NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 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
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the windshield trim was detaching on the driver’s and passenger’s side windshield. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 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 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000(Structure); however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. No further information was 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the B-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issues. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 contact stated that the passenger's side exterior 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 140,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 contact stated that the exterior A-pillar trim had detached. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to remove the A-pillar and B-pillar from the vehicle while confirming that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure for the A and B-pillar trims to be removed. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 unavailable. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the A-pillar trim started detaching, causing the rubber to detach. The contact temporarily repaired the vehicle using glue. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that there were no parts yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts to do 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 issue and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The contact had replaced the A-pillar trim previously. The contact stated that recently the B-pillar trim on the passenger’s side had blown off, and the driver's side B-pillar trim was loosened at the top. The contact was not aware when the passenger’s side B-pillar trim had detached. The contact stated that water was intruding through the driver's side trim and was causing the door entry keypad to short circuit. The contact stated that additionally the 12-Volt battery had drained. The contact stated that after rainy weather the contact needed to jumpstart the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
My B-pillar trim flew off while I was driving down the road. We received a recall letter and got in contact with the Ford dealership where I live. They came out to asses the vehicle and said they would call me when they received the part to be replaced. I have been waiting at least a year for it to be fixed. I have called several times but they keep telling me the part is on back order and they will call me when it comes in.
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar and B-pillar trim pieces became loosened and nearly detached from the vehicle. 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. 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 approximately 83,000.
The cowling where the windshield wipers are attached is falling apart this caused the pillar molding bracket to blow off on I-95 may have struck another vehicle. The ford dealer estimated it would cost $1223.72 to repair.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE). The local dealer was contacted; however, the contact was informed that parts for the recall repair were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about parts not being available for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. 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 failure mileage was unknown.
Water pump is leaking and needs to replace.
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 while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the front driver and front passenger side A-pillar trims detached. The contact was able to retrieve both A-pillar trims and temporarily replaced the trims with adhesive. Additionally, during rainy weather, rainwater was leaking through the front windshield into the interior of the vehicle. The local dealer was 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 made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I am writing to you as I just read an article about my Explorer being recalled for a different issue, pieces of trim flying off (which happened to us several years ago). I took to the dealership then, they replaced and it immediately cracked again. They were blaming my door as being off and causing the damage. I took to a repair shop (non-Ford) to look at and they told me that they had seen this alot and Ford knew there was a problem and it wasn't my door. It made me extremely upset as it almost caused an accident while we were on the freeway. This complaint is for a completely different safety issue and is recent. I am mentioning the above incident as my car this time was taken to a different repair shop. Their response was very similar to the above repair shop that Ford knows there is a problem as the part is on a national backorder. After a recent snowstorm, my husband went to drive his car to work. The storm had passed, but roads were still dangerous. As he was pulling out of the garage, multiple alarms showed up on the dashboard. "Hill Start Assist Not Available", Service AdvanceTrac, "Steering Assist Fault Service Required". He didn't fully know what any of these meant and had just driven the car the day before with no issues. As soon as he pulled out on the roads, he realized the power steering was out. He is lucky that he didn't crash as the roads were still icy and snow covered. Up until these alarms, there was NO warning. What if it happened while in the middle of driving? I drive that car every day w my kids and my husband took it that Sunday as it is better in snow. I can't even imagine what would have happened if I was driving as there is NO WAY I could have steered that car. Somehow we got the last replacement part (repair was over $3000!) and I only have 68,000 miles on my car. How can a part that is on an older Ford be on national backorder if there isn't a major problem! The rack and pinion w computer module was replaced.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the A-pillar and B-pillar trims detached from the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was a loud popping sound coming from the driver's side window trim panel detaching from the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 112,000.
Today while driving on the highway, the windshield trim flew off at a high rate of speed. I am unsure as to which direction it went. The components that were holding it together have also cracked which worries me that it too will fly off. This is the second time that this has happened. We are now without any windshield trim on both sides of the vehicle.
While driving on the interstate my transmission decided to stop working. I was not able to safely get off the interstate because this happened going up an incline. My explorer will not shift into any gear and the cost to replace the transmission is $5300. Ford stated that the recall #20B27 was completed on my car in 2020 but when I called after the transmission died they stated that my VIN was not eligible for the #20B27 recall. So, how was it completed if they are now saying the recall wasn’t for my car? My explorer is a 2016/2.3L/6F35 Transmission code/built in Chicago. Ford needs to recall and replace every transmission in these explorers. With so many complaints and transmission failures/problems I’m floored that nothing has been done to remedy this situation that many explorer owners are experiencing. Do better Ford.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger's side windshield trim detached and flew off. 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 failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Vehicle sat for a little more than a week, and battery dies has happened multiple times. I consider this a safety issue, because I cannot leave my car for longer than a week. If I go on a trip, and coming back to a dead battery in the middle of the night is clearly unsafe. Battery is 1 1/2 months old, replaced it because it kept dying after a week to one and a half weeks of sitting. Dealer confirmed, parasitic draw, but says it’s within spec and nothing they can do about it. Suggestion from dealer, was leave the car on a trickle charger. If you look on Ford Explorer groups, this is a rampant problem with the Ford Explorer dating back years.
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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side windshield exterior A-Pillar trim separated from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not inspected 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 failure mileage was approximately 130,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle and flew off. 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 not 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 failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign number: 24V031000 (Structure) and NHTSA Campaign number: 25V347000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the driver's side A-pillar detached from the vehicle. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle immediately. The vehicle then crashed into the guardrail. The contact stated that the vehicle spun around, and went across the freeway and hit the guardrail on the other side, where it came to a stop. None of the air bags deployed. The contact suffered injuries to his back that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence, and then it was towed to the dealer. The insurance company was not notified. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 50 MPH, the front passenger A-pillar trim and the back passenger B-Pillar trim were loose. The contact stated that the brackets on the front driver side seat are loose and the seat wobbles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for 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 approximately 126,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The heater on the car didn't work, It turns out the coolant was leaking that led to the water pump issue. Things started to fail on the vehicle and lights came on. It left me stranded on the highway. The car shut down on the Intestate. That was so dangerous and scary, too. Took the car to Ford for inspection and they confirmed the water pump issue. This is a very high costly repair. It turns out that Ford has been having issues with this design (and Ford is well aware of this issue) and many, many customers are having to spend thousands about thousands to fix this issue. It's a HUGE job. Aside from a very high costly matter, it's also a very dangerous matter because it makes the car unsafe to drive. There is a Class Action Suit about this (if not mistaken) and a recall in Canada but not the USA. My car is now just sitting there and inoperable. I don't have thousands to repair my vehicle (quoted $3,000-$3,700). In addition to high insurance premiums, car loan payment and high fuel costs. There are a lot of concerned and angry Ford customers. Ford needs to be responsible for their poor design that leads to the water pump failure. This is a BIG deal!! There needs to be accountability on the part of Ford for their poor design that leads to water pump failure. There needs to be a RECALL. Another apparent issue is a leaking sunroof. Both issues are happening to me. Please, help get my car safely back on the road.
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 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim had separated and flown off the vehicle. 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 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 failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 unavailable. 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 while driving approximately 35 MPH, the trim A Pillar on the driver’s side was loose and flapping in the slip stream. The contact stopped the vehicle on the side of the road and used tape to secure the trim. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Grinding/knocking noise when driving and turning front wheel either right or left. Was told need new steering gear. Only 115K miles on car. NUMEROUS complaints online from other 2016 Ford Explorer owners with SAME issue. This is a safety issue as the car is not safe to drive, yet this is my only means of transportation. No warning lights. Verified problem with Ford dealership - but part is NOT available. Now what?! THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL FROM FORD.
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. While exiting the vehicle, the contact noticed that the exterior A-pillar trim was missing. The contact stated that water was entering the vehicle through the front windshield after it rained, soaking the driver's side compartment and front passenger's side floor. Additionally, the vehicle made an abnormal slushing sound while driving. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where aftermarket A-pillar trims were installed on the vehicle to prevent the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
My vehicle has had an active recall for over a year with no parts available. The side pillar on both sides of my vehicle have flown off while driving. I paid to have the driver side replaced prior to this recall. The passenger side is broken and needs replaced. I don’t understand how a recall can last this long without any parts available or resolution. I also would like to be reimbursed for the cost of the initial repair to the driver side.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim bordering around the driver’s and passenger’s side windshield had detached. The contact used tape to secure the trim. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (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 not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
I want to escalate the recall that Ford has on my 2016 Ford Explorer A-pillars. This recall was issued on January 2024, almost 2 years ago. Is Ford going to fix these problems or not. They also have a recall for the B-Pillars from May 2025. Please advise when they are going to find a fix.
Coolant (water) pump leak, leading to replacement or eventual failure. As the pump is located internally of the engine, the effort to repair is quite extensive. This is a known issue for this engine, with previous versions under a recall. The pump location was relocated externally of the engine in future designs, further evidence of the knowledge of the issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 45 -50 MPH and attempting to merge towards the left around a curved road, the power steering was seized. The steering assistance failed and to service the steering assist warning illuminated. The contact continued to drive and the power steering self-corrected as they continued to drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the power steering assist had failed. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who replaced the power steering unit with an aftermarket part. Approximately one year later, while driving approximately 40 MPH when the failure reoccurred. The contact managed to slightly loosen the steering wheel, however, while continuing to drive, the steering wheel would continue to stiffen causing them to have to aggressively maneuver the steering wheel. The same warning lights had illuminated. After the vehicle was driven home, the steering wheel completely seized. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired a second time. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a case. The failure mileage was unknown.
The windshield Trim panel flew off at highway speed.
Complete failure of steering rack, causing the car to be completely undriveable. Poses a massive safety risk which could have resulted in injury or death had it occured at the wrong time or place.
The windshield trim on the drivers side and passenger side has come off while driving 70+ mph on the interstate. The drivers side flew off and hit my windshield. A few weeks later the passenger flew off and the car behind me had to swerve to avoid being hit by it. This is dangerous for me as the driver of the vehicle because it could have cracked my windshield while I was driving and it puts the other drivers in danger from flying objects.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH and turning to the right following a bend in the highway, the contact attempted to turn the steering wheel back to center and the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle and the steering functionality returned. The contact stated that the steering assist failed again, and the vehicle was parked at the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed but was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 184,000.
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 contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-Pillar applique trim detached from the vehicle. The contact replaced the part. 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 82,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
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 upon further inspection, the sealant on the front driver’s and front passenger’s side A-pillar trims were deteriorating. 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 not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The transmission suddenly downshifts causing rapid deceleration, if on the freeway could have caused an accident, the Ford garage could not duplicate the problem, there were no warning lights and no computer codes
Grinding banging noise when turning steering wheel driving and parked. Milage had just reached 100,000 . Contacted Ford for inspection was told my steering gear needed replaced, car not drivable. Cost almost 3000.00 to repair. At the time there was already a recall on my model for this issue but my VIN didn't match and they would not repair it cost free.
Passenger-side A-Pillar Molding Windshield Outer Trim flew off while driving on the highway.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the driver’s side front door panel became loosened due to failed adhesive exposing wiring in the door. The front door lights remained illuminated while the door was closed. The contact stated that the rear door failed to open however, the door ajar light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and tape was placed on the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the Keyless entry door panel and actuary for the rear door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 195,000.