2013 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

I started to notice a slight “slipping” or “sliding” feeling when driving on wet roads or if I hit a pothole or man cover just right. Then while my kids and I were on vacation over Christmas break, I hit a small wet spot on the road and began to fishtail. Luckily we avoided an accident. I was unable to drive over 20mph without feeling like I would lose control. When we had it checked by a mechanic we were told it the toe link on both rear tires were snapped, an issue Ford has recalled several times, as recently as 2020. We spoke with a Ford mechanic and were told my vehicle didn’t have any active recalls related, the toe link had been recalled previously but was supposedly fixed in 2019, just months before the most recent recall. As a result, we had to pay the almost $600 repair bill.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. Additionally, the steering wheel was loose while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the front axle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the transfer case had previously been replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. Additionally, the contact stated that the A/C unit was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the air compressor and the CV joint had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired by the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that there was a leak of Freon. The mechanic also diagnosed that there was a strong odor of carbon dioxide coming into the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 109,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while opening the trunk lid, he became aware of the liquid. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was stated that the leak was coming from a cracked weld seal near the liftgate. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.

ELECTRICAL RACK AND PINION - LOCKED UP STEERING WHEEL. Wife driving car could have been hurt. Was inspected by independent service person. No warning !!

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was water leaking inside the vehicle while her mother was driving and while the vehicle was parked in the rain. The contact stated that water was leaking in the driver's side of the vehicle and in the trunk. The contact stated that water was settling in the front driver's side floorboard and in the trunk. The contact stated that her mother had removed approximately a gallon of water out of the vehicle on one occasion. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The dealer informed the contact that the failure could be due to a clogged drain plug. Several unknown repairs were performed on the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. 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 unknown.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the Electronic Power Steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. After restarting the vehicle, the failure was self-corrected, and the vehicle operated normally. The failure was intermittent but eventually, the failure became a persistent failure. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle the Electronic Power Steering had malfunctioned and the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. After restarting the vehicle the failure had self corrected and the vehicle operated as normal. The failure was intermittent but eventually the failure became a permanent problem. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the Steering Rack Assembly was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000(Steering). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced that same failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel was loose and the traction control was inadvertently deactivated. The failure caused the vehicle to vibrate abnormally. The traction control warning light was illuminated, and the Service Advance Trac System message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who recalibrated the steering wheel; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included in the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.

While driving on highway, I started hearing a humming/vibration sound on the right side around the windshield. When we stopped, I noticed the trim molding around my windshield (passenger side) had flown off while driving. When we got back on the road we no longer heard the humming/vibration sound so it seems that the sound was coming from windshield trim molding. As of now, I have not received any notification of it hitting another vehicle so hopefully it did not.