2016 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

The steering on my Explorer has seized up making it very dangerous to drive because you can not hardly get the steering wheel to turn.

I have an airbag light on as well as the 2nd row inflatable seatbelt has stopped working. I took it into the dealership and they said it was generating codes B141B and B141C. Ford issued a Customer satisfaction program 21B11 specifically to fix this problem in 2022 but it expired less than a year later. Now my air bag and my seatbelt don't work. Ford knows about the safety defect and their dealers are charging people to fix it ($2400 in this case) rather than stand behind the safety of their product and do the right thing. This is clearly a safety issue that Ford should be addressing yet they are trying to slide by and get their customers to pay for it. The car only has 49,000 miles on it.

When it rain outside, my passenger side floor has a puddle of rainwater. This happened at least 4 times over the life of my vehicle.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The manufacturer was not contacted about the unrepaired recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure.

While driving in the freeway a loud noise came from the outside of the car, I was concerned but no way to pull over safely, the noise was getting louder and thats when I was the pillar of driver side swinging all over the windshield, I was able to lower the window and grab it. I hate to think how much damage it would have caused if it hit a car, this is the second time this has happen now I'm missing both pillars from the front windshield and dealership has no solution.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the B-pillar trim on the driver’s side door started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer sent a technician to the residence and determined that the A-pillar and B-pillar trims had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not 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 105,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear glass unexpectedly shattered. There was no impact on the windshield to cause it to shatter. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Vehicle equipped with red and blue emergency lights, excessive auxiliary lights prohibited by law, facilitates color of law violations, poses a risk to general public regarding harassment, impersonation of police officer, seller has actual knowledge, strictly liable upon a purchase agreement with buyer, and can be liable for crimes committed by others as a coconspirator.

Vehicle equipped with operational red and blue emergency lights prohibited by law, facilitates criminal activity such as impersonation of a police officer, civil regulatory laws regarding excess auxiliary lights, etc. Seller has actual knowledge and can be liable under color of law upon a purchase agreement with a buyer. Vehicle has open recalls and unresolved mechanical/electrical maintenance.

This is the 3rd time I've notified NHTSA about this concern. The remedy for this "safety recall" is still unavaiable. This recall is for the 'B Pillar' appliques; however, as I mentioned in my previous concerns/complaints to NHTSA the 'A Pillar' applique on the driver's side of my 2016 Explorer was loose and I was afraid that it would blow off. Well, on April 2, 2026 while driving on I-75 that applique broke loose and flew off at 75 mph smacking against the side of my vehicle and narrowly missing the vehicle travleing behind me. What has (is?) NHTSA going to do about this hazardous -safety issue?

The contact owns a 2016 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, but the vehicle was not repaired. 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 an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim detached. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 125,516.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the vehicle. The following day the contact became aware that the A-pillar trim on the driver's side had blown off the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on a significantly windy day, the passenger's side exterior B-pillar trim separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the recall repair could not be completed because the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not 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 failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

Roof rail on passenger side flew off. Clips were broken but some clips still in place. This part is in a recall for other 2016 Explorers but was excluded on models with the chrome roof rail. The rail is the same plastic as the recalled vehicles and should have been included. See Ford 21S22 / 20N11. The chrome is not structural. The drivers side will eventually detach too as it is loose. It will fly off at some point. I already had silicone on the rail and it does not hold. These should be recalled as the plastic is the same as the rails that were included in the recall.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was 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.

Driving down the NJ Turnpike the dashboard started displaying lane assist no longer available along with a check engine light. Once stopped the front of the car had been burned with parts of the bumper melted. No visible fire at that time. Had the vehicle towed to Holman Ford. They assessed the damage to the Explorer and it was determined that the front facing camera had shorted causing an electrical fire that damaged the camera and front bumper writing harness along with the engine wiring harnesses. The car has been deemed a total loss due to the fire. The vehicle on has 67000 miles on it to date.

When acceleration hot air blows through dashboard fogging front driver windows. Weather strips in doors are coming apart.

Transmission was rebuilt by Asheville Ford three years ago we’d only put 40,000 miles on it and now it needs a new transmission. We did bring it to another Ford and they had to reseal the casing saying the original sealant wasn’t done right

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted several times. 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 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign: 21V316000 (Structure); however, parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for several other recall repairs. The vehicle was not yet repaired under NHTSA Campaign: 21V316000 (Structure); because parts were not available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the rain, water leaked inside the vehicle. There was water accumulating on the floor on the driver’s and the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The contact was unsure of where the water was entering the vehicle. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 60 MPH, the driver's side A-pillar trim and the passenger's side A-pillar trim had detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was unsure if the water was entering from the A-pillar trim. 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 unknown.

Opened driver door to exit vehicle and heard a loud POP! Noticed rear window had exploded. Glass flew outside behind vehicle and continued to fall in rear of vehicle. Defrost was not in use. It was single digit temp out.

The transmission shifts with a harsh jerk for no apparent reason and is an intermittent not constant problem. Also when stopped at an intersection refuses to engage to power the vehicle forward for a short time 5+ second time period.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the driver's side roof rack cover panel ejected from the vehicle and made contact with a second vehicle. The driver of the second vehicle swerved to avoid the airborne projectile and crashed into a third vehicle. During the incident, no damage to the vehicles or injuries to the occupants in either vehicle were reported. No police report was taken. The local dealer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V316000(STRUCTURER). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the same failure listed in the recall. Also, the front driver's door exterior A-Pillar Trim had detached and was snapped back into position, and both the driver side and passenger side exterior B-Pillar Trim had come loose. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 70,000.

2016 FORD Explorer EXTERIOR A-PILLAR & B-PILLAR APPLIQUE TRIM CLIP THIS MAY RESULT IN THE B-PILLAR TRIM APPLIQUES DETACHING WHILE DRIVING. A B-PILLAR TRIM APPLIQUE THAT DETACHES WHILE DRIVING CAN CREATE A ROAD HAZARD FOR OTHER VEHICLES, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH. The problem been confirmed by a Ford dealer The vehicle has been inspected by the Ford Dealership with no resolutions available!!!!?? No warnings at all before purchase of the family vehicle.

Smoke coming from engine bay area. Vehicle in limp mode. Mechanic says piston broke a hole in engine wall.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's and passenger's side A-pillar trims detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that parts for the recall repair had not been available for a year. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side exterior B-pillar trim detached and flew off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not available to repair the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer after receiving notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (Structure). The contact was informed that the dealer would call whenever parts became available. The dealer was recently contacted, and the contact was informed that some parts were received in September; however, there were currently no parts in stock. The contact had also received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 240V031000 (Structure); however, the parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

While driving the crankcase sensor malfunctioned and caused my vehicle to stall without warning, this is a safety issue because of you are driving at highway speeds this will prevent the vehicle from being controlled properly to get to the side of the road. This sensor does not give any engine codes suggesting that it needs replaced until it goes out completely. The check engine light did not come on until after the component failed. I ordered a new part directly through Ford and even they said "yes that part will go out without any warning at all and will shut the engine down completely". When this sensor went out, it also caused pressure to build up in the engine which in turn has led to several other components that now need to be replaced. I have a had a mechanic look at it, and it now requires a turbo intake hose and a new turbo because the pressure that was built up in the engine due to the crankcase sensor going out burst the turbo intake hose and prevented the turbo from working correctly. It's approximately $4,000 in repairs due to a $150 part going out.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was inspected, and the contact was informed that the recall repair was needed; however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the dealer was permanently closed. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, Larry H. Miller Ford Lakewood (11595 W 6th Ave, Lakewood, CO 80215); for the recall repair; however, the contact was made aware that the first dealer had marked the recall as complete, and there would be a charge for the repair. The driver's side A-pillar trim was replaced at the owner’s expense. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, but the contact was informed that the first dealer was paid after marking the recall as complete, and no further assistance would be provided. The failure mileage was approximately 41,537.

Recall ford # 21S22 roof rack cap. I called ford and reported that the roof rack cap has broken off. They stated that recall for my vehicle has been completed and closed. If the issue is still happening after the recall has been established even if it has been repaired, why is it still not covered under the recall. The repairs made to correct it were obviously not adequate.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's side B-Pillar trim detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the part was not available to repair the vehicle. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (Structure) and 24V031000 (Structure); however, parts were not yet available for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, air was entering through the front driver’s and passenger’s side A-pillar trims. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the sealant on the driver’s and passenger’s side A-pillar trims was deteriorating. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side B-pillar trims partially detached and struck the rear driver’s side window and then flew off onto the road. The local dealer was contacted; however, the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the passenger's side B-pillar detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the driver's side B-pillar trim became loose. 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 146,721.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the passenger’s side trim panel separated from the vehicle. 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 vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 91,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim was flapping while driving. The contact stated that the windshield exterior A-pillar trims were loose. The contact used glue on the passenger's side A-pillar trim, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer, where glue was applied to the driver's side A-pillar trim. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 97,000.

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.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim 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 the part was still unavailable. The contact stated that the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim had become loosened. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 171,992.

The windshield trim on my car is missing. There is a recall on this but there is no remedy yet. With this not being fixed it is causing a safety issue with our car as well as allowing our car to flood inside when it rains. I have contacted Ford and they told me unfortunately there was nothing they could do at this time.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure). However, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that all the door trims were loose. In addition, there was an abnormal sound coming from the doors while they were closed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with loosened bolts on the doors. The independent mechanic tightened the bolts. However, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the driver's side A-pillar trim was loose. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 failure mileage was approximately 220,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and occupied, while attempting to open the driver’s side door with the door handle, the door failed to respond as needed. However, when the button was pushed to unlock the vehicle, the door responded as intended. The contact stated that the driver’s side window failed to operate as needed. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,331.

See attached document for complaint. Recall Notices 25S53, 21B11, 21N01, 24S02 Nothing I can do about the attached recall notice Prior ownership/staff cancelled both appointments when I showed up 15 minutes prior to appointment. A mailer brochure & email for at home visit “new service” 2023 was not actually honored. I want the recall honored — two notices have no manufactured parts yet and for all four the work description, none are more than 30 minutes work for any of the four per the scheduler. So none are worth drop off the car for a day. In addition, there are four open recall(s) on the car, only two can be handled now, according to Service Department which means I might face another all-day appointment or perhaps a 3rd. Really no guidance here. Why don’t you just stop the urgent alerts (attached) and let me know when you can do all four recalls ready which could take up to an hour or 2 hours, we can then schedule something. Along with these emails, if you cannot accept a reply, do not create an email to me. Just simple business etiquette, mail/mail reply, call/call‑reply, email/email reply, text/text reply. I drive ~10 miles per week with a 2x year road trip of 1,500 miles each so I really do not see anything urgent here. I keep up on the maintenance and have less than 71,000 miles the past 10 years.

Backup camera is cloudy/foggy. Brought it to ford service department attention in regards to Issue Date 2022-08-26 Campaign 22S51/22V644 Per Fullerton Ford, they would not participate. I feel this is a visability issue when backing up and would like Ford to also consider 2016 ford Explorer in this recall since it is a safety issue

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving approximately 60-65 MPH on a four-lane highway, there was an abnormal cracking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim had detached from the vehicle. The driver was able to pull over safely. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 167,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the driver’s side windshield began to detach. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact was placed on a waiting list for the recall repair once parts became available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact expressed concerns that the passenger’s side A-pillar trim had started loosening, which might cause a safety hazard. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 176,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his grandmother was driving and decelerating, the rear passenger’s side suspension suddenly failed, rendering the vehicle undrivable. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who determined that the rear passenger’s side tow link had failed and that both the rear passenger’s side and driver’s side tow links needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that the vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (SUSPENSION). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 143,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V347000 (Structure) and 24V031000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not 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 issue. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim and B-pillar trim had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2016 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.

The contact owns a 2016 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 had received the notification 2 years prior. The contact stated that while driving approximately 75 MPH on the highway, the A-pillar trim clip detached on the passenger’s side of the vehicle. The A-pillar trim struck the vehicle behind, but had not cause any damage to the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the replacement part was still not available. The manufacturer was not notified 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 155,000.

The rear camera is compromised because water gets inside and is blocking the view of the camera. You are unable to use the rear backup camera because the view is completely blocked or blurred by the water or moisture that is able to get in.