2016 Ford Explorer complaints

Lost steering all at once could not turn wheel luckily i was in my drive way when it happened i paid yes ford 1600.00 dollars for a new rack and pinion on 8-13-21 was given a release date on part for 8-24-21 then 8-25-21 and now 9-3-21 this is an emergency order thru ford they was quick to take my money but cant deliver part.I have turned in a complaint to ford and it has not helped no calls back from ford. Looks like this is a huge problem ford has with its explorer rack and pinion failure I guess there waiting on somebody to get killed with faulty racks before they do anything. My explorer has 65000 miles on it and it looks like this is a common failure for this vehicle.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the 2nd row seating air bag warning light was illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 39,000.

Power Steering Assist Failure indicator appeared on dashboard resulting in inability to steer car. Vehicle was towed to dealership and reprogramming was attempted with no success. Requires replacement of EPS steering.

EL RACK AN PINON YA FUE REMPLAZADO. ENTIENDO QUE ES MUY PREMATURO PARA REMPLARLO. ES UN FALLA DE FABRICA. TRANSLATION: "THE RACK AND PINION WAS REPLACED. TO MY UNDERSTANDING IS TOO PREMATURE TO BE REPLACED. IT SEEMS LIKE IS A MANUGACTURING DEFECT"

Extreme sulphur/rotten egg smell coming into the cabin. It also reeks of exhaust fumes that are making me nauseous and light headed. This comes out of the A/C and you can smell it when you exit the vehicle too.

Was driving on I-40 at approximately 75mph and vehicle lost all acceleration, wrench icon came on in dash. Pressed. Gas pedal to the floor, no acceleration. Had to pull over on side of road. Pulled over vehicle stared shaken. Cut off vehicle for about 1min. Tried to retest vehicle, vehicle did not want to restart/crank. Tried again vehicle stared up. Vehicle power is not the same. Thank God I was on the right side of the highway instead of the middle so I could get off the road. This could have been worse.

Vehicle has a known airbag malfunction that is covered by a manufacturer published service bulletin. Ford and their Dealerships refuse to perform published safety service bulletin without charging for parts and labor. Ford and dealerships response to issue is that without the at owner cost repair of the faulty safety restraint, the entire safety system may not function. Bulletin is TSB 16-0001 Owners have no operable safety system unless paying to repair a known safety issue.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the power steering and power steering assist failed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home, however, the steering was manual making it more difficult to maneuver the vehicle. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Over the last year or so, my 2016 Ford Explorer would suddenly out of nowhere say on the dashboard that there is a steering fault that needed to be serviced. The steering would be a little off but after turning the car on and off, it would reset and wouldn’t happen again for a week or two. I took it in to the dealership to get a recall fixed and had them take a look at my actual steering issue (with videos and pictures of the problem) but they could not replicate the problem as the dashboard would reset. Fast forward to last Thursday when the problem was more persistent than normal. A few times in the last couple months or so, my steering wheel would LOCK UP completely because the power steering would give out and a few times I was ON A FREEWAY. I had to manually hand crank a very very stiff steering wheel and pull over which was extremely dangerous. Once I would, I would turn the car on and off again which then it would reset. The dashboard warning about the steering fault would come on more often than the steering wheel locking up but the several times it did lock it, proved a very dangerous situation. It happened again this past week which I had to drive slowly to my local mechanic. Due to it being a power steering/programming issue, the recommended me going back to the dealership. At that point, my car would no longer reset the issue and I was unable to drive home that day because the power steering permanently gave out. Thank god I was at the mechanic already. Currently,

Vehicle displays airbag warning light. Dealership diagnostic test determined there is a faulty connection to the 2nd-row inflatable seatbelt sensor. Ford issued a service bulletin to replace the wire harness pigtail connection. When the airbag light is illuminated due to this faulty connection, all of the airbags in the vehicle are deactivated. Directly from site: Https://Ford.oemdtc.com/1203/air-bag-warning-light-illuminated-with-dtc-B141B-B141C-2014-2016-Ford-Explorer tsb 16-0001 airbag warning light illuminated with diagnostic trouble code (dtc) B141B and/or B141C. This is not normal wear and tear but a safety item design by Ford that has failed in the vehicle. Ford dealership claims that this is not warranty failure. Cost to repair $1085 plus $230 diagnostic test charge.

NY CAR OVERHEATED AND SPILLED ALL THE COOLANT DUE TO THE ENGINE BLOCK HEATERS IT HAS. I TOOK IT FOR AN INSPECTION AND THEY TOLD ME THESE ARE VERY DANGEROUS AND NEED TO BE CHANGED ASAP, I CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME MY CAR DOES NOT HAVE THIS RECALL AND THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME WHEN CLEARLY IT IS THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH RECALL # 16S14 FROM FORD. I NEED THIS FIXED ASAP AT NO CHARGE TO ME AS IT IS FORDS PROBLEM. I NEED MY CAR BACK TO GET TO WORK PLEASE

Vehicle started to feel heavy, and vibrate harder through the gas pedal and steering wheel. I took it to my local auto shop and the wheel bearing needs replaced.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal odor inside the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000. The Vin was not available.

On approximately July 5th, I was driving on freeway at approximately 70mph. I approached a work zone and had to move to shoulder when I lost power steering. It continued to give me issues at higher speeds for the next 40 miles and it seemed to disappear for the next two weeks of city driving. I thought it was an isolated incident and on July 16th we took the vehicle on a family vacation and when traveling on the freeway it again lost ( and never regained) power steering but we were more than 200 miles from home and the closest Ford dealer couldn't see us until early August. At lower speeds the steering was sticking but it seemed to free up some the more cornering or movement you made with the steering wheel. We were able to carefully drive the vehicle home and took it to Taylor Ford on Monday July 26th. On Tuesday July 27th I received a call from our service rep telling me nothing was wrong with the power steering but that the steering column failed and it would need to be replaced. I said that I had never heard of such a thing and he said he hadn't either. I searched on line and discovered hundreds of complaints referencing similar issues. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the problem and they never appeared during problems.

The system that failed is the seat belt buckle on the 40 seat (of the 60/40 second row seating). The clip inside the seatbelt broke while securing my child in the seat. This faulty belt buckle put my child's safety at risk. We could not travel, delaying our trip on the day we were to leave. If an accident occurred, this could have resulted in serious injury to my child. The belt buckle was removed and taken to the closest Ford dealership. A new belt buckle was ordered, costing $115. The seatbelt buckle was removed and brought into Ford to examine. No concern was observed by the service parts employee as he glanced over broken buckle to ensure he ordered the correct part. No warnings or "symptoms" were present previously to the failed seatbelt buckle. A cheap piece of plastic to hold my child in a seatbelt buckle failed. The broken buckle is available for inspection. A new one is being installed.

Constant smell of exhaust inside the vehicle. Took it to dealer and they could not figure out issue.

It appears Ford had a prior recall for certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 17, 2010, through February 28, 2012 for a power steering failure. The recall was due to vehicles experiencing a loss of power steering assist and required extra steering effort at lower speeds, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash. I have a 2016 Ford Explorer and the issue appears to be occurring in later models like mine. I experienced it on July 21, 2021. I was driving on the freeway at 70mph and with no prior warning I my power steering goes out and I see the message "power steering module failure". Luckily I was able to fight the car to the shoulder, but I can only imagine what would have happened if my wife or daughter had been driving at the time. Ford needs to have a system failure alert added or better yet fix the issue from occurring, especially in a fairly new vehicle.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the steering wheel was difficult to turn and would cease when turning in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack and pinion were faulty and needed to be replaced. The failure was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the electric power steering failed, and the steering wheel ceased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering rack and pinion was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA to file a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and became difficult to steer. The contact also stated that the vehicle would start shaking abnormally whenever the brake pedal was depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the electronic steering gear needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred a year later. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

2016 Ford Explorer Sport. Roof rail recall may be the cause for extreme water damage that burned out the sunroof motor, drenched the interior carpet, interior roof material, navigation and charging docks do not work. Ford not acknowledging and states after diagnostic check I have to pay 2600 to replace motor and once sunroof opens they can determine where the water leak is coming from. Also after complaining of carbon monoxide smell in cabin and multiple doctors visit with dizziness, trouble breathing I found that this is not just an issue I’m having. This car has had many more issues and Ford just repeats that warranty doesn’t cover it warranty expired. These are huge issues with the manufacturing. Car only has 35k miles and issues started in 2020.

Electronic steering assist seems to fail on rainy days. Starts like a sound grinding on the bottom like it needs lubrication. Afraid to drive this thing because of other owners comments regarding the steering assist causing accidents.

The Contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to turn the steering wheel, the steering wheel was firm. The power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was not provided a cause for the failure but was informed that the steering wheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.

While driving around a corner at a speed of 45 miles an hour the power steering quit working. The message on the instrument panel stated steering fault. I no longer had power steering and it was very hard to pull the vehicle over. I shut off the motor and then restarted the vehicle and i now had power steering. It is currently at Varney Ford in Newport Maine having the whole steering assembly replaced at a cost of 2300.00. From my research I have found that the steering assembly is located near the catalytic converter which gets every every hot, and can damage the internal circuit board. This is a very scary safety concern! I do not have the invoice for the repair, as it is being worked on July 19th or July 20th

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign number: 21V316000 (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 notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.

Steering locked up while driving, causing a dangerous situation, fortunalty it was at low speeds an no harm came of it. 61,000 miles on the vehicle, Failed rack and pinion steering, needed to be replaced. $2,500 .

I was driving down the highway into a turn and my power steering failed causing the SUV to want to recall into a straight pattern almost causing me to crash my truck into a barrier wall with my child inside. With the sudden ability to fight the wheel back into a turning position I was able to narrowly avoid crashing with my child. Numerous indicators displayed (Steering Assist Fault, Service Advance Track, Hill Start Assist not available). I immediately took it to a Ford dealer , where they advised me that the power steering rack has electronically failed.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while yielding to merge onto the highway, the vehicle would not accelerate above 3 mph, with the accelerator pedal depressed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with transmission failure. The independent mechanic informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the Vin for the transmission. The failure mileage was 104,000.

My airbags light comes on and stays on someone's and I looked it up in my owners manual and it says to get it checked immediately due to a malfunction with the [XXX] bags. My problem is when I called them the light had went back out. Everytime it comes on and stays on I'm nowhere near my dealer. So it hasn't been checked out by them yet. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Driving on express way going 70 mph and vehicle dash started lighting up and beeping with a bunch of different things and lost power steering. It said “power steering fault” was in construction and it was extremely scary. Thankfully there was a dealership on the exit and they said it was the power steering rack.

With less than 75k miles, the steering began to grind when turning. We had to get an entirely new rack and pinion unit replaced for over $2400. Thousands of 2016 Explorers have reported this problem but it is still not been deemed a recall. Recently, at 84K miles, the clutch on the AC compressor went out causing a $720 bill for a new compressor. We have also just found out the water pump is now bad and appears to be defective. In fact there was a class action lawsuit in 2020 regarding these defective pumps but this wonderful government we pay exorbitant taxes to, threw the case out on technicalities. Absolutely shameful.

While driving at 55+mph both driver side and passenger side A-pillar windshield covers vibrate. Eventually the passenger side blew off during the drying cycle at a car wash. Thankfully it was contained and did not fly off on the road and cause an incident. There are more cases of this occurring on the highways as seen by searching the internet.

I have had NOTHING but issues with this vehicle and have made more calls to complain to ford with no help. as an example i complained for 2 years about this rattle and clunk in my transmission..finally i got the ford dealership in clarion, pa to believe me..here it was the torque converter..after 2 years of complaining and after i got it back...a week later..i get a recall notice from ford! but, the purpose of this is my tailgate...has a mind of it's own...it will open on it's own and close...i don't know how many times this has happened...thank God it hasn't happened while i am driving...i have had it to the garage...nothing can be found...yet i researched this issue and found others having similar experience!!!! i have called ford and of course...they refuse to acknowledge my concerns...i have been clunked on the head more than once loading groceries...hopefully you will be an agency that actually does something as opposed to those that talk tough...but do nothing! thank you.

The contact owned a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 65 - 67 mph, the contact lost control of the vehicle when the rear driver side toe link fractured. The vehicle ended up in a ditch and crashed into several trees. The contact was transported to the hospital by ambulance but his wife, who was a passenger, did not receive medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard and deemed totaled by the insurance company. The contact stated that the rear toe link had fractured a month prior to the collision and was replaced by an independent mechanic. The dealer and manufacturer were made aware of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 91,000.

I was driving my car and received a warning that the Power Steering System Failure. Within a few minutes, the power steering in the car went out. Had to have the vehicle towed to mechanic. The mechanic reported the code of C200D-49. 2 Ford Dealerships stated that they had never heard of any issues yet my mechanic recently had another Ford vehicle in with the same situation.

The electronic door clocks are continuously failing where the door cannot be opened in an emergent situation. On 6/24/20 the front driver door latch had to be replaced and on 03/21/21 the left rear door latch had to be replaced. Presently the right rear door latch is not operating and the vehicle has been scheduled for service on 7/9/21.. When these locks fail you are unable to open the doors unless you can reach the lock to pull up. In an emergency such as a crash or fire this failure can be fatal. It appears that there is a design flaw or defect with these locks. Review of internet blogs reveal this may be a common unreported problem that needs immediate attention. In the event there are emergent circumstances requiring the removal of a child or elderly this may be tragic.

First instance was in mid December 2020. While driving down the highway the power steering suddenly went out, showing errors "Steering Assist Fault, Service Required" , "Hill Start Assist Not Available" , and "Service AdvanceTrac". Pulled over and turned off the car for a few minutes, when restarted it appeared to work fine. Second instance was in mid May 2021. Similar circumstances to the first instance: happened while driving, same errors, started working after restarting the car. After this second instance we took the car to the dealership for servicing. They replaced the Hub Bearings, but said there were no additional errors for the vehicle. The third instance was June 24th 2021. This time the errors showed up upon startup, and did not resolve upon restarting the vehicle. Took the vehicle to the dealer, and they determined that we would need to replace the entire steering gear assembly, at a significant cost.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle steering wheel failed when reversing out of the garage, the contact was unable to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the electrical service light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to have a diagnostic performed. The failure code for the steering power assist module was detected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage 70,000.

The trim to the lining of my window on the right side flew off on the highway

The electric power steering went out. On the way to get my 3 month old son from daycare, I was merging onto the highway next to a semi and a warning came on letting me know there was a steering issue. After picking my son up from daycare, I started my vehicle again and it said power steering failure. I could hardly drive the vehicle and did not feel comfortable since my son was with me. I have since taken it to our local Ford dealer and the module must be replaced.

Air bag light came on randomly one day, diagnostics indicated it was an issue with the wiring harness under the rear passenger second-row seating. This area is inaccessible so accidental disconnection is unlikely. I was told that the airbags will not deploy in the event of an accident when the airbag light is on. This certainly was the case for me as the airbag light was on at the time I was in an accident with contact to my driver's side front bumper and the airbag did not deploy. My grievance is that this is a common issue that Ford is aware of and no recall has been put in place to fix it. It is unacceptable for a manufacturer to be aware of a problem and not fix it especially as it is costly to the consumer. Quoted $1,000+ for repair. Most importantly, it is a safety issue.

Driving down Interstate and steering started to get sticky. Steering wheel would grab, be difficult to turn, then release. Suddenly the 'traction control' light on the dashboard flashed and then within 2-3 minutes the 'Loss of Steering' dashboard message flashed and the steering wheel froze. Fortunately we were on a flat/straight stretch of highway or this could have been catastrophic. This could easily result in a fatal crash. We had the vehicle towed to nearest Ford dealership and they diagnosed that the 'Steering gear seized internally' and the vehicle was repaired at a cost exceeding $2000.00. Tow Truck Operator communicated they have never seen a steering column completely freeze like this one did. I have the service invoice on file.

The rack and pinion steering had to be replaced in my 2016 Ford Explorer Limited. I had a difficult time controlling the steering and was fearful with my 4 kids in the car but made it home. I had it replaced and had to take a loan out to cover the $2500 price tag. The car has mainly highway miles on at 109,000. I am hoping to have this reimbursed by Ford because what I am looking up this is a MAJOR problem with many Ford vehicles.

I have a 2016 Ford Explorer Limited. It has 109,000 miles, mostly highway miles on it. The rack and pinion steering needed to be replaced and it was a $2500 bill. It has happened in countless Ford Explorers from my research. This should be a recall bc it not only is a HUGE expense on cars that are not that old but what a scary safety concern. Thankfully I was able to control my car and park it before an accident happened. Please consider issuing a recall so this HUGE expense isn't the burden of a Ford customer when this should not happen to such a new model. Thank you.

The contact's girlfriend owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated after placing groceries inside the vehicle, the contact heard a chime as the liftgate independently started closing, almost striking him on the head. The contact also stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would stall or surge upon depression of the accelerator pedal, with the service engine warning light illuminated. The contact also mentioned that the side-view mirrors would independently adjust while driving at various speeds. The contact stated that he manually adjusted the mirrors to correct his driving visibility. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was then transferred to NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

As I was driving in the highway the steer assist fault warning came on and the steering wheel locked. I was not able to turn the wheel without force. I pulled over and turned vehicle off to see if it was a malfunction, but the stabilitrack and steer assist light remained on and steering wheel was still very hard to move.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 10 MPH, various warning lights illuminated as the steering became difficult to maneuver. The vehicle collided with the curb and then stalled. The vehicle was restarted with all warning lights and audio warnings. The contact was able to drive without the power steering to a friend's residence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or independent mechanic for diagnosis or repairs. The contact called the dealer who told him that the failure was related to the rack and pinion and a diagnosis appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was notified and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact received a notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V435000 (SUSPENSION) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was notified about the recall however, the contact was informed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and referred the contact to NHTSA. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Our Ford Explorer lost power in the rear gear position. It also had trouble shifting from certain gears to the next. We took it into the shop when we lost full reverse. The transmission transfer case had blew out a piece of the casing. This left a gaping hole in the case, exposing a gear in the transfer case. This also allowed fluid to drain from transmission. The mechanic said this should never happen on a 76,803 mile car, let alone on a part such as the transmission. This was the second one her did in a two week period. This not only put our family out of a car, it posed a huge safety concerning not being able to move the vehicle. I would hate for this to happen to any owner who is not automotive educated. I was luck I was driving and could get us to move.

The recall has been put out and the dealership is claiming that the fix of gluing the roof rack covers back on is not sufficient and that a new fix needs to be made. The fix is not available to me and I cannot use the vehicle for work with an open recall. I understand that recalls happen, but the fix should be available immediately upon publishing them.