2018 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

I have a 2018 Ford Explorer. My SYNC 3 is showing a black screen due to a failed APIM. I do not have my rear camera, GPS, or hands-free capability which impedes driving safely. Ford has recalled multiple other years of my vehicle for this same reason, but not the 2018. Ford has also extended it's warranty up to 7 years/100,000 miles on some years of my vehicle, for the same reason, but not the 2018. I am reading that there are numerous other owners who a have the same problem with only an expensive resolution. The Ford dealer confirmed the need to replace the APIM today at a cost of $1,417. This is unacceptable due to the safety factor and that they know this is a problem in their vehicles. I reported it to Ford and their response was my warranty is expired and there is no recall, so I have to pay.

For the 2nd row passenger seat the clip has broken. You can not safely have a passenger in the seat. I have been trying for over a year to get the part. I was told by the last person who looked at it that it is specific to the air bag seat belts in the second row. I also had a coworker who had the exact same part break. For the first 6 months I tried to get this resolved they were so far backordered that the dealership would not even take my name to get on the list for the back order. They finally took my name last month, but its still on back order. It has now been over a year with a seat unalbe to be used for a passenger. I am trying to figure out how if so many people are in line for this part that it is not a safety recall issue...Also why are they not just replacing the entire set up as they seem to have a very common issue going on here. What if that were to have broken during an accident.

The contact owns a 2018 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 approximately 60 MPH, the passenger’s side A-pillar trim detached. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle during car washes due to the failure. Additionally, the driver side A-pillar trim had become loosened. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,030. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

In wet, or snowy conditions, or when driving over a bump in the road, the rear end of the vehicle jerks sideways. New tires and 4 wheel alignment have not corrected the issue. Vehicle feels like it may lose control. Symptoms feel the same as previous year explorer that had a rear toe link issue.

Windshield pillar driverside flew off driving up interstate.

Water pump is inside engine and apparently known to be faulty. After being stranded in traffic behind an accident in winter in Maine It was well below zero and I could not move from the backed up traffic. Had to shut off car and weather was dangerously cold. I brought to dealership I bought it at. Note there was no warning before the car was fully overheated and coolant was empty. They said water pump and told me to go to specifically ford dealership as I bought used from same family of dealerships but not specifically ford. After a month of adding fluid daily ford dealership tells me that water pump is inside engine and costs nearly as much as new engine to repair. They cannot get in for a month quoted two days and 2800 dollars. The delays from both dealerships could result in new engine needed. This is known issue that can destroy the engine as well and should be a recall. Class action lawsuit filed and I believe canada is forcing the repairs to be covered. It is available for inspection and I have to date paid 600 dollars so far for two dealerships to inspect it and not fix the issue.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, and at various speeds, the vehicle would vibrate and then would start to sway, and the contact could not maintain lane control. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wishbone and motor mounts needed to be replaced; however, the wishbone mount was on a national backorder. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 96,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V301000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH in high winds, the passenger’s side exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer on two occasions, where it was diagnosed and determined that the exterior A-pillar trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the parts not being available. 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 60,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the power steering suddenly malfunctioned and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was later towed to the local dealer who stated that the steering rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000. The VIN was not available.

On or about January 4, 2023, while travelling on Hwy 22 in Texas at approximately 65 mph the right (passenger) side window trim unexpectedly flew off, landing in the road behind me. There was no previous indication of the trim being loose. The safety of others is a concern because the trim could have hit, or cause a diversion from, traffic in either direction. When I called the dealer to schedule the repair, the Parts person explained that this was a "routine" occurrence for this Make/Model of vehicle (they knew the part number), but the vehicle was safe to drive until the part was replaced. The part was replaced on Jan 16 at a cost of $438. There has been no subsequent inspection of the replacement trim/parts, but there are no indications of an issue since replacing the trim/parts.

No incident has occurred yet but I heard about the issue with the windshield parts coming loose. I have experienced the sound of air coming through the edges of the windshield when traveling on the highway. The sounds has gotten louder over time and I am always concerned that damage could occur during these travels.

In addition to this recall on my vehicle, NHTSA Recall Number: 24V031. This is not the only problem around the windows but the pillars on the driver and passenger doors are coming off as well. When we were looking at other Ford explorers on 1/1/23. We noticed that this is a common issue with all the Ford explorers that we looked at. Please look into fixing that as well! I am attaching 4 pictures to show the already recalled parts as well as driver and passenger doors.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the cowl detached, and the contact witnessed a vehicle swerve. It was unknown if the cowl crashed into the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred, the A-pillar trim detached, and the contact heard a flapping sound. The contact stated that duct tape was placed on the trim to prevent the cowl from detaching. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70-75 MPH, the exterior driver’s side trim piece along the windshield detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle part was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while approaching a stop light, the vehicle started to vibrate without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the transmission support needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure continued. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the transmission might have malfunctioned. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the manufacturer stated that there was no recall for the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 78,000.

Windshield trim was coming off while I was driving on interstate 95 at high speed. I was able to secure it before it blew off with some tape and stopped off the highway and got some black duct tape. I have not had it fixed yet but the tape is holding well so far. I just read that this is being investigated. I don't believe that I should have to pay to repair this as it seems to be happening to others. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Our 2018 Ford Explorer windshield trim panel is partially detached. The detachment is on the passenger side lower corner of the windshield and continues up for 9 inches. No crash has occurred as of this time. I reported the detachment to our local Ford Dealer and they were unconcerned. We first noticed a litter detachment late Fall of 2022. The detachment had since extended up the windshield.

The contact called in for a client who owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact works at an independently owned auto body shop. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed into the body shop for inspection. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact became aware that the driver’s rear toe link had fractured. The contact stated that while the owner of the vehicle was driving at an undisclosed speed, he lost control of the vehicle and spun out, and ran off the road causing damage to the vehicle. The contact stated that he was called by the State Police to tow the vehicle. The contact was unaware of any injuries being sustained during the failure. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 59,004.

Driving about 50mph on dry country road, good visibility, when suddenly car pulled hard right. We went onto a grass embankment, I managed to pull left back onto the road, but car fish-tailed uncontrollably, we hit crash barrier, and finally came to a stop. Badly shaken but no injuries. Examining car, besides body damage, most notably rear drivers side wheel was mis-aligned with car by about 15 degrees. Photo of suspension I took shows broken toe-link, subsequently confirmed by body shop and loss adjuster. The car had new rear struts 2 days earlier, but at that time no report of a broken toe-link. I have subsequently learnt there is a recall for broken toe-link for Ford Explorers 2013-2017, but mine is 2018. But I suspect the recall should have been broader - my toe-link looks like one subject to recall.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear windshield trim separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rear windshield trim needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that he needed to pay for the repair because the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

2018 Ford Explorer developed a shudder and rough idle, sluggish vehicle operation, slow acceleration during launch. No warning lamps. Researched issues online and found a bulletin from Ford Motor Company dated October 9, 2020 that identified the issue as a torque converter defect. My vehicle was manufactured during the identified time period and at the identified assembly plant but I did not receive a notice from Ford for the repair program. My vehicle has exhibited all of the known issues as well as a total loss of power while reversing leaving me sideways in the middle of the road while I had my family on a road trip risking collision and injury. Dealership confirms there was an issue but refuses to repair because my VIN was not listed in their system as affected. Feel the issue may extend to more vehicles than Ford previously figured.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the weather stripping around the windshield and the rubber seal around all doors had started to deteriorate on the passenger’s and driver’s side rear doors. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer who diagnosed that the windshield molding and the rubber stripping on the doors needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 27,632.

The passenger side windshield panel dislodged and flew off the car while driving on the highway at highway speeds. It was sudden event and I had no warning or noise before it happened.

Water pump leaking on 2018 Explorer with only 72,365. Dealer said it should be replaced or it could fail destroying the engine. This is the 4th major problem I have had with this vehicle. Not that old to have so many problems. Ford picked up some of the cost but still cost me $850.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); the roof racks started to detach from the vehicle, almost causing the sunroof to fracture. The contact stated that the side view mirrors seized without warning. The contact had to shift to park and turn off and restart the vehicle for the side view mirrors to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.

The passenger roof "A" pillar (lower half) blew off the vehicle at about 70 MPH. The pillar was not damaged prior to the failure and was not vibrating or making noise prior to suddenly blowing off.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the low fuel warning light illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle was overheating. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who added oil in the vehicle and stated that the water pump needed to be replaced. The mechanic also mentioned an issue with the coolant however, the contact could not recall what was stated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the VIN was not under recall and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000.

The vehicle had a premature water pump failure that leaked antifreeze into the engine compartment and caused the engine to seize up while traveling at a higher rate of speed.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 55 MPH, he heard an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. Her husband pulled over and upon inspection, her husband saw fluid leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence where the dealer was notified and instructed him to tow the vehicle to the dealer for an inspection. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a defective water pump. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WITHOUT WARNING, IN 8/2022 AND AGAIN IN 12/2022, THE VERTICAL WINDSHIELD PANELS FLEW OFF MY 2018 FORD EXPLORER SUV WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL SPEED ON US RT. 495 IN HAVERHILL MA., POTENTIALLY POSING A HAZARD TO FOLLOWING VEHICLES.

Since the car was new I experienced occasional situations where the car would not accelerate. I thought it might be the transmission slipping as it seemed to "bottom out" when hitting the gas. The car would not respond and I would coast onto the side of road for fear of getting hit. After a minute or so, the gas pedal would work and I could keep moving. I reported it to the dealer and at that time it was winter and the roads were icy so they were not able to test it. Nothing showed up on diagnostics. It has been happening more frequently (twice since June 2022). Upon further research it seemed to be the throttle body so this week I took it to the Ford dealer where I purchased the car and told them what was happening. They confirmed that it is a bad throttle body. They are now replacing it at a cost of $781. I have found numerous sites on the internet that this is a well-known problem and in some cases it seems that Ford issued an extended warranty on defective throttle body assemblies and sensors for 10 years or 150,000 miles from the original purchase date. So why does this not apply to me? This is very dangerous and I was lucky to not get hit. When the car stops accelerating in the middle of traffic, it would be easy to get rear ended or worse.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the Back Over Prevention camera image froze and intermittently failed to display an image. An unknown warning light was illuminated, and a camera sensor message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not 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 unknown.

I bought a new Fire explorer in 2018 from Napleton Ford in Libertyville, IL. It has almost 22k miles in 2011. Early July, 2022, while driving, the Sync system of my car started failing. While reversing the car a few times, the screen went black, leaving me with a few seconds very distracted that could have led to a bad accident. It was an intermittent issue for a few days until the system completely stopped working when I was driving on a highway and suddenly lost all connectivity to my car Bluetooth and left with no USB power in the car or a way to start the back AC because it was Sync locked, eventually leading to a very unsafe drive on the highway. I took it to the dealership and they investigated to find the APIM module of the car had failed and it is a very common issue with Ford. It fails almost as soon as the warranty on the car expires. I feel cheated by Ford.

Vehicle had a major mechanical issue that ignited a fire in the engine compartment. The fire quickly spread to the passenger compartment of the vehicle and totally engulfed the unit causing major damage to the entire vehicle. The vehicle is an obvious total loss.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the liftgate failed to open. A message indicating a liftgate failure was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a used car dealer, where the liftgate fuse was replaced twice in one year; however, the failure persisted. The Ford dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

Warning light appeared and immediately power steering went out while I was driving.Even though I have a bad right arm, I was able to pull off into residential neighborhood and turn off vehicle. Dealer replaced steering gear. My explorer is a 2018. I understand there was a recall on this issue in the 2016 and 2017 explorers. Appears the 2018s are having same problem.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was parked on an incline, the vehicle failed to restart without warning. Once the contact arrived at the scene, the vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The failure recurred four additional times after the initial failure. After the most recent failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the mechanic failed to duplicate the failure. The dealer replaced the battery; however, the failure returned soon after the replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Driving on freeway the driver side windshield A-Pillar trim came almost all of the way off and was flapping. We pulled it off by the one remaining attachment and drove home. Also noticed the passenger side A-Pillar trim was loose. Took to dealer. There was not a recall so we payed to have them replaced. The total cost was $655.96. These could have flown off of the vehicle and caused an accident.

Roof rack rails have detached from my vehicle several times since purchasing my vehicle. The Ford dealership knows of the problem, attempted a brandade approach to solve the problem but has not fixed the problem. They used glue to try an fix a potential but that could result in the rail becoming detached on the freeway, flying off and striking another car and causing an accident. The right rail on my explorer came off on the freeway and luckily did not strike another vehicle. Despite knowing the problem and not accepting blame, my dealership asked me to pay for replacement rails. Ford should be instructed to recall all Ford Explorers with these rails and come up with a permanent fix before a major accident result in the death of someone.

My car produces a sulfer/burning smell at hard acceleration. When I am merging into traffic at 3500-4000 and over RMP, an awful smell enters the cabin. I am very concerned that this is unsafe for my family and children in the vehicle, as well as the environment. I have had this vehicle looked by Ford and they claim everything looks normal. It is not normal to have this smell while accelerating.

The entire main console screen/information center went black one day. It was unable to be manually reset. Occasionally, on very hot days, the screen would work for the first start up. There are major safety issues associated with this: 1- inability to enable calling for help/911. There is a remote on the steering wheel to make phone calls, however, when the carplay is active and the phone is connected, you must only use the screen, the steering wheel feature is automatically disabled 2- The backup camera system is inoperable when the screen is black. This is dangerous as you cannot see hazards behind you including children, other vehicles, etc. When I contacted Ford's IT department to first report it, they said this has been an ongoing issue with updates that they were aware of, but unable to fix. Skalnek Ford in Lake Orion attempted to diagnose the safety issue for weeks and ultimately the APIM needed replacement.

on May 25th I started my car and the dashboard indicated my engine is at critical stating its overheating. I immediately turned the car off and waited 10 minutes to restart the vechle assuming it was a malfunction because the vechle hasn't been driven since the day before. As I restarted the car no warning indicators lit and the vechle was normal as usual. I drove around the corner and noticed the vechle stalling with a slight jurk. I immediately drove into an auto shop to check what's going on. I told the rep what's happening with the car. they checked the oil and stated the coolant is mixing with the oil and that I need service right away. I asked if I get an oil change will it get me home around the corner. the rep stated it shouldn't be a problem. As I left it was fine, until I reached my driveway and the vechle just shut off. I then asked for help to push the vechle into the driveway by my neighbor and was able to put the car in neutral and moved into my driveway. I searched around to see recalls on fordpass app, it only stated that it was a new CSP on my vin to upgrade the high speed cooling fan relay and it's components stating it is known to either cause overheating or fire and that the relay will be replaced for vechles with millage at or below 150000 miles. I was in the clear and covered because I was at 126,600 miles. I remembered as I turned my vechle on it stated a critical indication of my engine overheating following me turning off the vechle and waiting 10 minutes and restarting with no warning indicators on. I contacted ford for service by requesting a tow to Brandon ford. The vechle was towed and the following day a service rep named Scott called stating he received the vechle and that it's gonna take a couple of days to get to, I said no problem. the next day I was contacted by Scott and was told my engine is seized and that no service is gonna be performed and to come pick my vechle up. I found recalls for 2019 and 2020 ford vechles but not 2018

When driving the car I corrected to move further to the left on the road. In doing so it felt like I ran over something and all of a sudden the car accelerated (initially I was driving around 20-25 mph) and I struck a tree. I sustained a T Spine fracture and was hospitalized for 5 days. I just have a case number with Ford but they seem disinterested. When the car accelerated I felt it was going a 2x the speed.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while parked in a parking lot and attempting to start the vehicle, the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. The vehicle has since been repaired.

See attached document for complaint

I was driving on the interstate, traveling about 70 MPH, when my windshield trim piece of my car just detached and flew off the car. There was no initial impact or causing factor when this occurred. I was confused and looked back when it happened not knowing that a piece of my car had flown off in the moment. I do not know if it struck another car or caused any damage to other vehicles. The car behind me was still behind me and did not crash at least. There was no warning lights or prior accidents or damage to the car when this occurred. The vehicle other than this is still in good shape and has not had any other problems. I called my dealership about getting the piece to be replaced and the dealership said that this was a very common occurrence on Ford Explorers.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was operating the vehicle, the hill assists and traction control warning lights illuminated. The power steering failed to cause the steering wheel to become extremely difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering column was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 47,000.

i notice that my car is sliding in somewhat wet terrain situations. I did notice it last year but didn't think at 24k miles my tire treads were bad. I had my car serviced and they are telling me at 32K miles I need new tires and they are bad. These tires are warranted for 50K miles. There are rubber tears at the tread and well as complete baldness. Terrible! Had I been driving much this winter there would no doubt be a incident. These are a issue on all 4 tires. I see there are many complaints with these Hankook Ventus Noble tires. Something needs to be done or recalled. We are the consumer. Protect us!

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 70 MPH on a windy day, the driver's side windshield A-Pillar trim bracket fractured inadvertently and continually struck the windshield. The contact veered to the side of the road and the remove the broken windshield A-Pillar trim bracket. The contact then continued to drive to his residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the trim bracket needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included a recall associated to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Horn failed to sound after pressing center of steering wheel. The horn started changing tones over a period of time then got quieter and then stopped working all together. Fuses and relays are in good condition. Will take it to a Ford dealer to have it looked at for further diagnosis.