There are 50 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2016 Ford Explorerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
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.
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.
Intermittently, the vehicle's backup camera displays a blank (black) image when the vehicle is placed in reverse. The issue resolves its self by turning the vehicle off and back on.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 150,831 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was previously documented as 161,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the keypad detached and flew off the driver’s side door. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
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 unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that water was entering the cabin of the vehicle through the A-pillar and B-pillar trims, sunroof, and doors. The contact stated that the water had started to affect various electrical systems. The contact stated that the A/C unit failed to cool as prior to the failure. Additionally, the turn signals failed to self-deactivate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was 142,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
See attached document for complaint.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to apply for a loan, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 93,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was approximately 244,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the sunroof opened independently, and an abnormal burning odor was coming from inside the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was pending a diagnostic test. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the front passenger side door was opened, and the contact noticed water on the carpet after it had rained overnight. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that on another occasion, while driving 25 MPH, during a rainstorm, the contact noticed water leaking from the front windshield. Additionally, there was water leaking from the dome light into the vehicle. The contact became aware of failures with the electrical system. However, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost for the most recent failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
The problem remedied by TSB 21B11-s2 did not occur in my vehicle while the TSB was in effect. It has now surfaced
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V435000 (SUSPENSION), 24V031000 (Structure), and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE). However, the parts to do the recall repairs for 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE) were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side A-pillar detached from the vehicle. 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 contact stated that on a separate occasion, while the vehicle was idle and the contact was dropping off her child at school, the rear passenger seat caught on fire. The contact had turned on the seat warning, and when the daughter exited the vehicle, an abnormal burnt smell was coming from the back seat. The contact then noticed smoke was emitting from the seat. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and put out the fire. The seat was damaged beyond repair, and the wires were exposed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the most recent failure. No Fire and Police reports were filed. There were no injuries sustained. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.
Rack & Pinion Went out while driving . Ford dealer said it’s on back order a lot of vehicles have done it . Had complete steering loss in the mist of driving down road. It’s electrical .
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the A/C unit became inoperable. The vehicle was driven to a dealer and an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a leak in the A/C unit. The contact was informed that the A/C unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
All of my warning notifications (911 Assist, airbag, front camera, parking assist, lane departure, lane keeping, etc.) turn on after 10 minutes of driving or turning on ac/heat. I was told by Ford dealer that the steering column control module cluster needs to be replaced and that there is a backorder for the part meaning it is unknow when the part will be available ($1450 for repair plus $175 for diagnose). I have been waiting a month already and still no update. Dealer also said that they hope it will fix the problem but no knowing until it is done.
The rear camera, mounted on the lift gate, is no longer operating correctly. At times, it will flicker off and on, camera picture 'rolls', or does not work at all (black screen with error message - "camera is no longer operational, contact the dealership"). These incidents with the camera have occurred multiple times each month over the last year. When reversing in the dark especially, this becomes a major safety issue. Currently do not see a NHTSA or Ford recall for this defect.
The water pump failed vehicle only has around 105,225 miles on it. This has been a known issue with the 3.5L Twin turbo ecoboost. The water and coolant continuously coming out happens to be on the alternator which has caused it to short out and no longer be working properly. There has not been any kind of malfunction or warning lights for any of the issues and because of the way ford designed the water pump to be inside the motor working off the timing chain it turns into what the book lists at 14-15 hours to complete. The motor has to come out taken apart to replace the water pump and with that not just one but both timing chains have to be set again which adds additional hours for the repair and of course more money to take it to a ford shop to have it fixed the rough estimate which they said did not include the labor for the timing chains being set nor the price of any of the parts needed as I have already purchased them myself so only labor for the water pump (not including timing chains) is about $4,350.00 + tax of course but they said that would increase because of the labor for the timing chains that you have no option or choice regarding having to work on them or not because of the water pump. oh and none of that includes rental fees while repaired nor the price to get and replace the alternator and labor for that. so my guess would be somewhere around $6,000 give or take to fix this disaster and Ford does not care about their known failed design and flawed water pump issues and expect someone to be able to fork out that kind of money instead of trying to help fix there issue.
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while making left and right turns on several occasions at various speeds, the parking assist warning light illuminated, and the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,312.
Stereo/ inside lights turn off randomly. Unable to know if others can see if blinkers are on or not. Has not been checked due to high out of pocket cost through dealership. No warning lights ever come on from the times the issues have occurred.
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026