10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,468 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #18

Aug 122020

Explorer

  • 38,350 miles
While driving the traction control and ABS lights come on. System has stability control warning. While driving this causes brakes to lock up. My wife almost crashed due to the brakes locking. Once you turn off the car it will reset and everything appears normal until it happens again. Unfortunately this incident does not store any codes in the system. We have had the 2016 expolorer in the shop multiple times and the dealerships have done nothing to fix the issue. Because there are no codes they are doing nothing. They do not research the issue nor have they tried to fix anything. There are multiple complaints about this and a procedure needs to be established to diagnose and fix the problem. This is a serious safety issue and needs to be addressed by Ford before someone dies. My wife will no longer drive this vehicle because she feel unsafe.

- Dallas, GA, USA

problem #17

Aug 132020

Explorer

  • 37,000 miles
I was driving home from dropping my daughter off at daycare and I lost the power steering on my vehicle while the vehicle was in motion and I was driving a steady speed down a straight road. My daughter was no longer in the car with me as this could have resulted in an accident but thankfully she was not and I was able to pull off the road with a lot of effort involved. My car had to be towed to the Ford shop and I had to have my power steering core changed. $2500. This car only has 37,000 miles and is a 2016 Ford Explorer. Quite frustrating, disappointing and expensive. There needs to be a recall with this problem because I am not the only one this has happened too.

- Jupiter, FL, USA

problem #16

Jun 202020

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 64,000 miles
Saturday June 20th 2020 the hill assist message came on as did the ABS and traction control lights came on. There is no power steering and both axles are making a clicking noise. I have learned that this is the rack and pinion electronic power assist system. Epas unit has failed. Luckily it was in my cul de sac turning around and not on the freeway. My wife predominantly drives this vehicle. The steering is very difficult to move. The vehicle only has 64,000 miles on it. Is this a private recall? I have spoken with a couple of other Explorer owners that Ford "took care of it" for them. I have ordered the part, but it will not be there for a week. This car is well taken care of and is normally driven on city streets and occasionally on the highway.

- Taylorsville, UT, USA

problem #15

Mar 012020

Explorer

  • 85,000 miles
After getting my airbag recall taken care of I noticed the steering started getting tight more and more after 2 days it was really tight until it rained and it got loose again but the street line sensors and the rumble stopped working. One day after the rain dried the wheel tighten up again where I can barely turn it. I ask Ford about it and they said I had to get a diagnostic for $179 to determine what was wrong. Also have a problem with the emissions passing because the air filter sensor is not working. Trying to get an outside mechanic. Ford is a ripoff.

- Randolph, MA, USA

problem #14

Dec 062019

Explorer

  • 59,730 miles
I was driving down the highway and I got errors saying my advace trac system needed to be serviced. Also that my power steering failed and I needed to pull the vehicle over safely. I was going about 65mph and my power steering went out!. I had to take an offramp shortly after (I was on my way to work) and it was difficult to steer the vehicle. Very dangerous!

- Pasadena, MD, USA

problem #13

Jul 102019

Explorer

  • 92,000 miles
2016 Ford Explorer - the backup camera will come on while traveling down the highway at 55-60 mph. Will cause it to loose power, the RPM's drop right below 1000, the wrench symbol comes on, and it will barely move down the road. A screen will pop up on occasion saying hill assist is unavailable. You have to pullover, turn the car off, open the driver door to make sure the radio and all goes off, wait exactly one minute, and then you are able to crank the vehicle up to be able to move. I have taken to dealership, and all they say is it's a sensor inside the transmission, and all they can do is clear the code out. They say that it is saying my vehicle is trying to engage in reverse while going down the road. This sounds like a huge safety issue especially when I have had others say the same thing has happened to them as well. I have reached out to the dealership in regards to my warranty, but I have yet to hear back from them, and it has been over 2 weeks. I have also reached out to the sales representative several times, and I have yet to hear from him. I contacted them because while looking at the paperwork it said it had a limited power train warranty, but it was purchased as a pre-certified used vehicle with an unlimited power train warranty they were offering for vehicles with lest than 80,000 miles. I have not had it a year yet. I have an email from the sales rep himself stating that it is unlimited. It was purchase in September of 2018.

- Danielsville, GA, USA

problem #12

Jun 272019

Explorer

  • 21,300 miles
I stopped at traffic light, I heard a strange sound, and the airbag light came on. I press the gas gas to cross intersection and car would only go 3 miles an hour, I managed to turn into side street, and turned car off. When I restarted car and I was able to accelerate and proceeded to drive to my destination, when I stopped at another red light it happened again and then engine light came on. I then turned off car and restated to find all warning lights off. I then drove to auto nation Ford dealership. They diagnosed with a throttle problem. When checking the internet I see a lot of people have had this same problem, it could have bee a very dangerous situation since this happened St an intersection.

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #11

Apr 242019

Explorer

  • 103,448 miles
Loss off power steering and stability control

- Forest Hills, NY, USA

problem #10

Aug 312018

Explorer

  • 50,000 miles
While driving down the road my power steering went out. I have around 50,000 miles on my 2016 Ford Explorer. I have had it worked on 3 times and it continues to have the same issue. This is a serious safety issue for the people in the car and those on the road. Many people have complained about this issue, yet Ford has not issued a recall.

- Elko, SC, USA

problem #9

Jul 302018

Explorer

  • 71,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 70 mph, the power steering suddenly failed and made the steering wheel very difficult to turn. During the failure, the "steering fault" and "service advance trac" messages displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer (toms Ford, 200 hwy 35, key port, NJ) where it was diagnosed that the power steering assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,000.

- Salsbury Mills, NY, USA

problem #8

Jul 262018

Explorer

  • 44,412 miles
At highway speeds (70mph) power steering and traction control systems went out. Diagnostics flashed onto the dashboard - "steering loss stop safely terrain management system fault service advancetrac hill start assist not available" power steering and traction control systems were offline. I was able to drive the vehicle back to my house five miles away, but am unable to move the vehicle out of it's parking spot.

- Essex, MD, USA

problem #7

Jan 292016

Explorer

  • 35,391 miles
Loss of steering while traveling 70mph, on expressway, exactly like recall on previous years. Had dealer fix Jan 2016 only to go out again in Jan 6,2017, with 37000 miles. Dealer repaired with updated part. Needs to be included with recall. Recall 14S06 (14V286000 steering: Electric power assist system),

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #6

Aug 312017

Explorer

  • 19,500 miles
Was traveling down a city surface street when another vehicle tried to beat me to getting onto the same street I was traveling on made a sudden turn before I could get to his location. Upon trying to maneuver and avoid a collision the vehicle suddenly did not respond to the maneuver and instead veered off the road and crashed into a residence. Steering failed to function as intended, ABS system also failed to function properly. This has not been the first time I got into a wreck like this with this vehicle. Making a sudden turn in this vehicle will likely suffer some sort of accident, vehicle does not respond like it should with all them electrical safety features.

- North Hollywood, CA, USA

problem #5

Jul 052017

Explorer

  • 56,000 miles
I am an owner of a 2016 Ford Explorer that was purchased brand new at a dealership here in AZ last year in January. Immediately after purchase, I started noticing fuel leakage from the vehicle and vehicle using a lot of gas everyday. I took my truck back to the dealership and was told everything is ok. As time went on, I noticed that every time I accelerated on the gas, the truck slowed down. Took truck to dealership and was told once again nothing is wrong. A couple of months ago, the battery died. I have the truck toowed to the dealership and they replaced the battery. Two weeks later, the battery dies again. I had it towed to the dealership again. They replaced the battery again and noticed a recall on the truck. A week later I'm driving my kids to school when the dashboard goes black and then lights up again. All of a sudden it happens again, the dashboard goes black and the speed starts decelerating. I hurry up and get to the safety side of the highway. I cut the truck completely off, waited a few minutes and it started right back up. I took the truck to the dealership. Once again, I'm told that nothing is wrong with the vehicle. Yesterday the truck dashboard starts going on and off. Then the truck completely dies. I called roadside assistance and had the truck towed to the dealership. I waited for over 5 hours at the dealership before they told me what "might" be the problem. I was told there might be an electrical shortage between the monitor, radio, odometer, and climate controls that is causing the vehicle to shut down. The dealership doesn't have parts to fix it but can order them and it might take a few weeks to get them. As of now I have no air conditioner and my radio isn't working. I have spoken with several customer service managers about the vehicle and was told there isn't anything that can be done except wait for Ford to fix it.

- Scottsdale, AZ, USA

problem #4

Aug 022016

Explorer

  • 8,400 miles
2016 Ford Explorer with approximately 8400 miles. Was traveling southbound on us hwy 1 at approximately 50mph when vehicle suddenly stops accelerating and wrench light comes on. Car will only coast at less than 5mph. Was able to pull into a parking lot without being involved in an accident. Vehicle was on and shaking but would not allow me to accelerate. Vehicle had to be towed to Ford dealership. Ford mechanic stated it was the electronic throttle bottle and they have already had a few of them come in to be replaced. Etb has been replaced but vehicle still lags when accelerating. Went on carscomplaints.com and 38 complaints have already been filed for the same issue.

- Palm Coast, FL, USA

problem #3

Jun 092016

Explorer

  • 10,000 miles
I was driving on the highway and the car lost power wrench light appeared on my dash I went from 65 T0 10 miles per hour, when I took it to my dealer the wrench light disappeared, and they said they couldn't put it on the machine if there wasn't a light on the dash, I explained the proble they said it was the electronic throttle body and they are on back order, don't know when you will get one.

- Commodore, PA, USA

problem #2

Jun 022016

Explorer

  • 3,960 miles
The vehicle went into limp mode RPM and speed where reduced to 1000 RPM (max) and 5-10 mph while responding to a police matter as the vehicle is the police model and purchased as a police car. Upon research, the electric throttle body has been a problem for a number of years and has not been addressed. This is a police vehicle and not reliable at all. The vehicle has 3960 miles on it and dept is being told it will be 2-3 months before back in service. Research done on inter net finds this has been an on going issue with Ford for a number of years and being over looked by the regulating agencies.

- Warsaw, IN, USA

problem #1

Mar 122016

Explorer

  • 935 miles
I recently received a 2016 Ford police utility (Explorer) as a new patrol vehicle. While on patrol I suddenly lost power steering. I received a steering assist fault message on the dash, as well as a traction and stability control error message. The vehicle has 935 miles on it. I have read where Ford has had problems in the past with this steering system. As a police officer I am very concerned that the loss of power steering with no warning could result in a very dangerous situation for officers driving this vehicle, as well as civilians driving the civilian model. As of this complaint the vehicle is at the dealership waiting to be fixed. Ford needs to get this system working correctly.

- Franklin, TN, USA