— Ford Explorer rear axle bolt fractures are under a federal investigation to determine if two Explorer recalls were good enough to prevent the driveshafts from disconnecting.
The recalls were issued because the 2020-2022 Ford Explorer rear axle horizontal mounting bolts could break and allow the rear axle housing to move out of position.
Along with a disconnected driveshaft, the problem can cause severe noise and vibrations.
"A functioning driveshaft and transmission parking pawl is necessary to hold the vehicle in park. The loss of the vehicle’s transmission primary-park will cause the vehicle to roll away while being placed into the “Park” position, increasing the risk of crash and injury." — Ford
The first Ford Explorer rear axle bolt fracture recall was announced in April 2022 for these Explorers.
- 2020-2021 Ford Explorer Police Hybrid Electric
- 2020-2021 Ford Explorer Police 3.3L
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer 2.3L RWD
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer Plug-in Hybrid Electric 3.0L
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer Hybrid Electric 3.0L
- 2020-2022 Ford Explorer ST3 3L
Then in May 2023, another Ford Explorer rear axle bolt fracture recall was announced for Explorers built between October 2, 2019, to April 11, 2022.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration received two complaints about 2021 Ford Explorers that lost power and torque of the rear wheels because the rear axle bolts fractured. Those Explorers had been repaired by Ford during the rear axle bolt recalls.
To allegedly repair the problems, Ford updated software which applied to the electronic service parking brake to keep the Explorer from rolling away if the driveshaft broke.
"However, there is no safety remedy addressing the failed rear axle horizontal mounting bolt which is the basis of this safety issue and the cause of the impaired vehicle." — NHTSA
CarComplaints.com will update our website with results of the Ford Explorer rear axle bolt fracture investigation.