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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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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!
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
There is an SRS airbag warning light on the dashboard that used to intermittently display. Now it is on consistently when the vehicle is driven. It is due to a circuit failure or a broken cord leading to the driver side middle row seatbelt airbag. Directly from site: Https://Ford.oemdtc.com/1203/air-bag-warning-light-illuminated-with-dtc-B141B-B141C-2014-2016-Ford-Explorer tsb 16-0001 air bag 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. But sounds like an electrical and safety issue to me...which should be covered under warranty. The truth to the matter is...Ford does not care that a potentially high risk problem has been identified as a failure on the company's end but they don't care enough to do anything about it. Well..other than charge the customer close to $1000 out of pocket to fix for a poor design on Ford's end. The Ford dealership service department does not know how this safety feature broke. If we were to get in an accident while the airbag is in this state, it would not deploy and the lives of all passengers in jeopardy!
On August 20, 2020, my vehicle had last been driven around 12 noon. It sat in the driveway with all of us home. My son went to get in the vehicle around 6:30 pm. Smoke poured out, the seat was smoldering and flames came up. We couldn't put the fire out with extinguisher. Fire department put hose on seat. Firemen stated they see this often with heated/airconditioned seats that malfunction and burn up or cause fire. Firemen stated they could tell the way it looked "like all the other heated /air conditioned seats that ignite that they see often". insurance company says car is totaled since hose was put on it. Ford will not work with me. No one left anything burning in the seat or smoked in the car. I believe the car heated/air conditioned seat malfunctioned and Ford should help. I had purchased bumper to bumper warranty from dealership. Warranty company says if a car catches fire, warranty is voided, even if car malfunctioned causing the fire. Insurance company is trying to pay as least amount as possible. This was a well cared for, very nice car. I believe it malfunctioned. Ford Motor Company sent me a letter saying they had the dealership take pictures, and they feel it had something left burning on the seat. No one left anything burning on the seat. In the letter Ford Motor Company sent me by email, they state they inspected the car. They never came to see the car in person. They only had the service staff take pictures. The car was sitting in the driveway all afternoon. I also backed out of the driveway in my Subaru at 5:00 pm and did not smell or see smoke as I left.. the passenger seat that ignited itself had a stack of business papers and some soccer gear that could have overheated if the seat was malfunctioning too. The seat ignited by itself. As a consumer I deserve to be assisted. I would like the car repaired or replaced w/similar car. Consumer stated vehicle was totaled and settlement was offered by the insurance company. Vehicle was towed to the dealership.
Within 10 days of buying it brand new I've had electrical problems. Replaced back up screen within those 10 days even though they didn't find anything wrong. Still continues. Multiple issues with the power train. Now I've been out of a car for 2 weeks because I might need a new transmission at 65,000 no longer under warranty. How can I pay $38,000 and it goes bad instantly? no help from Ford or dealer. My gears are stalling and not shifting correctly or picking up speed. I drive like an old lady and take care of this car like it's brand new. I will never buy a Ford again and will tell anyone who will listen not to do the same.
Per Ford website, I was told that my sync software need an upgrade when I typed in the VIN, then I follow the instruction on website but the program I downloaded messed up my apim module on my car and radio, gps, and other function ae not working. So I took my SUV to the dealer and they said it will cost me $1050 to fix the issue.
Saturday June 20th 2020 the hill assist message came on as did the ABS and traction control lights came on. There is no power steering and both axles are making a clicking noise. I have learned that this is the rack and pinion electronic power assist system. Epas unit has failed. Luckily it was in my cul de sac turning around and not on the freeway. My wife predominantly drives this vehicle. The steering is very difficult to move. The vehicle only has 64,000 miles on it. Is this a private recall? I have spoken with a couple of other Explorer owners that Ford "took care of it" for them. I have ordered the part, but it will not be there for a week. This car is well taken care of and is normally driven on city streets and occasionally on the highway.
Seat heat under driver seat keeps going bad. Only the seat bottom, not the top. I noticed as this is the 3rd time it has been in for this, that when I have the seat in the farthest back position it works, but when the seat is moved further it pulls on the wires. I wonder if this could be causing a short in the wiring, which potential could be a fire hazard.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hope Mills, NC, USA