Other Fuel 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 🔎.

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 🔎.

My 2017 Ford Explorer XLT with approximately 236,000 miles has an ongoing evap/fuel vapor system problem that causes the vehicle to hesitate, stumble, and attempt to stall. The problem occurs most frequently after refueling and also when the fuel level is low. The check-engine light comes on repeatedly, and despite numerous repair attempts, the issue has not been corrected. Repairs and parts replaced have included the purge valve, evap-related sensor(s), charcoal canister(s), and associated tubing. Significant money has been spent diagnosing and repairing this condition, but the symptoms continue. After filling the fuel tank, the engine may run rough, hesitate, lose power, and attempt to stall. This creates a safety concern because the vehicle can unexpectedly lose power or stall while driving, entering traffic, slowing for intersections, or operating in other traffic situations. The condition has persisted despite replacement of multiple evap system components. Based on the repeated failures and inability to permanently correct the issue, I believe this may indicate a defect affecting other vehicles of the same model year. I am requesting that this issue be investigated due to the potential safety risk associated with engine hesitation, loss of power, and stalling.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer 🔎.

While driving at highway speeds, the vehicle experienced a sudden and total loss of engine power and stalled in active traffic. I lost motive power and had to safely coast through traffic to the shoulder. The vehicle would not restart and had to be towed to a repair facility. The failure matches the exact symptoms of Ford recall 25s75 / NHTSA campaign 25v455000 for low-pressure fuel pump failure, but my VIN is currently excluded from the recall.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer 🔎.

On [xxx], at approximately [xxx] pm, my 2022 Ford Explorer suddenly lost power while driving in the left lane of [xxx] in emporia, va, at 70 mph (the posted speed limit), with my [xxx] daughter. My vehicle shuddered and started to decrease in speed. I was able to maneuver safely to the shoulder, and my Explorer became inoperable requiring roadside assistance. My daughter and I remained on [xxx] for several hours due to delayed tow service availability. My Explorer has been at battlefield Ford in culpeper, va since June 19, 2026, and is available for inspection upon request. Battlefield has confirmed the low-pressure fuel pump failure, confirmed this is subject to safety recall 25s75 (NHTSA recall 25v455), and there is no remedy available. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2022 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I purchased this new car from bell Ford on xxx. Since I have owned it, it has been under Ford’s care for almost 2 weeks at 2 different service departments. (I have owned for 90 days. ) the car sputters and stops when putting on the gas from a start position. I ended up stalling in a busy intersection on [xxx] all the dash lights come on and then the engine light comes on. Says, take to dealer. They are replacing the fuel pump now and trying that. This car has less than 4900 miles on it. The car they have given me to use is not comparable. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Cruise in vehicle was set to 58 mph. Vehicle shut off going around a curve and would not restart. At 40mph emergency brake set as car wasn’t running and it was coasting to a stop. I sat on the road barely off the shoulder as car would not restart and would not come out of park to be able to push the rest of the way off the road. Had it towed to a Ford dealer where they replaced the fuel pump control module and they had concerns of it possibly not fixing the problem. I made it 10 miles after pickup and it did the exact same thing shuts off no warning like it ran out of gas. Get towed back to the Ford dealer and they can’t duplicate the problem and say nothing is wrong and they don’t know why it randomly shuts off and loses fuel. However it still has the same codes as initially in relation to lack of fuel. I don’t feel safe driving the car as now I’ve broke down twice same problem and fear it’ll keep happening and I may not get so lucky as to not get seriously injured as I cannot move it from the road. Asked about getting rid of it and no dealership wants it because of these problems. Now I’m stuck with a $30,000 paperweight that I can’t drive safely and I can’t replace without going into a lot of debt.

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.

This recall has been open for 8 months, all the while posing a huge safety risk. A new car can be built in less time. Why is this urgent recall effort taking so long to complete? Jul 08,2025 manufacturer recall number25s75 NHTSA recall number25v455 recall status recall incomplete, remedy not yet available.

Vehicle stalls when diving . After pulling over ina coast and turning off with start stop button then turning it back on with start stop button vehicle runs fine until it happens again intermediately cold be days could be months apart. About the 6th time over 2 years that it has occurred.

Vehicle fails to start intermittently. After having this happen on several occasions and waiting for 1-2 hours it would start. However, the last time, while traveling it would not start after taking brief stop. Had to leave the vehicle overnight and return the next day to haul it back home 300 hundred miles. That was Feb. 23, 2026 and still will not start. Vehicle has 70,000 miles.

See all problems of the 2019 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I own a Ford Explorer 2018 bought as second hand in July 2020. For the last three years, the investment in it has been exponential. Finally working with a proper car mechanic, I understood that all the fixes I have made, have been known for a while. I have received several recalls and searching for more, I found one that **I did not received*** and I'm having an issue with it. It can be seen in the attached document. Research shows that "the 2018 Ford Explorer has significant, well-documented complaints, primarily regarding catastrophic water pump failure, transmission issues, and multiple recalls. The 3. 5l engine's internal water pump often fails around 125,000 miles, causing engine destruction. Other common issues include rear suspension toe link fractures, exhaust smells, and electrical problems. " my water pump failed way before 125k miles, as the previous statement states. . Mine is 94k. I fixed it last year and now it's broken again. And by the say of the mechanic, it could be because of the issue of the catalyst, of a recall I didn't get and that probably got the previous owner. I have tried to reach Ford through letter and phone and no one answers. I finally spoke to someone on Tuesday from the warranty department and told me he will reach me in 3 hours. Two days have gone by. I also did a complaint on bbb and the refuse to fix and reimbursed the recall I didn't received.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Accelerator stuck wide open while entering freeway. I also have a safety recall notice 24s02/NHTSA recall 24v031.

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.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Car was parked on a driveway, decent grade, with 50 miles left to empty (no low fuel light on). Facing downward. Car did not turn over. Had to use manual override to put vehicle into neutral and coast to a more level area and start it up. Seen this issue posted on the Explorer st facebook group multiple times, so I was lucky I knew what the issue is. Most other people would be stranded. There is a flaw in the Explorer's fuel tank system that will not allow the car to start if fuel level gets below a certain threshold when parked facing down a steep street or driveway.

The fuel level indication on my 2022 Ford Explorer behaves erratically and inaccurately. The issue occurs regardless of whether the vehicle is parked uphill, or downhill, just any time I’m on an incline, and it happens even when the fuel tank is full. The fuel gauge and/or “miles to empty” reading changes unexpectedly and does not reliably reflect the actual amount of fuel in the tank. This behavior is not limited to low fuel conditions. The problem appears consistently raising concerns about inaccurate fuel level reporting and potential fuel system malfunction. The vehicle has not displayed warning lights, and the issue is resolved by refueling, but changing parking orientation does not reset or cause the fuel gauge to show accurate reading. I have had one instance of needing to call roadside assistance as it falsely read I was out of fuel.

Fuel system evap leak just like the safety recall 18s35.

Blown engine due to ecoboost fuel issues. Vehicle quit and shut off on highway. Multiple issues with 2019 Ford Explorer that does not get resolved.

Gas filler neck is loose, making it difficult to fill the gas tank without spillage. I don't recall how long this has been an issue, but it has been a problem for multiple years. There have been no incidents that preceded this problem.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I can’t get my gas tank below 1/4. It always starts lagging and has a late reaction time. I also have to use better gas and get treatments to help. With no solution in sight.

I would need to change many more of the points on the top, see report.

Left lowlight headlight stops working intermittently and then completely. Both front axles cracked. Right rear shock busted. Gas purge valve malfunctioned.

Ford Explorer recall – ongoing safety hazard in July 2025, Ford issued a recall notice for my vehicle. Shortly after, the check engine light came on. Starting October 15, 2025, my vehicle began failing to start after refueling—making noise and taking multiple attempts to start. The same issue occurred repeatedly on October 23 and October 30, worsening each time. On November 3, we brought the car to a Ford dealership. They confirmed there is no available fix for the recall and said there’s “nothing they can do. ” I explained this was a safety issue since I drive my son with a disability to therapy daily. They told me I would have to pay out of pocket for repairs even though the problem is linked to the recall. On November 8, while driving in arizona, my vehicle again failed to start after refueling. Later that day, it lost power on the road, the speed dropped suddenly, and it would not accelerate. The same stalling and jerking occurred again on November 10 while my husband was driving. We contacted Ford corporate and NHTSA, but both said nothing could be done because the recall label says the car is “still drivable. ” this is inaccurate and dangerous. The car stalls and loses acceleration randomly, creating a serious risk of an accident. On November 21, the car again failed to start after refueling. This has happened multiple times each week, and Ford continues to delay a fix. My vehicle is unsafe to drive, and this unresolved recall poses an ongoing safety hazard to my family and others on the road.

The exhaust/ downpipe broke while driving down the road.

On [xxx]. , in heavy rush?hour traffic on [xxx] , my vehicle (~75,417 mi) suddenly lost motive power w/o warning at ~55 mph. It became immobile in a live lane, creating a roadblock and rear?end crash risk. Drivers swerved/honked. Accelerator had no effect; limited/no power?steering assist; I coasted to an in?lane stop (no safe shoulder) and activated hazards. Cluster displayed “shift sys fault—service required” and wrench icon. Attempts to restart failed; the vehicle remained disabled ~30min until a tow arrived; police responded. After tow, on a slight incline, the vehicle rolled backward when started and the parking brake was released, though the cluster showed park—clear rollaway concern. Recovery/diagnosis: towed first to autotech clinic (advised replacement trans). Then to bill brown Ford (livonia, mi): fractured planetary gear and broken park pawl; recommended full transmission replacement (~$8,500). Repair history (pre?purchase): I’ve owned the car <6 mos (now ~75k). A Ford dealer later informed me the vehicle previously had major work at taylor Ford of trans?cooler plumbing cracks between cooler and trans lines at ~34k, and major internal trans repair at ~46k (“burnt clutch a; full reassembly”). None of this appeared on carfax or was disclosed by the selling dealer. Costs/downtime: ~$700 towing/diagnostics to date; trans replacement quoted ~$8,500. Mfr/dealer response: reported to Ford on 10/13/2025, case [xxx]. Initial response: no assistance; pending. The Ford 10r60 has multiple tsbs for trans issues, but neither the dealer nor csr cited any, and no assistance has been offered. Maintenance/mods: vehicle stock; maintained per mfr schedule. Safety concern: sudden loss of propulsion in traffic + inability to move to safety, combined with a park indication that allows rollback, present significant crash/rollaway hazards. Please investigate and, if warranted, require a recall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

It is known that for the specific year make and model that the water pump goes out around 100,000 miles. This water pump was built as an internal water pump, which is not typical for most cars. In order to fix this part, the engine has to be taken out and lots of parts have to be disassembled just to get to it. The part itself is fairly cheap, but the labor cost thousands of dollars due to where it is located. Ford knowingly built this car and put that pump where it is at and therefore should be reliable to pay the cost when it is so common that this part goes out around 100,000 miles. If it is a known issue that occurs on these models frequently then it should become a recall because a failing water pump can cause significant issues within the engine and make the vehicle in operable.

In September I started to notice a strong fuel odor coming from my 2013 Ford Explorer. I had the exterior of the vehicle cleaned thoroughly to ensure no gasoline was spilled on the vehicle while refuelling. The smell did go away temporarily, until I refuelled the vehicle. The odor has returned, and will not go away. On 10/6/2025 I took my vehicle to a local mechanic that works on my vehicles. A visual inspection was performed and they informed me that there is a leak and it appears to be coming from the top of the tank or an area above the tank. It is hard to identify the exact source without lowering the tank. They mechanic also informed me that Ford has a safety recall issue for something similar, 13s04. I checked with Ford and while there is a recall for the same model and year of my vehicle, my 2013 Explorer is not a part of the recall. I have contacted a local Ford service center and am waiting for a response from them.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Recall 25v442 was not completed on this VIN but was completed on VIN [xxx] . This service was reported on the incorrect VIN. I have spoken to the dealership service manager and to Ford customer service and they will not correct this incorrect reporting. Attached files are for the service and recall work performed on VIN [xxx] but recorded as completed on VIN [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2023 Ford Explorer 🔎.

3 times this has happened. I brake and it seems like I'm pressing the gas pedal and the brakes feel like they aren't stopping the vehicle. The third time put me in incoming traffic and the vehicle was totaled as it already had a rebuilt salvage title when we bought it.

See all problems of the 2010 Ford Explorer 🔎.

While driving with the ac on you can smell exhaust fumes in the cabin and it's worse towards the rear carbin of the vehicle. I've gotten nauseated and sleepy from the fumes and have had several headaches in addition to the other symptoms. Ford needs to recall this issue. Also I have an active recall for the window pillars and the dealership says they still dont have the parts to fix it, and it's been over a year, what's the hold up Ford??!!.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Explorer 🔎.

There is a strong fuel order coming from passenger side after every fuel fill, affects everyone in the car while moving, especially affecting my grandchildren and my family. Backup camera rarely comes on while backing up, gives a black screen which can cause accidents especially in reverse. Rear driver side makes loud squeaky sound while driving over speed bumps slowly or bumpy roads. I purchased this vehicle used June 2025. It has an active molding recall that hasn't been fixed and I have contacted a Ford dealership last year.

My Explorer has a 10 speed transmission, and its really heavy on shifting like it is missing shifts or slipping, it will shoot up in rpms to the 7-8k mark and jerk forward, this will happen every few minutes when varying speed, driving through residential areas or normal trafficways not including the highway, however on the highway it has a tendency to feel as if it loses power and regains it, dropping rpms and shooting back up to 4-5k rpm, and dropping back down to around 2k. Today I had the incident where the car jerked hard after a shift, gave me prompts on the dash about seeing the manual, and that drive modes are not available. This has happened in the past month before multiple times, however this time I lost all power to acceleration going down the road, ended up just coasting to a stop on a road that speed limit is 55 mph. This made me panic, because I could have possibly been rear ended, or in any other case could have been hit if my car would not have properly been able to accelerate. The car has had similar problems reported from previous owners and they have been taken into a dealership for repairs of which did not fix the problem or the problem is reoccurring. There are no warning lamps prior to the jerkiness of shifting and loss of acceleration because of it. It will jerk a handful of times and eventually give me the "see manual" prompt after the initial problem was noticed, I decided to look online for answers as to what was wrong and it seems like this is a reoccurring problem with vehicles similar to mine. Hopefully it hasnt caused and injuries, but it definitely has the possibility to from what I have experienced.

On highway was accelerating to pass another vehicle the transition froze , engine revved with no acceleration ( transmission skipped) this has happened several times over the 5 years. The lasted event we documented the date and mileage it happened date 7/13/25 mileage is 34990. These skips have put us in extremely dangerous situations. Transmission has been making growling noise now under normal driving.

There are three active recall on my car, all of which say there are not remedy available and NHTSA recall number 25v455 can cause engine failure that leads to a crash, was reported in July 2025, and still has no remedy. The other 2 recalls are NHTSA recall number 26v123 and NHTSA recall number 26v117.

On 3 separate occasions my car has stalled when driving. All three were after driving for several hours in hot weather. 2 of the times I had a quarter of a tank of gas and pressed on the gas to pass someone and my car stalled out immediately after. Both very dangerous scenarios. 3 time just this week. Driving for over 5 hours in hot weather conditions, but 3 quarters of a tank of gas and stuck in traffic and the car just completely stalled. Again a dangerous scenario on the highway. All three times after waiting for about 45 minutes the car will start again. Sluggish at first and then drives normal. It’s giving indications that it could be a defect in the low pressure fuel pump that has been a recall in other 2019 Ford Explorers, but my VIN #is not listed as one of them.