— A Ford Explorer recall includes more than 252,000 vehicles because the driveshafts may disconnect and allow the Explorers to roll away.
Recalled are these vehicles with rear axle horizontal mounting bolts that may break and cause the driveshafts to disconnect.
- 2020-2021 Ford Explorer Police Hybrid Electric
- 2020-2021 Ford Explorer Police 3.3L
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer 2.3L RWD
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer Plug-in Hybrid Electric 3.0L
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer Hybrid Electric 3.0L
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer ST3 3L
Ford engineers saw a problem with 2020-2021 Explorers in August 2021 when rear axle mounting bolts were breaking.
Engineers had to investigate the differences between power packs and the effects on the Explorers, finding the vehicles could lose their ability to stay in PARK.
Ford engineering confirmed a police Explorer is built with a cable and would require a hardware change to avoid the loss of PARK, unlike a consumer Explorer which is built with electronic park brake software that requires a software update to avoid a loss of PARK.
"Powertrain torque through the driveline causes axle rotation of the pinion angled towards the subframe, which exerts a bending force on the rear axle bolt. Peak torque is normally experienced during a launch event. After numerous peak torque events are experienced, the bolt may suffer a fatigue failure, which will lead to the axle housing moving out of position, resulting in a condition described by customers and dealer technicians variably as loud, grinding, binding, or clunking noises." — Ford
Dakkota, the rear module supplier, made corrections during production and implemented new torque tools.
Ford is not aware of any crash or injury reports, but as of April 5 there have been 235 warranty claims involving the rear axle bolts.
Depending on the Explorer model, dealers will either replace the bushing and axle covers or update the electronic parking brake software.
Ford Explorer recall letters are expected to be mailed June 6, 2022.
Ford Explorer owners who have questions should call 866-436-7332 and use recall number 22S27.
