NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Ford Explorer. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
There are three active recall on my car, all of which say there are not remedy available and NHTSA Recall Number 25V455 can cause engine failure that leads to a crash, was reported in July 2025, and STILL has no remedy. The other 2 recalls are NHTSA Recall Number 26V123 and NHTSA Recall Number 26V117.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact’s son started the vehicle and became aware that the "Cylinder Head Temperature Overheated" message was displayed on the instrument panel while the vehicle was parked in the driveway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed that the engine and engine cooling system had failed due to water leaking into the turbo. The dealer stated that the sensor failed to identify and inform the driver that the engine was running hot. The contact became aware that the failure had occurred with the previous owner of the vehicle approximately 2 - 3 years ago. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced, or the turbocharger could be replaced as a temporary repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); 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 issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The rear traffic warning did not alert timely, resulting in a fender bender in a parking lot. I have dash cam footage with audio supporting that it did not beep until it was too late.
When i accelerate, the car jerks back and forth and stalls. ford has said the car was throwing codes but the TECH didnt feel the issue so they sent me on my way.... well fast forward to today, i am informed my car has thrown codes 4 times in the past few days and this morning i was scared to drive my car it was bad... and i have a [XXX] daughter. Our safety is my top priority and it doesnt seem to matter to anyone else INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I am writing to express my concern regarding a safety issue I have experienced with my vehicle. Specifically, there is a noticeable 3-5 second delay when shifting from Drive to Reverse. This delay not only creates confusion about whether the vehicle is in the correct gear, but also presents a potential safety hazard, as the vehicle may lurch forward when the driver intends to reverse. In addition, this gear shift delay causes the backup camera to display with a similar delay, reducing visibility and reaction time when maneuvering in reverse. This compromises the camera's effectiveness and the driver's ability to safely back up. I brought this issue to a Ford dealership, but I was told that there was nothing they could do about it. I find this response unsatisfactory, especially considering the safety implications. I would appreciate it if this issue could be further investigated and properly addressed. Thank you for your attention to this matter. I look forward to your response and a resolution to this issue.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated and remained illuminated. Additionally, there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the front end of the vehicle, and there was an abnormal gasoline odor inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,378.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the "Service Engine Soon" message was displayed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel pump sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 40,677.
2022 Ford Explorer Limited issues: 49K miles, when putting the vehicle in reverse and press gas it does not engage, it rolls and takes a few seconds before it engages. Powertrain Failure/Malfunction causes vehicle to bog down, low power, and vibration in rear. Once you turn vehicle off the error goes away only to come up again around 75 mph. Vibration also occurs at 30-40 mph and again at 60-70 mph, rear captains seats shake and passenger can feel in front seat. Dealer is aware, this is the 3rd time in 1 month it’s done this.
I bought the car May 31th and on June 1st the moon roof shade come out of its track
On my 2022 it’s has a warning that it has a faulty park aid faults
The contact owned a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon taking off after yielding to a stop sign, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power in the middle of an intersection. As a result, the vehicle was struck by another vehicle on the rear driver's side door, sending the vehicle careening back through the inspection past the stop sign before coming to a complete stop. All air bags were deployed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The occupants did not immediately receive medical attention but later transported themselves or were transported to area hospitals for evaluation. The contact received a full-body MRI and was treated for whiplash, neck pain, and various bruising caused by the seat belt, while her husband received a CAT scan and was treated for whiplash, neck pain, back pain, and bruising on his arms. Meanwhile, the [XXX] occupant was transported to his primary care physician by his parents and treated for a neck burn caused by the seat belt. The contact also stated that the driver of the other vehicle was transported to an area hospital by EMT but was unaware of her condition or treatment. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Every component of the braking system signaled a fault & associated alerts simultaneously. Nearly a complete brake failure occurred (almost caused me to run into an intersection at a red light). Brakes maintained very little pressure even with pumping them, approx every 5th time I stopped pressure was regained. Quadrupled the braking distance. ABS, parking brake, etc - all failed. Managed to get the car to dealer service (hazard lights & slow driving). Car still at dealer service garage. Brake fluid levels are fine, no apparent leaks. Service intake tech replicated the issue but the mechanics could not. I refused to take the the car back without further work.
First Drivers window not working properly wont always go back up. Took to ford service and told needed a software update at my expense. I have a problem paying for an update that affects my car from working properly. This should be automatic if there are bugs to work out Second Significant air coming from back passenger window. Not under warranty as it is seal. Window very rarely used I have extended warranty however nothing covered. Glad I spent $3500 for that!! Third The plastic clips that hold the undercarriage in place break frequently. I have replaced several times both on my Explorer as well as husbands escape. Again I have to pay for this even though service guys tell me it won’t last because it’s plastic. Seems like ford could find something else to make these clips out of. I put a lot of highway miles on so rain and snow on roads create these clips to break often. The noise it makes when they r broken is ridiculous to go along with the air from the back window I have owned 3 explorers never experienced any window or software updates with previous explorers. $300 to update software and a quote for $80 for clips and $1000 for passenger window - Ford tells me it’s my problem. My concern is ford hold control over the software so they can create these updates whenever and if I want my car to run and use the windows my hands are tied. There is no charge from Verizon to update my cell phone all the time for updates and such but I’m expected to pay for ford updates. I’m not ok with this and will be looking at other options for future vehicle. They all have their issues but customer service goes along well in acknowledging the problems Google window problems and wind noise and updates clearly noted
restrains indicator lamp warning air bag warning issue with vehicle impact sensor. this can prevent that the air bag system from deploying properly
Headliner on the retractable sun roof fell off
Ongoing issues with the screen displaying upside down, blurry, red/green lines, powering on and completely off. Rearview calibration issue off centered (dealership fixed). This also impacts the cruise control alerts, lane keeping assist, etc. and occasionally powers vehicle off. Dealership was able to fix delayed reverse transmission via software for the PCM. Multiple dealership repair attempts have not fixed this ongoing issue from 2022-2025. Videos available via email request. Dealership verified some of the concerns and Ford would only authorize software updates, new battery, some camera components. When this failed to fix they were not authorized to further repair. As a courtesy the dealership rebuilt the software and this did not fix the issues.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 20-25 MPH, the brakes were applied, and the brake pedal fell off. The brake pedal was not responding. The vehicle increased in speed to 43 MPH. The contact maneuvered around an unknown vehicle to avoid an accident, but the unknown vehicle turned and crashed into the passenger-side quarter panel. The vehicle traveled off a curb and landed in a ditch. The contact and two passengers occupying the second-row seats and one child passenger occupying the third row in a car seat sustained bruises and cuts and were transported to the hospital. The air bags did not deploy. There was no fire. A police report was filed. There was an abnormal beeping sound detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a claim and declined to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 57,865.
Every morning when I go to leave in my 2022 Ford Explorer when it's cold or not. I go to start the vehicle and it automatically says that their is a malfunction in the brake system that it requires service right away. That advance track and a whole bunch of safety systems had failed. The instrument cluster is lit up like a Christmas tree. Then when you do put the Explorer into reverse, your foot almost hits the floor board and automatically starts rolling backward until you slam on the brake hoping it will stop. Then when it flashes stating that the Electronic parking brake is still engaged when it clearly isn't. Then you basically have no brakes until the vehicle "warms up", once you reach normal operating temperature on the Ford explorer you can park and shut off the car release the automatic parking brake then reengage the parking brake and it feels like it's missing the catch mechanism when your foot it on the brake l. Like it tries to engage but then doesn't. Then you open the door then close it, lock the car and wait 2-6 minutes for all the gauges to turn off then you unlock the car open the door press the start button without the brake to confirm no error codes pop back on and if they door you have to reengage the auto brake system off and on. Then rinse and repeat, then when it "fixes" itself no lights turn on and your brake returns to normal. About 50% of the time. Half the time when you first try to drive away the brakes give out and the same errors reoccur. Its extremely unsafe I've had this car for a year and half I brought this issue to multiple Ford dealerships and they say it would be 3 weeks before they could even look at it. I don't have that kind of time. I work and I have a [XXX] daughter and fiance to worry about. This needs to be remedied ASAP. I am planning on taking it to another dealer and the police department to find out what I can do. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Charcoal canister and vapor purge valve failure. Broke down twice after putting gas in my car right at the pump. One time in not the greatest neighborhood that I have to drive through to get to work. Putting myself at risk by sitting at a gas pump with a car that sounds like it wants to start but keeps just choking. After fueling a few times prior I noticed the idle of the car getting very low and reported it to the dealer. They replaced both cats. Problem didn’t go away. Got an emissions warning when I tried to start the car at the gas station after fueling. Car has 70,000 miles on it.
Engine compartment hood latch. thankfully, I was at a red light when the incident occurred. While stopped at the light, i heard a loud "cluck" sound. My daughter asked if we were hit, I looked around we were not. I looked at the dashboard and noticed that the "Hood ajar" was illuminated. The hood spontaneously just opened on its own. It has not been inspected at this time, I had an appointment at Ford for an oil change on 4/22/25 and I told them about the incident. I then had to ask them to look at it. they said they couldn't, that I would have to have an seperate appointment for that.
Driver assist warning light comes on and I lose power steering on my ford. I took the vehicle in last month for repair. Dealer said it was a software issue. Rest the software. This did not fix issue. I was driving on highway at 65 miles when steering assist message popped up and I lost my power steering. This a major safety issue. I checked on line and other drivers had reported the same issue. Please advise.
I own a 2022 Ford Explorer purchased in April 2025. Since purchasing the vehicle, I have experienced multiple defects affecting safety and normal use. The instrument cluster becomes foggy, making it difficult to clearly see my speed while driving. The infotainment screen intermittently malfunctions and affects the backup camera display, reducing rear visibility. I also experienced fuel contamination that was confirmed and repaired by the dealership. In addition, the rear HVAC air vents close and do not provide airflow to the back seats. The vehicle has been taken to the dealership four separate times for different issues. Despite these repair attempts, the problems have continued or new issues have appeared. Due to the ongoing defects and safety concerns, I do not feel safe or confident operating this vehicle.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the hood suddenly opened and struck the windshield, causing the windshield to crack. The contact stated that the month prior to the failure, the hood had been opened for a routine oil change. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was taken to a body shop. The local dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was turned off, the contact was notified by the Ford App that the check engine warning light was illuminated and the message “Fuel Door Open" was displayed. The contact stated that the vehicle previously had a transmission software update due to the vehicle hesitating to accelerate while driving. Additionally, the speedometer intermittently failed to function as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that there was water intrusion into the body control module fuse panel. The contact was informed that the battery and body control module fuse panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 61,500.
POLICE VEHICLE WAS CLEARING INTERSECTIO WHEN A UPS TRUCK COLLIDED WITH IT'S RIGHT SIDE FORWARD. THE COLLISION CAUSED THE SIDE AIRBAG TO DEPLOY. THE OFFICER'S VEST, SWEATER, UNDERSHIRT, T-SHIRT AND THE OFFICER'S RIGHT SIDE SUFFERED THERMAL BURNS FROM THE EXHAUST PORT. THE OFFICER SUFFERED 3RD DEGREE BURNS AND HAD TO HAVE SURGERY AND SKIN GRAFT.
The dash cluster screen goes in and out. Randomly began and got more frequent as time went on. This screen shows ones speed, gas, cruise control, lane assist, mileage and which vehicle mode it is in. Once the blacked out screen appears driver has no indication of these features. Evaluated by dealership and had to replace and reprogram the entire dash cluster at an out of pocket cost of $1846.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an unintended activation of the electric parking brake while the vehicle was in park(P). The contact stated upon starting the vehicle and shifting into gear, the message "Park Brake Fault - Service Now" was displayed, and the vehicle made an abnormally loud beeping sound and then failed to respond. The contact stated that upon pressing the Push to Start button for several minutes, the vehicle became drivable; however, the failure recurred upon parking the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure could be related to the electric parking brake sensor or to the brake booster. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a related recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 45,700.
Retracted the sunroof and the fabric didn’t retract and just hung down. I don’t retract the sunroof often so it can’t be over use. I closed it but it billows and is a distraction when looking in my rear view mirror. Can’t make it tight again and can’t be without my vehicle for weeks while dealership has it. This is a major fault with the design. No warning. It’s worked and then it didn’t.
The sunroof shade always falls off from the tracks and has cost the sun shade to hang down and won't retract back ive been to the dealer about 4 times with this issue and they always say its fix but when I open the sun shade it gets stuck on the tracks and makes it hang out of place. I get so much anxiety opening my sunroof.
Sunroof shattered while driving the speed limit of 55 on a normal roadway. I had my [XXX] son in the backseat when it exploded. NO dents/scratches/dings/chips were present on glass prior to shattering. No object hit the sunroof either. Furthermore, It could have caused much more severe injury to our faces and eyes due to glass shattering everywhere. This caused a danger and hazard to myself and my infant while at a high rate of speed which caused me to jolt and could have caused issues with other drivers on the road. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Front panel of panoramic sunroof "exploded" into the vehicle while traveling on interstate without any sign of a projectile or rock hitting the vehicle. Outdoor temperature was -3 degrees Fahrenheit with indoor temperature set to 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Glass rained down into the vehicle, startling the driver (myself) and passengers. One piece of tempered glass went into one rear seat passenger's eye and was successfully removed without extensive injury. Reported incident to Ford Dealer and had dealer service department inspect the vehicle. Attempted to have it repaired under manufacturer warranty. Coverage was declined from the manufacturer (Ford) and was subsequently repaired via personal comprehensive vehicle insurance. There was no indication of an issue with the vehicle prior to incident. It is concerning this happened without warning and we were lucky to have not gotten into an accident following the event.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed valve body. The contact was informed that the valve body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired under warranty. The failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed output speed sensor. The contact was informed that the output speed sensor needed to be replaced and recalibrated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The manufacturer approved of the buyback; however, the contact stated that the Lemon Law requirement limited the ownership to two years. The failure mileage was approximately 39,793.
My wife was driving the car all of a sudden the check engine light came on, and it started to flash on and off. The car started sputtering. She pulled over turned the car off and called me. I informed her to wait a little bit and restart the car. She did – and then the check engine light came on, but was no longer flashing, and a car started running as if no problem. I had the code checked out it is P0300 – which is an error code of random misfire detected in the engine. Fortunately, she was not evolved in an accident, even though she was traveling on the highway. I am taking it to the dealer as his recommended. This happened when the mileage on the odometer read 40,144.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he heard an abnormal knocking sound emanating from the engine compartment. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the camshaft and timing chain. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 38,000.
I started my car to warm it up because it snowed the night before. When I went to get into my car there was water dripping out of my overhead light. Water and ice was all over my center console. I was parked facing down hill. All of the lights in my car were flickering. My headlights were also flickering I'm assuming because I was parked facing downhill the water ran towards the front of my car. I had it towed to my ford dealership through the Ford app. I called the next day and they told me it was most likely due to a clogged sunroof drain tube and even though my bumper to bumper warranty just expired 20 days before when I financed my lease, the cost of the repairs would be on me because cleaning the drainage tubes is part of routine maintenance. I brought up the fact that I purchased an extended warranty that covered seals and gaskets and they said it didn't cover water leaks. They also told me they wouldn't get around to looking at it until sometime next week and that I couldn't not get a rental until it was diagnosed. So now I am stuck with no vehicle. I have no idea the extent of the damage and I can't afford it fix it since I just put my life savings down as a down-payment on the car on the end of November and have a $335/month car payment for the next 6 years because I thought purchasing my lease would be safe because I know I took care of my car and had it maintenced under fords maintenance schedule.
Tire: 275/45/r21 110w all season Reported to authorized dealer (ford dealership) back in November 2024. Authorized representative from Pirelli came out this month to dealership regarding issue. No concern for safety whatsoever. Rep. Only offered maybe 25% that’s with purchasing new set of tires and sending my current tires back. Tires are falling apart in chunks.
A bolt sheared off of the wheel assembly and got stuck between the rotor and break pad causing damage to rotor and break pad. This has since been repaired by the dealership, I am not aware if it was inspected by the manufacturer. I have pictures of the damage from the dealership. No warning lamps or messages prior to the failure. It was in the dealership 900 miles (3 weeks earlier) for an oil change and tire rotation.
Seat warning module failed. When unbuckling seatbelt car does not recognize you unbuckled, therefore the airbag system does not recognize which seats are occupied. This would also cause a safety concern as you do not have to buckle the seatbelt with no warning or alert there is an issue. Car has been at Ford dealer for service for a month with them failing to find any other vehicle that they can replicate the problem. This is one Ford dealer, but it should be something that is investigated as it might be easily overlooked. Car has been in the dealership for the last month with no answers from Ford or resolution to the safety issue, following Federal regulations the dealer will not release the car back to us as it has a safety system malfunctioning.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when she was shifting the vehicle into reverse (R), and as she depressed the brake pedal, the vehicle was lunging forward. The contact stated that the failure had occurred following a routine service appointment with a local dealer. The contact stated that the failure was occurring only when she was shifting into reverse (R). The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she had had a crash in a parking lot after she had shifted to reverse (R). The contact stated that the vehicle lunged forward and the front end crashed into a concrete parking bollard. The contact stated that the front bumper was dented and there was no other damage. The contact stated that she later was in pain and had bruises on her right shoulder and chest. The contact stated that she went to an urgent care facility and was x-rayed. The contact stated that she only had the bruising and no broken ribs or bones. The contact had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and no power train failures were detected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (POWER TRAIN); 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 issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
On 10/28/2024 at approximately 0515 I was traveling at 51 MPH when my 2022 Ford Explorer King Ranch edition with ~25k miles experienced catastrophic engine failure. The vehicle had no prior indication of failure. No engine light, no warning lights, etc. The vehicle started shaking violently and lost all power. I was able to safely pull to the shoulder of a two-lane road. The vehicle was completely dead and would not start. I am not sure if there was oil or anything leaking as it was dark outside. I called a tow truck and had the car taken to the Ford dealership. After initial inspection, the dealership moved the car to the "heavy maintenance" part of the service department. After a few days, I called to find out what they found and was informed the engine had "thrown a rod" and the entire engine would have to be replaced. After a week and a half, I called back and was told they are still disassembling the engine and their next step will be to submit a "cost cap" to Ford for permission to replace the engine. After researching the issue online, I came across the Safety recall 24V-598 on engine failures in the 3.3L size engine, typically only on police interceptor versions of the Ford Explorer. The information in the recall sounded exactly like what happened to my explorer but was told by the dealer the 3.0L engines were not affected and they had never seen one fail like this. I truly believe the 3.0L engine sizes are affected and the recall should be expanded to include this version of the explorer. I was lucky that I was able to safely drift to the side of the road, however, others may not be that lucky.
the entertainment screen goes black. screen has been black for 2 weeks. will still show back up camera when in reverse. screen does not work other than back up camera. unable to change air/heat settings. the back right seat will not lay down. the electrical component will not work. there is no manual way to let down seat. 3rd row seat stuck in up right position.
When the car is put into reverse. The reverse camera display is delayed in showing or shows a blue screen in lieu of the rear view. It started to happen around the 26 or 28,000 mile mark.
Sun roof fabric issue became undone (sags) and blocks view out your rear view mirror.
On [XXX] my 2022 Ford Explorer was involved in a collision during my morning commute to work. On [XXX] while stopped at a stoplight across from Sheetz, with the auto brake hold engaged for a minute or two already, my vehicle accelerated forward into the vehicle in front of me. The impact was so sudden that the driver of the vehicle I collided with thought I had been rear ended. While I had contacted my insurance company (Erie Insurance) regarding the collision, I had also reached out to my service center, Laurel Ford (Windber, PA), concerning the incident. Because of my concerns with the auto brake hold and Copilot system with the collision, they had me bring it in on 16 September to run diagnostics. Later that day on the 16th, I had received a phone call from the service tech letting me know that he did find system error logs approx. 40 minutes prior to the collision. He let me know that he was going to keep diagnosing and will be most likely reaching out to his next level service support. The next day on the 17th, the service technician called me back to let me know that when he reported the issue to his support center he was advised to park the vehicle, not let it be driven, and for the service manager to get with me to file a report (Ford reference # XXX). Since that time, nothing more has happened with my Explorer. I have both the current manufacturer's warranty and Ford Protect warranty. The most recent update from Laurel Ford was that Ford Corporate said a Field Service Engineer needed to evaluate the issue. The Laurel Ford Service Center is no longer getting replies from corporate and has a regional manager involved, with no luck so far. It has been an extreme burden and has been beyond stressful using my wife's car for work, l'm in the military and my base is over 40 miles away, while she relies on friends/family to get to her work and also make sure that both of my kids get to their activities. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Backup camera on the car has a clear picture but does not have a usable field of view. The problem occurred sometime in mid 2024 and was first reported to the dealer in Sep 2024. When in reverse, at 20' behind the vehicle you can see approximately 1' of height. The dealership seems to have no specs against which to compare this and simply reports that since the image is clear, it is the expected image. The camera system was recalled recently, but even with a new physical camera, the vehicle still has this issue.
The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to shift into reverse, the vehicle moved forward approximately 2 - 3 feet before reversing as intended. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V164000 (Power Train). The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer opened a case regarding the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
The transmission performance is poor, sometimes bordering and dangerous. In reverse you sometimes supply the gas in the car just sits there and doesn’t move and then it will quickly move backwards dangerously. There’s also a hesitation on acceleration and harsh shifting. I’ve had it to the dealer where they reset and reloaded the transmission software, it seem to smooth out the driving a little bit, but it’s been four months and it’s pretty much back the way it was originally, harsh, shifting, delayed power.
This is a Utility Interceptor used by a police department, and we have two of them. The vehicle stalls out when trying to enter traffic. It will stall for 2 or 3 seconds with the accelerator pressed all the way to the floor. Ford Motor Company released a technical service bulletin and provided a software flash for the transmission. I had the vehicle serviced at Ford in Bloomington, Indiana, but the transmission software flash did not correct the problem. I then returned the vehicle to Ford and stated that it did not solve the problem. The service technician stated that they contacted an engineer, Ford, and they noted that it was the nature of that transmission and that nothing else could be done. The technician also noted that the vehicle will not upshift from 4th gear to 1st gear when trying to accelerate. The bottom line up front is that transmission stalling the way it does is a safety issue for a police department or any driver.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026