Electrical System Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

First the fuel pump control module went out and now for the 3rd time the electrical to the fuel pump control module has faulted.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The sync touch responsive interface for climate control fails. This failure causes the system to repeatedly respond without prompt continually causing the driver to continually attempt to disengage the system causing a significant safety hazard. The chip in the system for the effected buttons is the component that fails. There is no solution. Replacement or upgraded interfaces are not available and disconnection of the panels renders the climate control, radio/entertainment, navigation and all other systems relayed thru the touch screen completely inoperable which is unreasonable. This occurs at random while operating the vehicle with the error often occurring continuously or at very high frequency. Ford discontinued the sync touch panel control due to issues but has provided no solution for the safety hazard it has created.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The center display went blank and a/c controls under it would not work. Stopped vehicle and pushed ignition button to off and waited 1 minute and pushed ignition back to on on and display was still blank. Got to destination and pushed ignition to off. The next day when I got into vehicle and pushed ignition button to on the display worked.

See all problems of the 2024 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I am reporting a severe safety hazard regarding an immediate, drastic increase in fuel consumption and erratic fuel range calculations following a manufacturer recall repair. My 2025 Ford Explorer st-line was operating perfectly until a Ford mobile service technician performed safety recall 26s21 (ipma reset). According to official Ford manufacturer specifications, this SUV has an expected driving range of up to 501 miles on a full 17. 9-gallon tank of fuel. However, immediately following this software update, the vehicle's total driving range drastically dropped. On a 100% full tank of gasoline, the dashboard's "distance to empty" (dte) display now only reads 316 miles left to empty—nearly 200 miles below the manufacturer's expected capability. Furthermore, during a subsequent continuous, short 1. 8-mile drive near my residence with no stop-and-go traffic, the dte display rapidly plummeted from 15 miles down to 5 miles remaining, dropping visibly every two seconds. The vehicle is physically burning through gasoline at an accelerated, unsafe rate. This creates an immediate safety risk. If the vehicle is suffering from an uncalibrated software glitch in the powertrain/fuel modules due to the recall update, or if the procedure triggered a mechanical fault, the vehicle is at high risk of a sudden highway stall or leaving the driver stranded in live traffic due to inaccurate fuel signaling. I request that NHTSA look into whether the software installation process for recall 26s21 can corrupt engine/fuel management maps or trigger fuel delivery faults on the 2. 3l ecoboost platform.

See all problems of the 2025 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The front windshield wiper on my vehicle,may become inoperative. The Ford motors says that they don't have the part to replace,and when they have it I have to pay for the repair.

While driving, parking, or doing any function of the vehicle, the screen will intermittently switch from the cameras being used to the on board navigation and start routing the vehicle to random locations, or it may blank out completely. It has also frozen in place and will not display reverse cameras, show proximity sensors, or anything.

See all problems of the 2022 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The driver side keyless door entry pillar has come off on the highway and hit something. The keyless door entry panel came off in 2023 and koons Ford of annapolis charged me $ 523. 00 to fix the panel. The panel has a small clip and double stick tape. Sorry, double stick tape is not going to hold up to weather variations throughout the year, wind speed and age. Terrible and dangerous design. You gave 2017 a recall 25s53 for Ford but not 2018.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owned a 2023 Ford Explorer. When the contact’s husband activated the air conditioning system after the vehicle had been parked for several hours, a fire started underneath the console inside the vehicle. The driver pulled over to the side of the road, where onlookers assisted with extinguishing the fire with a fire extinguisher. The contact’s husband received burns on his fingers. Medical attention was not needed. The fire department was not contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be inspected; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The contact was provided with photos of the vehicle and became aware that the wiring was burned. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

See all problems of the 2023 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The horn on my vehicle activates (blows) when I turn the steering wheel to certain positions. I believe this to be a road hazard. Especially since I had to remove the horn relay to prevent the horn from blowing in traffic until I can get it repaired. Several other Ford vehicles have been recalled for this exact problem. Just to diagnose this problem at the Ford dealer is $170. 00. Help!.

Description on your vehicle, it may be possible that one or more engine camshaft roller finger followers were not properly installed at the time of engine assembly. Safety risk an improperly installed engine camshaft roller finger follower may result in engine failure, resulting in a no-start condition or a loss of motive power. A loss of motive power increases the risk of a crash. Your vehicle may also experience engine ticking or tapping noise, and or a low-volume oil leak due to this condition. Remedy a remedy is not yet available. Ford motor company is working to provide parts for this repair. When the remedy becomes available, Ford motor company will notify you via mail to schedule a service appointment with your dealer for repairs to be completed free of charge. The remedy is anticipated to be available 4th quarter of 2026. Next steps contact your dealer for more information to schedule the free service.

Vehicle is very hard to steer, will not reset when restarting the vehicle. Two dash messages; advance track warning and power assist failure. I have not attempted to drive on road due to difficulty of steering the wheel. I am afraid the vehicle is uncontrollable at this point and needs to be towed to a repair facility. Not sure if this incident is linked to the recall under 14s06 for Ford recalls.

See all problems of the 2011 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Unknown! sometimes the rear back up camera goes into a black screen and then once in drive the info screens stays black for about 30 seconds. The cars shifting is hard at times especially when going from slow to fast like for instance on a highway on ramp the shifting is very sluggish. The cupholder are a real hazard my cupholder bottomed out and my drink fell thru luckily there was no liquid in the cup otherwise it could have spilled into the electrical since it is right where the gear shift is. The the car not accelarating is dangerous when you trying to get on the highway. Rear camera going blank sometimes and not being able to see whats behind you even when looking around you just can not see the blindspot which the camera could if it would not go black sometimes. If the car does not shift right when it is supposed to makes it really hard to go with flow of traffic on the highway. There never have been any warning lamps, message or anything else during these incidents and it does not happen all the time but when it does it is not safe.

At approximately 1,700 miles, my brand-new 2026 Ford Explorer st (3. 0l ecoboost) suffered a sudden, catastrophic engine failure while driving, causing an immediate and dangerous loss of motive power. Prior to the failure, the engine experienced severe misfires. Following manufacturer technical service bulletin (TSB) guidance regarding ecoboost engine misfires, a step-colder spark plug heat range (ngk ltr7ix-11) was utilized to remedy pre-ignition. Ford motor company has denied warranty coverage for this catastrophic powertrain failure, falsely claiming the TSB-compliant heat-range plugs caused the destruction. The sudden loss of engine power poses an immediate safety hazard on public roads. I request an investigation into 2025-2026 Ford 3. 0l ecoboost spark plug issues, pre-ignition failures, and unfair warranty denials leaving dangerous vehicles unresolved. ".

While driving at highway speeds on the interstate, the b-pillar exterior trim suddenly detached from the vehicle. The trim remained tethered only by the keypad wiring, causing it to flail in the wind and create an immediate road hazard. Simultaneously, the vehicle’s instrument cluster triggered a "liftgate open" warning, despite the liftgate being secure. I was forced to make an emergency pull-over onto the shoulder of the interstate—a dangerous situation—to prevent the trim from completely detaching and striking other vehicles. Upon reaching my destination, the vehicle suffered a significant electrical short. The interior lights remained on indefinitely due to the false "liftgate open" sensor reading, and the door keypad became completely inoperable. To prevent a total battery drain and potential fire risk from the short, I had to manually disconnect the battery. The dealership confirmed the failure but stated that current b-pillar recalls (such as recall 25s53) currently only apply to 2016–2017 models, despite my 2019 model using the same defective clips and adhesive. This failure is identical in nature to recall 24s02 (a-pillar detachment). The detachment of this trim is a documented projectile hazard. Furthermore, the resulting electrical short in the door harness has compromised the integrity of the vehicle’s sensor system. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate the expansion of the b-pillar recall to include the 2019 model year to prevent further highway incidents.

See all problems of the 2019 Ford Explorer 🔎.

While I drive my vehicle down the road the car all of a sudden sounds like you throw it in park, it screeches and grinds in the front and will not let you push the gas pedal down even when on the highway. This causes sever risk to the people around me as well as my children who drive in this car… Ford has an open recall for this which my vehicle falls under year and build wise. But does not correlate with my VIN #.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Three alerts appeared on my dash after starting my car. These alerts are “pre-collision assist not available,” “service advancetrac,” and “4wd fault service required. ” this has been an ongoing issue with this vehicle which directly affects the safety of drivers. After discussing with other consumers, this system failure is happening more and more. While these alerts are displayed, the front end collision assist is completely nonfunctional, thus increasing the risk of an accident. The advanced traction control system is also nonfunctional. Based on other consumers with the same experience, the only solution is to replace the awd module.

Vehicle equipped with operational red and blue emergency lights prohibited by law, facilitates criminal activity such as impersonation of a police officer, civil regulatory laws regarding excess auxiliary lights, etc. Seller has actual knowledge and can be liable under color of law upon a purchase agreement with a buyer. Vehicle has open recalls and unresolved mechanical/electrical maintenance.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Vehicle contains traces of cychlorphine, labeled as "police," facilitates criminal activity impersonation of a police officer, seller has actual knowledge and can be liable under color of law upon purchase agreement. Safety risk for buyer, and the general public for false police pretenses, harassment, and actual police scrutiny. Vehicle has open recall.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Vehicle equipped with red and blue emergency lights, excessive auxiliary lights prohibited by law, facilitates color of law violations, poses a risk to general public regarding harassment, impersonation of police officer, seller has actual knowledge, strictly liable upon a purchase agreement with buyer, and can be liable for crimes committed by others as a coconspirator.

Vehicle equipped with operation red and blue auxiliary emergency lights, prohibited and protected by law for law enforcement use only, facilitates impersonation of a police officer, false detention, harassment, legal scrutiny for police, seller has actual knowledge, strictly liable upon a purchase agreement with a buyer, and can be liable for crimes committed by another by aiding an offender under the color of law. Vehicle has open recalls, mechanical/electrical/lighting issues and requires maintenance.

Car turns on but the engine will not turn over due to the electrical. And locks the car and not able to check or fix anything. If I was driving in the busy roads it would have been very dangerous as it stopped suddenly after starting the last time.

The b post on the driver side flew off while driving. This is has been an ongoing issue. Ford has fixed them before and they keep causing issues on both the driver and passenger side. The exterior panel does not stay connected to the truck. It flew off at highway speeds, causing the air and rear tailgate to malfunction after it pulled a wire out. This is a huge safety issue Ford refuses to acknowledge.

The rear reverse camera malfunctions and glitches. Often the screen turning green when reversing, sometimes screen is black or no color view and most times the camera if reversing to left or appear as to the right or vise versa and sometimes it’s normal but rarely. The control buttons for windows has a malfunction where it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. The seatbelts are not clicking and I have kids in the rear seats.

The contact owned a 2011 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, turned off, and unoccupied, the vehicle caught fire. The contact was in her residence, and a neighbor knocked on her door, making her aware that the vehicle had caught fire. The fire has been extinguished by the local fire department. The fire department indicated that the failure may have occurred due to a wiring malfunction in the vehicle. A police report was not filed, but a fire report was filed and was unavailable. There were no injuries reported. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Vehicle experienced white exhaust smoke due to oil entering the exhaust system, caused by turbocharger failure. This led to contamination and failure of all O2 sensors, requiring full replacement, along with replacement of both turbochargers. The radiator also failed and had to be replaced. This appears to be a cascading mechanical failure affecting multiple major systems, including the engine, fuel/propulsion system, and electrical components, rather than normal wear and tear. The failure rendered the vehicle inoperable, leaving me without transportation during a period of financial hardship. The severity and extent of repairs raise concern about a potential broader defect. This also created a safety concern due to excessive exhaust smoke and reduced vehicle reliability while in operation.

While driving a 2013 Ford Explorer, the vehicle experienced an electrical issue that caused the power steering system to malfunction. The power steering assist suddenly failed, making the steering wheel extremely difficult to turn. The failure occurred suddenly and at the time of the incident the vehicle was traveling 2 miles and I parked it immediately. This created a serious safety hazard, especially when attempting to turn or maneuver the vehicle. A warning message stating “power steering assist fault” did appear on the dashboard . Prior to the failure, there were no warning signs. Due to the sudden loss of power steering assist, the driver’s ability to safely control the vehicle was significantly reduced, increasing the risk of a crash. The issue has not yet been inspected. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

Bought the vehicle brand new on March 13, 2026, and the battery light came on in less than 200 miles driven. The vehicle is currently in Ford's possession.

My pillar are coming off to the point when it rains water get inside my car. It’s messed up my system in my car. I can’t close my sun roof and water comes down from my lights that’s above my head where you put your sunny sunglasses in. I been calling around and still haven’t got no where.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle lost automotive power and stalled. The contact stated that there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle prior to the vehicle stalling. The vehicle was stopped and there was an abnormal burning rubber odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the messages “charging system fault” and “service steering” were displayed. The contact stated that unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that her husband replaced the battery and the alternator, however the failure persisted, and the vehicle was losing automotive power. The vehicle had not been taken to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 19v687000 (electrical system). The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 113,849.

Driving down the NJ turnpike the dashboard started displaying lane assist no longer available along with a check engine light. Once stopped the front of the car had been burned with parts of the bumper melted. No visible fire at that time. Had the vehicle towed to holman Ford. They assessed the damage to the Explorer and it was determined that the front facing camera had shorted causing an electrical fire that damaged the camera and front bumper writing harness along with the engine wiring harnesses. The car has been deemed a total loss due to the fire. The vehicle on has 67000 miles on it to date.

Entertainment system control. Power draws down and kills battery. Display locks into reverse camera, and I can't access any controls for extended periods of time. Display just locks, and I can't adjust anything in it. This seems to be a known issue for all sync 3 based backends.

When I'm driving on the freeway. I could be on flatland and it will stall, I could be going down a hill and it stalls, I could be on a regular road, turning a corner, hitting a bump. And it stalls when I'm on the freeway, I have to get over very scary happens all the time when it happens I coast, I put it into park, I turn it off, and it restarts immediately every time. This is constantly happening. Ihave a video and picture but it will not upload on this. But it says hell descending control fail.

I am writing to formally report a series of catastrophic and life-threatening mechanical and electronic failures in my 2025 Ford Explorer active (VIN: [xxx] ]), purchased in bogotá, colombia. Despite immediately notifying the Ford post-sales support line after the first incident, the technical response was insufficient, leading to a second, more severe event that nearly resulted in a fatal high-speed collision on February 9, 2026. Incidents summary: 1. Total power loss: engine and all electrical systems shut down while in motion (40 km/h), losing steering and braking assistance. 2. Brake system failure: at 70 km/h, the vehicle presented a multi-system failure of sensors, audible alarm and illumination of warning lights (abs, traction control, pre-collision assistant, hill start assist not available, check brake system, brake, esc check, driving modes not available). The vehicle experienced a total loss of brake pedal response followed by a sudden, uncontrolled autonomous "hard braking" event. This happened on a high-traffic highway (autopista norte). Global safety concern: I am formally requesting a global technical investigation into this unit and the 2025 Explorer active series. The failure of the electronic brake booster and the total system shutdown represent a "product liability" risk that could lead to mass-casualty events. I demand: • direct intervention from Ford global to Ford colombia. • a formal safety alert or recall investigation for similar units. Sincerely, [xxx] mail [xxx] bogota colombia phone [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The back camera screen went blue, even though I already replaced the camera as per the previous recall. This time, the entire screen went blue.

I spoke to the service manager at hub city Ford located at [xxx] about the rubber around windshield was dry rotting and had came completely off. I was told that there was a recall that would fix the issue last year and so I waited for the call. During this time the vehicle started making this very loud whistling noise once the vehicle got to 40 mph. I was contacted n October of 2025 about getting the window fixed. We scheduled an appointment and someone came to fix the issue however once they left I notice that they only fixed to left and right side and did not fix the top and bottom of window so I called the manager back. The manager insisted that this was the only parts they were going to fix and if we wanted the rest fixed we would have to pay out of pocket which would’ve cost around $800. This is very concerning to me because why would they only fix half of the problem with no explanation on why the rest would not be fixed. Since then I have called to complain about the loud whistling that is still there and now water is leaking inside of vehicle. Since the leak started we have has problems with the electrical system and windshield wipers coming on with no rain. I really need help because this is the only vehicle I have to drive to my doctors appointments as an elderly [xxx] ), wheelchair bound female. If the vehicle electrical system were to fail I would be stranded wherever it breaks down because my vehicle carries my wheelchair on a lift. I am also considered fully disabled and so I only receive social security as my primary income. I can not afford the $800 cost of fixing a problem that is a clear malfunction of the vehicle versus wear and tear problem. I have not where else to turn and since I live in [xxx] now my means of getting around f consist of my daughter using my vehicle to take me to appointments because I no longer have a driver’s license. I am dependent of my vehicle and the rain in beh is getting worse. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b).