10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 4
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 4 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 39,166 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
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
Within 10 days of buying it brand new I've had electrical problems. Replaced back up screen within those 10 days even though they didn't find anything wrong. Still continues. Multiple issues with the power train. Now I've been out of a car for 2 weeks because I might need a new transmission at 65,000 no longer under warranty. How can I pay $38,000 and it goes bad instantly? no help from Ford or dealer. My gears are stalling and not shifting correctly or picking up speed. I drive like an old lady and take care of this car like it's brand new. I will never buy a Ford again and will tell anyone who will listen not to do the same.
- Minnetonka, MN, USA
Per Ford website, I was told that my sync software need an upgrade when I typed in the VIN, then I follow the instruction on website but the program I downloaded messed up my apim module on my car and radio, gps, and other function ae not working. So I took my SUV to the dealer and they said it will cost me $1050 to fix the issue.
- Anaheim, CA, USA
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
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
Issues started with several electrical glitches that occurred and still occur consistently with no resolution. Battery was "fried" and replaced, sync module was replaced, now the glitches include a frozen steering column while driving and a "charging system service now" light that comes on and off while stationary and driving. Also passenger side view mirror gets stuck outwards, interior electrical malfunctions. Truck is no longer under warranty and I am tired of paying $150 diagnostic fees with no resolution.
- Pawling, NY, USA
Airbag warning light appeared on instrument gauge @ approx 65,000 miles. The concern is for the rear seat restraint systems that have airbags built into the seatbelt shoulder straps. This design flaw by Ford Motor Co has resulted in faulty wire harness systems for the seat belt airbags. Ford is not taking action because there is no official "recall" even though this is a well known design defect. Ford is leaving the responsibility up to consumers to pay out-of-pocket for this repair @ a $660 cost!!! this is absolutely unacceptable as we are talking about arguably the most important safety feature of a modern automobile...the airbags!!! Ford clearly cannot stand behind their own products from a safety standpoint, so consumers such as myself are forced to pay the $660 charge in order to protect the passengers (often children in our scenario) in the backseat or take the deathly risk of safety airbags not deploying in an accident scenario? you've got to be kidding me. Extremely shameful and disappointing that one of the biggest automobile manufacturers in the world cannot stand behind it's own safety products. This needs to be issued a recall pronto...this is people's safety we are talking about here!
- Hampton, NH, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 70 mph, the steering column seized and the steering column warning indicator illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle to the side of the highway, pressed the "ok" option on the message board, and was able to resume normal driving. Also, while driving 55 mph and hauling a trailer, the "hill start assist not available" warning indicator illuminated. The contact pressed the "ok" button and the warning light disappeared. In addition, the ABS, steering fault service now, and service track warning indicators illuminated at various times while driving. During the failure, the contact pressed the "ok" button again and the warning indicators disappeared. The contact took the vehicle to sunnyvale Ford (650 E el camino real, sunnyvale, ca 94087, 408-215-9949) and was informed that the repairs would cost $400. After a diagnostic was performed, the dealer determined that the warning indicator illumination was linked to a faulty battery. The dealer wanted to test the vehicle's trailer hitch cable to determine if that cable was linked to the failures. It was diagnosed that the steering rack was the cause for the system failure and the dealer provided an estimate for the repairs. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,000.
- Sunnyvale, CA, USA
Standard driving drug with no crashes. Airbag light began coming on intermittently while driving in early to mid October of 2018 (around 45,000 miles). After a full week of the light staying on vehicle was taken to dealership. The harness connector was loose. Five to seven days after repair the light began coming on intermittently again. A second dealership said the gardens connector was loose. Two to the weeks later the light came on and persisted. I was told in late may that it was the wiring harness before the front passenger seat. After some issues with the dealership, it was taken to the dealership that originally fixed it in October 2018. This time both the passenger wiring harness and airbag were replaced. Over $800 and 3.5 hour appointment for the actual fix. Pictures from initial service are attached.
- Scottsville, KY, USA
Required a new transmission. Reported initial problem at 58,000 miles the dealer could not find a problem while car was still under warranty. Car was experiencing a hesitation during acceleration. At 80,000 miles the transmission had to be replace (out of warranty). Require new battery and cables after batter "exploded" corroding the battery cables. (68,000 miles). Required a new water pump at 86,000 miles.
- Rocky River, OH, USA
At approx 48,000 miles, airbag light came on. Car was not moving, was parked for 9 hours after a day of work. Nothing hit, no impact. Ford dealer diagnosis: Airbag harness/connector issue traced back to rear passenger seat behind driver. 1.5 days work and $478.93 charge, not a warranty or recall repair. Airbag circuit inoperative. Fix is per tsb16-0001. I am keeping the parts the dealer is replacing. Requires removal of rear seats/replace/splice connector. Dealer not forgiving.
- La Grange, KY, USA
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
The steering failure light came on about 2 weeks ago and I brought to dealer. They said it was not the steering but the battery putting out the wrong voltage and caused the sensor to come on. Today I actually lost steering on the vehicle while driving about 30 miles on a local street. The street curved and I could not turn the wheel. The steering fault light came on and car said that the terrain assist and hill assist was disabled (was not using). I was able to put my hazards on, and struggle with the steering to pull over. I only have 42000 miles on this vehicle and have had numerous electrical problems with this car, including replacing the apim. I have a 16 year old, that just started driving with me in this car, and I do not think it is safe. I truly believe there is some wiring problem or electrical problem that Ford is ignoring. I see many people posting this same dangerous steering fault issue, and it not getting fixed.
- W Hempstead, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 20 mph, the instrument panel lights flashed on and off. The contact also stated that the rearview camera was not functioning properly. The vehicle was taken to dublin Hyundai (located at 6015 scarlett ct, dublin, ca 94568, (925) 803-7700), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 53,000.
- Castro Valley, CA, USA
Wiring/battery problem. Positive post on battery corroded along with wiring going to post. Replaced positive wiring and accessories wiring along with a new battery. Positive post started to corrode again now the battery dies randomly and needs jump start
- Sioux City, IA, USA
Problem first appeared on June 3, 2016 with about 10,000 miles. I was driving on interstate 95 past philadelphia airport about 9:30 am at about 60 mph. The vehicle had been driven from a cold start for about 20 minutes. It was raining moderately. The backup camera suddenly appeared on the screen in the center console and the transmission shuddered slightly. I also noticed that the dashboard drive indicator, which normally is lit red when in drive, was white, as were all the other indicators (R, N, etc). I jiggled the shifter without pressing the shifter button but that did not fix the problem. The transmission appeared to be still in drive since the car still had power and was not slowing down. It lasted for about 15 seconds and then the display returned to normal and the D indicator returned to its normal red mode. About 30 seconds later the problem returned and stayed for 10 to 15 seconds and then again reverted back to normal. This behavior repeated one or two more times in the next couple of minutes. After this series of events the car seemed to be normal for the rest of my 1.5 hour trip and has been fine until Aug 13, 2016 when the same behavior happened again. This could be a serious safety problem if it gets worse if for nothing else than it is certainly a distraction and may result in transmission damage and loss of control. I did talk to the service manager at my Ford dealer (sheridan Ford, rt 2 kirkwood highway, wilmington de) on July 21, 2016 when I was getting an oil change and I described the first incident. He did not seem very concerned. He said that they had never heard of that happening but did not have me write anything down. I told him that if it happened again, I would contact Ford and the dealer. The problem has occurred 12 more times. I have told the dealer about it every time. I have further text documentation.
- Wilmington, DE, USA
1. right rear passenger heated seat suddenly stopped working. The light turns on briefly but shuts off. I have seen multiple complaints about this issue but not on this site. 2. front cameras became fogged this winter and are useless now showing a cloudy screen. 3. every time I put the vehicle in gear I get a message stating park aid fault check park aid #1 and #3 are known problems and have happened to multiple owners of 2016 Ford Explorer.
- Superior, WI, USA
2016 Ford Explorer. Consumer writes in regards to inadvertent opening or closure of rear cargo door. The consumer stated when the rear cargo door inadvertently closes it strikes the occupant on the head or back.
- Sayre, PA, USA
The airbag warning light has come on. In taking the car to the dealership, this was traced back to Ford's error code dtc B141B and/or B141C. This error code has to do with Ford installing a defective wiring harness for the rear seat inflatable airbags and could cause them to fail to operate during a collision. The dealership (sheehy Ford, midlothian, va) refuses to repair the vehicle. I also contacted Ford Motor Company twice (5/29/19 and in April 2019) and they also refuse to repair the vehicle despite it being an obvious safety defect that should be covered under their safety restraint warranty. The fact that Ford is refusing to stand behind the safety of their vehicle has me concerned.
- Moseley, VA, USA
- Valley Center, CA, USA