Service Brakes Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle crashed into the driver's side of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact was transported to the local medical center for medical attention. The contact sustained bruises and contusions during the crash. The contact sustained a continuous headache after the crash. The contact was receiving continuous medical treatment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was scheduled for an inspection by the insurance company within days. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

See all problems of the 2025 Ford Explorer 🔎.

On repeated occasions the vehicle’s braking system has malfunctioned without driver input, including uncommanded automatic brake engagement at highway speed and, most recently, a failure of the braking system to respond as commanded. These malfunctions occur without warning and directly impede my ability to control and safely operate the vehicle. On at least one occasion the malfunction occurred while I was driving on the highway with my three minor children in the vehicle and nearly resulted in a major collision.

Abs module has failed. Causing a number of other safety systems to be deactivated. Power steering, traction control, drive mode selection, and braking. All these lights are illuminated on dash. Independent auto repair shop verified this abs module has failed and there is no replacement parts from Ford.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I experienced catastrophic brake failure on July 14 2026. Total loss of brakes that led me to narrowly miss several vehicles. The Ford dealership in manor TX stated it needed the brake booster replaced and program reset. After researching this is a problem with my VIN that was offered free replacement until 2022 this should be a total unexpired recall. I could have lost my life or someone eles! it’s part of the customer satisfaction program 20b51:.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer 🔎.

July 12, 2026 I returned home and parked about 10 ft from my garage. I put my car in park, turned off the motor, and went to get out, when my husband started yelling at me that the car was moving. I pumped the brake, and heard a clicking sound. The car wouldn't stop, it ran into my house. Cracking my left headlight and denting my bumper. The car was in park, and I was unable to move the steering wheel. I had no control of the car. Thank goodness no one was standing in front of me. If it had happened just a short time before when I was at a splash pad full of children, it could have killed people. I contacted Ford motor company on Monday and the customer service representative did not offer any comfort, but simply stated that "she spoke for Ford motor CO. , and there was no financial compensation programs at this time. " I never asked for money. I just want to know if my car is going to act possessed again, if there is a recall, if Ford would stand by their product (my 3-4th Ford car). She was rude, and not helpful at all. I took it to my dealership, and they said that they ran multiple tests on it, and it showed nothing. However, when my husband took it into the shop, he ran the black box, 2 days before and after, and it showed several erratic messages. None of which were mentioned today, when they announced that my car was available for pick up. Mind you, my headlight is cracked and bumper is dented. It looks like there might be a similar recall: NHTSA campaign number: 23v675. Ford’s own number for this recall is 23s55 - I don't know what to do about this. The dealership seemed interested in getting to the bottom of it, but may be dropping the ball. Is it possible that this recall would be on my car?? please advise. I wanted Ford to take care of it, however it looks like I will need to file a report with my insurance company. I would say that there was a problem with the parking system, the brake system?.

See all problems of the 2018 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2021 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Deputy driving the vehicle reported to fleet of little to no power brake assist. Fleet found abs fault codes c0020:64:68 present and sent to the dealer. Dealer is reporting back of possible abs hcu fault.

Abs and parking brake. Was confirmed by the dealer & tow truck driver. No warning when I parked it, only after putting it into reverse. There were flashing abs & parking brake lights plus a beeping sound.

On xxx at approximately 4:30pm, while driving through a parking lot (between 5-10mph), I tapped my brakes and then the parking brake activated and caused several errors on my dash, such as the abs light, a brake failure error, a service advance-trac error, and others. The brakes became incredibly stiff and would not work when I pressed them. The car would continue to roll and stop randomly. I was able to pull into a parking spot out of traffic and when attempting to disable to parking brake, it would not work. I had to attempt to disable it, turn off my car, and then turn it back on. After a few seconds, the parking brake audibly unlocked and then my brake pedal became usable again. I called two rivers Ford in [xxx] the next day and they advised that they would look at it, but it would be the end of July before they had a service loaner available. I brushed it off as an electrical glitch. On xxx at approximately 7:30pm, my car did the exact same thing again while coming to a stop on a highway. This again occurred around 10mph. I was able to get off the highway and reset the parking brake again by turning the car on and off and was able to begin driving again with no issues. On xxx I called the same dealership again and they were able to provide me with an emergency service loaner same day due to the urgency of the situation. They advised that this had happened to 5 other Explorers in the country prior, the first step is to reset the abs module, if that doesn't fix it, they will replace the brake booster. On xxx at approximately 9:45am, while braking prior to turning in an intersection, at approximately 30mph, the same issue occurred again. This time I rolled into the middle of the intersection, because my brakes wouldn't work. On xxx, I called the dealership and they provided me with another service loaner to attempt to replace the brake booster. This is a major safety issue due to loss of brakes. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

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 #.

Brakes, rotors, tires and now steering column and starting gear is needing replaced after recall of rear toe link in 2019 Ford Explorer.

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A hissing noise coming from inside the vehicle when braking. The dealership isolated the problem and concluded it comes from the brake booster. The car just came out of manufacture warranty at 39,067 miles. However, there is no check engine or dashboard light on yet.

See all problems of the 2023 Ford Explorer 🔎.

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).

I previously reported a safety issue re. Brakes not working in park. Vehicle rolled back and car almost hit mom and young daughter walking behind vehicle in parking lot. When I brought it to bellford in [xxx] they told me it was not covered under the recall since it wasn’t being caused by rear axle. Instead they wanted to charge me $3,000 to diagnose their manufacturing defect. In addition when I notified Ford rep who never said anything other then I must get car diagnosed and pay for it and then “we will see . ” Ford complaint xxx and I believe this is the NHTSA complaint # xxx. Here is my initial Ford complaint cxh-xxx was closed without explanation no one could tell me why no one had contacted me. I am very concerned that Ford is not taking responsibility for defective cars. My car now has only 47k. Brake issue. I had to replace front boots due to leaking and front axle was leaking. I had that fixed and now rear back up camera isn’t working. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Abs module failure. Dealer states this I s a known problem. 581 on backorder with Ford with no eta of new stock. No sense of urgency to resolve known problem. Online sources state heavy wire harness breaks solar joint at positive and negative contacts in module.

See all problems of the 2014 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Ever since I bought that vehicle, it's had system malfunctions. I received three letters directly from Ford explaining the problems this vehicle had or could have. But he and the dealerships, where I took my vehicle for repairs, never did them. They always denied that it had any problems and said that my vehicle was new and had nothing wrong with it.

The windshield wipers activate by themselves, even when it is not raining and there is no water.

See all problems of the 2017 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the master warning, brake, battery, abs, and brake system warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the message "stop safely now" was displayed. The vehicle then went into limp mode each time, but the vehicle failed to respond while the contact was attempting to turn off the vehicle or accelerate. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in neutral(n), it failed to respond as intended. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that there were 11 undisclosed modules that needed to be updated, and the hybrid system was inoperable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,230.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the abs, the brakes, and the traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the abs module had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer initially informed the contact that the part was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was later informed that the part had been discontinued. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,719.

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Right front caliber went out at 47,186 miles in 11/14/2025. No abs sensor went on alerting me to the problem. Had it fixed. Two months later, 1/05/2026, at 47,620 miles later, the control hcu and module abs went out. Again, no sensor alerting me to a problem. I could hardly drive it. Had Ford look at it, assess the problem, and had to drive home due to another cost. Could have been on the highway when this occurred. Was in town, but was an awful experience! brakes locked up on me!.

Front end axle actuator failing and causing all safety systems to turn off, loss of power and can lead to seized up front end.

Description on your vehicle, some of the bolts used to attach the vehicle trailer tow hitch may have below-specification torque. Safety risk this condition may affect vehicle handling characteristics or lead to loss of attachment of the trailer hitch while towing, increasing the risk of a crash. Remedy parts are now available to repair your vehicle. Ford motor company Lincoln has authorized your dealer retailer to inspect and secure or replace the trailer tow hitch bolts as required free of charge. Next steps contact your dealer for more information to schedule the free service.

While applying brakes coming to a stop light, the vehicle gave a message stating service brakes. The brakes still felt normal. Then after a few minutes, the brakes felt like they suddenly stopped working and then the rear tires started locking up and releasing. The frong brakes felt like they were not working at all. Stopping distance approximately tripled and not really any way to adjust braking pressure. Releasing the pedal would give a 2ish second delay before the brakes would reapply upon hitting the pedal again, and withing 1 second would lock up the rear brakes again, starting the cycle over again. Took approximately 3 applications to fully stop in a safe manner. Luckily I was already driving slow due to the warning and was able stop before hitting the car in front. Was driving approximately 30 mph when this happened. Under normal circumstances and driving distances this would have not been possible. The car was taken to the Ford. They determined there was internal failure in the electronic brake booster. The fix was to replace the full assembly (ebb, abs, etc), and flush the brake fluid. Along with diagnostics of the issue, the cost was $4,100. 87 to fix. Since replacing the ebb assembly, the problem has gone away. There were no other indictions of an issue before this happened. I know other Explorer years, and other models that use this same component have been recalled for similar issues as well, and think there is a issue with this module as well.

My 2023 Ford Explorer st has rolled while parked, turned off, and in park, with the electronic parking brake engaged. This has occurred multiple times on my residential driveway, which has an approximate 20-degree slope, during light snow conditions. On one occasion, the vehicle rolled backward down the driveway and into the street after being parked and shut off. On another occasion, it rolled forward while parked in the same location. In both cases, the vehicle stopped on its own without driver input. The dashboard indicated the vehicle was in park, and the electronic parking brake had automatically engaged. This behavior is inconsistent and occurred in both directions, which raises concern that the parking pawl and/or electronic parking brake is not reliably holding the vehicle. Snow may reduce traction, but a properly functioning parking system should prevent a parked vehicle from rolling, especially into the street. After the December 14, 2025 incident, the dealer was contacted and they replaced the parking pawl. The subsequent incidents occurred on January 14, 2026 while both rear facing and forward facing. This appears to be a vehicle rollaway safety defect and presents a serious risk of collision, injury, or property damage. The vehicle has not been modified, and this occurred under normal parking conditions. I am reporting this issue due to the safety risk and concern that the parking system may not be functioning as designed. I do have a video is of the December 14, 2025 incident when the vehicle was unoccupied, parked, turned off, and in park, with the electronic parking brake engaged.

We purchased a 2025 Ford Explorer active rwd and had a couple of issues with it. Twice when starting the car, foot on brake and when putting it into d the brake pedal drops a notch. It had some error codes as well and of course the dealer could find anything wrong. So we trade it in in less than a month for this model 2025 Ford Explorer active 4wd. The brake has done the same thing to me twice. We purchased this second vehicle on 10/31/2025. Today was the second time this happened. It happened approximately a week ago as well. It's always when putting it into drive. I have never ever owned a vehicle where the brakes fall a bit. . . Has a rough notch as it falls!! it does not fall to the floor, it is as though a firm brake pedal just falls an inch or so and it's rough, like it's broken. After it happens I drive very slowly and carefully to make sure my brakes are still working. Not normal by any circumstances and the best I can describe this. We drove three Explorers before choosing this one and all three, four with other one purchased the brakes felt different! brakes should not feel softer or firmer on new vehicles. Our dealer is about 50 miles away and I can almost guarantee they will not find anything because they can't or won't be able to reproduce it as it only happens once in a great while. Like I mentioned, today 12/8/2025 is the second time this has occured on this second Explorer. They would need to drive it everyday for weeks on end and only while putting it drive as it hasn't happened in reverse on either vehicle. I do use the park brake while at home, but all times this occured the park brake was not being used and on a flat level surface. Very scary driving a new vehicle around not knowing what is going to go wrong with it especially with brakes! we should feel safe in our newly. Purchased vehicles. I sure hope Ford figures these issues out before someone gets hurt or dies.

My remote start would not work from inside of a restaurant so I went out to manually start the car. It started fine. It was very cold out so I thought that I would drive up next to the building to get close to the entrance. The parking lot was not slippery at all , when I applied the brakes I had absolutely no brakes and the car bumped into the building. No damage to the building but my license plate bracket was broken and the bumper had minor damage.

Had recall for parking brake fixed, soon after I’d be on interstate or intersection and it would lose power wrench and check power train system light came on. Took to dealership and they said it was parking pawl sylenuod. Had repaired left the shop didn’t even get home and it did the same: mechanic said it was gas pedal sensor repaired that and same thing happened it may go real fast or not go . I worked for uber and lyft and have been out of work for a few months. Car setting at dealership and the say I need to pay for a new power train module because my cars lost it brains. So I got recall fixed and my cars went to hell in a hand basket. Now another recall is issued but no resolution. It is a huge safety issue when your gas pedal gets a not responsive to your foot touching the pedal then it accelerating without touching the gas pedal. I’m lucky I didn’t die in it. This year model just needs to be lemoned out. Oh also when it starts messing up airbag not working driver assist not working all the safety features go haywire. I feel ?? sure this is all related to the recall and Ford will be hearing from me or a lawyer one.

Unknown.

See all problems of the 2011 Ford Explorer 🔎.

After dealer-performed repair to the abs braking system, the vehicle was returned with a malfunctioning abs control module and a loose brake line near the abs unit. An independent licensed repair facility confirmed that the abs control module was never programmed with required vehicle configuration data and would not accept programming attempts. The module is internally corrupted and requires replacement. The loose brake line was tightened by the independent shop. Multiple abs and communication fault codes were present, and warning lights remained illuminated. The braking system was compromised and the vehicle was not safe to operate due to risk of brake failure and loss of abs function. The condition was confirmed by an independent service center.

While traveling down the road - not turning or braking - several alerts and alarms started flashing on the driver dashboard on my 2025 Explorer. At this time, I completely lost the ability to slow the car down. The digital emergency brake made no changes to the braking ability. I was able to eventually able to get the vehicle to slow down by engine torquing and turning. I reached out to my local dealership where I purchased the vehicle, and they told me to call Ford roadside assistance immediately. They contracted a local towing agency, and they promptly towed the vehicle to that dealership. I was able to take a movie of the incident.

When starting my vehicle the parking brake alarm is going off stating that my parking brake is engaged which it is not once I drive about a mile or 2 the alarm goes off but everytime I restart my vehicle he resets the process.

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 🔎.

Three times in 5 months since purchasing our 2025 Ford Explorer, all dash lights will come on while driving and vehicle will come to a stop. Braking pressure is reduced greatly and then vehicle will not continue in forward or reverse. Multiple restart attempts will allow the vehicle to move under 5 mph but will brake hard to a stop if it goes over 5mph. Two different dealerships have inspected and preformed the same software updates Ford is recommending and its not fixing the issue. Ford is refusing to do anything about it at this time because they claim the software update is as far as they are allowed to go in diagnoses. I have a Ford case #xxx.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving, the brake was sticky on three occasions. The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed in a parking lot, she had to lift the pedal with her foot after the brake was sticking. The contact stated that it felt like the parking brake was on. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the power booster was gone. The part l1mz2005k - Ford power brake booster was backordered for a month. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who repaired the brakes, and informed the required parts were backordered for three months. The contact called the manufacturer, who confirmed the status of the parts, and there was no release date. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.