2013 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

The contact owns a 2013 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 VIN tool search showed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The contact stated while driving at various undisclosed speeds, the passenger's side A-pillar was loose and damaged the paint on the wheel well. The local dealer was contacted and inspected the vehicle. The contact was informed that there were no issues. The dealer then orders the part to do the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at various undisclosed speeds, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. The contact stated that the driver's side A-pillar trim was loose. 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 failure mileage was 179,904. 

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the exterior A-pillar trim on both sides of the windshield began to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the A-pillar trim retention clips had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired, and the dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

I HAVE A 2013 FORD EXPLORER XLT AND THE BACK UP CAMERA HAS GONE OUT. THE PROBLEM BEGAN ABOUT A YEAR AGO WITH THE CAMERA WORKING SOMEDAYS AND OTHER DAYS THE SCREEN WAS BLANK WITH A MESSAGE FOR ME TO CONTACT MY FORD DEALERSHIP. FROM WHAT I'VE READ, THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE FORD EXPLORERS. SEVERAL OTHER FORD MODELS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AROUND THIS PARTICULAR YEAR HAVE BEEN RECALLED BUT NOT THE EXPLORER, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AS MOST FORD EXPLORER OWNERS WILL TELL YOU THAT IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO SEE PROPERLY WHEN REVERSING IN A FORD EXPLORER ESPECIALLY WITHOUT THE BACK UP CAMERA. THE BACK UP CAMERA IS VERY MUCH NEEDED FOR THIS SITUATION. i'VE ALSO READ THAT THE PROBLEM STEMS MAINLY FROM A LEAK IN THE TAILGATE WHERE WATER LEAKS IN ON THE CAMERA CONNECTION THUS CAUSING IT TO MALFUNCTION AND EVENTUALLY GO OUT COMPLETELY. AS YET, i HAVE NOT HAD THE VEHICLE INSPECTED YET BY FOR OR A LICENSED MECHANIC. I WANTED TO CHECK TO SEE IF I COULD FIND WHERE A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR THIS PROBLEM ON MY EXPLORER, BUT AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANY. I'M JUST WONDERING WHY THEY HAVEN'T RECALLED THE EXPLORERS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM.

I am writing to express concern about the ongoing delay in receiving the remedy for Ford recall 24V031 / 24S02 involving the 2011–2019 Ford Explorer (“Exterior A-Pillar Trim May Detach”). My vehicle, 2013 Ford Explorer (VIN: [XXX] ), was inspected by my local Ford dealer, who confirmed that the part is needed but still unavailable. I have been waiting for some time without any clear timeline or communication from Ford about when the repair can be completed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2013 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 contact stated that upon further inspection, the front A-pillar trim sealant had deteriorated, and the failure was progressing. 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 made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim started flapping. The driver’s and passenger’s side A-pillar trims detached from the front windshield and the side window. The contact secured the trim pieces with duct tape. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The local dealer was contacted and offered to secure the trim with colored tape. The dealer previously informed the contact that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 106,796. It was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 160,412; however, it was discovered that the mileage was 203,912.

The rear view camera is experiencing the same issues as the most recent recall of 2015-2025 explorers. Most often the rear view camera does not work at all --- other times it is on for a short duration, or is pixelated. I've watched the recalls expand from 2020 Ford vehicles to now 2015. Why doesn't it include earlier vehicles still on the road?

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse into a parking spot, the rearview camera was intermittently inoperative. The failure had occurred on several occasions. No warning lights were illuminated; however, the message "Contact the Dealer" was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The dealer made the contact aware of an unknown NHTSA Campaign Number; however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall related to the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Power steering assist fault and service advance trac alerts came on in the dashboard when car was cranked up to drive. I was unable to turn the steering wheel easily and the vehicle was difficult to steer. My safety and the safety of others would be put at risk when attempting to drive the vehicle because the steering wheel locked up and was very difficult to turn. I happened to be at a Firestone service center at the time that this event took place. The technician was testing the battery and the alternator for me after a new battery was inserted into the vehicle. When the technician pulled the vehicle around for me to leave, I was unable to drive away due to the steering issues that had occurred. The vehicle has not been inspected by the others at this time. The warning lights came on just as I was about to drive away from the Firestone service center on 09/27/25. The technician notified me that Firestone was unable to repair those types of issues on my vehicle and the vehicle would need to be taken to a Ford dealership or mechanic of choice for further repairs.