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 side pillars on both the driver side and front passenger side became loose. There was a definite rattle sound inside the car. Thankfully I noticed it before they flew off and hit another person/car on the highway. This could have led to multiple injuries. When I brought the car back to the dealership they mentioned that this has happened to other cars. Perhaps there needs to be a recall. This only compounds the situation I had in April of 2022. While driving on a highway I suddenly had a rattle in the front window. I discovered that the moulding had rotted and the window was separating. When replaced by the dealership, they told me that they have dealt with this problem numerous times. Is it time to recall and have Ford pay back these expenses?
I was driving on I95 on Friday and the driver left side winshield outer pillar outer trim molding flew off in the wind very hard. On Saturday I was driving on the beltway when the passenger side right side windshield outer pillar outer trim molding few off I was so scared because I dont know if hit the windshiled of the car behind me. This is very dangerous. Now both are gone.
I purchased 2 2017 ford explorers and they both developed the same problem. The plastic windshield pillar facia trim breaks off at highway speed. Not only is this a dangerous distraction to the driver, the part flying off at 65 mph becomes a projectile that is a hazard to vehicles following behind. Based on forums, you tube videos, and the availability of aftermarket replacement trim, this would appear to be a wide scale problem.
- The weather stripping around my front windshield failed and caused the molding around the windshield to also fail. - This failure occurred while driving at highway speeds. The flying debris alarmed me and could have obstructed my view. It could also have hit another vehicle and caused an accident. - There are instances online of this happening to Ford Explorers. Unknown if it has been inspected by dealers. - My vehicle has not yet been inspected for this defect. - There were no warning lamps or messages/symptoms before this failure. It first appeared on 12/1/2022. My vehicle is a 2017 and at 56000 miles.
Sunroof leaked & water dripped into top center light assembly and down either side of the windshield support frames, then into the back of the plastic panels under them, continuing down the supports that lead to far left & right frames and into the carpet under the rubber mats.Very concerned about water mixing with electrical parts of the lights in the overhead area over the dash & starting a fire.Tried to open sun roof so I could wipe the channels dry and reclose sunroof but the electric components to it stopped working probably due to water damage, so sunroof was now partially opened to the environment. Vehicle is available at my home in my driveway mostly covered by a blue tarp until I take it to the Ford dealer next week on Thursday to get inspected, checked & fixed (I hope).Was initially scared the water leak mixing with electricity of the overhead front lights & dripping behind the dash panel on either side of the front seats might create a spark and catch something on fire, but got fortunate and didn-??t happen.Do not know if Ford dealer can reproduce it until they check it next weeThurs, but one of representatives at dealership repair shop mentioned they are aware of a common problem where if the sunroof is not cleaned & checked regularly the drain channels can get clogged and cause water to leak inside the car-my reply -??why would Ford built car that leaks through the roof when it rains-??, could leak into electrical components inside the car-got no reply. Asked if this was the problem if Ford would fix it and pay for it and reply was we have to check it first to see what causes it and go from there. Told them I don-??t use the sunroof and have not opened it, and was told it can still happen.Best friend saw it, have not reported it to police, insurance company will not look at it unless I submit a claim which I haven-??t yet.Waiting to hear how much it will cost.No warning signs of problem until water started dripping from front overhead lights.
The hood on the vehicle has decay/bubbling. It is most prevalent along the front edge of the hood. I am not sure if this affects the structural integrity, safety worthiness, or latching aspects of the hood. If so, this is a major concern for all owners of this vehicle. I was made aware by another owner of same make and model that this is common occurrence.
Carbon monoxide leaking into my car-?"tailgate area and through the front hvac. Weird sound from engine that sounds and smells like electrical burning or something overheating.
The windshield trim has flown off of my car twice. It's happened twice bc I repaired and then 3 mos. later it happened again. The 1st time it flew off I was driving home in rush hour traffic in downtown fort worth, tx and it flew off into the oncoming traffic. I could have seriously injured someone or caused a wreck, having car parts flying off at high rates of speed in the middle of a major city.
Windshield trim loosened and detaches while driving. Can create a road hazard for others, increasing risk of an accident. Have seen in countless other Explorer with same problem! this is a major hazard!!!!
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the vehicle without warning. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the front passenger pillar trim had detached from the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer where the pillar trim was replaced; however, a year later, the same pillar trim detached from the vehicle a second time. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was given an estimate for a second repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle; the contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
On May 9, 2022, sometime during my drive on the HE Bailey Turnpike from Lawton Oklahoma to Oklahoma City, the driver side Pillar Trim of my 2017 Explorer came off; I was driving 70-75 miles per hour, and it was very windy. During the drive, I heard a noise but didn't think much about it until I got out of the car in Oklahoma City. Thats when I noticed the driver Pillar Trim missing. Traffic was very light during the drive and to my knowledge, the Pillar Trim did not hit another car or do any damage to anything. If there had been another person or automobile hit by the Pillar Trim, I feel that it could have resulted in an accident or serious injury to a person. When I contacted the Ford Dealership, I told them that a part of my Explorer had blown off; they knew exactly what had happened even before I told which part was missing.
Windshield Molding broke off while driving on road. Causing the vehicle behind me to swerve off the road. Damages were done to the other vehicles windshield.
A-Pillar exterior windshield trim became detached from the passenger side at highway speeds without warning and no prior indication of damage. This appears to be a very common issue with this generation of models based on a simple internet search, and I am shocked that Ford Motor Co. is doing nothing to resolve this. The loose piece becomes a hazard to other motor vehicle operators where it could potentially strike a vehicle causing windshield damage, startle an operator causing loss of control, or in the case of motorcycles, injure the operator. Even if it does not strike another vehicle or operator, it becomes road debris and is a safety hazard to other vehicles, and to persons attempting to retrieve it. While we were fortunate that it did not cause any further incident, the potential for a serious accident is high with this defect.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front side of the roof connected to the upper center of the windshield was severely corroded. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist unless the part was perforated. The contact stated that as the roof became perforated, the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the roof and the windshield needed to be replaced. The dealer sent a diagnostic report with pictures to the manufacturer. The manufacturer advised that they would cover the repair of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
Driving on Interstate 95 at 70mph, windshield pillar on left side broke away and hit a gentleman on a motorcycle behind me in the face shield of his helmet. I pulled over to apologize profusely. Right side is loose aswell and plastic abs wiper Cowl is dry rotted and flapping making noisy whistling. Under 65K miles. It started at 45K. This is terrifying and now a eyesore. Please investigate this.
The clear trim panels by the driver side door with the electronic numbers to unlock the doors, came off while I was driving on the highway going 70mph. Which resulted in lights going off on on in the cabin of the car, as well as my back tailgate flying open while driving. The clear panel was attached to wires which was reported to me to have caused multiple fuses to be blown one of which was the tailgate door. Once I pulled over to close the door, the door had to be forced closed and the warning light tailgate ajar remained on as well as all the lights in the cabin remained on. Once I was able to park my car none of the lights would turn off once the engine was off and the car would not lock. Both of these panels on the drivers side and passenger side had to be replaced, in addition to the front pillars on the windshield due to all of them coming detached from the car. This is a huge safety concern that needs to be addressed. The owner of the car had to pay for all repairs.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Chester, PA, USA