Power Train Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

The contact called on behalf of his wife, who owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact researched online and was made aware of NHTSA campaign number: 25v164000 (power train); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Begin with cliff, I was not wanting to lock or locked or start the vehicle as I was driving. I stopped at the light vehicle started shaking, and as I drove through the light to pull over power steering assist failure, terrain, failure, and control failure.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 25v685000 (equipment), 26v117000 (visibility), and 26v402000 (power train); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact was concerned that the incomplete recalls presented significant safety risks, specifically because the contact resided in alaska, where it rained constantly with low temperatures. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer and sam wampler's freedom Ford of mcalester (720 s george nigh expy, mcalester, ok 74501); were contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving and decelerating to merge onto the highway, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle felt as if the vehicle had been struck in the rear. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions while decelerating between 25-30 mph. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the transmission unexpectedly shifted to park(p). The transmission was inoperable after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train). The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could be repaired out of pocket because the part was not yet available, and then to submit documents for reimbursement after the part became available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

The vehicle has been failing shifting. There is something from with failure to shift. The vehicle won’t accelerate, and slows down in the middle of traffic and the truck has no other problem. I’ve only have it for 3 years with no problems. But this is a big safety issue while driving.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer 🔎.

While operating the vehicle it is jerking like the parking brake is activating or jerking transitioning from first and second gear. Received an alert: the powertrain control system has detected a transmission fluid over temperature condition. The engine continues to operate at a reduced power level.

While traveling uphill in a turn on a county highway the 4wd fault notification arrived on the dash cutting power to the front 2 wheels. The vehicle slipped however was able to regain control. If road condition had been poor I could of slipped into on coming traffic causing a wreck. I took the vehicle to the dealership and they identified that the front axle disconnect actuator was failing and needed to be replaced. Two weeks prior to the code appearing, I had two episodes of unusual binding while in reverse. Ford has issued a TSB long ago to fix this failed design however will not fix it until it fails.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his daughter was depressing the accelerator pedal to drive from a stop, the vehicle failed to respond, and the transmission failed to properly shift to the next gear and the vehicle went into limp mode. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was out of warranty. The approximate failure mileage was 127,000.

This vehicle was inspected by a certified Ford dealership (premier Ford, service advisor: harry). Ford motor company’s consumer affairs department subsequently reviewed the case under complaint xxx. In their official written response, Ford explicitly admitted the root cause, stating: "the vehicle experienced a failure to the harness for the alternator which melted due to heat from the exhaust. " information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and failed to shift properly. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure. The dealer was contacted, and the vehicle was diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired because parts for the repair were not available. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 116,781.

The vehicle was parked on a slight incline and they were inside the vehicle rolled away and struck a fire hydrant. The vehicle was in park and rolled down the hill and struck multiple stationary objects.

Driving down road and lost power with grinding gears. Vehicle displayed warning on instrument panel briefly. Had to stop in middle of road and shift to park then drive to resume.

The transmission malfunctioned on the interstate. The car started jumping and then would slow way down to about 33 mph with the rpm's super high and then kick back in and speed up super fast and I would have to brake constantly. I almost hit the car in front of me at one point. A different point in the same trip the car behind me had to slam on it's brakes to stop from hitting me when the car lost power. I got off the interstate at the very next exit and took back roads home. The transmission has been inspected by a Ford dealership and they said it was the transmission going out. At first there were no warning lights and after it started jumping and starting. Then a few days later the engine light and power train warning lights came on.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that after his wife had parked the vehicle, the message "parking malfunction" was displayed and the vehicle rolled forward. The parking brake was activated to prevent the vehicle from rolling away. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,612.

My 2016 Ford Explorers torque converter has failed. It causes a extremely rough idle while in drive or reverse, the rpms vary and at a complete stop the car will continue to lunge forward. If I were to continue to drive the vehicle at any point without warning my transmission could completely lock up causing me to stall in the middle of the road. The dealership has confirmed it as well as Ford and Ford has an active recall for my specific car but my VIN isn't covered under the recall and Ford is refusing any sort of fault.

Transmission torque converter attempts to lockup when vehicle is in gear, at idle and brakes applied. This causes the engine rpm to drop or stall. This causes an unexpected delay and hesitation when accelerating from a stop followed by an unexpected acceleration surge. This issue has been confirmed by an independent service center. No computer codes or warning signals on the dash are present.

The transmission shifts into park while driving causing the vehicle to jerk and slow down or stall. I contacted Ford and they stated that this was not a safety issue and that this was an advance notice and that no remedy is available until June 2027. They refused to provide a loaner vehicle until this time when the recall is "released". June of 2027 is a year from now and I drive this car daily with small kids and I am afraid that this vehicle will stall while driving and cause harm or death to my family members.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 mph down a hill, the engine and powertrain were resistant when the brakes were applied. No warning lights illuminated. A mobile mechanic was sent by a local dealer to inspect the vehicle. The mechanic determined that the failure was due to the transfer case but was not related to NHTSA campaign number: 26v402000 (power train). After test driving the vehicle, the mobile mechanic determined that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 89,200.

Was driving down the interstate and the vehicle started making an awful noise and dash lights went crazy with cannot shift to park error on dash. We pulled over ASAP and shifted to park and went to exit vehicle and the car tried to roll off and wouldn’t engage in park and has since done this same thing 2 more times. Ford says there’s a recall and the software and parts won’t be available until may of 2027 I do not think this vehicle is safe to drive.

My vehicle started downshifting hard, making a jerking motion, specifically from around 7th-6th gear. It is an automatic transmission but when I went to slow down at stop signs, stop lights, etc. It would make a jerking motion in the slow down process. It has inhibited my ability to drive it. There are times when it have difficulty accelerating. I took it to an independent mechanic shop to have them look at it. Immediately when examining the transmission fluid, it had a strong burning smell. This is not normal. This vehicle has 158,000 miles and has not had issues with the transmission before. There are no warning lights on the dash. I haven’t gotten any notifications that something is wrong in the Ford app. I cannot drive it to work or elsewhere due to the fact of the shifting and not knowing how much longer before it stops working all together. This is a known issue with the transmission my car has and yet does not have a recall.

Less that 100k miles and my transmission already needs replaced. Last year my engine was sputtering making my car jerk while driving went to shop they did a total transmission fluid changed but said my transmission is likely going bad it helped mostly and I had high hopes the problem was solved it was not fast forward to now my transmission went then caused the torque converter to go my car was shaking so bad while stopped and in drive in order to go I had to put my foot all the way to the floor and quickly move to the break sometimes my car would fly other times it would take so long to go that people would try to fly around me then my car would shoot forward and id have to slam on breaks and the rpm gage was all over the place while maintaining the same speed. My car should not need a new transmission at under 84000 miles. This was so dangerous. When I did a search so many reddit posts about 2018 Explorers torque converters and transmissions going bad. I'm livid. I don't have 8k to replace the transmission in a vehicle I still owe 10k on.

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.

Transmission failure caused my vehicle to jump/jerk and left me out of control of the speed of my truck at times. It has been confirmed that I need a new transmission. A service light came on only after issues started. Said light would turn off once the vehicle was turned off and not come back on until driven again.

Transmission with known defects failed at 72,000 miles under normal driving circumstances and a vehicle only six years old.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v675000 (power train), 26v117000 (visibility), and 26v402000 (power train); however, parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle with the foot on the brake pedal, the gear shifter was shifted to park(p), and the vehicle unexpectedly reversed and crashed into a nearby brick mailbox and came to a stop. There were no injuries or medical attention needed. A police report was not filed. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled while parking the vehicle. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 87,159.

Rear bolt recall. The small leak due to technician replacing bolt caused the rear end to eventually lose all fluid.

When trying to accelerate on interstate drive train light and I have to pull over turn off car on interstate then start again to keep out of limping mode also when backing up car stalls jumps and makes a grinding noise need a remedy.

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.

Back in 2026 I bought a vehicle from wild west Ford in guymon ok about three weeks after I bought the vehicle there was a safety recall on it for the rear axle bolt. Ever since the recall was done, I noticed a significant change in my vehicle rear and it shook real bad. Basically I was eating my tires and so I took about to wild west and they told me to go get alignment done so I went and got an alignment done, and it still was doing it and I had taken it to at least four different Ford dealerships across two different states and they all told me that there is nothing wrong with my vehicle, so I looked it up on the forum in the procedure on how the recall was done and I find out that the bushing was improperly installed. One of the Ford dealership is the one who send me a picture of the bushing even starting to rip. Please help my kids ride in this vehicle everyday and wild west claimed the recall but did it completely wrong and refuses to fix it so I took it to different dealerships and with each dealership, I specifically asked them to re-look into the recall because I feel like it was done wrong and they all said that it was all up to four specs in the end. There was nothing wrong with it, but here’s the proof that it is so how do I get my vehicle fixed?.

Transmission failed at 83k miles.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, there was an abnormally loud, dragging sound underneath the vehicle. The contact believed that an object was dragging underneath the vehicle; however, there was nothing on the roadway that could have caused the noise. Shortly afterwards, the message "system shift to park" was displayed. The driver pulled over and left the vehicle running, but the vehicle failed to shift out of park while attempting to resume driving. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer the following day, where the vehicle was diagnosed. The dealer determined that the powertrain control module needed to be replaced; however, the repair was denied, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the dealer failed to repair the vehicle under NHTSA campaign numbers: 23v069000 (power train) and 23v675000 (power train). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

I am reporting a safety concern involving a delayed transmission gear engagement and delayed rearview camera activation. Intermittently, when shifting the vehicle from park into reverse or drive, there is a noticeable delay before the transmission actually engages the selected gear. During this delay, the rearview camera also fails to activate immediately. Because there is no immediate indication that the requested gear has engaged, I have experienced situations where I believed the vehicle was in reverse or drive, but it remained in the previous state for several seconds. In some instances, the transmission engages unexpectedly after the delay, causing the vehicle to move in a direction different from what I anticipated. For example, after selecting reverse, the vehicle may hesitate before moving, or after changing between reverse and drive, the delayed engagement can result in the vehicle moving in the previously engaged direction before finally shifting into the selected gear. This creates a significant safety hazard, particularly when parking, backing out of driveways, or maneuvering in areas with pedestrians or other vehicles. The delayed rearview camera activation further increases the risk because it prevents the driver from immediately seeing behind the vehicle while attempting to reverse. The issue occurs intermittently and without warning, making it difficult to predict. I am concerned that this condition could lead to a crash, property damage, or injury if the vehicle moves unexpectedly due to the delayed gear engagement. I request that NHTSA investigate this issue to determine whether it is related to a transmission, electronic shift control, or software defect affecting the safe operation of the vehicle.

Vehicle: 2018 Ford Explorer mileage at failure: 62,212 miles on [xxx] while driving my 2018 Ford Explorer, the wrench warning light suddenly illuminated on the dashboard. At the same time, the vehicle experienced a significant loss of power and became extremely sluggish in acceleration. When I pressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond normally and did not accelerate as expected. This condition created a serious safety hazard because the vehicle could not maintain or increase speed when needed in traffic. Had this occurred while entering a highway, crossing an intersection, or attempting to avoid another vehicle, it could have resulted in a crash. The vehicle has been inspected by mccarthy Ford. The dealership diagnosed transmission-related problems and provided a repair estimate of $6,384. 94. Ford motor company previously issued customer satisfaction programs 20b27 and 20n07 for certain Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with the 6f35 transmission. Ford's own documentation acknowledges that transmission torque converter overheating may result in low performance, lack of acceleration during launch, sluggish vehicle operation, vibration, shuddering, and related transmission concerns. These symptoms are consistent with the condition experienced in my vehicle. I reported the issue to Ford motor company and sent a certified letter to ceo james d. Farley, jr. Requesting assistance and a policy adjustment due to the known transmission and torque converter concerns. To date, I have not received a satisfactory response. I am submitting this complaint because the sudden loss of acceleration and reduced vehicle power created a significant safety risk while operating the vehicle on public roadways. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).