2013 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

The passenger side windshield panel trim flew off my car, at 60 mph. 6-8 months ago, the driver side windshield panel trim did the exact same thing at the exact same mph. This is absolutely ABSURD that Ford has not issued a recall for this.

Driver-side A-pillar trim piece broke and partially detached from vehicle while driving on an interstate (appx 70mph). Initially, one small and quick pop noise was heard, but the sound came from outside and it was assumed it was road debris. Approximately 15 seconds later, the left A-pillar trim piece suddenly partially detached from the body of the car in such a fashion that the bottom clip was broken, but still attached only by a weak bond to the rubber seal beneath the trim piece and the top of the trim piece was sticking away from the vehicle by approximately six to eight inches. We immediately pulled off to the side of the interstate and the A-pillar trim piece was debonded from the rubber seal by a gentle pull. Had this weak bond with the rubber seal not been there, the entire A-pillar trim piece could have easily completely detached and become a hazard to other vehicles traveling on the interstate, potentially flying off and hitting another vehicle or puncturing a tire. There were no previous signs of wear, damage, or malfunction to the A-pillar trim piece. This incident is not reproducible, and was not inspected by any outside party. The broken A-pillar trim piece and pictures of the failed attachments are available for inspection upon request.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the power steering failed while making a right turn. The contact stated that the power steering fault and stabili-trak lost warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that he could no longer steer the vehicle because the steering wheel had seized in place and the vehicle was stopped in the middle of an intersection. The contact stated that the engine was still running. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle several times however, the power steering had not regained functionality. The contact stated that the failure had occurred several times however, the work-around of turning off and restarting the vehicle restored the functionality. The contact drove the vehicle to a local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the power steering system needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

1. Power Steering fault randomly causing total loss of power steering. Have to turn the car off and restart to fix. No error codes are stored when this happens. No DTC's. This also causes a system terrain fault but again no error codes are stored for this either. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. 2. This has happened while driving in the mountains, on the highway and through residential areas making the car very hard to control or causing us to have to pull over in dangerous situations to restart the car to correct. 3. Whenever we take it for diagnosis they cannot duplicate the issue nor see the error codes in the history. Thankfully we have not yet been in an accident where we have needed the police to be involved although this has happened many times since we have owned the vehicle (5 years). 4. We have been told to drive it to a dealership while the error is occurring so they can see it live time however we have not yet been in a position to do this where it wouldn't have caused a safety issue to us or those around us. 5. There is no warning or alert that happens prior to the fault occurring.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a loud squeaking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact then became aware that there was coolant leaking from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the failure was a known issue. The contact was referred to NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the steering wheel became firm. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the steering gear had failed and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power steering failed, and the steering wheel became difficult to turn in either direction. During the failure the messages "Power Steering Failure" and "Stabili-trak" were displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the battery cable was faulty and needed to be replaced. The battery cable was replaced, and the vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 130,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized inadvertently. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the recall due to the manufactured date. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.

the car keep saying power steering assist this is the second time the steering gear went out

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while shifting in reverse, the rear-view camera intermittently displayed a distorted or blank image. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the camera wiring harness was rusted. The contact was informed that the vehicle was included in an undisclosed recall and advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that she notified the dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.