Seats Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while loading her children into the vehicle, the driver’s, and passenger’s side rear second row seats collapsed and remained locked in the upright position. After a visual inspection, the contact observed that the “easy entry” switch was stuck. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 25v393000 (seats); but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 20,000.

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rearview camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was blank. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 25v159000 (back over prevention) and 25v393000 (seats). The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer 🔎.

1. Passenger rear middle seat folds up randomly and repeatedly when someone is sitting in it. It's triggered by pressing on the middle of the back of the seat. This is not related to the current recall, I've had that recall completed and the buttons passed inspection. Basically the seat is trying to eject the passenger repeatedly. Huge safety issue. Sheehy Ford of ashland has documented this in their report when completing recall. 2. Sunshade has broke and sags down, creating zero visibility in the rear view mirror. Huge safety issue 3. Cupholders are falling through, plastic rivets broke. Cups fall through cupholder.

While sitting in the 3rd row seat, my daughter felt the headrest smack the back of her head. When trying to put it back up, it will no longer stay in place. There are multiple reports of this exact thing happening. This is a known issue with these vehicles. I am now unable to allow anyone to ride in that seat, as the headrest will not stay up.

3rd row seats have a malfunctioning system causing the headrests to not lift back up after seat is down, seat goes down with an automatic button but then headrest on both sides do not lift up as they should. This poses a very serious risk to children in the back seat who are now leaned and pushed forward by this headrest which is folded down over the seat and will not go up. After a lot of research I have seen that this is a very common issue with this year of Explorers.

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. `.

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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 25v393000 (seats); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear passenger’s seat moved forward unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Driver side headrest does not properly lock in place. The headrest moves from the upright position to a forward angle position when jostled. While braking heavily in a car accident, my driver side headrest abruptly moved forward causing the headrest to slam into the back of my head.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while seated in the parked vehicle, the rear passenger’s side head restraint became unhinged. The contact stated that the exterior front driver’s side pin paddle had failed. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact stated that the railings on the rear passenger’s side seats were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,208.

The passenger 3rd row seat if the fold button is hit it can lock and pin a passenger. It wont release itself unless you try and hit the reset holding the 2 buttons simultaneously. Currently for safety reasons I taped that seats button and won't let anyone out in the 3rd row.

Driver seat moves all the way forward on its own and the side view mirror moves out of range. This has happened while in the seat and car running. It happens intermittently. It scares the heck out of you and pushes you all the way into the steering wheel which makes it impossible to steer. You have to be quick in order to stop it and because it startles you when it happens the reaction time is not immediate. Very scary indeed!.

See all problems of the 2016 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 mph while depressing the brake pedal and attempting to come to an abrupt complete stop for a red light, the rear driver seat detached and unhinged. The contact sustained an injury to the back of her head from the detached rear driver seat. The contact stated returned to her residence and called her health provider to make an appointment for the next day where she was informed that she sustained a concussion to the back of the head. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

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There are problems with these items which are covered under a Ford recall. My vehicle is at liccardi Ford dealer in watchung NJ and I feel a tremendous resistance from the dealer to repair the recalled ordered repairs.

Driver's side heated seat coil burnt out. Many complaints about this.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Various electrical issues gps not working also drivers seat electrical.

Seat warning module failed. When unbuckling seatbelt car does not recognize you unbuckled, therefore the airbag system does not recognize which seats are occupied. This would also cause a safety concern as you do not have to buckle the seatbelt with no warning or alert there is an issue. Car has been at Ford dealer for service for a month with them failing to find any other vehicle that they can replicate the problem. This is one Ford dealer, but it should be something that is investigated as it might be easily overlooked. Car has been in the dealership for the last month with no answers from Ford or resolution to the safety issue, following federal regulations the dealer will not release the car back to us as it has a safety system malfunctioning.

See all problems of the 2022 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Multiple warnings lights from advanced drivers assistance 4x4 went accelerate and could not error code u0102 also rattling from right second row seat.

The drivers side outside seat valance broke and needs to be replaced.

There’s no accident . The passenger front recliner is stuck in the reclined position ( laying all the way back ). In the seated position , facing forward , the left side of the seat is stuck . The right side near the passenger door wants to come up, but not the left side. The seat is laying down flat in the reclined position . This is a safety issue .

The left, middle row captain seat chair passenger fails to lock in place. The back part of the chair can be easily folded down or pushed back just by pressing or pulling on it. The back part of the chair won’t stay locked in whatever position is chosen via the adjustment level on the side of the seat. None of my children are allowed to sit in that chair as I fear it could crush them or allow them to slide out of their booster seats in an accident. I have not reported this to our dealership yet, but I do intent to have my vehicle looked at soon.

Drivers side second row captain seat makes ticking noise under the seat. If I put weight on seat it stops. It is intermittent. Im concerned it might be electrical. I have a video but unable to download. I can send if there is an email to send to.

See all problems of the 2023 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The headrests of both of the back seats first locked and would not release, then suddenly released and were never able to lock back in place again. Because of the headrest mechanism failures, we cannot allow anyone to sit in the rear seats because they are not safe. We need to be able to use those seats for our children. We had them inspected by our local Ford dealer and they confirmed that this is a known issue for this model, but that there has not been a recall yet. They could fix them, but unfortunately it would be a significant cost to fix both of them out of pocket when this really is a safety issue and should be a recall. There were no warning messages other than one day they simply would not lock in place properly.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford explore. The contact stated that while exiting the vehicle, the front driver's side seat shifted backward. Due to the failure, the front driver's was set slanted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a cracked seat assembly and the seat assembly needed to be replaced. The contact was informed of an unknown recall notification with the similar failure, however the contact's VIN was not included in the recall. In addition, the contact was advised that the vehicle was unsafe to drive until the repair was completed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

Hi there! we received a letter in the mail about a recall on our exterior a-pillar trim which did fall off on its own and ripped of the seal that was on it by my windshield we never received a call from the dealership so they can replace this for us and because it fell off everyday that it has rain water has been getting into my car to the point that I have puddles on the floor of the vehicle water got into my dashboard and blew out my a/c motor and blew out my sunroof motor which it is wide open now we can’t close it. . I ride around in the SUV with it being extremely hot my children are also in the car with us because it is our only means of transportation also the buttons on my radio are messed up due to water getting in… I’ve contacted carvana the place we bought it from about this and they said this is a Ford issue because they were suppose to replace this a while back I don’t know what to do or who to contact we can’t really afford to fix it on our own. . I am scared that one day I drive it the airbags will just go off because water is going all through my dash when it rains! I don’t know what else to do!.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Air bag style seat belt has broken twice and won’t allow seat belt to latch after it breaks. Broke while seat belt was in use and driving down the highway. When replacing the buckle I found that the frame piece on the seat was broke and moved when trying to tighten the buckle. The buckle has been unavailable online through multiple vendors and finally found one in stock.

The first complaint references recall 24v031. I received a notice dated February 2024 to correct this issue. It is now June 2025 and my dealer still does not have the parts. The trim pieces have come apart and flap while driving. I just don't think 18 months with no remedy is acceptable especially when it could cause a safety hazard. The second complaint with this vehicle is the door trim. It appears to be stitched however has come apart for years now. The dealership said that Ford could be putting a recall on but hasn't happened. A quick search online shows that many Explorers has had the same issue.

When drivers side seat automatically goes back it will eventually break off the seat control cover with the adjustment controls on the left side of seat.

The heated seats went out. Took to mechanic shop, the wires burned out and also melted the fuse box. All that has to be replaced. Ford dealership only sells the whole wiring harness which is over $1,000. With the wires burning out and then melting fuse box, lucky my car didn't burn.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was an abnormal grinding noise detected while making a turn. There was a crunching noise detected while entering his driveway. The contact stated that the passenger's front seat was not moving. The driver-side rear inflator seat belt failed to latch. The rear seat belt warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who informed him the seat belt buckle needed to be replaced. The track  on the seat needed to be replaced. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the steering failure. The vehicle was not repaired. While driving, at unknown speeds, the steering wheel locked up. While making a turn, the driver had to pull the steering wheel to correct the steering. The steering power assist faulty message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the seat failure was due to the motor. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

When parked with the vehicle running a passenger exited the rear seat behind the driver. When they closed the door the drivers seat moved all the way forward and the seat back also moved forward pinning the driver to the steering wheel. After a few seconds the driver was able to move the seat back from the steering wheel. Not sure if there is a setting for the electric seats to move forward like that but it should not do it with the driver in it.

The contact owns a 2020 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to engage the front driver's seat control buttons, he noticed that the seat control buttons housing was fractured internally. The contact stated that he replaced the part himself. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact they could not assist because the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The heat in my 2013 Ford Explorer won't work. The rad fan isn't working so any antifreeze I put in is gone after 1 trip to the store. It's burning it. The sunroof has never opened fully, it wobbles. The electrical is shot on it. There are so many safety issues with this vehicle and I see I'm not the only one but yet I search my VIN and there are no recalls that's not right.

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The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the second-row seat wiring harness plugs were damaged and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 109,000.

I’m having to replace the driver’s seat mounting/frame (underneath the seat) for a second time since I’ve had this vehicle. It happened last year as well.

The airbag fault light on the dash of my 2016 Ford Explorer recently illuminated. I took it to christian brothers automotive, who did a complete diagnostics check. They determined that the inflatable seat belt should read 2. 2 ohms but it reading at 5. 5 ohms, which is causing the light to illuminate. They stated that the inflatable seat belt needs to be replaced. This appears to be the same issue with a Ford recall notice issued on January 21, 2022 under customer satisfaction program 21b11 related to 2014, 2015, and 2016 Ford Explorers. However, my VIN does not appear on the list of effected vehicles and Ford is refusing to repair it under the recall until it is added to the list.