2016 Ford Explorer complaints

I just bought this vehicle and only had the chance to drive it for a few days now. I was told all recalls were repaired. I have not had the chance to bring it to a certified garage yet. The problem is when the vehicle is going at say walking speed like turning into a parking spot the whole vehicle is jumping to the point where I could have no control and jump into another vehicle or someone walking nearby. As the wheels are turned it's much worse. I believe it's the transfer case.

Airbag light came on. Took the vehicle to local Ford Dealer, we we told it was a failure of the second row seatbelt inflator connectors. Initially told this would not affect the front airbags, so repair was unnecessary. We were going to forgo repair. When my son noticed the light was not "off", he questioned it. Learned that repair was necessary because all air bags on a "loop". After spending over $1000.00 for repair, we learned there is a TSB alert specifically for the 2016 Explorer, apparently the way Ford configures the wires causes them to fail.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that exhaust fumes were entering the cabin of the vehicle while driving. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned for his safety and discontinued driving on the roadways. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.

Went out to leave in Explorer. Placed Explorer in reverse and steering wheel wouldn’t turn. Several messages appeared on the display such as driver assist failed, traction control on light enabled, traction control off light enabled, uphill assist message, and several others. Basically the car had no power steering.

2016 ford explorer, our family vehicle, my spouse was driving back home with kids in the back, approximately 20/25 miles per hrs, the steering all the sudden seized up, and no power steering assistant, since the steering system all electric rack and pinion, the dash board gave a message, no traction control, all terrain system not available, service steering assist. Luckily it happened in residential area, no body got hurt, as well as my familly, I was Able to tow it to the ford dealer in Illinois, diagnosed it a week after as electric power steering failure, cost is around $3000 to repair, and part is on national.back order, This has been a common safety issue for part failure for the 2016 Ford explorer and up , but ford refuses to open an recall , its all over the internet same part issue and same model cars people have been suing and reporting it to Ford , dealer quote to repair is $3000 plus tax to repair, on today's date 01/01/2023 and no transportation since 12/26/2022, its more of safety concern than just a part failure if it happens on a highway speed/road and steering seizes than just a part failure without a warning.

Water pump failed at 80,000 miles and cause the car to stall mid intersection putting out life at risk. This is a known issue that should be recalled . Not to mention the repair is $4,000-$6,000 mostly labor to fix. Whole motor has to be taken out to replace the water pump.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance, he was informed that the Power Train Unit (PTU) was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed the contact that the Power Train Unit (PTU) installed on the vehicle was not the original part and would not be repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. Additionally, the manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000. The VIN was not available.

My power steering, traction control, and terrain management all stopped working in my 2016 Ford Explorer due to a faulty steering gear. This is a known design flaw, which has impacted several hundreds 2016 - 2018 Ford Explorer owner/operators. Losing power steering capability while the vehicle is being operated is a major safety concern, which could lead to a motor vehicle collision, especially if being driven at highway speeds. Ford is aware of this issue but still fails to recall this problem. NTSB can rectify this problem by forcing Ford to do the right thing and permanently repair this issue. I am being forced to pay $2,381.50 for something that they know is a safety problem but they refuse to acknowledge. Gibbs Law Group is opening a class action lawsuit in this matter so clearly there are red flags that are being ignored. Please force Ford to do the right thing. 920-918-6266.

Same issue as NHTSA campaign number: 22V150000 The problem: The brake master cylinder may allow brake fluid to leak from the front-wheel circuit into the brake booster.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N01 (High Speed Fan Motor Relay) the dealer diagnosed that the water pump was faulty, causing the air conditioner fan to fail to deactivate. The dealer declined to perform the repair because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 41,785.

Rack and pinion power steering rack stopped working while my wife was driving back home with our two kids that are 4 years old and 9 months old. Thankful she didn't crash because she was unable to steer the vehicle. No warnings or signs of the part going bad. Ford should be held responsible for issues like this. Numerous people are having the same issue.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was fluid leaking underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the water pump was faulty and needed to be replaced. The mechanic advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

Steering on my car failed turning onto off ramp and could not steer the car with out a lot of effort missed the car in front of me and came to a stop on side of over pass missed the bridge called my dealer to have it looked at steering rack motor seized apparently it is a problem with 2015 2016 explorers cant find steering racks any where in north America I have been waiting for parts still no eta can you help with this problem thanks [XXX] email is [XXX]. 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 stated that after parking the vehicle, she noticed water leaking under the front of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Out of nowhere, my engine starting running hot and did not give me any warning. I had to take it to a local repair shop, where they stated that the air compressor quit working and blew the head gasket, resulting in a purchase of a new air compressor and a used engine. I have two daughters and our safety was put at risk because I had no indication that anything was low, I check the gauges all the time and nothing ever showed low. My car got really hot and when it was basically too late, a light came on to tell me that my car was hot. There were not messages or anything that came up prior to that. The problem has already been corrected, out of my own pocket. I can send in any paperwork needed to confirm there was a problem. The vehicle was not inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance representative. The Ford Dealership would not be able to look at it until 3 to 4 weeks after it happening and I needed it seen right then.

Vehicle right passenger area receives no heat, either from front heat vent nor does the seat heater function. Dealer replaced seat heat mechanism(s) that required software update. Update failed to resolve the problem. Outside temp is now -13°F. Dealer states they are awaiting dealer engineers to determine how to repair the problem.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver’s side trim detached from the windshield without warning. The contact then stated that the passenger side trim was also detaching. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that there was no recall on the VIN for the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000

This vehicle has 70000 miles and the water pump went bad already. Read hundreds of complaints and still no recall. This part is definitely faulty and Ford should have recalled it long ago.

Water pump failed.

The water pump has failed causing me to breakdown going down the road. The car has less than 100k miles and did not alert me to any kind of mechanical issue before hand.

My 2016 Ford Explorer air bag warning light come on with under 85,000 miles. I took it to the dealership and it was diagnosed with the code B141B/B141C as an issue with the wiring harness regarding the second row inflatable seat belt.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the steering column was emitting a grinding noise and the steering wheel suddenly seized without warning. The contact stated that excessive force was needed to maneuver the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the rack and pinion failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under a recall. The approximate failure mileage was 59,900.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated she noticed the heat in the vehicle was not operating as needed. The contact also noticed that there was no coolant in the coolant reservoir, and the engine was overheating. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the mechanic stated that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 95,000.

While driving on any damp/wet/or dirt terrain the rear end of the vehicle will slide side to side even though I am steering normally. Driving in town I have drifted sideways into the other lane of traffic barely avoiding an accident.

The accelerator for the climate controls is malfunctioning. Cannot defrost the windows to see, when driving the windows get so fogged I have to pull over to get them to defrost. Over 50k people online have stated the same issue. The climate controls stop working and there are no recalls from Ford. When I spoke to Ford, the lady made a statement that she’s had many calls with the same issue and it’s definitely a Saftey hazard.

Unknown system or components, smells like propane or exhaust odors inside the cab. Mostly when driving slow or at a full stop. It is a police interceptor suv with 65k miles. No warning lights or other symptoms appeared prior to odor. Odor gives me a headache/nausea.

On Wednesday, November 2, 2022, at about 4:00 pm I proceeded to parallel park my vehicle and as I put my foot on the gas pedal the car took off uncontrollably at a very high speed, I tried to control the car but before I could stop it, I crashed and hit a tree. My vehicle was severely damaged. The vehicle was taken to the Dealer for inspection, and I was told there was nothing wrong. I know what happened and there is something wrong with this vehicle. I am glad that the tree was there because if not I believe I would have ended inside the house that was behind the tree and could have injured someone. My vehicle is at the body shop now, but I don't think I will drive it anymore, I don't feel safe in it.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started to shake and then stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that water was entering the vehicle through the sunroof. The contact stated that the sunroof failed operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the contact was informed that the sunroof needed to be opened to be diagnosed. The sunroof was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for routine services, she was made aware that the water pump needed to be replaced. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,300.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the power steering failed, and the vehicle started fishtailing. The contact used excessive force to regain control of the vehicle. The contact was able to get the vehicle to stop. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The contact learned that the rear toe link had disconnected from the vehicle causing the rear passenger’s side tire to no longer to be able to properly attach to the vehicle. The vehicle learned that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

My 2016 Ford Explorer is in the dealership having the transmission repaired due to a recall that says there is an internal flaw in the design that has to be repaired. In removing the transmission, it was discovered that the transmission mount was cracked. I will have to personally pay for a new transmission mount according to Ford because that detail was not included in the specific recall. My contention is that the jerking and shuddering that happens every time I accelerate has caused the failure of the mount. I believe this is a reasonable explanation to a part of the drive train that is unaffected by normal driving. Bottom line is that the jerking and shuddering that was cause by the torque converter er.al, probably caused enough movement to crack the mount. Obviously the transmission doesnt move under normal circumstances.

First problem I had was with the Actuator. I lost the ability of defrost and have the heat/AC go to anything other than direct face mode. Now, the power steering to my 2016 Ford Explorer is gone. It felt like I was grinding concrete when I would make any turn or slight shift. It’s been at the shop for weeks due to a backorder. I’m a single mom of 2 and it’s my only transportation. I’m really struggling without my vehicle. This should be part of a recall ASAP cause from my research this is too common almost this vehicle and good people are really going through it.

Crossing busy intersection with children in vehicle, vehicle lunged and wrench symbol came on dash, and as crossing intersection vehicle wouldn't go more than 5mph, this could possibly cause a serious accident injury wife and child or possibly death, this vehicle had approximately 60000 miles.

Grinding noise when turning wheel noticed Mid-August 2022. No warning lights prior to failure. Aug 22, 2022, took to local mechanic. Diagnosed as faulty steering gear. Told 3500 on backorder. Part failure prevented vehicle from safely steering. August 28, 2022, took to Team Ford Dealer in Navasota, TX. Diagnosed as faulty steering gear. Order replacement, installed. Replacement part malfunctioned when installed at dealer. Warning lights went off, according to service manager. Dealer attempted to reorder. Part backordered. Parts ordering suspended while part redesigned, according to service manager at dealer. Nov. 2, 2022. Part still on backorder. Unable to drive vehicle. Steering gear necessary for vehicle to function safely. Part needing redesigning indicates original part faulty. Part malfunction confirmed by independent mechanic and Ford dealership.

My airbag light on the dash came on after starting the vehicle and will not go off. I took it to a Ford dealership and was told it was the wiring that goes to the 2nd row airbags and I would need to replace the wiring harness. The cost was estimated $1260.00. I purchased an extended warranty for the vehicle that covered electrical but was told it would not be covered because it went to the airbag and airbags are not covered. I have looked into this airbag problem and it seems this has been an issue for the vehicle for years. If the airbags do not work that is a safety issue and Ford is not doing anything about it. With as many complaints this has and for the safety concern something needs to be done. I can not afford $1200 to fix something that Ford has not bothered to fix for its customers.

While driving on a state highway and exiting the roadway the steering wheel locked in the turning direction long enough to drive over the small curb on the opposite side of the roadway. If this was a higher exiting speed a larger incident or crash would have been worse.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after a rainy day, while entering the vehicle, she noticed water on the front passenger’s side floor. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the windshield to be sealed. The vehicle was repaired but a year later she experienced the failure again. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle started overheating with the high temperature warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull over on the side of the road and notice that there was no coolant in the engine due to a coolant leak. The contact added more coolant and the vehicle started to operate normally. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic, and he stated that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 55,000.

Power Transfer Unit (PTU) exploded cracking the PTU case and Leaking out all gear oil which can be caused by PTU being too close to the exhaust and the PTU overheats from the exhaust heat breaking down the gear oil, this gear oil being over heated and that close to the exhaust could have caught on fire and if I have been on the highway at a high speed it would have caused the vehicle to lose all power going down the highway and in turn we could have been hit and killed due to the immediate loss of power SSM 47993 which has the year make and model of my car already listed on it as well as other ones listed by NHTSA however Ford consumer affairs refuse to do anything or offer any help even though they have acknowledged that there is problems with the PTU in multiple models. Is this truly worth someone's life as this can cause severe damage to the drive shaft when they explode with absolutely no warning or lights on the dash coming on or anything? All Ford Motors consumer affairs could say to me was ma'am your vin number is not listed on our end. My car is a 2016 Ford Explorer Platinum AWD with 3.5L ecoboost with Twin Turbo, it only has 64,660 miles on it.

Clunking and popping noise from steering while steering left or right while slowly traveling forward or reverse. Noise can be heard from steering while front end jacked up off ground. Afraid steering may lock up or fail while driving causing injury or death or stranding. Noise has become more frequent lately, started around 65k miles.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle intermittently started shuddering. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the dealer at lower speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where unknown repairs were completed; however, several weeks later, the contact noticed an abnormally strong burning odor inside the vehicle while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, she noticed that there was oil leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the rear main seal was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the rear main seal was replaced a second time; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who contacted the manufacturer for assistance. The manufacturer sent out a field technician who diagnosed that the crankshaft had failed, and the small block or engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact followed up with the manufacturer who informed her that they could not assist as the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 82,700.

While braking off a highway the steering light appeared and the vehicle began to shake uncontrollably. The ford motor co. stated there was no issue and did not address.

Transmission died with no warning at under 80k miles. The car lost its ability to accelerate while merging on the highway. Got off highway and to friends home. Car would not reverse and could not accelerate over 15mph. Had it towed to AAA repair shop. According to AAA repair shop a new Transmission is needed. This is unacceptable with only 80k miles, never received warning lights, and regular maintenance. 2016 Ford Explorer has know Transmission issues.

Steering rack failure causing loud popping inside of the rack and pinion causing trouble steering, also abruptly pulling the vehicle or hard steering several reports of people almost wrecking.

It has a known problem of that the water pump leaks into engine and causes engine failure. It's all over the google. Today, car dealer called me and told me, I would be better replace the water pump before it fails. It is not failed yet, but they said they saw the symptom, which will cause fatality if I don't change it. And it will cost me not to die from that design failure. Is this not a matter for a car manufacturer to cover by recalling it? When I searched on google, there is a law suit going on, and many many forum of people who's having the exact same issue with multiple ford and lincoln model. Please help people on this matter...

With no warning, the steering began to grind with turns and was harder to steer. No warning lights ever appeared. The car was no longer safe to drive. The vehicle is 2016 with low milage, approximately 57,000 miles. The mechanic assessed the vehicle and said the rack and pinion needed replaced. He stated he has begun to see multiple 2016 Ford Explorers coming in with with issues of low milage yet needing the rack and pinion replaced. The car was then taken to a local Ford Dealership. They agreed with the mechanics assessment. The car has now been in the shop for 43 days with no available parts to repair.

The contact's father-in-law owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that an unknown fluid was leaking from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where it was discovered that the water pump was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact paid for the repair; however, soon after the repair, the failure returned. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

On February 03, 2022 I took my to the Ford dealership in my area, I was told that rear toe link was replaced. After 8 months while I was driving the Explorer 2016, the car starts swerving from side to side, and lost the control. For few seconds I was struggling to stop the car, after I stopped the car I checked the tires, I saw the rear left passenger tire was loosen, and steering wheel wasn’t straight. Me and my friend were terrified and still not feeling alright. I lost the confidence in Ford Explorer.

Steering started making grinding noise and when parked steering froze. Restarted and steering unfroze and made grinding noise and slowly drove to repair shop. Checked for recalls and none on this vehicle. Repair shop said no parts are available form Ford for a repair. This has to be a factory defect and could lead to serious injury or death.

The water pump failed and is available for inspection. i was driving and my engine began smoking to the point of visibility loss and suffocating air fumes. I was forced onto an edge of the highway with a drastic drop into the road and had to evacuate my 5 and 2 year old daughters from their car seats. Had i not noticed the smoke im sure a fire would have put me and my kids at fatal risks. i had it taken to the dealer to check into the highspeed cooling fan. the service technician told me that he knew without checking that it was the water pump because ford knows that they have been faulty with issues up to catastrophic engine failure since their 2011 series ford explorer up to the current 2019 with the duratech 3.5 engine. it was inspected by the ford dealership. and i saw no warning or even problems prior that indicated an oncoming failure that could have endangered my kids or myself. After doign research, almost every ford explorer owner has had these issues and ford made a laughable fix to update our owners manual about the water pump. this disclosure should have been mentioned during the sale of the vehicle and had it been i would have chosen a different vehicle and manufacturing company all together. This has shown ford's negligence and complacency towards driver and consumer safety and they should have had the entire engine recalled. but thats appearantly to expensive. now i have a useless vehicle on my credit that i cant afford to fix because of their design issue and