2016 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering functionality. The contact stated that the message “Power Steering Failure - Stop Driving Vehicle” was displayed. The traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with internal steering gear head failure. The dealer performed the steering gear replacement and realignment. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The manufacturer later informed the contact that no assistance would be provided. The failure mileage was 65,964.

I experienced two failures associated with other model years. The first was the right side A-pillar trim. It pulled free on the highway. I noticed it fly off and was able to recover the majority of it. It smashed on impact and there is a large piece missing. The remaining piece is available for inspection upon request. The A-pillar exterior trim flew off on a one-lane section of divided highway, there would have been no place for anyone to go if it flew back and there was a car behind me. This problem is a known issue I found out about on this (NHTSA) website. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, it flew off on the highway and has not been reported yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning at all that this was going to break loose. I also have an issue with the PTU. I was driving home from the airport and at a a stoplight, I noticed a ticking noise when I stopped at the exit of the parking lot. I noticed it again closer to home, after a fifty mile drive. When I stopped on the off ramp from the highway, I noticed smoke coming from under/behind my explorer. It smelled like antifreeze, but when I arrived home, and checked under the vehicle, I found black residue on the PTU and what looked like leaks from the axle seals that were not there for the last five months I've owned the vehicle. The vehicle smoked heavily when I stopped on the exit ramp, and when I went to accelerate into the traffic round-about, the vehicle lagged before moving, with an audible clunk and a lurch when it finally moved. Any reasonably hard acceleration produces a noise and will usually lag before moving. It may make a ticking noise when at idle cold, but is more pronounced the hotter the drivetrain gets. I had an OBD II scan done with no codes produced.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while her employee was driving 60 MPH, the exterior A-pillar trim detached from the windshield on two separate occasions. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue however, the vehicle was not diagnosed by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The active recall for the trim only includes the front two trim pillars. There are trim pillars down each window on this vehicle, making that a total of 8 pieces of trim for the windows. Driving down the highway my drivers side window trim pillar (which includes a lock panel with wiring) blew off and almost hit another vehicle that was passing me, while with my children, causing me to have to pull over multiple times and even try to find a back road home. There are so many Ford Explorers missing various pieces of trim from the window areas. I’ve been told by Ford mechanics that they all have cracking on the rear window trim pillars due to brackets so I am assuming those will fly off soon as well. Now I can’t drive on the highway to doctor’s appointments due to the safety issues of this vehicle. I cannot afford to keep forking thousands into this vehicle nor should I have to. Overall the whole Ford Explorer model should be rechecked. We purchased this car due to safety awards only to be dealing with very unsafe conditions. From pieces of the vehicle flying off down the road to air bag lights, etc. Please if you’re able, look into these other trim pieces on the car. Also the front piece of plastic running under the windshield is lifting and not sealed appropriately to the window causing a loose windshield, in addition the rubber going around the inside of the windshield is not sealed causing the rubber to lift and slap around on the vehicle. I have notified Ford of these issues and they directed me here. Thank you for your time.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced the failure while driving approximately 50 MPH when the front passenger side A-Pillar detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

On [XXX] the passenger side exterior A-pillar applique trim piece broke free from the vehicle on HWY. Vehicle was doing about 70mph at the time of the incident. No damage nor accidents to people or property resulted. Upon investigation of replacing the part, learned of an existing safety recall for this problem. Reference NHTSA 24V-031. Scheduled repairs with the dealership for 5/9/25. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, while attempting to make a left or right turn, there was a popping sound coming from the steering wheel. Additionally, while driving on the highway at 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to exceed 70 MPH. The contact stated that there was an abnormal burning odor entering the cabin of the vehicle with the TPMS warning light illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 121,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, there was a loud clicking sound coming from the vehicle, and the exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was 152,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and there were exhaust fumes entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the exhaust odor entered the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal and was constant. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin Number: 17-0044; and the recommended that the repair be performed. The contact was advised that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving on the highway at 75 MPH, the passenger’s side A-pillar trim clip detached, and the contact was not able to recover the part. There was no warning light were illuminated. The approximate failure mileage was 154,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.