2016 Ford Explorer complaints

The contact owns a 2016 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 approximately 70 MPH, the front passenger’s side A-pillar trim became loose and was vibrating against the passenger’s side window. 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 246,000.

The electronic power steering failed Yes its available for inspection My child and my safety were put at risk when I warning came up and said "steering loss, stop safely" and the steering wheel was locked. The problem was still there when it was brought into Ford service center Nothing prior to the warning

I am filing a complaint regarding a safety recall on my 2016 Ford Explorer that remains unrepaired despite repeated attempts to have it fixed. I purchased this vehicle from a dealership in 2024. At the time of purchase, the dealership did not disclose any outstanding safety recalls. Within a few weeks of purchasing the vehicle, I noticed the exterior trim panels were loose and beginning to separate from the vehicle. I returned to the dealership, where I was told that replacement parts were not yet available but should be available soon. Ford’s recall notice stated that parts were anticipated to be available toward the latter half of 2024. However, that representation has proven inaccurate. I have now been waiting more than two years for this safety recall to be repaired. During that time, I have contacted the dealership regularly, often weekly, seeking updates and a resolution. No repair has been offered, and no meaningful timeline has been provided. The unrepaired condition has created significant safety hazards. Because of the loose trim panels, my windshield frequently fogs on the inside, making it extremely difficult or impossible to properly defrost during cold weather. This severely limits visibility while driving. I have experienced multiple near-collisions while transporting my children because I could not adequately clear the windshield. More recently, the situation escalated when a trim panel from the driver’s side door detached while I was driving. The panel flew o

I was driving on the highway and the driver side trim piece on the window flew off onto ongoing traffic. This is the second piece that flew off. The passenger side also flew off but was fixed. But now since this piece flew off I can’t even open my trunk. I did some research and it does say that the piece that flew off is connected to the trunk and a wire might have snapped when the piece flew off and now won’t allow the trunk to open. I took it to ford and they told me they can’t do anything about it until I get the recall paper and they get the piece in stock. This has been a year now that I’ve been having to drive around like this and with trunk not opening. Please help!

The contact owns 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact recieved notice of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving at unknowns speeds, she observed something hitting the vehicle. The vehicle was stopped and when she observed the vehicle the lower passenger windshield had a missing trim piece. The contact added on another occasion while parked and examining the windshield she noticed that additional pieces were missing. The mechanic from the dealer made a house call to her residence where it was diagnosed that the pillar trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that distorted image would appear on rear view camera every time contact would go in reverse with his vehicle. The contact stated that distortion on camera started happening today, 06/03/2026. Contact stated they contacted dealer but has not contacted manufacturer. The vehicle failure damage regarding rear view camera distortion was 90,686 miles.

I have been put off every month for over a year to have this fixed. It is a safety risk. Not only does the recall state the trim can come off and cause a crash, the rubber around both sides also keep coming loose and flapping on my windshield which causes interference with my view of the road. I am not sure why a safety recall was issued in 2024 but has still not been able to be resolved by 2026. They say the parts are not available but they should be making them available for any issue that can cause crashes and harm people.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH the drivers side B- piller had detached. The contact indicated that the B-piller trim stayed connected to the vehicle by a wire. After the failure the contact discovered that the rear hatch door would not longer open. The B-piller trim was reattached to the vehicle using duct tape. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 119,000.

The A pillar piece has been on recall since 2024. I have been trying to get this fixed for almost 2 years and Stevens Ford in Milford has been telling me the pieces are on back order since then. The piece became loose recently when driving on highway and I called them (Ford dealer) to notify them. They said they were still waiting on parts and were not going to have them until August. I called Ford corporate number two times and then received a call back for scheduling my recall repair. The recall was on the driver side and passenger side A pillar. They only repaired the side that was missing that flew off on highway. I explained to them the risk of safety to myself and others if the other side was not repaired in a timely manner. Kait Brudecki service advisor told me in person today when I picked up my car, that they have no control over the parts they receive and that they only get one part delivered to them every 6 months and that this recall has cause them a lot of grief. This piece that flew off of my car on highway caused me to swerve because I thought something hit my car, it then hit the car behind me causing them to swerve as well. I am scared that if this other piece on driver side is not replaced this will happen and end up in an accident. I drive for work and do home health care and frequent the highway. Please help!

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received the recall notification letter for NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 and NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000. The contact stated that the water had entered the B-pillar trim and had detached. The local dealer was contacted who confirmed who confirmed the parts were backordered. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 FORD Explorer. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 93,000 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 184,847.

Vehicle: 2016 Ford Explorer 2WD V6-3.5L VIN: [XXX] rchase: January 20, 2026 Odometer at Purchase: 70,929 miles (fraudulent — true mileage approximately 123,779 miles) Dealer: Drive Time Car Sales Company LLC, DBA Drive Time, 8805 E Adamo Dr, Tampa, FL 33619-3525 Narrative — Copy and Paste Into NHTSA Online Form: On January 20, 2026, I purchased a 2016 Ford Explorer 2WD V6-3.5L (VIN: [XXX] ) fr [XXX] Sales Company LLC, located at 8805 E Adamo Dr, Tampa, Florida 33619-3525. At the time of sale, the vehicle had three open, unrepaired federal safety recalls: 1. NHTSA Recall 19V435 / Ford 19S17 — Rear Suspension Toe Link Replacement (initiated June 26, 2019, affecting 1,194,173 vehicles). The rear suspension toe links may fracture, causing sudden loss of vehicle handling and risk of crash. 2. NHTSA Recall 21V537 / Ford 21S32 — Rear Suspension Toe Link Cross-Axis Ball Joint (owner notifications mailed March 2022, affecting 644,055 vehicles). The cross-axis ball joint may corrode and seize, causing toe link fracture and loss of steering control. 3. NHTSA Recall 25V347 / Ford 25S53 — B-Pillar Door Trim Detachment (owner notifications mailed June 2025, affecting 492,145 vehicles). B-pillar trim may detach while driving, creating a road hazard for other motorists. None of these recalls were repaired prior to sale. The dealer had documented actual knowledge of all three open recalls. Drive Time provided me with copies of the recall notices as part of the purchase paperwork at the time o

When I am driving at a speed limit of 35-45 mph, there is a shutter in my transmission accompanied by a rattling noise. It only happens at that range of speed, below 35 and above 45 it seems to work just fine. If I have to drive a considerate amount of time at that speed, it does it constantly and I can't make it stop. It feels like the transmission will blow up. I have seen multiple articles and recalls for the torque converter in the 2016-2020 models, but apparently my VIN number isn't included, although the symptoms are exactly like the open recall symptoms of other Explorers. I have taken it to a transmission shop to get it test driven and diagnosed and they agreed that it did feel like the torque converter was slipping, but their advise was to rebuild the whole transmission since there wasn't any recalls specifically for my VIN number. It does not show any messages or have any warning lights about this issue on the car itself, I don't know if the computer recognizes these type of issues or not.

Description of Incident: The driver, [XXX] , was idling on a road near Lake Murray when her vehicle was rear-ended. Despite the force of the impact requiring Ms. [XXX] to be rushed to the hospital, the vehicle’s airbags failed to deploy. Post-Accident Concerns: Following the collision, the CEO of RideCare had the vehicle moved immediately to avoid public scrutiny. I have reason to believe the company is intentionally withholding the vehicle from inspection to prevent the XXX Highway Patrol or safety investigators from accessing the "black box" (Event Data Recorder). The vehicle is currently being stored inside the garage at the RideCare facility off [XXX] . Given that this company is responsible for the safe transport of vulnerable mental health patients, the failure of critical safety equipment and the subsequent attempt to hide evidence is a matter of urgent public safety. I request a formal investigation into the maintenance standards of this fleet and the specific safety failure INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Roof rail covers, exterior A and B pillar trim have not been fixed. I was told at the time of purchase the recall (1) was fixed. The rubber trim in the pillar trim flaps in the wind and I was told to buy the parts on Amazon and that it isn’t hard to install. Along with the A/C not working a week after I bought the SUV. dealership is uncooperative.

The mold that holds the windshield came off of the side of the windshield in both sides of the window and since then there is a loud noise coming from the windshield as we drive and gets louder the faster you go.

Ford has failed to remedy this issue and has been pending for more than 1 month

The steering on my Explorer has seized up making it very dangerous to drive because you can not hardly get the steering wheel to turn.

When acceleration hot air blows through dashboard fogging front driver windows. Weather strips in doors are coming apart.

Whenever it rains or I go through a car wash, water leaks in around the back lift gate hatch. And it goes in into the spare tire wheel well and there ands up being several inches of water in there. It’s also covering whatever electrical component or plug that is the bottom of the wheel well. PLEASE HELP!

Coolant leak in the cylinder head grooves that builds up on the seal and leaking into cylinders. Causing coolant loss, white smoke and engine overheating. This issue has left me stranded on the interstate and in danger with potential engine fires. These incidents have exposed myself and the general public to unnecesary safety hazards.

I have an airbag light on as well as the 2nd row inflatable seatbelt has stopped working. I took it into the dealership and they said it was generating codes B141B and B141C. Ford issued a Customer satisfaction program 21B11 specifically to fix this problem in 2022 but it expired less than a year later. Now my air bag and my seatbelt don't work. Ford knows about the safety defect and their dealers are charging people to fix it ($2400 in this case) rather than stand behind the safety of their product and do the right thing. This is clearly a safety issue that Ford should be addressing yet they are trying to slide by and get their customers to pay for it. The car only has 49,000 miles on it.

Smoke coming from engine bay area. Vehicle in limp mode. Mechanic says piston broke a hole in engine wall.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V347000 (Structure) and 24V031000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not 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 issue. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim and B-pillar trim had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side exterior A-pillar trim was flapping in the wind. While the vehicle was parked, the passenger’s side trim was partially missing. The contact stated that on another occasion, while the vehicle was parked, the passenger’s side B-pillar trim was partially detached. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar and B-pillar trim pieces became loosened and nearly detached from the vehicle. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE), and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were 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 83,000.

When it rain outside, my passenger side floor has a puddle of rainwater. This happened at least 4 times over the life of my vehicle.

I am writing to formally request your assistance regarding an unresolved recall part issue affecting my 2016 Ford Explorer (VIN# [XXX] ). On [XXX], while driving on [XXX] , the exterior A pillar trim on the front windshield unexpectedly detached, creating a significant safety hazard for myself and other motorists. Following this incident, I scheduled an assessment at Frontier Ford in Santa Clara, CA on 4/9/2024. During the visit, I was advised to contact Ford’s complaint line, after which I returned to the dealership. The required replacement part was ordered, but I have now been waiting for over two years, as it remains on back order. Despite several follow-up calls, visits, the issue remains unresolved. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not repaired. 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.

This is the 3rd time I've notified NHTSA about this concern. The remedy for this "safety recall" is still unavaiable. This recall is for the 'B Pillar' appliques; however, as I mentioned in my previous concerns/complaints to NHTSA the 'A Pillar' applique on the driver's side of my 2016 Explorer was loose and I was afraid that it would blow off. Well, on April 2, 2026 while driving on I-75 that applique broke loose and flew off at 75 mph smacking against the side of my vehicle and narrowly missing the vehicle travleing behind me. What has (is?) NHTSA going to do about this hazardous -safety issue?

Transmission was rebuilt by Asheville Ford three years ago we’d only put 40,000 miles on it and now it needs a new transmission. We did bring it to another Ford and they had to reseal the casing saying the original sealant wasn’t done right

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The manufacturer was not contacted about the unrepaired recall repairs. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE) and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. Upon arriving at the destination, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The A-pillar trim was pushed back into place. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 60 MPH, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The contact's wife pushed the trim piece back into place and removed a piece of the trim. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while in Mexico, the driver's side A-pillar detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was repaired by a mobile mechanic in Mexico. However, the contact stated that the failure worsened. 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.

Vehicle equipped with operational red and blue emergency lights prohibited by law, facilitates criminal activity such as impersonation of a police officer, civil regulatory laws regarding excess auxiliary lights, etc. Seller has actual knowledge and can be liable under color of law upon a purchase agreement with a buyer. Vehicle has open recalls and unresolved mechanical/electrical maintenance.

Vehicle equipped with red and blue emergency lights, excessive auxiliary lights prohibited by law, facilitates color of law violations, poses a risk to general public regarding harassment, impersonation of police officer, seller has actual knowledge, strictly liable upon a purchase agreement with buyer, and can be liable for crimes committed by others as a coconspirator.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the rear glass unexpectedly shattered. There was no impact on the windshield to cause it to shatter. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the B-pillar trim on the driver’s side door started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer sent a technician to the residence and determined that the A-pillar and B-pillar trims had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

While driving in the freeway a loud noise came from the outside of the car, I was concerned but no way to pull over safely, the noise was getting louder and thats when I was the pillar of driver side swinging all over the windshield, I was able to lower the window and grab it. I hate to think how much damage it would have caused if it hit a car, this is the second time this has happen now I'm missing both pillars from the front windshield and dealership has no solution.

Ford has issued two recalls on my vehicle that have not been remedied in a timely manner. The A pillar recall on my 2016 Ford Explorer was issued on November 19, 2024. That replacement part has not been made available more than 16 months after the initial recall. The B pillar recall on my 2016 Ford Explorer was issued in May of 2025, nearly one year ago and that replacement part has also not been made available. My windshield is not sealed now and the car floorboards fill with water after it rains. This situation needs to be remedied by Ford immediately.

The contact owns a 2016 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, but the vehicle was not repaired. 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 that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim detached. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 125,516.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the vehicle. The following day the contact became aware that the A-pillar trim on the driver's side had blown off the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's and passenger's side A-pillar trims detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that parts for the recall repair had not been available for a year. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Driving down the NJ Turnpike the dashboard started displaying lane assist no longer available along with a check engine light. Once stopped the front of the car had been burned with parts of the bumper melted. No visible fire at that time. Had the vehicle towed to Holman Ford. They assessed the damage to the Explorer and it was determined that the front facing camera had shorted causing an electrical fire that damaged the camera and front bumper writing harness along with the engine wiring harnesses. The car has been deemed a total loss due to the fire. The vehicle on has 67000 miles on it to date.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 19V435000 (SUSPENSION), 21V316000 (STRUCTURE), 24V031000 (STRUCTURE) and 25V347000 (STRUCTURE). The contact stated that while driving approximately 30–35 MPH, the driver's side B-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not available. The vehicle was not 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 issue. The failure mileage was approximately 100,500.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V347000 (Structure); however, parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH on a significantly windy day, the passenger's side exterior B-pillar trim separated from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the recall repair could not be completed because the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not 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 81,000.

Roof rail on passenger side flew off. Clips were broken but some clips still in place. This part is in a recall for other 2016 Explorers but was excluded on models with the chrome roof rail. The rail is the same plastic as the recalled vehicles and should have been included. See Ford 21S22 / 20N11. The chrome is not structural. The drivers side will eventually detach too as it is loose. It will fly off at some point. I already had silicone on the rail and it does not hold. These should be recalled as the plastic is the same as the rails that were included in the recall.

The driver side B pillar applique is loose and I fear it may become completely dislogdged or blow off during high speed highway travel and cause some sort of accident. This recall has been open since May of 2025 and Ford Motor Company still has no remedy or fix for it yet. In addition -and not included in this recall- the driver side A piller applique on the windshield has also come loose and may also fly off during travel. This too should be fixed. Can you help?

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The current b-pillar trim issue that Ford hasn't remedied. In October 2025 my b-pillar broke off my car while driving, shatteringagainst the car behindme. When it did that the wiring immediately caused my liftgate to think it was open and I have not been able to access that back of my suv since then. In order to do so a piece in the door had to be removed and I have to crawl thru the vehicle to manually find a switch to release it. This has gone on for 5 months with me being unable to use the entire back half of the vehicle. If I open it manually it risks not getting shut fully and popping open. It's ridiculous it has taken this long for a fix.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); approximately 2 years ago. The contact stated that the A-pillar trims on the driver's and passenger’s side were loose. The contact used caulk to temporarily hold the trims in place. The contact called a local dealer and the manufacturer several times and was informed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.