10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
25 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,694 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 #256

Jan 222020

Explorer

  • miles
I never received a recall in the mail. Vehicle was purchased in June 2019 but the recall ended in August 2019 and I would like to have this repaired

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #255

Jan 142020

Explorer

  • 68,800 miles
Strong smell of natural gas or exhaust entering the cabin. Seems to be coming in through the air vents. As that's where the smell is the most intense. It also gets worse when the car is stationary. But it is noticeable throughout the whole drive. At this point even after only two days it's almost unbearable to drive and the whole cabin is stained with the smell.

- Santaquin, UT, USA

problem #254

Jan 062020

Explorer

  • miles
Propane smell into cabin of vehicle when vehicle is running and heat or ac is on. No matter if it's stationary or in motion, city, street or highway.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #253

Oct 212019

Explorer

  • 40,000 miles
Exhaust or gas smell in the cabin. Especially noticeable after longer drives. So strong you can smell it in the house after parking in the garage. Took it to a Ford dealer and was told they couldn't find anything.

- Brighton, CO, USA

problem #252

Dec 182019

Explorer

  • 70,000 miles
My 2016 Ford Explorer limiited has 70K miles and is garage kept. After driving in heavy rain, I noticed water in my cargo area. Water is leaking into cargo area near the third row's driverside seat belt. Dealer told me it was a factory defect where they didn't weld and instead used seam sealer and now that seam sealer has failed. Ford and the dealer refuse to cover the cost of repair. They said they could fix it was with a stronger type of seam sealer.

- Mechanicsburg, PA, USA

problem #251

Oct 122019

Explorer

  • 13,000 miles
There is a burning smell, like exhaust, that is coming into the cabin of my 2016 Ford Explorer. Ford serviced the vehicle and said they reprogrammed the HVAC system, but I am still getting the smell.

- Frisco, TX, USA

problem #250

Dec 012019

Explorer

  • miles
Going down hill at speed of 40km/H, then slow down for a red light stop, the gas RPM suddenly jumps to 3000rpm, even I stepped hard on the brake padel, that 3000rpm still existing and last for 5 seconds, then it back to normal of 900rpm.

- Calgary, AZ, USA

problem #249

Nov 112017

Explorer

  • 500 miles
While operating the vehicle there is a constant odor of natural gas or exhaust like smell. The longer the period of time the vehicle is operated the more intense the odor becomes. If the windows are opened the odor dissipates but soon returns. A check of the exhaust system showed no visible signs of leakage. The odor is constant since the vehicle was owned.

- East Hills, NY, USA

problem #248

Nov 062019

Explorer

  • 38,000 miles
Exhaust/rotten egg small inside and outside the car while it is running with heat on.

- Plainfield, IL, USA

problem #247

Oct 292019

Explorer

  • miles
When I turn the heat on a horrible smell like rotten eggs comes in the vehicle. The odor is so strong it has caused headaches and has made me and family feel sick to our stomachs

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

problem #246

Feb 162017

Explorer

  • 16,000 miles
There is an exhaust smell permeating the cabin in city driving causing dizziness and the cabin gets flooded with exhaust fumes under heavy acceleration due to merging into traffic on interstate on ramps or while passing in any driving condition all contributing to dizziness, headaches and sometimes nausea. Even with the air conditioner on and the recirculating air feature engaged. Several times during my drive I need to open the window to air out my vehicle to avoid becoming ill. I've had it to the dealer several times with no resolution of this issue and Ford's reply is sorry but you experience no more than what is acceptable levels of exhaust fumes. This is the first vehicle I've owned that floods the cabin with exhaust fumes even with the A/C recirculating the air. This is an ongoing issue since I've owned the vehicle February 2017.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #245

Oct 082019

Explorer

  • 47,000 miles
Was driving down 95 @ 65 mph when all of a sudden, the car jerked and lost all power. Wrench light, check engine, and airbag light all came on. No power. No gas, limp mode. Code reader determined throttle body issue. Looked online, appears to be known issue ignored by Ford. I could have been killed

- Levittown, PA, USA

problem #244

May 202019

Explorer

  • miles
Have a 2016 Explorer XLT. Last summer and this summer (mainly while ac is on) the wierd noise of whoop, whoop or slide whistle or police sirens emitts from the rear of the vehicle. Things I know 1) makes noise intermittently during driving at all speeds. 2) cant reproduce sound for dealer 3) make noise mainly while ac is on 4) will make noise while idling in park 5) noise comes from rear of vehicle, unknowing of a certain side left or right 6) only 2 posts I can find that somewhat describes this noise on the internet, niether apply any help or experiences would be appreciated, otherwise a great vehicle

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #243

Sep 042019

Explorer

  • 1 miles
The exhaust fumes and carbon monoxide are present in the vehicle's cabin while driving. The car was serviced at the Ford dealer twice for this problem. First time was after Ford issued an official " customer satisfaction program" related to this issue. Since I was constantly dealing with dizziness, nausea, and other symptoms consistent with carbon monoxide poisoning I took the car to the dealer again. I was told that the previous "repair" was not done properly and needed to be corrected. The "correction" did not help. The carbon monoxide meter I keep in the car frequently sounds the alarm and shows elevated levels of co. The highest level I have seen was 52 ppm before opening all widows. I have multiple video recording of the meter reading going up while driving. Now I'm driving with windows opened and ac off to avoid getting sick. I contacted the dealer, they promised to contact Ford for some suggestions. I made multiple attempts to follow up and every time I heard that Ford did not answer yet.

- Peoria, IL, USA

problem #242

May 152019

Explorer

  • 48,000 miles
I have had an issue in the transmission or shifting and won't go into gear or drive until you take it and put back to park. Then sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. I took it to the dealer and they had a Ford engineer that thought they figured it out after shelling something and repairing it. It worked for a month and now is back at dealer for a second time. Seems to be with 4 wheel drive or transmission

- Olathe, KS, USA

problem #241

Jul 262019

Explorer

  • 65,000 miles
Smell of sulfur or natural gas in the cabin, causing headaches and dizziness. The issue seems to be worsened if climate control fans are blowing. The issue occurs while driving or idling.

- South Jordan, UT, USA

problem #240

Jul 232019

Explorer

  • 95,000 miles
Carbon monoxide in car. I drive up to 8 hours a day fro my job. Over the past several months I've experience dizziness and nausea thought out the day and recently learned of co issues with Ford Explorer. I purchased a co detector last week to test my car over the past 3 days the alarm has gone off indicating high levels of co in the cabin while the car was in motion and stopped. Specifically, with the air conditioner on "auto" at approximately 3500rpm the detector registered co in the cabin, at 4500 RPM the level of co doubled.

- Aptos, CA, USA

problem #239

Jul 162019

Explorer

  • 20,000 miles
Tires - all 4 hanook tires dot # 5mnc 1A H (0216) 255/50/R20 treads have been chipping and peeling up resulting in unsafe conditions and excessive wear. These tires are clearly problematic tires and completely worn out at 20,000 miles. Manufacturer is aware if this resulting from new compounds (materials) used in manufacturing. High speed blowouts have been reported for this particular tire yet no recall has been issued for this tire despite its defects and safety concerns. I first noticed it on the two front tires. It is shocking that Ford would use these tires.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #238

Apr 012019

Explorer

  • 33,000 miles
I brought my 2016 Ford Explorer Sport into lhm draper on April 29th with some service concerns. The most important problem was a clunking/knocking/buckling noise in the front end when turning the wheel. After leaving the car for 12 days I discovered they did not fix anything. For the next 9 days as I drove the car I noticed that the clunking noise was still very much present and happening every single day. There wasn't a single day that I didn't hear this noise. I took the car back in on May 24th again for a clunking/knocking noise in front end when the wheel is turned. Also a whining/winding noise from the steering wheel. I picked the car up on June 4th only to discover it still wasn't fixed. I have sent several messages to the dealer with no response. The car makes this noise daily. To my dismay, I did some google searches on the internet yesterday for potential causes of this knocking noise and discovered this is a huge problem with Ford Explorer!!! there are hundreds and hundreds of complaints!!! I also understand Ford recalled earlier model year Explorer with power steering problems with this same knocking noise. I am concerned that I am now outside of my warranty period. I know all too well about that. We have a 2006 Ford F350 with only 55,000 miles sitting on the side of our house that hasn't been drivable for years. About a year after we bought the truck, we began having problems with overheating and one day it started blowing white smoke. We immediately took it to the dealer and were told that this particular truck has problems with the egr cooler. The vehicle was serviced, but sometime after the warranty expired it began experiencing the same problems and Ford washed their hands of it. We've been told that it will cost over $10K to get it fixed. So there it sits! this vehicle is only 3 years old with 33,000 miles.

- South Jordan, UT, USA

problem #237

Jun 032016

Explorer

  • 10,000 miles
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

Read the next 20 complaints »