Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2015 record →
I was driving on the highway on my way to work and the windshield trim panel on the passenger side flew off of my vehicle. This is definitely a safety hazard as this flying part could have hit another vehicle and/or caused an accident.
While driving on interstate 10 at 70mph, the weatherstripping blew off hitting the car behind me. When it blew off, it was very loud and distracting causing me to swerve on the road
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 MPH down the driveway, the steering wheel was turned to the right and the contact heard an abnormal grinding sound. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to return to center after completing the turn. The contact had to manually turn the steering wheel to center and heard the grinding sound again. The contact also felt a vibration in the steering column. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 107,657.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the front windshield molding became fractured and started striking the front passenger’s side door glass. The contact was able to safely drive the vehicle to the shoulder of the road. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that there was no recall. The dealer advised the contact to report the failure to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the sunroof was leaking during inclement weather. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the gaskets and internal sunroof rails needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 88,000.
The backup camera does not come up all the time. Sometimes it shows a blank screen or if it does show the camera picture is on the opposite side then what it show(backwards). Thank you
Took vehicle to Ford dealer for oil change and tire rotation. Dealer stated that all lug nuts needed to be replaced due to "swelling". Old lug nuts were the type with the aluminum cap over steel. This is a documented design flaw that should be covered by a recall at no expense to owner.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the second-row driver’s and passenger's side seat belt buckle covers had detached, causing the air bag warning light to illuminate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21B11 (2nd Row Inflatable Seat Belt); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
While driving at 40 mph the car suddenly lost power. The accelerator would not respond. We were luckily able to coast downhill and get on the shoulder. This has happened four times in six months. The car is not safe for highway driving.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle steering wheel had become firm. The power steering warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a faulty sensor that was integrated into the steering column. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a case. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
For over a year our 2015 Ford Explorer REAR BACKUP CAMERA malfunctions frequently. Either the image is reversed, streaky, or completely blank and makes backing up difficult and dangerous. A year ago the local Ford dealership was trying to tell us the camera is faulty, but many times the image is clear. They tried to sell us a $1,000 camera replacement, but no cameras were in stock for many months. Later, we discovered there are SIMILAR ISSUES with many other Ford vehicles. Currently there is a NHTSA campaign #23V598 targeting Fords and Lincolns. We feel this needs to be BROADENED to cover the many other Ford models, such as the Explorer. We do not think this is a camera issue, but rather a SOFTWARE issue. Please look into this and include other years and models of Fords in this recall. Thank you very much for your consideration.
The car would not accelerate after leaving a light. I had just exited the freeway and the gas pedal would not respond and I was stuck in the middle of a 4 lane highway. A yellow warning wrench appeared on the dash and then a check engine light. The error code is P2111 stating the throttle body stuck open.
Throttle Body --- I have ask the dealer to provide the defective part for my inspection. Driving on the 15 Freeway in Southern California. My wife was driving and had just picked up speed and merged into the fast land. There was a sudden pop or clunk and the SUV immediately lost power and would not accelerate. She had to exit to the right of the freeway while losing power and no acceleration. She was traveling at less than 5 miles an hour in 60 plus traffic. There was only a narrow strip of shoulder with a "K" rail that was on the shoulder above a deep drop off on the side of the freeway. She was able to avoid getting hit and make it to the exit with enough of a shoulder for her to pullover safely. The SUV was taken to the Ford dealer where the Throttle Body was diagnosed as being defective. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms before the issue on the freeway.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the vehicle was very difficult to steer while in park or while driving at slow speeds. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 139,000.
While driving on the freeway, the windshield trim panel on the passenger side detached, lifted, and folded about 2/3 of the way up the panel. The detached portion then banged against the roof of the vehicle, door, and front passenger window until it snapped and flew off. It put us and other motorists in danger.
-Driver side front door/window trim flew right off while on freeway and almost hit another car. This is actually the 2nd time the trim came off after being repaired not even 5 months ago (I didn't file a complaint the first time). -It could hit another car or motorcycle while going high speeds and possibly cause a crash. -I haven't checked with my dealer but have read articles online how there already are complaints regarding this. -I took it to a local private car repair facility, and they claimed to have seen it happen quite frequently. -You can slowly see the trim start to delaminate over time. My passenger side trim is half-way off and probably a matter of time before the same happens to it.
Leaking water pump
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he received notification of Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP): 21B11 (Second Row Inflatable Seat Belt); however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer and two unknown dealers were contacted several times and informed the contact the part was not yet available for Customer Satisfaction Program. The dealer later informed the contact that the Customer Satisfaction Program had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the Customer Satisfaction Program had expired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.
The window trim came off while I was going 60mph. It was very loud and scary. I had no warning. I didn’t realise what it was until I stopped. I’m very lucky that it didn’t hit the car behind me at that speed. I see this part missing from a lot of Ford Explorers so it must be common. There needs to be a recall before someone gets hurt.
I own a 2015 Ford Explorer. While turning out of the driveway the steering locked up and i cannot get it to unlock, we were lucky to get it out of oncoming traffic. We were terrified!!! After reading multiple complaints it seems to be a recurring problem for many. It happened on 9/14/2023. We had no warning of any type before it malfunctioned. Please help us Ford owners out, as Ford has already been aware of it happening many times.
The contact's son owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the steering wheel seized while starting the vehicle. While driving at various speeds, the steering was making an abnormal sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the electrical motor, steering column, strut, and front end had failed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V530000 (Steering). The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The contact stated the vehicle is a 2014 not 2015.
When you hit the gas the steering turns when you let go it straightens back out please look into this i might cause an accident or loose control of the car
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the rear lateral arms failed to adjust as needed. The contact stated that over time the failure caused the tires wear abnormally. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the seat belt and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harness located in the second-row seat had failed. The wiring harness was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harness needed to be replaced; however, the parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.
Left side windshield trim molding flew off hitting car behind me. Causing car to then chase me down and run me off the road. Two months later the right side flew off while driving luckily not hitting another car on the road. Something needs done about this. Every Ford Explorer I see on the road is missing one or both of these trim pieces! Do better FORD!
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 53 MPH, there was an abnormal booming sound detected. The contact noticed that the windshield panels had detached from the driver’s and passenger’s side. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a complaint was filed, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 61,711.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. During the failure the message "Terrain Management Fault" was displayed along with the wrench icon. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated normally, and the message and the wrench icon were no longer displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions and at various speeds. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension) and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly became extremely difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be inspected. The mechanic determined that the rear suspension had a negative toe angle. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 83,000.
Turbocharger oil supply tubes leaking onto exhaust manifold Same engine as the recalled 2016-2017 Models
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front driver's side door and window trim panels were detaching and deteriorating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the failure was related to Customer Satisfaction Program: 17N01 (Crankshaft Position System Variation Not Learned), however, the campaign had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but declined to assist because the campaign had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 91,000.
I encountered intermittent stiffness in the steering while driving. It felt like it might not steer. And then it loosens up and is okay for a moment or two. I took it to my local mechanic. At first, they thought it to be a lubrication issue. The situation increased. I took it back. They explained previous years of my model had a recall related to the power steering assembly. And that is what they believe it to be. I did reach out to Ford directly, but they are not going to do anything. There are no warning lights or additional inspections. I do see this has appeared on forums.
Last year the water pump needed to be replaced at 99,500 miles. It cost upwards of $2,000 to be replaced. Fast forward now, a year later the check engine light is on, the car is not accelerating properly and it is back in the shop. The shop called and said it is not as simple as fixing the sensors. They have to look further and thinks it may be the timing chain which would be another $2,000. When it was in the shop a year ago fixing the water pump they said the timing chain at that time looked good. I am so frustrated that the water pump is not a part of a recall since our shop said they are seeing this all the time with Explorers with about 100,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after visually inspecting the rear hatch, he observed corrosion damage at the base of the hatch from outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who confirmed the corrosion with no specific diagnosis but advised that the hatch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 36,000.
The rear backup camera on our 2015 Ford Explorer began glitching, reversing the image, or going completely blank in autumn of 2022. We took it to a local Ford dealership on November 17, 2022 for service and was told the camera needed to be replaced. We waited days, then weeks for a replacement, and finally gave up after contacting a different dealership which had the same problem obtaining replacement cameras. We have heard about Ford recalls for this problem and searched online for information. It appears there was an NHTSA recall a few years back covering model years 2019-2020, and now there is a similar recall for model years 2020-2023. I have read of MANY similar complaints from vehicle owners of models 2014 to present. WHY AREN'T MORE MODELS YEARS COVERED BY THESE RECALLS? It appears to be the same problem?
My 2015 ford explorer water pump has failed sending coolant all over. The water pump in an internal component of the engine. I am lucky that I caught the water pump failure when I did and it didn’t completely catastrophically fail. There are numerous reports that the water pumps catastrophically fail and send coolant and metal particles into the motor causing it to also catastrophically fail. If my engine failed while driving on the highway I could have been seriously injured or killed or worse I could have seriously hurt or killed somebody else. I brought my car to ford 7/21/23 where they did general diagnostic tests everything was negative and nothing was found and I was sent on my way. On 7/29/23 I noticed I had a puddle in my driveway and there was definitely a leak I brought my car back to ford where they spent an entire day diagnosing. I was quoted $2500 and my car will take a week to fix. Ford has not offered to pay for any of the repairs even though these poorly manufactured water pumps continue to go bad on thousands of vehicles. There are multiple class action lawsuits against ford for this reason!
Driver's side windshield A pillar molding.. Flew off on the interstate.
While driving the trim by my windshield flew off after hitting my windsheild, which made me swerve and almost crash into car next to me. Then the weatherstripping started to detach from windsheild and come loose. Pulled over to see what had happened. Saw the missing part. Now the other side came off while driving! I've used duct tape in its place because Ford wants way too much money to replace. Thank God my family and other families were not injured by my vehicle.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the trim on the windshield detached. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the door gasket. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Driving down the highway and the passenger side windshield trim broke and detached from car, scraping down the side of my car and hitting the car behind us.
HVAC system does not switch to defrost. It also does not switch temperatures on the passenger side.
Rear camera is faulty. Screen will “roll” like bad movie film. Sometimes it’s a black screen. Sometimes the screen doesn’t change at all and says to contact dealer.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, before accelerating as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was not under recall or covered under warranty; and was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 37,500.
The power steering in my 2015 Ford explore completely locked up due to the steering gear going out. I am fortunate enough that it happened that low speed and no one was harmed. I could only imagine what would’ve happened if I were on a highway or interstate. It has been inspected and diagnosed by a Ford dealership, and they concluded that it was indeed the power steering gear. At the time it went out. There were no warning signs or lights on the dashboard that would have made me think it would go out.
I have a 2015 Ford Explorer. I have had it inspected by a mechanic at the dealership where I purchased said vehicle. I also have taken it to Ford dealership in my town. My car runs perfectly fine then it doesn’t. I have been stranded numerous times and I have replaced the battery in the smart key as they said that would be the problem. I have had the computer reset to my car. When it happened last my camera to help me back up stopped and I was almost in a very bad wreck with my children and grandchildren in my car. It just died!!! I am now sitting in a parking lot at 93 degrees and it again won’t start and know one knows why. I have done everything I can and have been told. I don’t hot rod in my vehicle. Someone for the love of god please help me. I don’t have the money to keep doing this not to buy another vehicle.
I own a 2015 Ford Explorer. While turning out of the driveway the steering locked up and i cannot get it to unlock, we were lucky to get it out of oncoming traffic. We were terrified!!! After reading multiple complaints it seems to be a recurring problem for many. It happened on 07/15/2023, and we haven't been able to get it to a shop yet they are all closed until Monday. No one at this time has taken a look at it seeing how it was in the driveway of family. We had no warning of any type before it malfunctioned. Please help us Ford owners out, as Ford has already been aware of it happening many times.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when he closed the front driver's side door, the outside door handle fractured and detached. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the fractured door handle needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
3/23 I noticed my coolant reservoir was empty. The vehicle was involved in a minor accident in 12/22 and so I thought coolant slowly leaked out due to the accident. The vehicle was repaired at a collision center so I was concerned they didn't repair or totally missed the leak. I filled it up and took the Explorer for an oil change and that is when the mechanic informed me that I had a small coolant leak. I contacted the collision center and my insurance and both were stating that was from wear and tear. They also proceeded to tell me that is a big issue with the Explorers and certain other vehicles. They mentioned a lawsuit was filed in MA because of this issue. The leak start to get worse, causing me to constantly refill the reservoir with coolant. Always had to have coolant in the vehicle because you just never know. I take the EXPLORER to Ford for a diagnostic and they confirmed it was the internal water pump. This seems to be an issue and recalled because of a defective part or the way the vehicle was built. The leak can happen at any time and mine had 114,000 miles. My other 2010 Ford F150 has 180,000 miles and I have never had this issue. Needless to say, I had to for over $2,300 for the dealership to repair.
When driving vehicle at any speed on the dashboard the terrain system failure light appears with a wrench light and the terrain system dial light shuts off when this occurs vehicle losses speed immediately stopping abruptly in traffic have taken to dealership but unable to recreate and I haven't been able to drive with the light one due to loosing ability to continue driving as I must turn off vehicle and reset to be able to drive very unsafe have contacted ford also say they can't help without the light reminding on
Rear camera stopped working
Driver side Windshield trim flew off on interstate
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
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