order. The dealer has not yet responded to the status of the part which has been over a month! yet the dealership asked us why we rated the unsatisfactory! at this point it is unknown if this would solved the problem as the replacement part has not yet been installed.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #61

Mar 272018

Explorer

  • 58,000 miles
When keeping a steady speed, rpms fluctuate up and down causing a jerky movement while driving. Happens randomly or after idling for a few minutes. Also, power decreases during this event, so when taking off, car doesn't want to accelerate, then lurches forward. Also, when accelerating, particularly uphill, a burning smell comes from the vehicle.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

problem #60

Dec 272017

Explorer 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was in the drive position, the vehicle stalled, rolled backwards, and crashed into a tree. A police report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to soo motors (391 3 mile rd, sault ste. Marie, mi 49783, (906) 632-2278) for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed that the vehicle performed as intended. The contact was also informed that the vehicle was equipped with hill braking assist. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened case number: [xxx]. the approximate failure mileage was 24,000. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Cedarville, MI, USA

problem #59

Feb 152017

Explorer

  • 18,000 miles
While driving the vehicle in heavy traffic on a city street I lost power. The vehicle would not shift into gear. When I parked the vehicle it would not go in reverse. I had to put the vehicle in neutral and get pushed out of the parking lot. The vehicle would not shift into gear to drive home. The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership. The second time this happened I was on a 600+ mile trip out of state. I was driving at high speed on the interstate. I took the vehicle to a dealership when I reached my destination. There service department could not fit me in T look at it. I drove the vehicle directly to the dealership when I returned home. The third and fourth time I was 150 miles from home. I was driving in heavy traffic on a 4 lane highway. The issue also happened when the car was stationary sitting at a stop light then attempted to proceed into traffic. I have had the same issue 4 times without the "nonconformity" being resolved. I have taken it into the dealer 3 times for service. The vehicle has been out of service greater than 15 days. Carfax indicate the electric throttle body was repaired a month before I purchased the vehicle. That information was not disclosed to me at the time of purchase by the dealership.

- Maitland, FL, USA

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