10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,528 miles

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problem #31

Jul 222024

Explorer

  • miles
The APIM module that controls the display and functioning has stopped working. The following are a couple of safety concerns with this: 1. The backup camera does not work. I almost hit a pedestrian while backing up because of this. 2. Hands free features with communication and gps is not available. Not having this feature takes away a hand from the steering wheel and focus on the road. 3. Some of the climate controls are not accessible. I took the car to a Ford dealer who confirmed that the APIM module is not working. No one else has checked the car. There was a gradual decline in functionality before it completely stopped working. Some trips it would work and others it did not. The frequency of it not working increased until it completely stopped working.

- Bethel Park, PA, USA

problem #30

Aug 072024

Explorer

  • miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact started while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the check engine warning light and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The electrical system shut down and the engine stalled. The instrument panel became inoperable. Additionally, the power steering became inoperable and the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to respond, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle drove off the road and violently crashed into a ditch. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained a significant whiplash and a stiff neck. The contact had not yet received medical assistance. The contact was able to exit the vehicle through the front driver's side door. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. There was no police report filed. The contact stated that the front passenger's side and the front undercarriage of the vehicle were significantly damaged. Additionally, the contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle emitted smoke. The contact immediately turned off the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing, and to call back to file a report once the VIN was available. The manufacturer also referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Lawrenceville, PA, USA

problem #29

Nov 222023

Explorer

  • miles
Our radio and back up assistance screen just stop working

- Saginaw, MI, USA

problem #28

Jul 262024

Explorer

  • miles
The horn went out for a second time since I-??ve owned this vehicle. The horns are in a bad location and in rainy weather they get wet and short out. The dealer will replace the horn again.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #27

May 242024

Explorer

  • miles
I own a 2018 Ford Explorer there has been an issue when it-??s cold out the APIM is not responding and turning on the reverse camera when vehicle is put into reverse. When it is above 70 degrees Fahrenheit the APIM works intermittently. The problem with this is out of the blue when it decides to work at times it turns the radio on with volume at max level This has startled me not knowing it-??s going to come on and it won-??t let you turn the radio down or power it off. Ford says there is no recall on the issue.

- Douglas, MA, USA

problem #26

Dec 072023

Explorer

  • miles
My screen went black for my Ford Explorer. I have no access to climate controls, backup Camera, radio, GPS, etc. My local Ford dealership said there was a recall pending but that-??s been a few months now. It-??s very dangerous driving like that with my 4 and 2 year old in the car.

- Cheshire , CT, USA

problem #25

Dec 032023

Explorer

  • miles
Driver door keypad detacted from pillar. Rear lift gate will not open with button on lift gate, key fob or switch in dash board.

- Boonville, MO, USA

problem #24

Oct 122023

Explorer

  • miles
I have owned this vehicle for a year and have gone through three batteries. It shows multiple coded for circuit shorts - Passenger mirror motor, tailgate/liftgate/trunk motor as well as the cinch striker motor, instrument panel which has lost communication with cruise control module, power steering module, battery voltage circuit below threshold, driver side curtain deployment control 1 circuit short to ground, switch illumination. When the vehicle is stopped or parked it constanly idles up to 1000 to 1500 rpms. These are all the codes that are showing on my vehicle. There has to be some sort of issue causing these problems. What happens if my airbag deploys without warning causing me to cause a major accident which can harm myself, my spouse, children and the people around me.

- Seymour, IN, USA

problem #23

Jul 202023

Explorer

  • miles
When the radio is on, a loud buzzing sound from the radio, do not believe it-??s in the speakers

- Weir, TX, USA

problem #22

Feb 182019

Explorer

  • miles
I Drove Explorer directly to Mayo Clinic in MN shorty after the purchase. It would smell like sulpher at times, gasoline, exhaust and I was getting very poor fuel economy. Averaging 17-2. I got extremely sick and confused and had severe headaches and nausea, vertigo, congnitive impairments, burning eyes and all I wanted to do was sleep. I felt fluish and I got confused while going to Mayo for testing. Well, I didn-??t make it to my appointment, I couldn-??t even figure out how to book a hotel or get cash. I ended up lifeless and chose to stay in the Explorer overnight due to the severe fatigue and confusion. I slept in an open air parking garage and had an electric throw and would start the vehicle occasionally to get warm. Well I ended up so sick and mentally confused and cognitively exhausted my sister called the police to let them know something was wrong with me. I ended up in the hospital for a week. I felt like normal during my days in the hospital, I actually thought that I had been sick from the off gassing of the Explorer, but I couldn-??t get away from the smells. I have MCS. After I was released I continued to drive down to Jacksonville Florida for my 3 week outpatient appointment. I was getting terrible fuel economy but I didn-??t realize it until I was getting 12 miles a gallon and eventually it went as low as 5 miles per gallon. I was so sick from the odors I didn-??t realize how much gas I was going through since I left CO. The Ford at that time in April 2019 had 5,000 miles on it and I was told the reason my fuel economy was so poor along with only getting 5-10 miles per gallon and the frightening smells and sickness were caused by the new emission set up and they refused to listen to my story and symptoms and charged me $500 to fix what looked to have been poorly installed. I now have a TBI and severe cognitive and an MRI that shows evidence of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and things only got worse from there. Thank you.

- Highlands Ranch , CO, USA

problem #21

Jul 102022

Explorer

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the liftgate failed to open. A message indicating a liftgate failure was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a used car dealer, where the liftgate fuse was replaced twice in one year; however, the failure persisted. The Ford dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

- Emporia, KS, USA

problem #20

Jun 282023

Explorer

  • miles
Dealer refuses to repair vehicle without issues being present. States They will only fix it once the problem has arisen.

- Gonzales, LA, USA

problem #19

Mar 222023

Explorer

  • miles
The Sync infotainment screen is inoperable and black. My backup camera is no longer operational. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the application programming interface module (APIM) needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

- Hiram, ME, USA

problem #18

Mar 112023

Explorer

  • miles
Around 4:45, was unable to access cruise control the message rapidly flashed., loss of headlights and all lighting for a few seconds. Was going 70 mph. I exited the interstate to turn around and go to my work on southbound the wrench light came on and I lost power steering, power, acceleration in my turn on the on ramp and proceeded off the road onto the incline somehow avoiding a rollover and teetering sideways. Meanwhile no power to open my window etc. at an angle where I couldn-??t open the door, took a minute to get out of the seatbelt. Suddenly got my window able to open and crawled out. The cops, and tow truck couldn-??t believe I didn-??t roll. The car was at a dealership the previous week for loss of power and terai. System problems/ no power steering and they replaced the throttle body 3 days before this happened. I-??ve had multiple electrical/exhaust/power failures. I am terrified to drive this vehicle. It-??s been to different dealerships and the ford ones and ford don-??t care (only the dealership I purchased it at tries) it is at a fifth one now. We have forscan reports of the failures also. Multiple images at scene also. Car wouldn-??t drive correctly and terrain management fault, unloaded itself from trailer too.

- Plattsmouth , NE, USA

problem #17

Jun 012021

Explorer

  • 89,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment screen was inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the application programming interface module (APIM) needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #16

Jan 262023

Explorer

  • miles
I-??ve recently heard from a-couple ford owners and ford technicians them selves that our vehicles come with faulty APIM modules and I just recently found out there was a recall on the 2017 model. I do not understand why there is not a recall on the 2018 model also as mine and several other peoples screen went completely black out of nowhere which is a part called the APIM module has failed which is a safety hazard that I cannot call 911 in an event or even use the back up camera for the safety of my vehicle. APIM modules are not cheap and they are not covered by a lot of warranty companies but it includes so many vital parts or pieces that-??s supposed to be included. Please seek to look into this APIM module recall for 2018 models also as it-??s been a headache for many people.

- Trenton, NJ, USA

problem #15

Feb 162022

Explorer

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-up camera image was distorted and unviewable. The vehicle had also experienced various electrical failures which included the headlights independently turning on while the vehicle was off. Additionally, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the message "Key Not Detected" was displayed. The vehicle also experienced the liftgate opening independently while driving. The contact also had difficulties starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear camera wire connector had failed due to water damage. The connector was replaced but later the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Struthers, OH, USA

problem #14

Jun 012022

Explorer

  • miles
The entire main console screen/information center went black one day. It was unable to be manually reset. Occasionally, on very hot days, the screen would work for the first start up. There are major safety issues associated with this: 1- inability to enable calling for help/911. There is a remote on the steering wheel to make phone calls, however, when the carplay is active and the phone is connected, you must only use the screen, the steering wheel feature is automatically disabled 2- The backup camera system is inoperable when the screen is black. This is dangerous as you cannot see hazards behind you including children, other vehicles, etc. When I contacted Ford's IT department to first report it, they said this has been an ongoing issue with updates that they were aware of, but unable to fix. Skalnek Ford in Lake Orion attempted to diagnose the safety issue for weeks and ultimately the APIM needed replacement.

- Lake Orion, MI, USA

problem #13

Jun 262022

Explorer

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was parked on an incline, the vehicle failed to restart without warning. Once the contact arrived at the scene, the vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The failure recurred four additional times after the initial failure. After the most recent failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the mechanic failed to duplicate the failure. The dealer replaced the battery; however, the failure returned soon after the replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

problem #12

Apr 062022

Explorer

  • miles
Horn failed to sound after pressing center of steering wheel. The horn started changing tones over a period of time then got quieter and then stopped working all together. Fuses and relays are in good condition. Will take it to a Ford dealer to have it looked at for further diagnosis.

- Tyler, TX, USA

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