2015 Ford Explorer complaints

I had just pulled out of my driveway when I heard a "clunk" and the power steering seized up. Dash lights indicated "Steering Asist Fault Service Required" and "Service Advance Trac". I had to drive around the block (pulling very hard on steering wheel) to get it back in my driveway. It was frightening not having full control of the car. There is a Recall for Ford Explorer Steering Issues (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V286000 and NHTSA CAMPAIGN# 21V537000) "Cross axis ball joint to seize" but my VIN is not in the recall but should be. This is a SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE that needs to be addressed by Ford Manufacturing.

The contact owns a 2015 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the driver's side A Pillar trim was raised up by the slip stream and was blown off the vehicle. The contact stated that several weeks later, the trim on the passenger’s side also blew off. The contact observed that a piece of plastic trim covering the top edge of the windshield was also loosened. The failure mileage was 133,035. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing 3 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The power steering fault warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering failure was caused by a rack and pinion failure. The contact was informed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V530000 (Steering). The manufacturer and dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall and referred the contact to NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 187,800.

Car kept overheating and I checked the antifreeze. Several times during the week it was empty. Took it to PepBoys and found out the water pump was faulty.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the power steering failed to function as intended, and the turn signals were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure could not be duplicated due to a signal stating dealer locked. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with steering column failure. The contact was informed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with water pump failure. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving at an unknown speed, the driver's side A-pillar detached from the vehicle and flew off. Additionally, the rubber seal around the windshield was partially detached and started flapping. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim was detaching from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was glued in place; however, trim had started to detach again. 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 not 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 failure mileage was approximately 78,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 35 MPH, the A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The owner placed tape on the vehicle to secure the trim. 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 failure mileage was approximately 104,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle and flew off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. 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 not 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 failure mileage was approximately 118,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the exterior A-pillar trim detached and flew off the vehicle. 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 failure mileage was approximately 170,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Part became loose in the steering rack. The metal piece that came loose was lodging itself in-between the teeth on the rack and would prevent steering to move without additional force. It appears that a washer or metal round piece came loose and then randomly becomes lodged/stuck in the steering rack. Pictures and full details are available upon request. My safety was affected by reduced steering capability. Problem is reproducible. No warning lamps or messages.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side A-Pillar trim detached from the vehicle and flew off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. 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 not 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 failure mileage was approximately 127,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 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 while driving at approximately 70 MPH, the driver’s side A-pillar trim detached. The contact stated that upon arriving to the residence, it was noticed that the A-pillar trim was missing. In addition, the contact heard air leaking in through the front driver’s side windshield. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The passenger seat belt (behind the driver) has locked up and we are unable to lock the seat belt in place. It locked up from the top side - not the bottom side. Since it is locked up, it will not allow anyone to sit in the seat since it can not be locked in place. Due to the electronics in the seat belt, a body shop owner advised we contact Ford directly. There are no recalls on this issue and we were advised from Ford to report this to the National Highway Safety traffic division.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the A-pillar trims detached and flew onto the road. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the A-pillar trims needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2015 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 contact stated that while driving at approximately 80 MPH, the A-pillar trim on the passenger’s side of the windshield detached from the vehicle. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 165,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V435000 (Suspension) and 24V031000 (Structure) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. 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. Parts distribution disconnect (19V435000) and VIN tool confirms parts not available (24V031000).

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the “Service Track Error” message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact continued to drive to the destination where the vehicle was parked for several hours. After restarting the vehicle, the “Service Track” and “Steering Loss - Stop Vehicle” messages were displayed. The vehicle was inoperable and towed to the residence. An independent mechanic arrived to the residence and inspected the vehicle, diagnosing that the steering motor and module had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall relating to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 240,000.

The contact owns a 2015 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 contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the exterior A pillar trim detached and flew off. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal rattling sound coming from the passenger’s side A-pillar. The contact stated that the trim had been blown off the vehicle by the slipstream. The contact replaced the trim, but the failure recurred, and trim was blown off again by the slipstream. The contact made the manufacturer aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the second-row seat wiring harness had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer determined that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 21B11. 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 approximately 126,250.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the exterior A-pillar trim was detaching from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an independent mechanic or the local dealer. 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 not 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 failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Sudden Unintended Acceleration of the vehicle when slowing to park vehicle. This has happened on 2 occasions- both scenarios the same: slowing and turning left into a parking space, foot on the brake, almost to a complete stop and the vehicle suddenly accelerates out of control. the 1st time into a tree, the 2nd time into a parked/unoccupied vehicle. The brake was applied w/o response, the vehicle would not stop. I am certain my foot was not on the gas. Fortunate no one was injured.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the driver's side A-pillar trim was making an abnormal sound and then was blown off by the slip stream. The contact stated that he had called a local dealer and was informed that the parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The contact stated after the failure he received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). 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 approximately 99,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The PILLAR APPLIQUE TRIM has came off on BOTH sides of my windshield. I was driving down the highway and the trim came 90% off. I swerved wondering what was going on, almost wrecked and had to slow down to exit. I had tape in the car and had to tape it down. This is a known issue to Ford and they have a safety recall on it, yet has no date when it can be fixed. I was told if I need it fix it has to be done at a Ford Dealership if I would like to be reimbursed once the “full” recall goes in effect. However, I was told since there is safety recall, Ford dealerships will not fix it! L the bolts and screws are showing on both side of my windshield.

When driving the vehicle, my check engine light will come on, the car will shake, start to slow on its own, the steering wheel locks up. If I am on the highway, I better be able to steer the wheel quickly to pull over or else I will be in the middle of the highway. All of this happpens within a minute. The car forces you to turn it off or it will shake uncontrollably. Once you turn it off you have to remove the key, open a door and then start the car again and it drives like nothing is wrong with it. It is like there is a default in the computer system that is powering the vehicle. This has happened to be four times. It’s very scary and extremely unsafe

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump, timing chain, and belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,000.

The contact owns a 2015 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 and 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 issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the trim around the windshield had detached. Additionally, the trim was cracked. 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 failure mileage was approximately 160,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Windshield - NHTSA Recall 24V031 I received this recall notice in February. It indicated that "when parts are available" Ford will send a follow-up communication. There has been no follow-up communication received. On [XXX] I called the local dealership (Parks Ford of Gainesville FL) and was informed that parts are not yet available. Today is 31MAY24. Why is this taking so long and why has there been no follow-up communication? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2015 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 driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim had detached and was flapping against the vehicle while driving. The local dealer and another unknown dealer were contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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 78,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

For a few weeks, I thought I had developed an air bubble in my power steering system, as occasionally, steering would have a very slight resistance that I could pull through with minimal effort. I went to check my power steering fluid and upon inspection and research, discovered that my vehicle (a Police Intercepter Utility, equal to a base model Explorer) has electric power steering, not hydraulic. I figured the issue was just a minor quirk of the electrical power steering motor kicking in. A few days ago, my power steering failed completely failed while driving at about 35mph. Only once did the dashboard light up with a warning about servicing advanced stabili-trac and something else closely related. The alert lights went out on their own after about 5 seconds and steering returned to normal. Later the same day, steering became very difficult again with no alert lights and it has remained very difficult to steer the vehicle at any speed since then, identical to the failure of a hydraulic power steering pump. I have not yet talked with Ford or any mechanics about the issue, but I plan to do so swiftly. Upon research, there are at least 280 identical complaints about identical make, model, and year vehicles. It may be time for a formal recall on the affected parts.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the front seat passenger observed that the passenger’s side trim had detached and flown off the vehicle. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and inspected. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,000.

The side trim pieces on the windshield have flown off my car and the gasket around the windshield has torn off. I've had to replace them three times on each side. I have a 2015 Ford Explorer.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the driver's side B-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed there was no open recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000

The contact owns a 2015 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the passenger’s side A-pillar. The contact parked the vehicle and observed that the bottom of the trim on the A-pillar on the passenger’s side had loosened. The contact called a local dealer and was informed that part was not yet available for repair. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 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 not 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. The message "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the water pump had failed and was leaking. The mechanic informed the contact that the water pump was built into the engine, which required the engine to be disassembled for the water pump replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.

Rear camera intermittently fails to function.

Computer intermittently fails to acknowledge that the transmission is in Park. The vehicle is physically in Park (will not move as if it were in gear), but the computer warns that the "Transmission is Not in Park" even though it is. This is leading to battery drain due to computer incorrect error notifications. I have to wait, sometimes several minutes, for the computer to acknowledge that the transmission is indeed in Park before I shut my vehicle off to avoid this error notification. This issue has been going on for several years with no recall to fix. Since the transmission, itself, has not been the root issue, I have not sought repairs as of yet. This is a computer/software error.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 55 MPH, the exterior B-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The contact was able to pull the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the failure was not related to the open recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed the coolant fluid was low and the engine overheating warning light was illuminated, but there were no visible coolant leaks. The contact was able to drive a short distance to the residence. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, but the coolant level was low the following day. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,418.

Extensive leaking from the windshield area that is causing a significant amount of water to flood the passenger floorboard and the middle console where the screen for the radio, ac/heating control, and navigation system is. The lights on the middle console screen have become wet and are now blinking. The radio and the ac/heating screen is not allowing for any adjustments. The airbag light is now on the driver's console screen. The safety concerns due to the leaking of the windshield or the seals around the windshield would be an sudden loss of vehicle power while driving. Another safety concern is the windshield or the parts of the seals will come lose while operating the vehicle. There is also water leakage coming from the interior lights right above the middle console control panel.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while accelerating from a parking lot and starting to make a turn, the contact heard a loud grinding sound coming from the steering wheel while completing the turn. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with rack and pinion gear failure. The contact was informed that the rack and gear needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to call the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the contact noticed a gasoline odor coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. The mechanic stated that it was a known failure associated with the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance since the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

Power steering rack failure

The contact owns a 2015 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 contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front windshield trim detached and flew off. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side A-pillar trim detached. The contact brought the A-pillar trim back to the residence and her son repaired the vehicle. The contact stated it occurred on 3 other occasions and was repaired each time. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact owns a 2015 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact observed that the passenger’s side trim on the A-Pillar was blown off the vehicle by the slipstream. The contact stated that he also observed that the driver's side trim on the A-Pillar was loose. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.