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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
1,726 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.

2021 Ford Explorer electrical problems

electrical problem

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2021 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #24

Jun 272024

Explorer

  • miles

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

While driving down the interstate, the tires (rear passenger?) suddenly locked/stuck. This caused vehicle to lose control, 360, and slam into the guardrails. Prior to this incident, when the car was turned on, it stalled a bit like it was about to turn off. This lasted for a few seconds, but returned to normal. So may be a component of electrical and/or directly related to the rear tire. There were no warning messages. Driver was thankful injuries did not occur. Could have flipped, or slammed into other cars, trees, etc. This is a serious issue. While the vehicle was being loaded onto the wrecker, in neutral, the rear passenger tire was visibly stuck. This was observed by owner, husband, police officer and tow company. When offloading from the tow truck, the tire made a loud pop and movement returned to normal. Vehicle is currently at the shop (ford dealership). Will have more information next week from their diagnostic studies. It is available for inspection upon request.

- Florence , SC, USA

problem #23

Jul 222023

Explorer

  • 33,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the audio connection failed to function as intended. The contact stated that there was no audio power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the radio audio connection was in the rear hatch of the vehicle and that water had been leaking into the rear hatch of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and agreed to assist with sixty-five percent of the repair cost. Additionally, the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 33,000.

- Goreville, IL, USA

problem #22

Jan 182024

Explorer

  • miles
My digital dash would get wavy and flickery with lines through it almost like the LEDs in the screen we're going bad. They made lines going across which made it hard to read the speedometer. Since I brought this up it's been two or three times that I've tried to have them look at it and they finally saw what was going on and they decided that they were going to replace the instrument cluster in the dash and since they replaced it it has been fine. Also I am on battery number for due to the vehicle going in battery saver mode every time the battery starts to go bad and Ford has yet to figure out what is going on with my vehicle that is causing me to have bad batteries and causing it to go in the battery saver mode to preserve power within hours of the vehicle having been driven.

- Goodyear, AZ, USA

problem #21

Nov 092023

Explorer

  • miles

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

11/9/23 our still under warranty, 2021 Ford Explorer Platinum with 20,152 miles on it died at stop sign and would not start. Locked in park and had to be towed to dealer who worked on it for one week and claimed it was fixed. Same problem second time a few days later and dealer claimed it was lose wires and returned to us on 11/28. This last time (happened at a very dangerous onramp location and I thought I was going to get hit by another car while waiting for the police to arrive) they have had it since 12/4 and can not diagnose or fix the problem despite claiming to have done numerous things. Ford (Detroit) CS has been of zero help and will not loan us a car or rent one for us to use. We are supposed to be leaving in a few days for our Florida residence for 4 months without our car being fixed. We have had the car a total of 10 days out of the last 51 and with the holiday weekend being tomorrow and Monday it will be 53 days. I have read about numerous Ford Explorers having this same problem and never getting fixed correctly, only to have repeated software issues. How much is enough for a consumer to finally have protection. Lemon Law has expired and I can not find any information for consumers in our current situation. Please advise. We are [XXX] and this is very stressful to say the least. Thank you! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Warren, RI, USA

problem #20

Mar 012022

Explorer

  • miles
I do realize there is a Recall for Back-up camera; which I've had issues with since early part of 2022 (we bought vehicle in April 2021). March of 2022 we had our suv to dealership about screen turning blue; which they supposedly did some deprogramming. Then, in July of 2022 had it back to dealership because the blue screen became worse; in which they said they replaced the whole system ( I have receipts/documents to prove this). Well, now when in Reverse we have blue screen or black. Occasionally when in drive while driving or sitting idling the screen either is blue, black or completely freezes to where none of options such as Navigation, hands-free calling, or anything can be done/used. I have video footages, I have pictures and the matter is only getting worse! I have called Ford Corporation, I have taken the suv recently to local dealership and just keep being told that all that is connected to back-up camera; THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO!! The Ford Explorer has had many electrical issues ranging from 3rd row seat (have receipt/documentation of this), to at times air/heat not wanting to work. Plus, it has had oil leak coming from front CV axle (have receipt/documentation of this). Anymore the local Ford dealership gives me the run around about repairs it seems to keep me coming back to pay for diagnostic repairs. Ford Corporation when I call them puts me on several holds while they "supposedly" call local dealership about the issues (Ford Corp acting like they don't know nothing). In addition I ve found out that all Services, repairs aren't being reported as required by law to do. I tried to upload my videos/media of the suv but it wouldn't upload to this website. If there is a specific email I could send the videos/media footage, the receipts/documents I'd do it immediately!! So, "please" let me know if there is an email!!

- Hinesville, GA, USA

problem #19

Oct 092023

Explorer

  • miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V626000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Freeport, FL, USA

problem #18

Sep 292023

Explorer

  • miles

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

I was sitting at a stop light and when the light turned green I pushed on the gas pedal and I had NO POWER! However, all of my auxillary power worked. Everything inside the car still had power, from my dashboard to my Apple CarPlay but my engine would not turn on. The check engine light did come on but not until it had been sitting there for 20-30 minutes. The Auto Start/Stop was activated so I don't know if there was an issue with that and it just never turned back on. The alternator belt was still intacted. Had it towed to repair shop (took about an hour) when it got to repair shop it started and shop couldn't find anything wrong. It has started every time since. I am afraid to drive it because I don't know if or when it will happen again.

- Jefferson, GA, USA

problem #17

Oct 012023

Explorer

  • miles
The vehicle was self accelerating and applying forward propulsion. It was behaving as if the cruise control was on, cruise control was verified off. When braking was applied an alert was posted on the dash stating Braking applied, power reduced and the engine would rev higher. Upon stopping the vehicle and letting off on the brake the vehicle would accelerate as if the gas pedal was depressed. Upon parking the vehicle the engine would rev up to 6k rpm and if I let go of the brake the vehicle would accelerate. Turing off the vehicle and turning the vehicle on did not reset the issue. I verified no inadvertent pressure was being applied to the gas pedal and have video demonstrating the failure. The videos I have are too large to upload via your limitations on this page.

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #16

Aug 132023

Explorer

  • miles
I bought a new Ford Explorer XLT in 2021. I was driving with my kids on highway 101 at 70mph on 08/13/2023, wrench symbol came up and car speed immediately dropped down from 70mph to 30mph. Luckily the driver behind was very attentive and an accident was avoided and we were saved. After that car went into limp mode and had to be towed away. My car just have over 13k miles on it and is under every warranty. This wrench warning lamp came once on 07/31/2023 without impacting vehicle speed. I took the car to Ford dealership for inspection on 08/01/2023. After 3 days of inspection they said some sensor needs to be replaced which they don't have in inventory and will call me back when it is available. They handed over car to me telling it is totally safe to drive as they don't see any issue with driving. Now when I told the dealership about the harrowing experience they turned a deaf ear and said we will look into it without even caring to provide an answer. I insisted on providing a loner vehicle as they dont have a timeline on fixing the issue.I trusted the ford mechanics and ended up paying towing expenses for over 100 miles and best of all luckily survived. Me and my family are still in this shock.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #15

Jun 292023

Explorer

  • miles
Screen is blue by reverse

- Brooklyn , NY, USA

problem #14

Aug 032023

Explorer

  • miles

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

When starting the car, the digital screen either turns to blue or black as non-functional. The radio is not able to operate during this time. While in park, the screen is black. While in drive, the screen is either black or as shown I photo, the camera shows the parameters

- Marlton, NJ, USA

problem #13

Jun 252023

Explorer

  • miles
Every 6 months, the rear cameras, cross traffic sensors and blind spot warning go out and completely stop functioning. I take it to the dealer tland they keep it for 1-2 weeks and eventually replace a fuse and send it home. This has happened four times. No one will actually correct the root cause ti the issue. It's going on its third week in the shop this time.

- Taylor, MI, USA

problem #12

Jun 212023

Explorer

  • miles
The fuse box got wet after a routine car wash. The hood was not opened at any point prior to the car wash, nor directly afterwards until the incident occurred. A few hours after the car wash, the horn went off on its own continuously for 5-10 minutes and had to be shut off manually via disconnecting the battery. The car was not running or turned on in any way at this point. Prior to disconnecting the battery, the car was turned on to try and deactivate the horn. The horn was still blaring and the car would not shut off. Upon inspection, there was smoke coming from the fuse box. Multiple vehicle alerts went off on the dash including Hill start assist warning, Powertrain malfunction/reduced power and pre-collision assist warning lights. The car was taken to the dealership for repairs. The following "story" was conducted at the dealership: Unhooked battery. Removed front cowl battery junction box. Removed battery junction box. Battery junction box is burnt up and engine bay harness is melted. Engine bay harness needs replaced. Have to remove engine assembly to gain access to harness. Removed engine transmission and subframe assembly. Removed inner plastic firewall. Removed harness and replaced. Reinstalled drive train assembly replaced all one time use fasteners. Reassembled car. Found horn is INOP. Diagnosed and found horn is burned up from being stuck on from melted harness. Removed front bumper cover. Replaced Horn and reassembled. Horn works now. Cleared all DTCs. No DTCs returned. Test drove car. Everything is working properly now and no codes returned. Total repairs are $3,300. I did not feel safe in any regards while driving it to the dealership. Through casual conversation with a friend who works at the dealership, they witnessed something similar happen with a Ford F-150. I don't believe that this has been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the incident.

- Granger, IN, USA

problem #11

Jun 152023

Explorer

  • miles
I am very disappointed in Ford. I cannot believe that I have a 2021 Ford Explorer and the back up camera will go out for no reason. Also, the GPS is not working. What is the company thinking, when I am told when I call the dealer to have this issue corrected that, "Ford had put a hold on the recall due to they have not made a decision on how to handle it." Let me make a suggestion that WILL WORK. Put NEW CAMERAS in all the vehicles that has the issue that I described above. If this issue is not corrected soon, I will be trading for another model vehicle. The back up camera could cause a very serious incident. People have grown used to the back up camera since they have been installed in vehicles for so many years. This could cause a pedestrian to be backed over and seriously injured or killed. Does your company want that on your conscious!!"?" Also, I have an issue when I turn my vehicle in to the dealer, I am always told they do not have a loaner vehicle. What the heck!! It is your issue and you should provide a loaner for everyone that schedules a service on the recall.

- Columbia, TN, USA

problem #10

Jun 242023

Explorer 4-cyl

  • miles
Numerous times over the recent 2 months, I have experienced different issues with my 2021 Ford Explorer. The vehicle was purchased used in 2022 with less than 10,000 miles on it. It currently has 36k miles. When the vehicle is stopped but in drive and then accelerated to merge into traffic, the vehicle stalls and will not engage. The accelerator has to be pressed repeatedly to get the vehicle to begin moving again. This can take anywhere from 2-3 presses and 10-20 seconds. This creates a hazard for moving traffic and a safety issue. This occurs repeatedly with no warning beforehand. The vehicle has no lights to reflect an issue. Additionally, while the vehicle has been parked and shut-off, the electronics will turn on. On two separate occasions, the lights have turned on on their own and the radio has done the same; there was nobody in the car either. Over the past weekend, while driving down the road, no rain or water on windshield, and the wipes started. The vehicle persistently has a blue screen during backup. There is a concern for the electronics as a whole with all of the issues occurring. When accelerating on the highway/interstate, often times, an odd smell can be sensed, as if the EcoBoost is not functioning appropriately. The recall for rear axle bolt was repaired by Ford in Yukon, OK, and was informed that is the only recall currently with a repair available. The vehicle is available for inspection, as necessary.

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

problem #9

May 132023

Explorer

  • miles
This vehicle has had multiple recalls for the same issue. Current recall is 23V022. This is a recurring issue with the sync screens. Now the entire screen is failing at all times rendering it impossible to drive hands free. Meaning navigation does not work, operating a phone through the car does not work, at times the reverse emergency brake does not work. All of these features are there to improve not only the safety of the vehicle occupants, but the safety of other motorists. It is unfortunate that the government has allowed a vehicle manufacturer to make its own rules when it comes to the safety of this nations motorists. All of the photos attached were taken on different days over the last couple of months and I would be happy to verify this upon request.

- Eagan, MN, USA

problem #8

Dec 072022

Explorer

  • miles
After receiving a Ford issued recall for a potential rear axle bolt fracture, the dealer reprogrammed the PCM per Ford's reported repair solution. After this PCM update, the vehicle would randomly slam to a complete stop while driving. It happened several times with 3 different drivers (myself, my wife, and my son), each happening at 30-35 mph or less. It was usually preceeded by an audible clicking sound, but not always. We took the vehicle to the dealership several times, but they said they were not able to reproduce the issue, and continually returned the vehicle to us despite our grave concern for high risk of crash and injury. We even contacted Ford's customer service and legal departments several times, who ultimately refused to allow us to continue using a loaner vehicle and demanded that we return the loaner and retake possession of our Explorer because they said they had not received any other similar complaints, and their field engineer could not reproduce the issue and cleared the vehicle as safe, although Ford was never able to supply us with service records proving the repairs they purported despite our repeated inquiries. Ultimately, the issue happened again, and slammed while driving down a hill at about 40-50 mph, but this time the slamming was immediately followed by seemingly disengaging the drivetrain and causing the vehicle to roll downhill with no ability to accelerate, ultimately causing me to roll into a utility pole. Ford has since repurchased the vehicle, but given the severe safety risk associated with this issue and Ford's poor handling of our situation, I wanted others and the NHTSA to be aware in case other similar issues are reported in a effort to protect others from potential injury, especially in light of the increasing number if PCM-related issues and recalls reported against Ford...one of which was a PCM recall pertaining to our reported issue, but was not issued until after our repurchase was complete.

- Newburgh, IN, USA

problem #7

Apr 142022

Explorer

  • miles
In the last 2 months I have had a total of 3 back up cameras and the equipment is still turning blue on random. I have had the wiring replaced to -??fix-?? the Bluetooth echo, and it is still doing it. The gas take also shakes enough to move the car when you come to a stop depending on amount of gas in the tank.

- Brighton, CO, USA

problem #6

Dec 082021

Explorer

  • 4,500 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after she had parked her vehicle and retrieved items out of the liftgate compartment; the vehicle began to roll back independently towards her. A witness alerted her that the vehicle was rolling towards her; the contact moved out of the way. She then opened her driver-side door as the vehicle proceeded to roll back; the contact was pinned in between the concrete post and the driver-side door as the vehicle eventually stopped. Witnesses assisted her and aided her away from the vehicle which bruised her left arm. The contact did not seek medical attention for the injury. The contact called the dealer and they offered no assistance. The contact then had the vehicle towed to a different dealer Lithia Ford Idaho Falls(980 W Broadway St, Idaho Falls, ID 83402) where the driver-side door was replaced. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and she was given a case number. The cement post was damaged as a result of the failure. The police were called after the failure and a report was filed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the cause of the failure had yet to be determined. The failure mileage was approximately 4,500.

- Wilson, WY, USA

problem #5

Jan 222022

Explorer

  • miles
I am having major issues with the 3rd row seating on my Ford explorer getting stuck and not able to be moved. This is happening causing children to not have places to sit and seatbelts to secure themselves in for a safe commute. Each time the seats are stuck, they are not even able to be moved manually. The entire seat including the head rest becomes immobile and leaves the seat in either a half open/closed position or an open position with no headrest capability. While traveling out of town on January 23 with 6 people in my vehicle my 3rd row seats became stuck in positions where I was unable to safely transport 2 of the occupants of the car. I also had to travel home in an extremely unsafe situation where luggage had to remain in laps for a 4 hour car ride and could have been catastrophic had there been an accident. I reached out to the service department of Palmetto Ford on January 24th about this issue and they told me it would be 3 to 4 weeks until they could get my vehicle in to -??look at it.-?? I reached out to my sales person who was able to coordinate with the service manager to get my vehicle looked at the next day. They did not have a loner for me to drive so they rented one from Enterprise and had me come back the next day to pick it up and began to repair my car. It took them about 2 days and they said they had to completely replace the computer brain of the 3rd row seating. When I left it was in working order. Two months later while once again out of town with 4 other people-??s children to care for my 3rd row seating gets stuck again in an unusable position. This time I had no other alternative but to put these kids in seats together seatbelted in and pray that I did not get hit. When I got home on March 29th I called Palmetto Ford sales to let them know that my seats are once again broken and spoke to the sales manager Jake. I told him that I felt unsafe in the vehicle now and that I would like them to take it back. I told him I had more travel

- Hanahan, SC, USA

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