10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 30,136 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.
The heated seats went out. Took to mechanic shop, the wires burned out and also melted the fuse box. All that has to be replaced. Ford Dealership only sells the whole wiring harness which is over $1,000. With the wires burning out and then melting fuse box, lucky my car didn't burn.
- West Plains, MO, USA
The airbag fault light on the dash of my 2016 Ford Explorer recently illuminated. I took it to Christian Brothers Automotive, who did a complete diagnostics check. They determined that the inflatable seat belt should read 2.2 Ohms but it reading at 5.5 Ohms, which is causing the light to illuminate. They stated that the inflatable seat belt needs to be replaced. This appears to be the same issue with a Ford recall notice issued on January 21, 2022 under Customer Satisfaction Program 21B11 related to 2014, 2015, and 2016 Ford Explorers. However, my VIN does not appear on the list of effected vehicles and Ford is refusing to repair it under the recall until it is added to the list.
- Argyle, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after noticing that the seat heaters were inoperable, he saw that the heated seat module connector had melted. The contact also stated that the front passenger-??s side seat controls were inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
- Jamesville, NY, USA
Vehicle right passenger area receives no heat, either from front heat vent nor does the seat heater function. Dealer replaced seat heat mechanism(s) that required software update. Update failed to resolve the problem. Outside temp is now -13?F. Dealer states they are awaiting dealer engineers to determine how to repair the problem.
- Wasilla, AK, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side front seat inadvertently moved back and forth. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
- Kountze, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact indicated that the rear power-folding third-row passenger-??s side and driver-??s side seats would not properly fold down and remain secured. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was also contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
- Canton, OH, USA
The driver seat advanced forward after hitting the preset button but did not stop. I was crushed between the steering wheel and the dash. There was only 3 inches between the seat and the dash for my knees. This is a major safety issue that caused bodily injury. It happened twice. I have video showing this issue but can-??t seem to upload it to this site.
- Dover , MA, USA
Plastic drivers seat mounting components have failed causing drivers seat to rock back & forth. Concerned that remainder of seat mounting system will fail and I will go through the windshield during a hard brake stop or cause me to swerve and hit or kill someone else.
- Saint Petersburg , FL, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that at start-up, the driver's side front seat independently adjusted, trapping the contact up against the steering wheel. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer walker Ford (17556 us hwy 19 N, clearwater, fl 33764, (727) 265-3992) but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of failure. The contact was still awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000. The consumer stated the dealer was notified and suggested the consumer inadvertently changed the seat settings. The consumer was unable to replicate the failure and denied changing the settings.
- Redington Shores, FL, USA
My driver side airbag light is on my dash I have plugged in and unplugged all of the seatbelts reset the airbag light and it stays off for a while. This is definitely a safety issue I understand it is either a sensor or they are having problems with the wiring harness this should be addressed in a recall. The front passenger side seat warmer/cooler does not work, not sure if that issue is part of the airbag light problem.
- Galt, CA, USA
On August 20, 2020, my vehicle had last been driven around 12 noon. It sat in the driveway with all of us home. My son went to get in the vehicle around 6:30 pm. Smoke poured out, the seat was smoldering and flames came up. We couldn't put the fire out with extinguisher. Fire department put hose on seat. Firemen stated they see this often with heated/airconditioned seats that malfunction and burn up or cause fire. Firemen stated they could tell the way it looked "like all the other heated /air conditioned seats that ignite that they see often". insurance company says car is totaled since hose was put on it. Ford will not work with me. No one left anything burning in the seat or smoked in the car. I believe the car heated/air conditioned seat malfunctioned and Ford should help. I had purchased bumper to bumper warranty from dealership. Warranty company says if a car catches fire, warranty is voided, even if car malfunctioned causing the fire. Insurance company is trying to pay as least amount as possible. This was a well cared for, very nice car. I believe it malfunctioned. Ford Motor Company sent me a letter saying they had the dealership take pictures, and they feel it had something left burning on the seat. No one left anything burning on the seat. In the letter Ford Motor Company sent me by email, they state they inspected the car. They never came to see the car in person. They only had the service staff take pictures. The car was sitting in the driveway all afternoon. I also backed out of the driveway in my Subaru at 5:00 pm and did not smell or see smoke as I left.. the passenger seat that ignited itself had a stack of business papers and some soccer gear that could have overheated if the seat was malfunctioning too. The seat ignited by itself. As a consumer I deserve to be assisted. I would like the car repaired or replaced w/similar car. Consumer stated vehicle was totaled and settlement was offered by the insurance company. Vehicle was towed to the dealership.
- Evansville, IN, USA
Power locks get stuck on either lock or unlocked not allowing me to either lock or unlock the car door on driver and back passenger door. Plastic stripping panels on front driver and passenger doors are coming off and the panels connected to the windshield on both sides. Power seats do not hold the memory of where it was left. The seat goes all the way up to the steering wheel when memory buttons are pressed or if the keyless code on the door is used to unlocked the car. Keyless entry will unlock without to code being typed in correctly. Using the first three numbers can unlock the door. All of these things happen will the car is stationary.
- Vidalia, LA, USA
Drivers seat rocks like it is loose
- Glen Allen, VA, USA
Seat heat under driver seat keeps going bad. Only the seat bottom, not the top. I noticed as this is the 3rd time it has been in for this, that when I have the seat in the farthest back position it works, but when the seat is moved further it pulls on the wires. I wonder if this could be causing a short in the wiring, which potential could be a fire hazard.
- West Olive, MI, USA
3rd row seats stopped working, seats stuck in stowed position (so I can't get to my spare tire.) no motor sounds, rear interior lights also stopped working. We haven't used the stow feature so much that it should cease to function. We have replaced the fuse, no change. Because there is no way to operate the 3rd row seats while the car is in motion, all of the operation and troubleshooting of the third row seats have happened while the vehicle was stopped and in park.
- Murrieta, CA, USA
The location of the controls for the third row seats is a problem. When the seats are down, the buttons face the interior of the car and can be bumped by cargo. Once the seats start to move, there is no way to stop them. Third, the last time we put the third row down, they would not return to the seat position when we pushed the button. I looked through the car guide for a manual override, but the strap that is on some car seats, is not on the 3rd row seats. The vehicle has been in park, and the engine off, when this happened, and when we tried to remedy the problem. Bosch Ford in temecula had no suggestions about what the problem could be, or any price ranges for possible repairs.
- Murrieta, CA, USA
Passenger seat stuck all the way front won't move back and popping noise when turned wheel it's struck tower mounts struts and front sway bar links
- El Paso, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 17V767000 (seats); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Gosch Ford temecula (26895 ynez rd, temecula, ca 92591, (951) 708-9148) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
- Bomaunt, CA, USA
I have owned my vehicle for two weeks and already I have noticed a huge safety issue with the vehicle. The automatic third row seats that use the buttons located on the left wall are completely unsafe! once engaged there is absolutely no way to stop it from moving. I accidentally hit the wrong button, I wanted to fold the left seat but hit the right seat, and I had no way to stop it from crushing all of my belonging before it stopped and folded back to the position it was previously in. There is no way to disable these buttons. I have a young child and I am scared of what may happen if she were to hit one of these buttons and I cannot stop the seat from closing on her. This feature needs a shut off switch and buttons that are not easily accessed for little fingers to push. I am already in the process of looking for a new vehicle because of this extremely dangerous feature.
- Camano Island, WA, USA
- Jacksonville, NC, USA