2016 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

Rack and pinion steering assembly failed. Had to replace epas gear assembly and pmi module.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the exterior A-pillar trim detached. No warning light was illuminated. 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 notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. 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 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 stated that while attempting to shift the gear shifter into park(P), the transmission failed to shift as needed. The contact stated that the transmission would only shift into reverse(R). An independent mechanic flipped an unknown switch, and the contact was able to drive her vehicle to her residence; however, when the contact attempted to shift the transmission into park(P), the transmission would only shift into reverse(R). The contact's son flipped the switch, and the contact was able to shift the transmission into park(P). Additionally, the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000.

The gear will not go into Park. I put the gear in Park and the car started to roll. I looked at the dashboard and it said it was in Reverse. With the car in the Reverse position, it will not start.

The window trim/window pillars keep flying off on the interstate/highway!!! I’ve replaced them multiple times and yet continue to fly off !!!! PLEASE RECALL AND REPLACE THESE ON THE EXPLORERS ITS SAD !!!!

The drivers side trim piece that runs vertically on the edge of the windshield and holds the rubber gasket in place came loose at the top and allowed the rubber gasket to flap around and hit the window, trim, and windshield. I was on the highway for a relatively short distance so it didn't come off completely. If it had flown off the car it could have caused an accident or hit someone else's vehicle causing damage. I am assuming there is some type of clip or screw? that has come off allowing the trim piece to come loose at the top. I have notified the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. They have not responded yet. I have not contacted anyone else about the incident.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started jerking while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was later informed that the water pump was defective, and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 58,900.

We were driving on the freeway and out of nowhere, the trim next to the windshield completely flew off on the passenger side of the car and then the driver side trim broke in half.

All of the moulding, seals & rubber windshield trim/gasket around the windshield has failed. It has cracked, broken off and much is now missing off the vehicle. Now when I drive the vehicle it makes scary noises due to the cracked/missing moulding/seals. This has created some scary driving situations that almost caused accidents while on highways. Now I worry my windshield will leak and damage the interior. This does not seem to be something that should be happening to my Ford Explorer and why isn't this a recall issue.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a grinding and squeaking sound coming from the steering column. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the noise was due to a faulty steering rack and pinion. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 40,000.

The windshield trim on right side of the car is coming ungluded. Now weather strip is flapping all over the place damaging my passenger window and mirror. I am now noticing trim is coming unglued on drivers side door. I already replaced the passenger door trim a few years back. Please help us consumers by demanding that Ford issue this recall. It is clear this is a defect in their vehicles.

Coolant, water pump, and timing chamber. Last year I had it replaced for $1,800 not knowing this is a common issue for the make and model. Never received any info concerning a recall about this issue or other recalled issues. In 1yr the water pump has malfunctioned again causing the engine to overheat and oil leakage.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached. The contact stated that the dealer had previously replaced the passenger's side A-pillar trim. The contact later 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 a second dealer, Jim Tidwell Ford (2205 Barrett Lakes Blvd, Kennesaw, GA 30144), 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 but provided no assistance with reimbursement for the replacement of the passenger's side A-pillar trim. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. 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 not yet available. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the driver's side and passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trims were missing from the windshield. The contact also stated that condensation had entered the vehicle through the defective passenger's side and driver's side doors exterior B-pillar trims on rainy days. 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 failures. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while inspecting the vehicle, fluid was discovered dripping from the subframe. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that engine coolant had leaked from the vehicle due to a faulty water pump. The contact was advised that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 142,000.

The windshield cowl is separated from the body of the car and could break apart and hit a car

My Ford Explorer 2016 windshield outer trim fell off while driving causing major danger on the highway.

Driving highway speed, top part of driver's side B pillar trim (key entry pad) broke off. This required emergency pullover to try and secure remaining bottom part of the pillar that was attached with keypad wiring. Unable to secure, I continued travel on service road at slow rate of speed and secured with duct tape later for my drive home. Since Ford refused assistance for first incident (11543574 passenger side A pillar trim) I did not report this incident. Self-repaired later. Additional complaint filed 11543575 for passenger side B pillar trim.

Steering wheel started to make noises and becoming stiff when turning left or right. No warning or indicator lights are showing. Next day Steering wheel was locked & wouldn't move. Ford dealership serviced the vehicle & said it was the lower steering shaft. I paid to have it fixed. Then the dealership said the steering rack needs replaced & there was no way of knowing it until the lower steering shaft was replaced. The steering rack was recalled on other 2016 Ford Explorers & I don't understand why it wasn't recalled on mine since it's having the same symptoms. Ford said I'll know when to replace it because the power steering will go out. There's no way this car is safe to drive. Let alone to be advised to drive it until the power steering goes out.

My Explorer engine blew a head gasket while I was driving and I had to maneuver quite a bit to avoid having multiple accidents. I had it towed to a shop and they said the engine was bad and caused by a known problem with Ford Ecoboost engines.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Escape. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's side windshield trim detached and flew off the vehicle. Additionally, the windshield rubber gasket was flapping while driving, and the contact removed the rubber gasket from the windshield. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the windshield trim clips had fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

While driving/turning vehicle becomes hard to steer as if power steering is failing. It will tighten up and loosen consistently. Most noticeable when turning or shifting lanes. Started out being occasional then increased within a couple weeks. On occasion, there is a faint winding noise coming from the steering column. No noises noticeable from the outside as of yet. Mechanics can not figure out the issue. No codes or visible failures.

Window trim pieces detached while driving on the highway, hitting window hard and then flying back into traffic. This is the 2nd piece of trim that has detached while on the highway. First piece was on further back on side.

The rack and pinion has gone up with only 60,000 miles on the car. Steering control was lost The problem has been confirmed by the dealer No warning lights went on the steering wheel started grinding and steering control was limited.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in for a routine oil change, the mechanic discovered that fluid was leaking from the water pump. No further information was available. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

The waterpump of the vehicle causes excessive leaking which causes the vehicle to overheat.

A piece of the windsheild pillar trim flew off at highway speed on the passenger side

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing the vehicle, the back over prevention camera malfunctioned and failed to display an image. The contact stated that the message "rear camera not available" was displayed. Additionally, the contact stated that the front driver’s side and passenger’s side window trim molding became unsecured and might detach from the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 89,320.

While traveling at highway speed on Interstate 20 W in Texas, the right A-pillar molding detached and flew off. There were no indications of the part beginning to loosen prior to detaching. I have not taken the vehicle to the dealer as it is out of warranty.

Coolant leaking, could be water pump issues? Also foul order inside vehicle. I just bought this so I don't know when these problems started. I have not taken it to a shop yet

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 50 MPH, there was a loud grinding sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the timing chain needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,000.

I was driving my vehicle only a month after getting oil change and service. I was confident my vehicle was in good condition as it had passed the inspection. I suddenly noticed the temperature needle was rising. I immediately pulled over and asked for help and was told i needed water. My water pump was not working.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle decelerated independently without warning. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and examine the vehicle. The contact became aware that oil was leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. On another occasion while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over on the side of the road. The contact examined under the hood and saw smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the contact was informed that the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and provided some assistance with the repair cost and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V183000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the passenger’s side air bag wiring harness was faulty. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

I’ve had two instances of the windshield moulding becoming detached and flying off the car while on the highway. The first was a couple of years ago and involved the right side windshield moulding, this last one involved the left side windshield moulding. Each time I can’t be sure that the moulding didn’t fly into another car because it came off with such force, it actually scratched my car when it flew off. This is the second time I’ve had to pay over $300 to get the moulding replaced because of what I feel are faulty clips that hold it on. This poses a safety hazard to not only me (distraction when it comes off while on the highway) as well as other drivers around me. I feel this needs to be a recall issue and, if owners have paid to have said repairs already done, a reimbursement made for the repairs done to date. As an added note, I was at my grandson’s baseball game Friday night and there were three explorers in the parking lot, I ring mine. ALL THREE were missing one side of their windshield mouldings!!

19April2023 at approximately 13:30 HRS, While traveling northbound highway 65 between Cullman and Hartselle Alabama, the right side windshield moulding detached while traveling approximately 70 MPH. The detached moulding flew rearward into traffic behind me. Upon inspection, it appears the piece is held in place by a single clip and a small strip of hook and loop tape. There were no warnings prior to the piece detaching itself from the vehicle

I was traveling on I 95 at around 55 to 60 mph when all of a sudden, the plastic trim on the side of the windshield the passenger side flew off cracked and started dangling over my passenger side window and mirror. The piece blocked my view of my mirror while I was traveling in the left lane approaching a left exit. I had to pull to the left shoulder because I was blinded by the piece on my right and could not see if the lanes were clear for me to go right. I put my hazards on and had to get out on I-95 and remove the hanging trim so I could see through my passenger mirror again. The piece probably would have become a flying object at highway speed endangering any motorist behind or beside me.

Took 2016 Ford Explorer in for an oil change. Was informed that there is an Engine Water Pump leak and needs replacement. There were no warning lights or notifications. Concerns are a malfunction of only vehicle available to me and my family.

Right windshield trim panel flew off on the ighway.

The windshield trim blew off while driving on the Highway. Happened so fast I couldn’t tell if it blew into the ditch or what happened to it. Could have easily hit a vehicle behind me and cause an accident. Very distracting for the driver as well. I almost veered into other lane with oncoming traffic with how loud and surprising it was.

After turning left at a stop sign I lost the ability to turn the wheels right. The steering wheel turns all the way to the right however the wheels stop in the straight position. I am however able to turn the all the way to the left.

2016 Ford Explorer transmission failure while traveling at highway speeds, with less than 52,000 miles. Engine RPMs ramped up quickly and to unsafe levels as vehicle seemed to drop to a low gear, which then impacted vehicle speed and necessitate maneuvering multiple lanes of traffic to pull over to shoulder of road. Then had to limp along at very low speed to exit highway. Later testing at dealership generated two error codes, and suggested fix after initial diagnosis was tranny replacement, except the replacement tranny is on indefinite backorder through Ford. How issue will be addressed/corrected is still to be determined. A package of "kits" was best dealership could offer. There was no prior indication of an issue, no warning lights or other symptoms prior to failure.

The vehicle became very difficult to steer while on the freeway and then the steering system completely failed. I was able to safely get off the freeway, but I was lucky. This could have been devastating. There were no warning lights until the system shut down. The system issues match exactly the complaints of those who experienced issues with the rear toe link. I live in California, in the Sierra Nevadas in an area with high snow and brine (corrosive) used daily in the winter. The recall is not showing in my area because Ford has deemed all of California as a non corrosive area. This is an extremely dangerous, recognized safety issue which I was not given notice of the recall because Ford mis-catergorized all of California as a non-snow area.

Pillar Trim piece next to windshield on the passenger side flew off my car while driving the speed limit of 70 MPH on I-95 in Florida. The part flew off and hit the trailer of a tractor trailer in the neighboring lane. No one was hurt, but it's ridiculous that a trim piece that displayed no signs of damage would just fly off of the vehicle.

While I was driving on the highway at about 65 mph the passenger side plastic piece that runs from the top of the windshield to the bottom of the windshield flew off suddenly. This piece was large and had it hit the driver behind me could have caused serious damage. This has not been confirmed by a dealer yet. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone yet. There was no warning that it was about to come off the vehicle, it happened instantly.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became firm. The contact stated that extra effort was needed while steering the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the power steering system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Driving on [XXX] when the engine began smoking (fogging) and I was unable to see. I stopped and could not go any further. Two cars nearly hit me. It took 10 minutes or longer for the car to cool down and the computer to allow me to move the vehicle 20' to get off the busiest street in Alabama. The car has 106,000 miles on it and the Ecoboost engine is blown. Ford refuses to do anything about it. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

See attached document for complaint.

right side trim of windshield broke off while driving on highway this past weekend. 2APR2023. we heard a crack and then saw the trim flying behind us and then landing in middle of the road. lucky traffic was light and no one was directly behind us. the rubber weather stripping then wrapped around the side mirror which we had to physically remove.