NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2014 Ford Explorer. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Back up camera goes blank with black screen
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was 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 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The A pillar molding flew off the passenger side of my car while traveling down the interstate.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s side A-pillar trim on the windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the A-pillar trim had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 109,101.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 the A-pillar trim had detached. 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 approximately 115,000.
PTU failure, due to no maintenance service recommended for PTU, PTU failure has been a ongoing issue due to the position of the PTU,location of changing fluid and no mileage recommended for regular service or recommended regular service in the owners manual
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
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.
Power Steering stopped working. Error messages shown are "Power Steering Assist Fault" and "Service AdvanceTrac"
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. 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 had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred while taking a minor child to school. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with an electric power steering assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was driven to the residence. While driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with steering gear assembly failure. The dealer retrieved DTC: U201149, U300049, and U30096. The contact was informed that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts had been ordered. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The contact also referenced a Technical Service Bulletin for the failure; however, the age of the vehicle and the mileage limitation had been exceeded. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.
On January 8, 2026, my 2014 Ford Explorer (VIN: [XXX] ) caught fire without warning. The vehicle was parked in my garage prior to departure. When I pulled the vehicle out to leave, I noticed something burning on the garage floor. I briefly returned inside to extinguish that small fire, and when I turned back, the vehicle itself was on fire. I immediately moved the vehicle onto the grass away from a nearby tree to reduce the risk of further damage or spread. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire, and police were also on scene. The vehicle was effectively a total loss. There was no collision or prior accident involved. The fire appeared to originate in or around the engine compartment. The vehicle was properly maintained, and to the best of my knowledge, no unauthorized modifications were made. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the camera image showed a reversed image, and there were lines through the camera screen, and occasionally the camera was off. The contact stated that the image was distorted, so the contact covered up the camera. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The water pump is having issues with going out after the first cold snap of the year. This car was just purchased by us back in March of 2025. The car was inspected by the dealership prior to purchase as well as our personal mechanic. After further research this is a known issue especially in 2011-2020 models with economists engines. There have been class action lawsuits regarding this as well.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000(Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the windshield exterior A-Pillar trim detached from the vehicle, causing other drivers to swerve to avoid colliding with the detached trim. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 190,000.
Exterior A-Pillar Appliqué Trim Clip Attachments Mfr recall # 24S02 NHTSA recall # 24V031 Remedy has been unavailable @local Ford dealership too long and gave been told it’s not available to them. Approximate date given for incident occurrence is not remembered and date entered is inaccurate)
See attached document for complaint. I am writing to report that I have tried several times to have my 2014 Ford Explorer repaired for safety recall 24S02/NHTSA recall 24V031. I was told that no one had the parts for the repair. I live in Clermont, Florida, and I have contacted that Ford location multiple times along with other Ford dealers in the central Florida area. How can I get my Ford repaired?
Engine over heat warning while driving and I checked there is a coolant leakage.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Backup camera displays opposite. Power driver seat doesn’t lower making it difficult to reach the pedals
Backup camera screen does one of the following when put in reverse Screen turns black or freezes or Turns blue when car is put in reverse. This happens daily many, many times. If I turn off the car for approximately 5 minutes it may clear up and then happen again within 30 seconds. This is a safety hazard and will cause an accident or fatality.
Steering gear failure and faulty eps module. Second event. The full assembly and eps failed, and fatal crash was avoided.
Loss of steering. Driving down the road the my completely locks up while in drive. Was told it was faulty rack and pinions.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on both sides of the windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 failure. The approximate failure mileage was 300,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the driver's side A-pillar and the passenger's side A-pillar trims had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while it rained, water entered inside the vehicle. The dashboard, the carpet, and the dome light were wet. The contact stated that water dripped down into the console area. The contact believed that the water entered through the dome light. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. 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 failure mileage was unknown.
1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Electronic Steering Gear failed causing the steering to "stick" at certain points of steering, and causing a loud rubbing noise. The steering is also more "loose" and feels insecure. Yes it is available for inspection. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The failure of the electronic steering gear can cause unexpected failure of steering ability while operating the vehicle. This could cause a severe accident going any speed, but especially if I were on the highway. A crash due to loss of steering ability could kill me, my family, and others on the road. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, my local Ford dealership has confirmed the issue and stated that they won't repair it because it isn't part of any open recall, even though there was a major recall (14S06/NHTSA 14V-286) opened for the prior model year of my vehicle. Ford should have included 2014 in that recall since the issues persists in 2014 models and is evident by the other 200+ Technical Service Bulletins posted by Ford. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It's been inspected by my local Ford dealership. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lamps or messages. I noticed the issue after picking the vehicle up from the Ford dealership. They didn't notice the issue until I reported it to them, meaning they missed it during their maintenance inspections and check-up. I noticed the issue on September 21, 2025.
Engine stopped working I wanna know if there is a warranty
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the passenger's side windshield exterior A-Pillar trim separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the dealer confirmed that the part needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 245,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, the rear-view camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the image displayed on the screen was inverted, making it difficult to safely maneuver the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for further assistance. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side A-Pillar trim detached, and a part of the front driver’s side A-pillar trim was still attached. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The rear back uo camera. The camera will randomly flip the screen when backing up & lose the lines or the screen goes black and nothing appears. It has not been confirmed byxa dealership yet. There were no warnings. There has been a recall for the 2015 explorer and up. Can the 2014 explorer be added to the recall aswell?
My uncle has a 2015 Ford Explorer and he received recall 25V695 for the rear camera issues blurry/ wavy and going completely black and not being useful. Almost have backed into a few things when it goes out in the middle of reverse. I believe this is a huge safety concern and my vehicle should be added to the list of affected. Not that they are going to do anything, I took mine in a year ago for the A=pillar trim flying off and they said they still don't have parts that I could either just park it or take the trim off and drive around that way. smh. Can you please help so I can feel more safe when I back up?
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.
side-to-side reversed image on a 2014 Ford Explorer's backup camera
The back up camera blackouts every so often. Backing out of a parking spot then the screen blacked out and almost hit a person that walked behind the vehicle. No, it hasn’t been inspected but there is a recall on backup cameras from Ford, on several different models from 2015 to 2023 which my 2014 explorer is experiencing. No warning at all. It just started to blackout. It started couple months ago.
PTU (transfer case) failure during a drive when I was making a safe left turn across traffic and the car quit moving forward with oncoming traffic inbound. Mazda has recalled this part but ford has not. There are so many failures the part is out of stock for months. The ptu design was set up for failure as a non serviceable part
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after routine maintenance at a local independent mechanic, the second-row seat belt warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact attempted to buckle the rear second-row driver’s side passenger’s seat belt; however, the warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same independent mechanic, where the vehicle was diagnosed and DTC: B141B-13; was retrieved. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the Customer Satisfaction Program: 21B11; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.
See attached document for complaint I am sending you a copy of a letter I sent to the Ford Motor Company over my lack of satisfaction over safety recalls on my 2014 Ford Explorer with the local Ford Dealership as well as the Ford Motor Company. I have attached a copy of the letter I sent to Ford Corporate concerning two (2) recalls on my vehicle that seem to be totally ignored by Ford. I know that it is the responsibility of the NTSB to monitor and regulate the safety of the traveling public within the United States. To this end, I feel that Ford needs to be looked at concerning its lack of safety concern based on my experiences. Although, I was contacted over 18 months ago about a safety recall on my Ford Explorer by Ford Corporate, my repeated calls to the dealership and to Ford Corporate have fallen on deaf ears. No one at Ford seems to care. I would appreciate any assistance the NTSB can render on this issue on my behalf.
Lose of controlled of the Steering will driving
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70-72 MPH, the contact heard a loud snapping sound and saw an object go by on the outside of the vehicle. After pulling over to the side of the road, the contact became aware that the trim around the windshield on the passenger’s side had detached. The trim on the driver's side of the windshield had started to deteriorate. The windshield was currently secured with tape. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, and it was confirmed that the parts that had detached were the same parts that were under recall. The dealer informed the contact that the parts had been ordered, but could not confirm when the parts would be available. The contact was unable to reach the manufacturer. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that after a routine front windshield replacement, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side A-Pillar trim detached. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic and was repaired out-of-pocket. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the driver’s side of the windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 failure. The approximate failure mileage was 141,000.
Both the driver side and passenger side exterior a-pillar applique molding came while driving down the highway and almost caused an accident. This has happened twice because FORD says they can't fix it because they don't have the parts. Anyone can get the parts online that are after market but that does not fix the issue. I did buy the after market ones and those came off on the interstate and almost hit a motorcycle driver. This has been going on Since January of 2024 and FORD is not doing anything about it. You are unable to call FORD, email FORD, and no one will escalate this. Now it has become even more of a safety issues because my rubber seals for my windshield are wearing and tearing off at a fast pace. It is causing more damage that FORD will not be responsible for fixing. Why do safety recalls not get fixed and are not forced to be fixed? Safety recall and no one cares to get it fixed.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000( STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 had not experienced a failure.
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.
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at 65 MPH, the power steering assist feature was disabled, and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The messages "Service Advance-trac" and "Steering Loss - Stop Safely" were displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 131,590.
The back up camera turns black when the car is in reverse. Other times the screen has red, yellow, green horizontal stripes displayed which make the screen hard to see any objects behind me. This is the same problem ford has experienced with other explorer models and there is an activr recall for those models. My car is a 2014 model and is experiencing the same problems.
electric power steering failure while driving