2017 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

I am filing a safety defect complaint regarding my 2017 ford explorer. The B pillar has broke in half a couple of years ago and nearly struck a vehicle behind me and if the remaining trim piece detaches, it could become a serious risk of collision, injury or property damage. it states NHTSA works to prevent unsafe traveling which is why I'm writing this. I have contacted Ford customer service and dealerships multiple times with no luck of anything. I have had to continuously tape the area to door which is not ordeal nor a forever fix. The b pillar is held on by wires that are slowly breaking. The wires lead to a hole that is inside my door. the opening exposes from the outside, meaning if it rains or snows, it is getting inside the hole, into my car door. If the recall piece ever came in, my door has already experienced neglect and issues. I'm concerned this will lead to corrosion, electrical complications and additional mechanical failures. Also, if it is not taped up correctly, air blows directly into the car door, into the cabin while driving onto my feet causing extreme cold exposure and physical harm and making it hard to operate the vehicle. It's very painful and also not ideal, especially when I also have a full time job and 3 kids to worry about. I currently owe 12k still on the vehicle and want to replace it with a safer vehicle. I should not have to be miserable every single day and put me and my kids in danger and also let my vehicle deteriorate while i wait for this recall piece on top of having to pay the remaining balance of this vehicle. I respectfully request that nhtsa review this complaint and investigate before anymore physical, emotional, financially harm is done.

NHTSA Recall Number 24V031. Exterior A-pillar applique trim flew off my vehicle while driving on I-95 in Florida in May 2023. This part is on my 2017 Ford Explorer and is listed on the NHTSA safety recall, 24V031, which was initiated in 2023. I have received two recall notifications from Ford, the first saying that the parts would be available in early 2024. I brought my vehicle to my local Ford dealership in 2024 and again in 2025, and when I called to follow up in February 2026, they said that Ford is not honoring this recall and has done nothing to get the replacement parts, telling customers that if they really want the parts, they should order them from an after market parts supplier. I did that, but the after market part was inferior. So, at this point in time, I am extremely frustrated and am filing this complaint to get an official response from Ford.

August 28, 2021 I was driving on the interstate when out of nowhere the rubber moulding/trim on my passenger side came partially detached and continued to bang up my window for the remainder of my trip (about 20 minutes at that time) until I could safely pull over and see what was happening. Majority of the rubber was missing and continued to disintegrate and fall off over the last 2 years. Yesterday, May 7, 2023, I was again driving on the highway when the entire pillar trim/moulding and rubber flew off the driver's side going 60+ mph which hit my mirror and side door chipping the paint on it's departure from my vehicle. This is obviously a major safety issue and needs to be a recall immediately. I've had nothing but continuous problems with this poorly manufactured vehicle (including the roof racks STILL not being repaired after over 10 repairs from the local Ford service department). Thank God no other car was around to get hit by the flying parts off my car!

Passenger side Window trim. Trim detached flying off at traffic behind almost striking vehicle traveling directly behind my vehicle on interstate. No inspections have been completed by any professionals at this time. trim retainer is broke in half while still attached to the car. the trim piece itself was unable to be safely recovered. rubber along windshield next to trim came loose minutes before.

Pillar molding keeps flying out while driving. I have replaced 3 times and the last ones have flown off while driving. Thank God another vehicle has not been hit. It’s $150 every time I have replace them.

Windy conditions here driving along highway and the windshield cover blew off and unsure if hit another car or not but this should not be blowing off a vehicle which I'll have to now replace in addition to a safety hazard to others driving

Own a 2017 Ford Explorer, bought new. Took into Ford today for routine maintenance, rotate tires, Oil & Filter. Vehicle has approximately 85,000 miles on it. Upon completion tech advised me they found a radiator leak towards the front of the car. When asked if it was radiator or something else, tech advised they wouldn't know until vehicle was broken down to find where leak was from. Took to independent mechanic to check the issue. Faulty water pump was found to be causing the problem. Reservoir was found empty. No warning lights ever came on. Repairs are being done and am notifying Ford.

I've had both passenger and driver side Windshield A-Pillar Molding rip off while driving on highway which thankfully no one was behind me but could have causes serious damage if it hit another vehicle going 70 mph. Both of these have failed to stay intact/ place

The locks on the doors do not all unlock at the same time or lock at the same time. The passenger door has locked and would not unlock. My daughter had to climb through car to get out. If there’s an accident my kids can not safely exit the vehicle due to the locks. You can’t unlock it either from the inside. It randomly will unlock on its own.

When driving home on a windy day the A-pillar applique trim fell off hitting my vehicle and just missed hitting the vehicle behind me. Before getting a recall notice on this I had and paid for a new A pillar applique trim replaced at a local Ford dealership which was over $200.00. After getting the recall I called them several times to get the other side replaced to keep this from happening again but never was responded back to. I finally reported this to Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on !0/18/24 claim number 11620594 but they never did anything about it. Please respond so I can have this recall taken care of!

While driving, a large piece of debris came off of my windshield area causing the vehicle next to me to swerve. The remaining material was flapping in the air at highway speeds causing a startle reaction. I initially thought I had hit something. When stopped, I discovered the material in question was coming from around the windshield. Large portions of the material are coming loose.

The windshield trim has fallen off twice, almost hitting the vehicles behind us. We are about to replace them a 3rd time.

The A-pillar trim is coming off on both sides. I currently have a recall for the roof rails for the same type problem (dealer is booked out) where they can also fly off while driving. I googled the A-pillar concern I am having and it seems to be wide spread.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH from a complete stop, and depressing the accelerator pedal, there was a significant amount of white smoke coming out the exhaust pipes. The contact stated that upon attempting to make a U-turn to return to the residence, the smoke impaired her visibility of the other vehicles, and a truck nearly crashed into the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact returned to her lane and continued driving straight forward. The contact then pulled into a gas station and parked the vehicle. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed a trail of oil from the front driver's side wheel to the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driver's side turbo charger had fractured and had leaked oil into the catalytic converter, the O2 sensors. The mechanic informed the contact that the the oil was also coming out of the exhaust pipes and spattered on the rear windows. The mechanic diagnosed that the driver's side turbo charger, the catalytic converter, the O2 sensors needed to be replaced. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine And Engine Cooling) as the VIN was included. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 103,715.

Windshield trim ripped off at highway speeds. Blocked driver vision and then flew into air striking vehicle behind. This could have caused a serious accident in either vehicle. I know you are researching for recall at this time. It should have been recalled years ago.

Driver side A pillar windshield molding came flying off while driving on highway at 70 mph on I95. It detached from vehichle and slammed into my windshield caused it to crack and caused multiple scratches. Then flew over my vehichle and landed in the lane of travel, multiple other explorer owners said they experienced the same issues and dealer told me it was a common issue on these vehicles but no recall ha been issued.No warning lights or inspection by insurance.

WATER PUMP FAILURE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BY THE TIME I COULD PULL OFF THE FREEWAY (1 MINUTE) THE ENGINE HAD STALLED AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START. TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP AND LEARNED THE PUMP FAILURE HAD ALLOWED WATER AND OIL TO MIX THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE. METAL SHAVINGS WERE FOUND IN THE ENGINE. ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. TOTAL COST BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS READY: OVER $11,000

The locks on my vehicle are going out one door at a time. Seems like a reoccurring problem for many Ford Explorer owners. No warnings given. Key fobs don't work only manual opening of the lock by pulling it up.

Traveling at highway speeds the front passenger side door trim flew off the car. It looks like the adhesive that was holding it on gave out.

kI started experiencing some vibration while in the stopped position while in either reverse or drive. I had a few components replaced (throttle body, spark plugs, ignition coils, and vacuum pump. None of these helped alleviate the symptoms. I also had the transmission flushed. Additional symptoms ensued including, but not limited to, the car failing to accelerate, beginning to lose power while driving, etc. I had a mechanic come to access the vehicle and the Valvoline General Mgr come and confirm the mechanic's findings. The transmission ultimately failed on me while I was driving. The car has been incapacitated for almost 3 weeks to date while I researched the best route for repair. I did contact the Ford Consumer Line about the CSP 20N07. They told me they could not help me even though my symptoms were exactly as described within the verbiage.

Tow links from my vehicle is going bad. Vehicle fish tails a little on the highway when traveling on uneven surface. Knuckles have been replaced and Link-Stabilizer on both side by my mechanic. Ford STATED they replaced in May 2022 (never did) I had the original parts that came with vehicle. Ford refuses to reimburse. I'm concern now that the tow links are going bad and vehicle will soon be unsafe to drive.

As with 2 million other Ford Explorer drivers my passenger side windshield trim came off.

Right side of windshield frame piece fell off while driving

As I was driving down the freeway the panel between the front and rear passenger door flew off. Noticed today that the driver side one is loose and it holds the keyless entry pad.

Passenger side A-Pillar Front Molding Outer Trim Shield detached from vehicle while driving.

Was driving at highway speeds when a hitting sound was heard to the body. Could not determine while driving what or where the noise came from. Later discovered the RH side a-pillar trim had detached from the car. Unsure whether the trim piece affected other vehicles on the road.

Door trim coming off of my well maintained 2017 Explorer in 3 places. Estimate for repair was obtained from Ford garage but I am angry I have to pay for this as it is no fault of mine that this is happening to my vehicle. I am worried these pieces will fly off and be a hazard to other drivers on the road, as I keep reading statements of this happening to others. Ford should stand behind their products when this is a potential safety hazard.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the driver’s side windshield pillar trim separated from the windshield, struck the driver’s side door window, and then struck the truck behind. The contact veered to the side of the road to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,253.

Vibration or rough idle in drive and reverse. Shudder while driving Lack of engine RPM Low performance, lack of acceleration on take off. Mechanic found and replaced the following. Broken Transmission Mount, Replaced Front & Rear Engine Mounts. Transmission is not shifting correctly and the Mechanic stated that the oil was black and smelt burnt.

The trim on the driver side of the windshield blew off while driving.

On March 22, 2023 at approximately 10:15 am CDT, while heading south on Interstate 310 in Kenner, Louisiana, the passenger side windshield molding flew off the car while traveling just over 60 mph. I was coming out of a curve from exiting I-10W onto I-310. Not sure if it hit another vehicle as there were other vehicles in general area at the time, but did not see exactly where part landed. The part was not recoverable for inspection. There were no previous warning messages or noticeable issues with the part on the vehicle prior to the incident. I brought vehicle to Ford dealer and was told there is no recall for this item and the cost to replace is $396.80 for parts and labor at my expense. I believe this is a defect and should be reviewed with the manufacturer. I have seen two other Ford Explorers in New Orleans and Kenner with the same issue.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that water was leaking from the sunroof into the overhead light and onto the display console. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

The power liftgate on my Ford Explorer slammed down on me when I attempted to put groceries into my car in the store parking lot. My liftgate had given no warning signs of malfunction, and then one day I open it with the key fob button, it opens all the way and while it was opening I was standing ready to load groceries into the back and the second it reached the fully open position, it came slamming down on my head. I am so fortunate that I was not holding my baby when this occurred. I could have been seriously injured if I had been standing at a different angle. The liftgate opens with the interior button in the vehicle and with the key fob, but once it is fully open it comes slamming down.

While driving on the interstate going the speed limit of 70 mph the plastic windshield trim on the left side of the vehicle (driver’s side) became loose and flew off. This was alarming and caused a distraction that could have resulted in an accident. The trim piece is about 2-3 feet long and could have caused damage to the vehicles behind us. Or worse an accident. The trim appears to have also damaged the left side view mirror when it flew off as there are scratches and paint missing from the mirror housing now. Upon inspection of the location of the trim it appears there were plastic tabs holing on the trim that broke off. Due to safety the trim piece itself was not able to be recovered. The plastic seal around the windshield looks to be damaged as well. This is a major safety issue we feel Ford should address with a recall. Please advise. Thank you.

2018 Ford Explorer windshield trim panels detached and nearly flew while driving at highway speeds. I’ve also experienced the passenger side window panel detached while driving at highway speeds. The consequences of the defect could result in a detached panel hitting another vehicle's windshield, a driver, or even a pedestrian. This could cause a driver to swerve and cause a major accident. Ford must recall the defective panels and all panels immediately.

The pillar trim windshield molding on both sides detached and flew off the vehicle while driving on the highway.

The torque converter has failed on a 2017 Ford Explorer 2.3L Ecoboost. There is a Customer Satisfaction Program 20N07 that was issued on October 9, 2020 and expired November 30, 2021 that this issue would have been covered under. The car has been to the dealership and they have confirmed that this is the issue but they are unable to do anything about it using this program because the program is no longer valid.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the roof rail detached and flew off the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure and scheduled an upcoming appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 68,280.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he noticed a coolant leak coming from the water pump. The coolant level was low, so the contact added coolant. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Delayed in transmission in gauging when going down hills especially going up them and causing vibration slowing down while vehicle moving.This is Ford Explorer XLT model 2.3 motor type 6 Speed automatic VIN:[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

AFTER REAR TOE LINK REPLACEMENT DUE TO SAFETY RECALL, THE CAMBER CAUSES THE WEAR ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE REAR TIRES TO INCREASE DRASTICALLY. EVEN AFTER SEVERAL ALIGNMENTS THE CAMBER CAN NOT BE ADJUSTED SO THE WEAR CONTINUES.

I was driving on the interstate highway- I-20 in Alabama going eastbound at approx. 70 mph. Suddenly, the driver's side windshield trim moulding blew off without any warning. Mileage was 51,278. The safety issue is that this trim moulding is approx. 18 inches long - 4 inches wide which may have hit another vehicle as it departed my vehicle at highway speeds. I further read that approx. 170 Ford Explorer owners have also reported the identical issue, so I wanted the goverment to be aware that this occurred and hopefully there is a full recall. The dealer wants $650 to replace this moulding.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking sound was coming from the windshield. Upon inspection, the contact discovered that the front, passenger side windshield trim panel was cracked in several places. The contact called the dealer about the failure and was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 48,120.

Need a new transmission when I need to press the gas it won’t go it like I’m just pushing the gas in park

Panels by windshield one flew off on interstate and other is loose I'm scared this going rip off and cause an accident I see all same models have same issue. Please recall asap. I need this fixed and is a manufacturing defect.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the exterior trims on the front passenger's side and the front driver's side windows were detaching. Additionally, the contact stated that while his wife was driving 75 MPH, the vehicle started shuddering and lost motive power. The contact's wife veered to the side of the road. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that his wife was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the nearby residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water pump had failed, and the front engine mount had collapsed. The dealer determined that the water pump needed to be replaced and the front engine mount needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after the completion of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V675000(Suspension), the vehicle started experiencing suspension failures. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle vibrated and made an abnormal clunking sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle felt like the front end suspension was fighting with the rear end suspension, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle, and the vehicle crashed into a pole. The pole was damaged and bent. The vehicle sustained front-end damage. No police report was filed. The contact sustained seat belt burn and bruising on the right shoulder by the collar bone. The vehicle was driven to Sweets Auto Repair, where suspension repairs were performed. The contact stated that since 2023, the front and rear wheel hub assembly, the rear driver's side upper control arm, the front driver CV axle, the front stabilizer, and the front driver lower control arm and ball joint assembly had been replaced. Additionally, the sway bar link was replaced three times, all four tires were replaced due to premature wear on one occasion, and the front tires were replaced at 4,000 miles due to premature wear on another occasion. The front-end alignment was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another certified independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side struts were loose and nearly detached, the front driver's side struts were finger tight, the front and rear sway bar links were internally worn out, and all four tires were prematurely worn out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure on several occasions. The failure mileage was approximately 138,871.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact had received recall notice NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure), however, the parts to complete the recall were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had failed or was unable to remedy this safety recall promptly. The contact made the manufacturer aware of the issue. The contact stated that 2 years before being mailed the recall notification, the trim on the driver's and passenger’s side A-pillars were detaching from the frame at the top of the trim. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts are not available.

Exterior windshield trim on passenger side. Yes it is available for inspection. This part flew off of our vehicle while driving on the highway. This part could have hit another vehicle and caused harm. Yes this is a known issue when I took my vehicle to Corwin Ford in Springfield MO. Service representative stated that this is under an Investigation for recall. Vehicle has not been seen by any other than service department with dealer. No warnings or messages of any kind.

Traveling at Highway speed (70mph) on level road without unusual road conditions is clear daytime weather, the drivers side windshield pillar trim separated from the vehicle, and the drivers side mid pillar trim loosened, but did not separate. No other vehicle damage occurred. The vehicle had been purchased from a Dealer in Bowie Tx, 15 minutes before the incident. The dealer has agreed to repair the damage.