2014 Ford Explorer complaints

JUST LAST YEAR, I STARTED NOTICING THAT BOTH OF MY FRONT SEATBELTS ARE NOT FULLY RETRACTING WHEN I AM BUCKLED OR UNBUCKLED. WHEN I UNBUCKLE MY SEATBELT, I HAVE TO MANUALLY RETRACTED BACK TO ITS POSITION. ALSO, WHEN I HAVE BOTH SEATBELTS BUCKLED, I HAVE TO MANUALLY RETRACTED IN ORDER TO SECURE MYSELF AND MY PASSENGER. THIS HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME AND MY FAMILY AS THIS IS NOT SAFE ENOUGH INCASE OF AN ACCIDENT. ANOTHER ISSUE THAT I HAVE IN MY VEHICLE IS THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER DOOR PANEL COMING APART. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR ME AS THIS IS CAUSING OBSTRUCTION OF THE RIGHT REAR VIEW MIRROR BY THE PASSENGER DOOR PANEL. ALSO, THE DRIVER DOOR PANEL HAS CAUSED SCRATCHES TO MY ARM WHILE DRIVING WHICH CAN CAUSE ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO DISTRACTION.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred while taking a minor child to school. The vehicle was driven to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed with an electric power steering assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was driven to the residence. While driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was advised to tow the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with steering gear assembly failure. The dealer retrieved DTC: U201149, U300049, and U30096. The contact was informed that the steering gear assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the parts had been ordered. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with the recall. The contact also referenced a Technical Service Bulletin for the failure; however, the age of the vehicle and the mileage limitation had been exceeded. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

The water pump is having issues with going out after the first cold snap of the year. This car was just purchased by us back in March of 2025. The car was inspected by the dealership prior to purchase as well as our personal mechanic. After further research this is a known issue especially in 2011-2020 models with economists engines. There have been class action lawsuits regarding this as well.

Power Steering stopped working. Error messages shown are "Power Steering Assist Fault" and "Service AdvanceTrac"

The contact owns a 2014 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 yet available. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Backup camera screen does one of the following when put in reverse Screen turns black or freezes or Turns blue when car is put in reverse. This happens daily many, many times. If I turn off the car for approximately 5 minutes it may clear up and then happen again within 30 seconds. This is a safety hazard and will cause an accident or fatality.

On January 8, 2026, my 2014 Ford Explorer (VIN: [XXX] ) caught fire without warning. The vehicle was parked in my garage prior to departure. When I pulled the vehicle out to leave, I noticed something burning on the garage floor. I briefly returned inside to extinguish that small fire, and when I turned back, the vehicle itself was on fire. I immediately moved the vehicle onto the grass away from a nearby tree to reduce the risk of further damage or spread. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire, and police were also on scene. The vehicle was effectively a total loss. There was no collision or prior accident involved. The fire appeared to originate in or around the engine compartment. The vehicle was properly maintained, and to the best of my knowledge, no unauthorized modifications were made. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2014 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 while driving at highway speeds, the driver's side and passenger's side A-pillar trims rattled loudly. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was confirmed that the A-pillar trims on both sides of the vehicle were loose and needed to be replaced. 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 vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the camera image showed a reversed image, and there were lines through the camera screen, and occasionally the camera was off. The contact stated that the image was distorted, so the contact covered up the camera. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

See attached document for complaint. I am writing to report that I have tried several times to have my 2014 Ford Explorer repaired for safety recall 24S02/NHTSA recall 24V031. I was told that no one had the parts for the repair. I live in Clermont, Florida, and I have contacted that Ford location multiple times along with other Ford dealers in the central Florida area. How can I get my Ford repaired?

In January 2024 we were driving on the interstate when the left front A-Pillar trim part around windshield came off and hit our windshield, then flew off on the highway. We received a recall from Ford in February 2024, to date they claim they still don't have the part to repair, we now have water that leaks into the car when it rains. Which is creating issue inside our car. it has now been two years, it seems like they will never get this and my car will keep leaking. The car is titled in Virginia but the car is located at our Florida property in Clearwater Beach FL, I need it fixed down here.

The contact owns a 2014 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 while driving approximately 60 MPH, the windshield exterior A-Pillar trim detached from the vehicle, causing other drivers to swerve to avoid colliding with the detached trim. 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 vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 190,000.

Rear view camera either is dark or reverses view (left is right and right is left). The camera either doesn’t work, works correctly or provides a horizontally flipped image so the driver side and passenger side views are reversed (this is the most dangerous view and the view that happens most frequently). I recently noticed that there has been an official recall for the 2015 Explorer but not the 2014. I wanted to bring it to your attention that more years are affected and need attention. The dealer claims not to know the problem and wants hundreds of dollars to “diagnose”.

I'm writing regarding recall: October 13, 2025 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 25V695000 Rearview Camera Image May Not Display A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. I have a 2014 Ford Explorer and the rearview camera failed approximately 1 year ago. I have experienced intermittent image, partial image, and no image at all. Is there some reason the 2014 Ford Explorer is not included in the recall ?

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side exterior A-pillar trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving on the Interstate Highway. The contact stated that whenever it rained or snowed, water was entering the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the parts had not been available for a year and a half. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, parts were still not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

All my dash lights turn off u can drive it but all my dash light is off the abs light its on

Exterior A-Pillar Appliqué Trim Clip Attachments Mfr recall # 24S02 NHTSA recall # 24V031 Remedy has been unavailable @local Ford dealership too long and gave been told it’s not available to them. Approximate date given for incident occurrence is not remembered and date entered is inaccurate)

The contact owns a 2014 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 water was entering the vehicle due to the part failing. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2014 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 while driving at 60 MPH, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The contact replaced the A-pillar trim. However, the piece was not the correct size. Most recently, the contact stated that the passenger’s side A-pillar trim became loose. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired after the most recent failure. 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 unknown.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH and turning to the left, the steering wheel started shaking, and he felt the rear end of the vehicle start sliding to the right. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was stuck in the direction that it was turned and had to be manually returned to center. The contact stated that the failure was more frequent while turning to the left. and while driving at slower speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed and determined that the steering gears needed to be regreased. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

The contact owns a 2014 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side A-Pillar trim detached, and a part of the front driver’s side A-pillar trim was still attached. 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 60,000.

My uncle has a 2015 Ford Explorer and he received recall 25V695 for the rear camera issues blurry/ wavy and going completely black and not being useful. Almost have backed into a few things when it goes out in the middle of reverse. I believe this is a huge safety concern and my vehicle should be added to the list of affected. Not that they are going to do anything, I took mine in a year ago for the A=pillar trim flying off and they said they still don't have parts that I could either just park it or take the trim off and drive around that way. smh. Can you please help so I can feel more safe when I back up?

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 75-80 MPH in the right lane, the trim on the driver’s side of the vehicle detached from the windshield. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were on back order. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

First issue is regarding the rear view camera, it kept going out and coming back on and now it shows the image in mirror view (what is on my left will show up on the right and vice versa on the monitor). I did see some fords were recalled, I was told mine wasn't and I would have to pay for this out of my pocket. Second issue is about my motor mounts, all mounts have been replaced approximately 3-4 times.

Loss of steering. Driving down the road the my completely locks up while in drive. Was told it was faulty rack and pinions.

The backup camera doesn’t work. When I put it in reverse the camera goes blank or is very distorted where you can’t see

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while reversing, the rear-view camera briefly displayed an image, and the message "Rear-view Camera Unavailable" was displayed. The contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rearview camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall; however, the model year was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

Engine over heat warning while driving and I checked there is a coolant leakage.

Dealer says they can't get parts .. been 2 years waiting .. no delivery daye

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) approximately 10 months ago. The contact called a local dealer several times to set up a recall appointment, but was informed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that recently, the local DMV was attempting not to grant the contact the State Inspection sticker unless the recall repair was completed. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not informed of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Windshield rubber falling out and breaking apart.

The contact owns a 2014 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 after a routine front windshield replacement, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side A-Pillar trim detached. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic and was repaired out-of-pocket. 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 failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

The contact owns a 2014 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

My 2014 Explorer back up camera goes blank with a blacked screen while trying to back up. When in reverse the camera goes blank back on then blank again. This problem has caused several near misses while backing up.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was stopped, the vehicle jerked, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked and then the engine stalled. After several attempts, the vehicle was restarted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, when the contact was able to restart the vehicle, the failure recurred after driving a short distance. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

When my vehicle is in reverse the back up camera shuts off or shows inverted.

The contact owns a 2014 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Side-to-side reversed image on a 2014 Ford Explorer's backup camera

The rear back uo camera. The camera will randomly flip the screen when backing up & lose the lines or the screen goes black and nothing appears. It has not been confirmed byxa dealership yet. There were no warnings. There has been a recall for the 2015 explorer and up. Can the 2014 explorer be added to the recall aswell?

The contact owns a 2014 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 the driver's side A-pillar and the passenger's side A-pillar trims had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while it rained, water entered inside the vehicle. The dashboard, the carpet, and the dome light were wet. The contact stated that water dripped down into the console area. The contact believed that the water entered through the dome light. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. 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 unknown.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. 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. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The back up camera blackouts every so often. Backing out of a parking spot then the screen blacked out and almost hit a person that walked behind the vehicle. No, it hasn’t been inspected but there is a recall on backup cameras from Ford, on several different models from 2015 to 2023 which my 2014 explorer is experiencing. No warning at all. It just started to blackout. It started couple months ago.

Backup camera not working. It will show a black screen or yellow triangle instead of the back up camera turning on.

Backup camera displays opposite. Power driver seat doesn’t lower making it difficult to reach the pedals

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera system independently powered on and off. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-over prevention camera displayed a black screen. In addition, the error message indicated that the back-over prevention camera was unavailable. The contact referenced an unknown recall with a similar failure description; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Steering gear failure and faulty eps module. Second event. The full assembly and eps failed, and fatal crash was avoided.

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Electronic Steering Gear failed causing the steering to "stick" at certain points of steering, and causing a loud rubbing noise. The steering is also more "loose" and feels insecure. Yes it is available for inspection. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The failure of the electronic steering gear can cause unexpected failure of steering ability while operating the vehicle. This could cause a severe accident going any speed, but especially if I were on the highway. A crash due to loss of steering ability could kill me, my family, and others on the road. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, my local Ford dealership has confirmed the issue and stated that they won't repair it because it isn't part of any open recall, even though there was a major recall (14S06/NHTSA 14V-286) opened for the prior model year of my vehicle. Ford should have included 2014 in that recall since the issues persists in 2014 models and is evident by the other 200+ Technical Service Bulletins posted by Ford. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It's been inspected by my local Ford dealership. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning lamps or messa

PTU (transfer case) failure during a drive when I was making a safe left turn across traffic and the car quit moving forward with oncoming traffic inbound. Mazda has recalled this part but ford has not. There are so many failures the part is out of stock for months. The ptu design was set up for failure as a non serviceable part