Engine Belts And Pulleys problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer

Driving at highway speeds battery light came on. Power steering stopped working as I pulled off highway. Found serp belt fragments in engine bay. Was told belt was aged and failed. Belt is original with 23,500 miles and 3 years old. Belt area covered underneath from road debris. Dry out, no collision with road debris.

Several problems with this Explorer. There was a noise in the engine compartment when the a/c is running and gibbons Ford tried to fix it several times. They tightened a heat shield twice. Replaced the idler and belt 3 times and finally changed the a/c compressor. Also the hood bubbled and they replaced the hood and repainted it. There also was a transmission leak and the alternator had to be replaced. They ended up buying the vehicle back due to the ongoing unresolved issues.

I was traveling on a highway in the right lane at 55 mph, with tractor trailers to my left and behind me. I changed the radio station and a warning suddenly appeared on the dashboard stating "transmission not in park". I felt the car becoming sluggish and I lost power steering and power brakes. I was able to pull off the road, but had no turn signal to warn the truck behind me. He narrowly missed me as I pulled off. When I came to a stop I realized the car was turned off, as if I had hit the ignition switch. I put the car in park and switched on the ignition. I could not believe I had inadvertently turned the car off, but assumed I must have, while changing the radio. Yesterday, Jan 32, 2018, my vehicle lost a serpentine belt and I lost power. The tow truck driver asked if I saw a warning that said "transmission not in park" before I lost power. He said he had been hearing that from many Ford Explorer drivers lately - that their vehicle suddenly stops running, especially when they are using the radio. I will follow up with my local Ford dealer, but I believe this is a major safety concern, as I am now finding others reporting the same issue in online Ford forums.