general problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer - part 1

My vehicles exterior a-pillar trim is coming off and pieces flew off on highway. I was told to contact Ford.

I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding a severe design defect in the 3. 5l v6 engine of my 2013 Ford Explorer. The vehicle is equipped with an internal, chain-driven water pump that is currently failing at 100000 miles, as evidenced by coolant actively draining from the factory weep hole. Because this pump is located inside the engine block and driven by the timing chain, a complete seal failure dumps engine coolant directly into the oil pan. This is a critical safety hazard. When the coolant and oil mix, it destroys the engine bearings and causes the engine to completely seize without warning. If this sudden engine seizure occurs while driving at highway speeds, it results in an immediate and total loss of motive power, power steering, and power brakes. This defect creates an extreme crash hazard for the occupants of the vehicle and other drivers on the road. The internal weep hole provides virtually no dashboard warning or indicator to the driver before this catastrophic failure occurs. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this known, dangerous design flaw to force a mandatory safety recall before this sudden loss of vehicle control causes severe injuries or fatalities.

I am filing a safety complaint for my 2013 Ford Explorer (VIN: [xxx] ). There is a strong raw fuel smell inside the cabin, which is a severe fire hazard. This model has a history of cracked fuel delivery modules. Additionally, my vehicle has open recalls for the rear suspension toe link (19v435/20v675) and the a-pillar exterior trim (24v031). Despite these critical safety issues, the dealer (midland Ford) claims they see no open recalls and refuses to inspect the fuel leak without a diagnostic fee. I am concerned about a potential fire and the risk of a suspension failure while driving. " information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My backup camera is in reverse. When I use it everything is on the incorrect side which is a safety issue when backing up.

Pillar molding driver side.

Back up camera will go black intermittently when in reverse.

Hello, I received recall notice #24v031 from Ford motor company regarding a safety-related issue and was instructed to have the repair completed at a dealership. I’ve made multiple attempts to schedule the repair, but each time I was told the part is on backorder. I was advised to contact Ford directly, which I did, but was then redirected back to the dealership—who again stated the part is unavailable. To my surprise, the dealership even suggested that I try purchasing the part myself from amazon. This situation is unacceptable. This is a safety recall, and I should not be responsible for sourcing or purchasing the part required for a manufacturer-initiated repair. I am concerned about the delay and the lack of accountability from both the dealership and Ford. I am requesting immediate assistance in resolving this issue and ensuring the recall repair is completed without further delays or unreasonable expectations placed on me as the customer. Thank you,.

My backup camera doesn't always work and when it does there is a delay seeing the image. I get a warning sign on my sync screen saying the camera is not available and to contact the dealership. I have contacted the dealership and the said I needed to contact Ford. They have since directed me to NHTSA. Not having a backup camera is a safety issue since there are some things that cannot be seen in a mirror when backing up.

The backup camera works for a couple seconds then goes to a all black screen.

Rear camera on 2013 Ford Explorer has stopped working. There is a safety recall for models beginning with 2015. This is just as much of a safety hazard with the 2013 model as with the 2015 model. Why are all Ford Explorers with this issue not covered by the recall?.

The camera in the console is reflecting everything backward. If I am backing into a parking stall, everything on my left appears on the right and vise versa. I don't rely on it but it is unsafe.

Bad welding on the top left hinge of the liftgate allowed a crack to form over time. The crack exposed metal which allowed rust to form and leaks from rain water. This excess build up of water also allowed paint chipping and additional rust along the entirety of the crack and rear tray. This was discovered after some time, due to not being immediately visible from the rear of the car.

Water leaking from ceiling.

To whom it may concern, in February 2025 I was notified by Ford motor CO. That there's been a recall on my 2013 Ford Explorer manufacturer recall #24s02 and NHTSA recall #24v031. It also stated that I would be receiving another letter later in the year advising me to contact my dealer to make an appointment to have the recall problem fixed. I received another letter in September of this year advising me to contact my Ford dealer to make an appointment to get this recall fixed. I contacted my Ford dealer and they advised me that they have not received the parts yet and they didn't know when the parts would be arriving. Don't you think that Ford has had enough time to get this recall situation corrected ? they've known about this problem since 2023, and other than sending out a letter advising us of the recall, have done nothing to correct the problem, if in fact there really is one.

With the vehicle on, will sometimes get simultaneous warnings for "hill descent control fault" and "service advancetrac" along with 3 warnings/flags (abs, service advancetrac, and service advancetrac off). Additionally, the instrument cluster/display will occasionally (less often) reset while the vehicle is still on and driving.

My car was parked in the driveway and it caught on fire from under the hood.

Our steering wheel locked when we were about to leave our destination and drive back an hour to go home.

I have a 2013 Ford Explorer XLT and the back up camera has gone out. The problem began about a year ago with the camera working somedays and other days the screen was blank with a message for me to contact my Ford dealership. From what I've read, this is a very common problem with the Ford Explorers. Several other Ford models with the same problem around this particular year have been recalled but not the Explorer, this is a very dangerous situation as most Ford Explorer owners will tell you that it is very difficult to see properly when reversing in a Ford Explorer especially without the back up camera. The back up camera is very much needed for this situation. I've also read that the problem stems mainly from a leak in the tailgate where water leaks in on the camera connection thus causing it to malfunction and eventually go out completely. As yet, I have not had the vehicle inspected yet by for or a licensed mechanic. I wanted to check to see if I could find where a recall was issued for this problem on my Explorer, but after extensive research I haven't been able to find any. I'm just wondering why they haven't recalled the Explorers to fix this problem.

Check engine light goes on and off. May stay on a day or 2 but goes back off. When I get it checked no mechanic seems to know why. Same with the check charging system light that comes on. Also, the trim on the outside kept coming out, hitting my passenger side window and cracking it. It has completely come off 2 days ago. Rain is getting in my car. Back tires keep losing air. There was an issue with getting an alignment due to incorrect hardware and wiring. There is a safety recall for this.

The molding flew off my car when I was driving 60 miles an hour … very lucky it didn’t cause an accident as I had to swerve into oncoming traffic when it flew off. It happened in sept 2024 October 25th is when when we brought it in to Ford geneva, NY they said it was a special order and needed to be ordered and would call when it arrived never heard back recently called to follow up said it still didn’t come in and will call with no resolution to date.

When I was driving suddenly vehicle shakes and gas/acceleration paddle stopped working middle of the road. I pulled my car side of the road, put it in park and turn off vehicle and start it back on gas/acceleration paddle work again. Problem is this happened several times last few weeks.

The a pillar failed on my vehicle while driving on the interstate. When it failed, it wrapped around my side passenger mirror and broke a piece off of the body of the mirror housing. Ford not only has not repaired the a pillar in a timely manner, but they refuse to cover the passenger side mirror that the failed product damaged. The incident happened in early August 2024. I opened an escalated ticket with Ford, who promised that a representative would contact me by phone within 1 business day and that was October 14th, and no one has contacted me to this date. I was notified of the recall back in January. Why has Ford not made any progress on making the parts available for this recall repair?.

The side pillar of my windshield flew off on the freeway and probably hit another car this was very dangerous and now I'm missing a piece of my car. This recall need to be fixed ASAP.

Mechanic informed me that there is a recall on the rear toe link, but it is not showing up for my car. I am on my 2nd set of rear tires in two months. When driving in rain I have almost lost control of my steering many times when I drive over even a splash of water. My local Ford dealership will not honor the recall because my VIN is not on the list.

While driving at highway speeds, I heard a rattling sound twice and then noticed something flew off of my car. I couldn't tell what at the time. When I was able to look later, the driver's side front a-pillar (which I was recently informed has a recall on it) was gone. This had then become a hazard in the road for other driver's. No remedy for the recall is available at this time. There was no warning lights or alarms at the time.

Passenger side windshield pillar flew off of the vehicle while traveling on [xxx] in williamsburg, virginia. Pillar flew between my vehicle and other vehicles beside me and behind me. This was in mid-April 2024. The vehicle was inspected in June/July 2024 by Ford motor company, cavalier Ford, chesapeake, virginia 23321 and I have been waiting ever since for the replacement part to come in. Also, all seals around doors and windshield have dry rotted and/or fallen off of the vehicle. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I have been waiting patiently for the recall (24s02/24v031) to be completed for my vehicle as it has been over 6 months since I received a letter. I have called the dealership several times, and they are waiting on Ford to deliver the parts to the dealership to make the repair. I am worried that this issue may get worse if it is not completed soon. What can you help me with to get this issue resolved quickly? when there is very high wind, I am worried that the parts will come off and break my side windows.

Exterior a pillar trim three off the vehicle while driving.

Carbon monoxide leaking into cabin causing carbon monoxide detector to go off.

Unknown. My sister had went to town in her car. She had came back home and parked the car in the driveway. After doing so her and her husband we inside, heard a rumbling sound went outside and car was on fire. The neighbors say they saw the car just catch on fire in her driveway. She had purchased the car less than 60 days ago in manhattan, KS from csm auto.

The rear view camera is experiencing the same issues as the most recent recall of 2015-2025 Explorers. Most often the rear view camera does not work at all --- other times it is on for a short duration, or is pixelated. I've watched the recalls expand from 2020 Ford vehicles to now 2015. Why doesn't it include earlier vehicles still on the road?.

Rear view camera malfunction. Goes blank or gives a distorted image. Sometimes it gives a reverse image. Needs replaced. Could cause a crash or vehicular accident.

There has been a safety recall since Jan 2024 and there still no remedy although it said it should have been equipment by late 2024 its is now Aug 2025 it’s been over a year and still nothing.

My power steering just stopped working while I was driving at 45 mph. Then all my warning light were going off saying faulty break system faulty hill decent something about my charging system. This has happened 4 times now where my power steering goes out while I’m driving.

Both exterior trim (that are connected to the windscreen) have detached and flown off the vehicle. The first one came of during high winds while driving several months ago. The other other one subsequently cam off in a similar fashion while I was driving on the highway. I initially contacted my insurance company but the out of pocket expense was more than I could afford. I then discovered there was a recall but attempts to get it fixed at the Ford motor company has not been successful. They report that they have not received the parts or released by the company to deal with the recall. Can you please advise?.