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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
39,166 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2016 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 2 of 6)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #85

Sep 242019

Explorer

  • 36,421 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon conducting a routine inspection on the vehicle, he became aware that the battery was leaking acid onto the terminal connectors, and the terminal connectors were severely corroded. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery and the terminal connectors were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the battery and the terminal connectors needed to be replaced again. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 36,421.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #84

Jul 072023

Explorer

  • miles
Vehicle is experiencing a loss of power steering at all speeds. Steering stiffens and loosens erratically. Repair shop reports failure to electronic steering system and state that a replacement of the electronic steering gear assembly is required.

- Memphis, TN, USA

problem #83

Feb 152023

Explorer

  • 1,176,658 miles
Everytime my ac/heat is on it affects my engine as I-??m driving. My speedometer fast jumps. As soon as I turn it off it seems to run better. I made a complaint a week ago about something going on with my fuel and fan running high speed. I have a foul smell in my car. I thought for awhile it was something outside but now I believe it-??s coming from my car. It smells like fuel/rubber/sewer if that makes sense.

- Youngstown , OH, USA

problem #82

Oct 032022

Explorer

  • 117,658 miles

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

My fuel evap pump check engine light keeps coming on. I-??ve owned this vehicle since July 2022 and I have paid for the evap pump 3x-??s. My fan constantly runs in the engine. My engine has a stutter when I press the gas. Ford absolutely dropped the ball with this vehicle. I have already paid thousands of dollars (water pump, evap pumps and more) please help on getting this car serviced. I still owe like 20k on this car. I cannot afford to keep getting it fixed. I have 121k miles on it.

- Youngstown , OH, USA

problem #81

Jan 012023

Explorer

  • miles
My vehicle had a rear seat air bag recall. i brought the vehicle in for the recall and during a test of the airbag system the driver side air bag had a fault and the harness was replaced. Ford indicated that the vehicle airbag system is operational. I got a airbag light come on the dash and an appointment was made. They told me that the passenger side airbag harness is defective. They would not repair the issue because they said that the recall had been resolved and this is a new one? I feel that they did not resolve the issue since it is a electrical harness issue that needed a recall for the entire vehicle. since they said the fixed the driver side they will not honor the recall. I feel this is not fair for the consumer and the safety of the passengers. I feel that there should be another recall on all airbags electrical harness. I feel that they did not complete the job since it was the same issue that caused the recall for the rear seat should cover all airbags in the vehicel.

- Tacoma, WA, USA

problem #80

Jun 102022

Explorer

  • miles
My touch screen isn-??t working properly and I have brand new converters in there is smoke coming out of my tail pipes, also I have to jump my vehicle every time I want to go somewhere.

- Castro Valley, CA, USA

problem #79

Dec 122022

Explorer

  • 41,785 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N01 (High Speed Fan Motor Relay) the dealer diagnosed that the water pump was faulty, causing the air conditioner fan to fail to deactivate. The dealer declined to perform the repair because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 41,785.

- Hope Mills, NC, USA

problem #78

Oct 032022

Explorer

  • miles
Rack and pinion power steering rack stopped working while my wife was driving back home with our two kids that are 4 years old and 9 months old. Thankful she didn't crash because she was unable to steer the vehicle. No warnings or signs of the part going bad. Ford should be held responsible for issues like this. Numerous people are having the same issue.

- Harriman, TN, USA

problem #77

Oct 012022

Explorer 6-cyl

  • miles
The accelerator for the climate controls is malfunctioning. Cannot defrost the windows to see, when driving the windows get so fogged I have to pull over to get them to defrost. Over 50k people online have stated the same issue. The climate controls stop working and there are no recalls from Ford. When I spoke to Ford, the lady made a statement that she-??s had many calls with the same issue and it-??s definitely a Saftey hazard.

- Youngstown , OH, USA

problem #76

Sep 302022

Explorer

  • miles
First problem I had was with the Actuator. I lost the ability of defrost and have the heat/AC go to anything other than direct face mode. Now, the power steering to my 2016 Ford Explorer is gone. It felt like I was grinding concrete when I would make any turn or slight shift. It-??s been at the shop for weeks due to a backorder. I-??m a single mom of 2 and it-??s my only transportation. I-??m really struggling without my vehicle. This should be part of a recall ASAP cause from my research this is too common almost this vehicle and good people are really going through it.

- Brentwood, NY, USA

problem #75

Jun 162022

Explorer

  • miles

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

On 6/16/22 my vehicle was put in the shop for overheating. It was a water pump leak. It is a timing chain run water pump. The water pump is located in the engine. It was a very expensive repair. Due to the amount of labor this took to fix I was out of a vehicle for almost a month. I paid for the repair. Less that a week after I got it back my AC stopped working. Back to the shop it went. More money later... Mechanic explained to us that the water pump is located on top of the compressor. When it leaked it got all over everything destroying it. Now I must get a new compressor. No telling what else it ruined under there. This is a huge problem with this year model of Ford. Matter of fact in Canada it has already been recalled. Why is this problem not getting recalled in the US? Many people have gone after Ford with no luck and one judge threw of the case.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #74

Jan 202022

Explorer

  • miles
My rack and pinion steering column and power steering pump went out causing a hefty cost to replace and it is starting to fail again creating hazardous conditions while driving. I do believe there is a steering issue in these models. Also my power lift gate in the back closes without stopping automatically while I-??m loading the rear or unloading. There is NO STOPPING SAFETY SENSOR, I HAD THE BACK CLOSE ON ME MULTIPLE TIMES AND ALMOST CRUSH ME. there is no safety sensor to stop the power lift gate from closing on you, I have had to crawl in my rear end to avoid being crushed by my liftgate! This is not safe!

- Warren, MI, USA

problem #73

Jun 012021

Explorer

  • miles
The airbag light comes on due to the connectors in the wiring harness used for the airbag and seatbelt restraint system. When the light is on the airbags will not deploy, making this a safety related issue. Ford has a technical service bulletin Ford TSB 16-0001 showing the issue. This is not covered for repair and the cost is $900 to $1100 per side (there are two sides) to replace the wire harness and connectors. https://www.tsbsearch.com/Ford/16-0001

- Plympton, MA, USA

problem #72

Jul 212021

Explorer

  • miles
Vehicle displays airbag warning light. Dealership diagnostic test determined there is a faulty connection to the 2nd-row inflatable seatbelt sensor. Ford issued a service bulletin to replace the wire harness pigtail connection. When the airbag light is illuminated due to this faulty connection, all of the airbags in the vehicle are deactivated. Directly from site: Https://Ford.oemdtc.com/1203/air-bag-warning-light-illuminated-with-dtc-B141B-B141C-2014-2016-Ford-Explorer tsb 16-0001 airbag warning light illuminated with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) B141B and/or B141C. This is not normal wear and tear but a safety item design by Ford that has failed in the vehicle. Ford dealership claims that this is not warranty failure. Cost to repair $1085 plus $230 diagnostic test charge.

- Mill Valley, CA, USA

problem #71

Jun 292021

Explorer

  • miles
The electronic door clocks are continuously failing where the door cannot be opened in an emergent situation. On 6/24/20 the front driver door latch had to be replaced and on 03/21/21 the left rear door latch had to be replaced. Presently the right rear door latch is not operating and the vehicle has been scheduled for service on 7/9/21.. When these locks fail you are unable to open the doors unless you can reach the lock to pull up. In an emergency such as a crash or fire this failure can be fatal. It appears that there is a design flaw or defect with these locks. Review of internet blogs reveal this may be a common unreported problem that needs immediate attention. In the event there are emergent circumstances requiring the removal of a child or elderly this may be tragic.

- Chatham, NJ, USA

problem #70

Apr 172021

Explorer

  • miles
Radio sparking and smoking plus peeling and bubbles inside the hood paint

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #69

Apr 052021

Explorer

  • 59,995 miles
Air bag light on dash. Caused by dtc B141B. Found tsb related to connectors under rear seat mp 130. Car was stationary.

- Fife Lake, MI, USA

problem #68

Nov 022019

Explorer

  • miles
The 2nd row airbag light came on, and Ford told me it was a shortage in the wires and it wasn't covered under the manufacturers warranty. They stated that since the airbag light was on, the short in the wiring would stop the airbag from deploying, which in turn is a safety issue.

- Oviedo, FL, USA

problem #67

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 #66

Jan 182021

Explorer

  • 50,000 miles
Airbag light has been coming on intermittently for over 1 year. Diagnostic test determined there is a faulty connection to the 2nd row inflatable seatbelt sensor. Ford issued a service bulletin to replace the wire harness pig tail connection. When the air bag light is illuminated due to this faulty connection, all of the air bags in the vehicle are deactivated. This is extremely dangerous, and my family has been driving the car in this condition for over a year. Upon further research, numerous cases exist reporting the same issue. Please address this safety issue.

- Red Bank, NJ, USA

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