Ford Explorer owners have reported 2,588 problems related to equipment (under the equipment category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Ford Explorer based on all problems reported for the Explorer.
Interior driver door handle - coating is metal, it partially peeled off. Several times it has cut my finger when I open the door (paper type cut). Due to fast paced life, I forget to open door is a way to avoid the metal flake and tend to always cut my finger which is scary if I touched it when vehicle was in motion, there is a quick second of shock/pain from cut. Ford has this common problem as we had the window openers replaced when it was warrantied, same issue. I think it's a safety issue and should be replaced by Ford. They want to charge me over $300 for the repair, I'm not going to give them the satisfaction. Driver side is more affected because it is used 3x as much and other doors.
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all problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer
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The smell of propane/metal smell in the cabin of vehicle after longer than 1 hour of driving.
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all problems of the 2022 Ford Explorer
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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,.
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all problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer
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The water pump has been replaced 3 times within a 2 year period on this vehicle . Something is causing it to fail and the constant leaking of fluid causes the vehicle to drive erratically in highway traffic. The alternator has been replaced twice within a 10 month period. Something is causing it to fail and it has caused major anxiety because the vehicle has completely turned off in the middle of extreme traffic. This is a dangerous situation and has yet to be fully remedied. I believe this model to be a lemon.
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all problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer
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Panoramic sunroof fail for 2nd time repair is close to 2000$ I’m not going to paid again this is a Ford design issue not a owner fault panoramic roof have some plastic click that hold the shade and they got brake or damage by itself causing the shade felt, Ford rapair is close to 1. 8k$ I paid one when I first bought the car now after the texas freeze when I was closing the system I heard the clicks braking and then we have the same issue with the panoramic shade got weak and there is no way to fixed just the deal and the price is close to 2000$ for a internal design there is several people with this same issue this is a internal fault design not a owner fault.
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all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer
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I previously reported a battery 'explosion' in this 2018 Ford Explorer with odi 11678705 due to my concern for a potentially highly dangerous situation for my grandchildren who were riding with me. And myself. An unpleasant smell intermittently followed this car that morning July 10 upon opening the hood it was evident that battery acid had leaked out of the battery and 'exploded' covering most visible engine parts. Entire time of drive there was no 'alert' showing up on my dashboard July 11 car would not start to take to Ford dealership. Aaa towed car with aaa driver remarking 'looks like your battery exploded!' engine compartment cleaned by service, battery replaced July 12 July 18 engine light came on. Ford dealership contacted, no service appointment available until Aug 20. Advised by Ford service to take short trips only, and stop driving if engine light started flashing. I restricted my driving. July 27 started car for trip to church. Loud banging coming from under hood. Stopped driving. Car towed July 28 to Ford dealership repair. Car was not into service dept until Aug. 5. Aug 6, Ford service decided to get input from a more experienced technician to diagnose the problem with 2018 Ford Explorer Aug 7, Ford service escalated case to Ford corporate for engineering help with identifying 'electrical' problem with my car. Ford service rep stated 'you car is throwing a code not typically seen with Explorers) how can be safe if these my car had a battery issues mechanics freely admit they have not seen before. And now trained Ford mechanics cannot even find or fix the broken link that truly may be responsible for back to back engine failures? dealer has finally been able to provide a rental. This car has been maintained according to factory recommendations at sunset Ford and bommarito Ford st. Loui.
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all problems of the 2018 Ford Explorer
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While driving a certain speed I hear noise in main windshield area.
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all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer
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Panoramic moon roof shade cover has detached from the roof of the car. The fabric shade falls into the car blocking vision of the driver. The problem has been confirmed by the dealer. I am unaware if the vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer. There were no warnings of the problem. The fabric just fell into the car blocking the vision of the driver.
Windshield cowl grille damage (along with a-pillar molding trim damage) causing loose parts and wind with rattling sound. Cowl should also be included and replaced as part of recall.
Sunroof shade sagging preventing rear visibility and potential injure to rear passenger.
Instrument panel and center dash monitor: multiple times, one and/or both have had a blacked out screen during power up and after engine start. The screens never come on or they go dark after powering up the vehicle. Safety concerns: this limits the hvac system control during hot summer months in TX. The back up camera is not available. Navigation is lost. The Explorer is at the dealer now undergoing diagnostic testing.
The following is a letter I sent to Ford. I've yet to hear back from them. This is a picture of what happened in my 2017 Explorer on Thursday, June 5, 2025. As I unlocked and got into my car, I realized the seat was moving forward. I tried to get out of the seat, but it was difficult because the space was closing in. I managed to squeeze out of the space before it totally closed me in and pinned me between the seat and steering wheel. As you can see from the picture, the seat is as close to the steering wheel and console as possible. The steering wheel was 7 inches from the seatback and 7 inches from the seat bottom. The seat was 2 inches from the console. This is extremely dangerous. This is not the first time this has happened. This has occurred at least ten times. Sometimes it is when I get in the vehicle as happened June 5. One time I was pinned between the steering wheel and seat and my legs were jammed into the console. Fortunately, I was able to extricate myself with only a few scrapes and bruises. While it is happening, I try the side buttons that control the seat and other ways to stop it, but nothing I do stops the movement once it begins. The only way to avoid being pinned in is to get out while the seat is moving. Other times it has happened when I am not in the car. I unlock and open the door to get in and the seat has moved itself and is as far up to the steering wheel as physically possible. The first time this happened; I told the service desk at the dealer when I was having work done on the SUV. They checked and said they couldn’t find anything wrong with it. `.
Deputy was going to an incident and after arrival at the scene the patrol car began to smoke, and flames were seen within the wheel well. Deputy was not in the vehicle when the fire was discovered, and fire responded and extinguished the flames - but not before major damage to the engine compartment.
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all problems of the 2024 Ford Explorer
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When I accelerate, the car jerks back and forth and stalls. Ford has said the car was throwing codes but the tech didnt feel the issue so they sent me on my way. . . . Well fast forward to today, I am informed my car has thrown codes 4 times in the past few days and this morning I was scared to drive my car it was bad. . . And I have a [xxx] daughter. Our safety is my top priority and it doesnt seem to matter to anyone else information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
My backup camera is reversing or going blank intermittently . It even turned upside down one time. Ford says I am not included in the recent recall, yet I have the same problem that is being recalled.
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all problems of the 2015 Ford Explorer
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Rear view camera not functioning since March 2025.
Backup camera has failed again aftyer being programmed twice and replaced once under recall's. But now it's out completely. It has worked off and on since new.
On the glass panels in between the rear and front side windows, the panels are shattering underneath both sides. When looking up online to see if anyone else has this problem, there’s all kinds of pictures of this problem posted online. . I’m including photos of mine. Have included photos of driver and passenger side.
Just before [xxx] on [xxx], I was driving [xxx] near bakersfield, CA. I was going approximately 60 mph. The outside temperature was about 88° and I had the inside a/c set at 69°. I was the only vehicle on the road at the time. I first noticed the technology screen glitching which caught me off guard. It settled back to normal after several seconds. Then, within moments I heard a boom. I pulled off of the road to find the front portion of my panoramic sunroof exploded outward/upward. There were no holes in the glass or signs of impact. The cloth glass cover was open at the time. Some glass dust rained down into the vehicle but the glass was initially intact. I closed the inside cover to prevent more glass from falling into the vehicle. I contacted the dealer to see what to do and they instructed me to bring the vehicle to them. While driving the vehicle to the dealership some of the glass flew off the top of the vehicle leaving a hole in the glass. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
The windshield trim recall is taking a long time to correct. I had a piece fall off while driving which could have damaged another vehicle and caused a incident.
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all problems of the 2014 Ford Explorer
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The exterior a-pillar applique trim clip attachments on my 2011 Ford Explorer have failed, and the part is on backorder due to a recall. This issue prevents me from completing a necessary inspection, as the component cannot be replaced or properly secured until the recall part becomes available. The malfunction poses a safety risk while driving and requires immediate resolution to ensure the vehicle is roadworthy. I urgently need assistance in expediting the repair or receiving an alternative solution so I can complete the required inspection and safely operate my vehicle without further delays.
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all problems of the 2011 Ford Explorer
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On [xxx], after starting my vehicle, I received multiple safety warnings, prompting the check engine light and a wrench icon on the dashboard. The alerts included issues with the anti-collision system, hill assist, traction control, lane departure, and adaptive cruise control, as well as my drive modes which were also unavailable. I contacted raceway Ford in riverside, CA, and dropped off the vehicle that day, reporting the errors. The dealership informed me the next day that the half shaft speed sensor had failed and would cost $870. 52 to replace. Since the warranty had expired a month earlier on [xxx], this was no longer covered under the drivetrain warranty. I agreed to the repairs. After installing the new sensor, and conducting a test drive, additional errors appeared. After two weeks in the shop and multiple follow-ups, the dealership concluded that the awd/fwd sensor had also failed and replaced both sensors. The repair documentation references TSB 21-2270, ssm 49045, and c0631. I believe this raises serious safety concerns and should warrant a recall, especially since other vehicles are experiencing similar issues just a month after warranty expiration. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
The panoramic sunroof shade has lost its tension when opens. The roller may have broken its clip to hold since being plastic. When open it blockes from seeing from rear view mirror as it sags down. In short cant use sunroof as it poses a risk of view.
Back up camera fails to operate at times when vehicle is in reverse. Potential for backing collision or fatality.
The a-pillar trim has flew off on the freeway on 4 separate occasions. 3 different times I paid out of pocket to have it repaired, not knowing this was a manufacture defect. Ford keeps saying that they do not have the parts to repair it.
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all problems of the 2019 Ford Explorer
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The radio flickers on & off when started for about 10 minutes. It’s very distracting. The windshield makes a whistling noise when going above 50mph.
The dash cover came unglued and is rolling up exposing a white cloth that reflects on the windshield makingit hard to see.
I was stoped at a red light with cars in front of me and behind me when with my foot on the break the car accelerated forward like my foot was on the gas pedal but my foot was not on pedal, the car surged forward and came close to hitting the car in front of me I pressed the break and got stopped didn’t happen again but sometimes I can feel the car wanting to keep surging forward when breaking. If there is a problem this could cause me to hit someone in the rear or even worse could hit a pedestrian in the crosswalk please check this out.
Under 23s55 my rear bolt was supposed to be replaced at my recall appointment at the nice Ford dealership in sioux falls south dakota. Only the bushing always replaced as stated by the service writer and also the paperwork says they found no broken bolts and the bushing and ‘hardware’ was replaced. I have the invoice. 1 1/2 year later the bolt snapped causing my differential to nearly come completely off, hanging by one bolt, nearly killing my wife and I, coconut point Ford in estero FL, had the audacity to say bolts aren’t covered under my 100k warranty and the recall is closed so you have to pay. Then they said they’d pay 2100 then 2600 towards the 5300 repair which is not fair as this is a known recall issue that Ford failed to fix at my recall appt. Please assist and pressure Ford to fix this under the recall. They are saying it is closed which seems inaccurate,.
This pertains to the b-pillar trim recall. It should be noted that not only does the trim fall off but if it is the trim with the entry keypad, that can cause a short circuit that effects other parts of the car operation. Recently this happened to this vehicle and a fuse blew under the drivers side dash fuse 11 5 amp fuse. This fuse blows and the rear hatch will no longer open. We called about this in June when this happened and the dealer said it was unrelated to the trim that fell off and they would charge us $600 to look at it. After finding the same issue on youtube and the fix posted we purchased the part and installed ourself for $50. This complaint is stating that the recall needs to have the liftgate included as a symptom.
Recently, my 2020 Ford Explorer showed a front passenger tsmp failure followed by the rear driver tsmp failure light about 3 weeks later. Within a day or two of the second tsmp light displaying, I had multiple codes lighting up my dash: 4wd fault, hill-start assist unavailable, service advance track, pre-collision assist unavailable, check manual, etc. I found my car was not accelerating every time I pressed the acceleration pedal, and it would stop maintaining my speed and appear to drift like power was lost for a couple to few seconds before resuming power. This caused me to move into a turn lane or make an unexpected turn off the road as I could not maintain speed in the midst of traffic. It was terrifying and dangerous to myself, my children and the vehicles moving around me. One reputable repair shop replaced the tsmp sensors; however, the codes for the other warning lights showed a communication error that only Ford could diagnose. Ford stated the awd module failed, which meant the different systems were not in communication when I was driving which led to the loss of power that I experienced multiple times while driving to repair shops. Ford stated the awd module needed to be replaced. It is unbelievable that I would have 2 tsmp sensors and an awd module fail in less than 5 years of the vehicle being manufactured when I have never replaced any of those items in 7-8 years of owning other vehicles with similar components. I believe Ford has used inferior parts that they know will fail to drive their repair revenue, which is unethical and unsafe to consumers.
Rear panel of the sunroof exploded on the highway. Only 8200 miles on the vehicle. There were no other cars around to kick up a stone and I was not near any overpasses. Heard a loud popping noise followed by the sound of glass falling. Glass was down my back, in my hair and in my seat, as well as all over the back of the car. Luckily, children were not in the car.
This recall has been remedied and there is nothing wrong with the car. I need this recall marked taken care of so that I can continue renting it. Please remove this care off the unrepaired list ASAP!!!!!.
Sun roof clips broke causing sunroof shade to sag.
Was driving on the highway at an high speed and abruptly received a message “power steering failure” the steering wheel locked up. After a few seconds I was able to find a way to safely maneuver lanes but it was very difficult to maintain control of vehicle. Upon re starting car the error popped up again and the wheel is now completely locked. Upon conversation with a family member about the occurrence we found out this happened to their car as well. Same make year and model. Upon research this sounds to be a problem in the 2016 Explorers and is a major safety concern. This could have ended extremely badly.