10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 3
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 0
Average Mileage:
27,586 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2016 Ford Explorer:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #83

Oct 182016

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 11,000 miles
1st incident June 2016: During a busy school commute. On a very busy road, the vehicle lost power. Would not accelerate past approx. 15 mph. Towed to dealer and throttle body was replaced. 2nd incident Oct. 18,2016: Same exact problem as above, also on a busy street. Potential for injury or loss of life was great in both of these circumstances. Towed to dealer. Was told that only the computer needed to be reset and the car is fine??!! I have no confidence in driving this vehicle at all! afraid for my family's safety!!

- Niagara Falls, NY, USA

problem #82

Sep 222016

Explorer

  • 12,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving, there was a strong odor from the air conditioning unit. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 12,000.

- Taylor Ridge, IL, USA

problem #81

Oct 052016

Explorer

  • 20,200 miles
Was traveling on I-96 at 60-65 mph fairly heavy traffic in the left center lane. The wrench light and check in light came on and loss of acceleration. Luckily was able to move to the left shoulder without incident. The engine was running very rough and I shut the engine off. The wrench light message gave a message to check manual. I started to call for roadside service and was on hold for a short amount of time. I hung up and tried to start the car as I was approximately a mile from the next exit. I was able to start the car. The wrench light was off but the check engine light remained on. I was able to get the car to accelerate normally and decided to try and get to the next exit. I was able to cross to the right lanes but the same thing happened and was not able to make it to the exit but at least I was on the right shoulder. My opinion is that this issue could be a big hazard. I was fortunate to have traffic that was light enough to allow me to maneuver but if this were to happen while making a left hand turn across traffic, heavy traffic or close following traffic this could have been a bad accident.

- Wolverine Lake, MI, USA

problem #80

Oct 052016

Explorer

  • 10,900 miles
Traveling North on the loop 101 in Arizona going approx. 72 mph when the engine suddenly stopped accelerating and decelerated to approx. 20 mph. Almost caused an accident as I had to get out of the fast lanes of traffic and into the emergency lane. A picture of a wrench appeared on the dash and told me to read the manual. Vehicle had to be towed to the dealership where I bought it. Very disappointed in Ford's roadside assistance as I waited an hour and a half for a tow truck.

- Peoria, AZ, USA

problem #79

Sep 242016

Explorer

  • 6,000 miles
Driving on freeway with sudden loss of power. Instrument panel read "see manual". pulled vehicle over, restarted with no problem and went on our way. Luckily no one was hurt, but potential for injury/accident is very significant.

- San Marcos, CA, USA

problem #78

Aug 232016

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 40 mph, the vehicle lost power. In addition, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000....updated 12/14/16

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

problem #77

Sep 132016

Explorer

  • miles
My vehicle engine stalled while I was driving, a wrench and airbag icon displayed which said see manual. The Ford dealership told me to restart the vehicle. While waiting to get it in for service, I was driving on a busy highway and the vehicle shut down again causing me to coast to the median. I was nearly rear ended as a result.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #76

Aug 112016

Explorer

  • 21,000 miles
2016 Ford Explorer Sport - fully loaded 3.5L eco boost. Within weeks of buying we noticed an exhaust/sulfur smell in cabin when climate control on and front + rear air going with recirculate on as well. It started while accelerating/passing gear on hills/grades but now does it all the time...even when stopped at a red light! we have taken it to dealer four times while they have had my Explorer for over 50 days total. Dealer will not acknowledge smell even though we have taken multiple test drives with portable carbon monoxide reader showing extremely high levels with smell present & recording the incidents at the same time (Ford tech in vehicle with us witnessing the co reader levels). Corporate Ford engineers are denying and downplaying odor & co readings. We have been dealing with this for over four months - Ford has yet to provide a loaner but they want me to pick up my car when it's not repaired but they deem "safe". quite a liability don't you think? we are "extreme commuters" so we are in our Explorer at least 15 hours a week and now experience migraines, drowsiness, being nauseous, and my wife is currently being tested for cancer. Please include the 2016 Explorer models with your investigation so my family and I can be healthy + safe while driving. We implore the NHTSA to help us and others with families that Ford is willfully exposing co poison to and they are not acting to remedy this situation on their own with your intervention. I invite Ford CEO's along with their families to drive my car that they claim is 'safe' for a month to see how they feel being unprotected and laid bare to their own contaminants.

- Prescott, AZ, USA

problem #75

Apr 012016

Explorer

  • 4,000 miles
When accelerating up a hill or passing a vehicle or entering a freeway and then leveling off to a normal speed you get fumes in the cabin through the ventilation system. Sometimes these fumes burn your eyes, nose and affect your breathing. We have had our vehicle to dealership and been in contact with a Ford customer service rep about six times with no fix.

- Morris, OK, USA

problem #74

Aug 252016

Explorer

  • 7,000 miles
Vehicle lost power while driving down a busy highway at 65+ mph. Engine was running rough (sounded like a tractor) and could not accelerate. Dash lights came on. Vehicle was able to coast to an exit ramp where it was towed to the dealership to have the throttle body replaced. Mileage was just over 7,000. It is sad that I had to rescue my family (wife, 4 month old baby, 3 year old and 6 year old) off a busy highway exit ramp when the vehicle is less than 6 months old. The tow truck driver said he gets about 3 or 4 of the same issue with new Explorer a week. How can this not be a recall" now we will drive in fear of this problem occurring again since, from what the dealer said, the throttle body was replaced with the exact same part. I guess we just won't take any long trips when we are around 7,000 miles on this throttle body..." unbelievable Ford. What a piece of junk!

- Boston, NY, USA

problem #73

Aug 242016

Explorer

  • 10,400 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While attempting to decelerate from 65 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The driver was able to coast onto the shoulder. The engine warning indicator illuminated after the failure occurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 10,400.

- Frederick, MD, USA

problem #72

Jul 122016

Explorer

  • 8,200 miles
800 miles from home on a city street in mccall id, the wrench symbol appeared and our 2016 Explorer went into limp mode. We were towed to kendall Ford, meridian id with the diagnosis of a defective throttle body. We were given a rental car to head back home as the part was on back order across the country. Seventeen hours later the dealership called and a part had been found. We returned and picked up our Explorer but today do not have 'peace of mind' that this will never happen again. Our greatest fear is the next time we could be on a busy freeway and cause a serious accident or deaths while 'limping' to the shoulder or exit. We truly believe that every Ford Explorer owner who goes through this defective etb replacement hassle should be offered an extended warranty agreement. The 2009-2013 Ford owners(1,600,000 of them) with throttle body failures received warranty coverage for 10 years or 150,000 miles. We 2016 Explorer owners deserve that same offer- it is the decent thing to do.

- Mesquite, NV, USA

problem #71

Aug 202016

Explorer

  • 10,400 miles
Almost killed driving with two young grandchildren on major highway when lost power. Had to make across lanes to shoulder of road, causing cars to swerve around us. Problem deemed to be throttle body assembly. It amazes me that this problem has existed for so long and the NHTSA has done little about other than making Ford cover through extended warranty"??? how many deaths need to occur to get action????????"

- Berwyn, PA, USA

problem #70

Aug 162016

Explorer

  • 7,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 40 mph, the engine shut off. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body needed to be replaced. The manufacturer stated that they would look into the matter. The failure was not remedied. The failure mileage was 7,000.

- Mcarthur, OH, USA

problem #69

Jun 202016

Explorer

  • 9,025 miles
Engine periodically dies at highway speeds under moderate to heavy acceleration. Particularly dangerous when attempting to pass and/or when acceleration is necessary on an incline. Occurs almost every time you attempt to accelerate. The engine appears to loose all power a second or two after depressing the accelerator and will not recover until the accelerator is released completely and then is re-engaged very lightly. Will recover to moderate cruising speed but will not allow passing and or maintain a safe speed on a steep incline. Occurs very consistently on the highway at speeds of 45mph or higher. Will also occur in city driving but less consistently. Very dangerous when attempting to pass, legally, on two lane roads and in heavy traffic on mountain roads when sudden loose of power creates havoc for the vehicles following you.

- Phoenixville, PA, USA

problem #68

Aug 122016

Explorer

  • 5,507 miles
I was driving down I-295 with a speed of 65mph when I saw a wrench icon on the dash board light up and I lost control on acceleration. No power even though you are stepping on the gas you slowly decelerate like you placed the car in neutral.the next day I called up the service dept of my dealer. Explained to the tech what had happened and without hesitation he replied "you have to change the throttle body, it's defective."

- Elkins Park, PA, USA

problem #67

Aug 152016

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 14,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle lost power and stopped. The check engine light and a wrench indicator illuminated. The driver pulled over and restarted the vehicle after about ten minutes. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and the throttle body was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that NHTSA would be notified. The failure mileage was 14,000.....updated 09/08/16

- Boston, MA, USA

problem #66

Aug 122016

Explorer

  • 13,000 miles
Traveling 65 mph on I95 rush hour traffic. Engine failed without warning. Very, very dangerous situation. No power. Had to cross 3 lanes of heavy traffic to the breakdown lane. Ford is aware - this is a potentially deadly flaw.

- West Newbury, MA, USA

problem #65

Aug 112016

Explorer

  • 7,000 miles
I'm a victim of the wide spread electronic throttle body issue on the 2016 Ford Explorer, limited, fwd, 3.5V6. It only clocked 7000 miles and it happened when I was at around 40mph in the traffic, and all of sudden, both the check engine and airbag light turned on, steering wheel became heavy, and lost all the power, pressing the gas paddle couldn't accelerate the vehicle. I managed to coast to the road side, called the tow truck, and sent the car in nearby Ford service. On the next day, I was informed of the throttle body failure and faulty part was replaced. As echoed by so many other owners, this is a known defect in an important part on this brand new car, it's extremely dangerous to lose all power all of sudden in the middle of the traffic, what if it's on a speedy highway" husband, wife, or children could be seriously hit or even killed. If this is not classified as a recall case, what else is"

- Holly Springs, NC, USA

problem #64

Aug 052016

Explorer

  • 7,904 miles
The vehicle was being driven at approximately 40 mph when the engine went to idle. A wrench icon showed on the dash and the engine would idle, but when the gas pedal was depressed, the car would not accelerate whatsoever. The problem is a defective throttle body and the issue is widely reported as a common occurrence. Because the throttle body failed on a major interstate highway at rush hour made for a very dangerous situation. Ford seems to have no resolution for this issue.

- Longmeadow, MA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »