Wiper problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer

30 problems related to wiper have been reported for the 2016 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2016 Ford Explorer based on all problems reported for the 2016 Explorer.

1 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 01/30/2026

Opened driver door to exit vehicle and heard a loud pop! noticed rear window had exploded. Glass flew outside behind vehicle and continued to fall in rear of vehicle. Defrost was not in use. It was single digit temp out.

2 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 11/05/2025

Backup camera is cloudy/foggy. Brought it to Ford service department attention in regards to issue date 2022-08-26 campaign 22s51/22v644 per fullerton Ford, they would not participate. I feel this is a visability issue when backing up and would like Ford to also consider 2016 Ford Explorer in this recall since it is a safety issue.

3 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 05/20/2025

Windshield seal flies out from under the pilar molding and smacks windshield and passenger window.

4 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 03/26/2025

Driver seat moves all the way forward on its own and the side view mirror moves out of range. This has happened while in the seat and car running. It happens intermittently. It scares the heck out of you and pushes you all the way into the steering wheel which makes it impossible to steer. You have to be quick in order to stop it and because it startles you when it happens the reaction time is not immediate. Very scary indeed!.

5 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 01/01/2025

Molding on front windshield is damaged and coming off affect visibility.

6 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 12/08/2024

There have been excessive delays with the repair of the a-pillar trim. This item flew off of our vehicle while traveling down the highway at 70mph. Thankfully this piece did not impact the car behind us. This piece has now been missing for over 14 months. Numerous inquiries placed to dealerships and being told that the piece is still not available is not acceptable. Please encourage Ford to do better and make these pieces available for repair.

7 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 05/03/2024

Trim around windshield becomes loose on highway and rattles against windshield and rubber seals have started coming loose.

8 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 10/20/2023

When traveling at highway speed the side fins fly off. I have had them replaced 3 times now at dealership. Thank god there was not someone behind me - especially on a motor cycle it could of killed them.

9 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 06/22/2023

While driving on freeway 10 on June 23, 2023 around the palm springs area the passenger windshield side panel flew off. There were considerable wind gusts while driving at average traffic speed around 70 mph. The driver windshield side panel flew off on June 2020 on the same freeway also during wind gusts. I fixed the driver side panel by ordering a replacement part and used additional epoxy reinforcement which proved more effective than just original affixing as the part still remains affixed in place.

10 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 06/16/2023

Driver a pillar molding flew off and hit the driver's mirror and driver's side window doing 70 mph. Amost resulting in a accident.

11 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 06/07/2023

The window trim/window pillars keep flying off on the interstate/highway!!! I’ve replaced them multiple times and yet continue to fly off !!!! please recall and replace these on the Explorers its sad !!!!.

12 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 06/02/2023

All of the moulding, seals & rubber windshield trim/gasket around the windshield has failed. It has cracked, broken off and much is now missing off the vehicle. Now when I drive the vehicle it makes scary noises due to the cracked/missing moulding/seals. This has created some scary driving situations that almost caused accidents while on highways. Now I worry my windshield will leak and damage the interior. This does not seem to be something that should be happening to my Ford Explorer and why isn't this a recall issue.

13 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2023

The windshield trim on right side of the car is coming ungluded. Now weather strip is flapping all over the place damaging my passenger window and mirror. I am now noticing trim is coming unglued on drivers side door. I already replaced the passenger door trim a few years back. Please help us consumers by demanding that Ford issue this recall. It is clear this is a defect in their vehicles.

14 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 05/28/2023

The windshield cowl is separated from the body of the car and could break apart and hit a car.

15 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 04/18/2023

I was traveling on I 95 at around 55 to 60 mph when all of a sudden, the plastic trim on the side of the windshield the passenger side flew off cracked and started dangling over my passenger side window and mirror. The piece blocked my view of my mirror while I was traveling in the left lane approaching a left exit. I had to pull to the left shoulder because I was blinded by the piece on my right and could not see if the lanes were clear for me to go right. I put my hazards on and had to get out on I-95 and remove the hanging trim so I could see through my passenger mirror again. The piece probably would have become a flying object at highway speed endangering any motorist behind or beside me.

16 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 04/11/2023

The windshield trim blew off while driving on the highway. Happened so fast I couldn’t tell if it blew into the ditch or what happened to it. Could have easily hit a vehicle behind me and cause an accident. Very distracting for the driver as well. I almost veered into other lane with oncoming traffic with how loud and surprising it was.

17 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 04/01/2023

While driving on the road my front windshield trims started to come loose, cracked and flew away. The windshield trims are compromised all around the front windshield trims. Did report the issue today at the Ford dealership, they claimed I had to deal with Ford directly. I did reach out to Ford, they claimed no recall has been issued to that effect. Did ask them to address this issue as a serious safety issue that could cause the windshield to dislodge and cause a serious accident. No offer from Ford to fix it. Same issue has been reported to the national highway traffic safety administration by 164 other Ford Explorer owners.

18 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 03/17/2023

Driving nb on i95 in georgia ivo mm 12, my windshield started vibrating on the passenger side with a loud flapping noise. Slowed down, pulled over at the next exit and discovered the trim around the windshield had detached. It appears that the trim allowed air to lift the side of the windshield. I used duct tape to secure the trim and drove at a reduced speed the rest of the way to virginia. Contacted the local Ford dealer for a repair.

19 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 10/01/2022

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.

20 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 08/20/2022

On August 20, 2022, the left side pillar molding unexpectedly came loose while driving and began flapping about. On August 24-25, 2022, we replaced both exterior a-pillar moldings and brackets at our own expense.

21 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 03/05/2022

While driving down the highway the windshield weather strip molding broke off and was flapping over the windshield. Luckily it did not break off, that could have caused a really bad accident. However it was flapping all around. No onw has inspected it. No warnings or symptoms appeared.

22 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 06/15/2021

While driving at 55+mph both driver side and passenger side a-pillar windshield covers vibrate. Eventually the passenger side blew off during the drying cycle at a car wash. Thankfully it was contained and did not fly off on the road and cause an incident. There are more cases of this occurring on the highways as seen by searching the internet.

23 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 12/16/2020

The steering wheel at times when even making a slight turn pops back and shakes. Restricting the turn the wipers have now multiple times in rain stopped in the upright positions causing a grave driving hazard.

24 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 01/13/2020

Tl- the contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 70 mph the plastic cover and rubber strip flew off and was hitting the drivers side window. The contact had to safely drive the vehicle down a service road at a low speed to his destination. The vehicle was taken to a dealer (coconut point Ford 22400 s tamiami trail, estero, FL 33928) for a diagnosis and informed the contact it was not a safety defect and he would have to pay. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified of this defect. The failure mileage was 51,000 tp.

25 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 12/31/2019

The rear windshield spontaneously shattered while driving on 495 south in MA. Fortunately no one was injured and the glass remained intact to pull off to safety. With the impact of the car door opening and closing, pieces of glass began to break away.

26 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 09/03/2018

While driving on interstate, the windshield molding became loose and starting vibrating. After pulling over and attempting to secure, it then became partially detached and was bent backwards. It obstructed the view of the rear view mirror and passenger side window. It then flew off into oncoming traffic. Luckily, it landed on the shoulder and did not hit another car/cause a wreck on the interstate. The driver side is also partially coming off according to repair quote from dealership.

27 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 02/17/2018

There is a design defect in the front parking sensors where after freezing, water can enter the opening of parking sensor and short circuit the wiring harness causing the parking aid system to fault. This prevents the driver from utilizing this key safety feature when parking or being alerted on their close proximity of surrounding objects.

28 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 01/06/2018

Rear window on lift gate exploded while the vehicle was sitting in the driveway. Side door was opened to the vehicle, and then the back window blew out. This caused small glass pieces to fall inside and outside the vehicle.

29 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2016

Rear window wiper is not working anymore.

30 Wiper problem

Failure Date: 07/12/2016

Just leased this 2016 Ford Explorer. It has 700 miles on it. We have not made a payment. I was driving down the road at about 30 miles per hour. Nobody was within a mile of me. I was alone in the car. The rear window exploded. I got out and checked the window. It clearly had exploded outward. There was no external source to cause the window to explode. I am a police officer, and have seen where windows explode or are smashed. The window will take a slight indent or poof outward from the force. In this case, the window was poofed outward. There was also a faint order in the car afterward. It almost smelled like the material from airbags, though clearly no airbag had deployed. I don't know if that was from the shattered glass or not.



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