2017 Ford Explorer complaints

I was driving the speed limit on the thruway and my passenger side windshield outer trim flew off of my vehicle! It almost hit the vehicle behind me and cause myself and the vehicle behind me to swerve as it happened so suddenly it was startling.

Front windshield side panel flew off on freeway. Other side very loose as well. Glue, rubber seal crumbling. I have talked to dealer and they said “It just happens sometimes. They just fall off” Happened within the first week of purchase. Luckily no one was close behind me on the freeway. No warning besides the loud noise of it flying off and now there is a noise of air coming through since it’s no longer sealed. I am worried my windshield is next. I have seen tons of cars with the exact same thing!

The windshield trim is detaching and won’t go back into place. I’m afraid it’s going to fly off why driving and cause a wreck behind me. I’ve read this is a known problem. I shouldn’t have to pay for a known design flaw.

Thr manufacturer did not put rear tire links on my vehicle. I purchased brand new tires 3 months ago and my two rear tires are already showing sings of wear and tear. I went to a mechanic to see if I could get a full alignment on my vehicle. When they started on thr alignment, they informed me that they could not proceed because the vehicle was missing the manufacturer rear toe links. If I decided to let them order rear toe links and do the alignment, it would cost me almost $600. This is completely unacceptable for ford to drop the ball again and we the consumer are stuck paying for something that they should.

My right side A pillar flew off of my car while driving on the highway. Luckily this did not cause an accident but very much could have. I have seen numerous other Ford Explorers with the same piece missing from their windshield. Very dangerous! I uploaded my car (the black explorer) and another car I seen on the highway with the same piece missing. I also have a friend who has an Explorer and her piece flew off as well.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the passenger's side windshield trim panel separated and struck the front passenger's side door. The contact continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the passenger's side windshield trim panel was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated while driving 70-75 MPH, the passenger's side windshield trim panel separated and struck the front passenger's side door. The contact stated that he was startled and slightly swerved to the left. The part then flew to the rear of the vehicle, causing the vehicle behind to swerve to the left as well. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23001 (Structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the passenger's side windshield panel separated. The contact continued driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure and provide the contact a cost for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

The windshield plastic molding on the passenger side detached and flew off while driving 65 mph over a year ago. Ford dealer replaced the molding in September last year. The same windshield panel flew off again last week scratching the passenger door while startling me and the driver behind me. We both swerved but luckily avoided a collision. I had exactly the same problem with a company owned Ford Explorer I drove before.

The windshield trim on the driver side ripped off. This piece could have flown off and hit another car or a pedestrian

The passenger side pillar fell off while driving. This pillar is about four feet in length. This could have caused someone to have to swerve to avoid the pillar on the road like a motorcyclist. No warning lights or alerts in the car. I've not taken the car into the dealership yet.

Windshields wipers coming on and staying on although the settings are on the off switch. The wipers won’t turn off at all

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle shutoff without warning. The contact coasted the vehicle into a neighboring driveway, and the vehicle was later towed to the residence. The contact had several independent mechanics inspect the vehicle and each diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls on the VIN. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for additional assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle jerked. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the coil and the water pump needed to be replaced. The coil was replaced; however, the water pump was not replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while parked with the engine idling the message "Engine Too Hot to Operate" was displayed and the engine temperature gauge indicated that the engine had overheated. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump and timing chain were faulty and needed to be replaced. The water pump and timing chain were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 132,000.

Windshield trim on both sides is broken and some is missing. It is available for inspection if done soon, I’m afraid to drive it much as it is, so I need to get it repaired. I’m concerned it could fly off and hit another vehicle and cause an accident, or my windshield could come out. I have not gotten service to look at it but will be soon if recall isn’t done.

Black plastic surround trim pieces of windshield and side door pillar are coming unglued and flying off at cruise speeds on highway without any warning or indication that it is about to happen. This presents a startle-effect distraction to the driver, possibly leading to lose of control of vehicle and/or impact hazards to following vehicles and pedestrians. Vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection and repair, and we were advised by the Maintenance Advisor to be on the look-out for a possible recall from Ford because they had been receiving a lot of these types of complaints. This has happened three separate times on this vehicle, each side of the windshield separated, and one side pillar is separating now.

Windshield rubber trim has almost entirely come off. I'm concerned that the plastic trim is next. You can hear the air coming into the car through the gap and now during a heavy rainstorm on 95 I had water coming into the vehicle. I spoke to the dealership where I have the vehicle serviced when it first happened and told them I had read on the Ford Owners forum that this was a known problem and still no recall. At that time I was told it would cost hundreds of dollars to replace. I didn't have the funds then, and I don't have them now but I am forced to repair it at my expense because it is very dangerous and getting worse.

Windshield trim panels have come off vehicle while driving in normal conditions. This includes the factory installed drivers and passengers side moldings as well as numerous replacement pieces. Local dealership states there are no issues with components.

I had a piece of window trim fly off while I was driving on the highway at 70 mph. When it flew off, it may have hit another car. With the piece gone, I am not unable to open the hatch and the dome lights stays on for a considerable amount of time. There is no way to turn off the dome lights, you have to wait for them to go off, which is sometimes more than 10 minutes. When the piece was replaced, the hatch worked as normal. I had the window trim replaced and the same thing happened. I was traveling down the highway over 70 mph and the piece flew off in heavy traffic. I, again, have not been able to open the hatch nor turn off of the dome lights.

WATER PUMP FAILURE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. BY THE TIME I COULD PULL OFF THE FREEWAY (1 MINUTE) THE ENGINE HAD STALLED AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START. TOWED TO REPAIR SHOP AND LEARNED THE PUMP FAILURE HAD ALLOWED WATER AND OIL TO MIX THROUGHOUT THE ENGINE. METAL SHAVINGS WERE FOUND IN THE ENGINE. ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. TOTAL COST BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS READY: OVER $11,000

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger’s side windshield pillar fractured. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was given an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was not covered under recall or warranty. The contact also noticed that the front driver’s side pillar had also become loosened. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.

I noticed that I had to refill the coolant/water on my car because it was low. When I got out of my work I noticed there was water on the floor, but I didn't think of anything because my car was doing fine. When I was almost home I noticed the car fans were like trying to compensate for the heat, but when I look at my dash. My car was overheating with the engine light. I parked it and noticed the water I put this morning was all gone and the car was still leaking. Come to find out it was the water pump and the engine.

Windshield trim became detached while driving 70 mph on the freeway.

2017 Ford Explorer with 114,000 miles. Engine coolant light came on while driving. The car was taken to a Ford Dealer and diagnosed with a failed water pump. As the water pump is installed inside of the engine this is now a major repair and if not caught early, can cause permanent damage to the engine. This failure can cause the engine to stop leaving you stranded. Currently having the engine repaired at Ford Auto Nation in Tustin Ca.

The driver's side window trim blew off, striking the side of my car and hitting a car passing me. Also - the piece that holds the keypad on the driver's side has come off once, tried to come off a 2nd time and is currently being held in place by a binder clip.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 10 MPH and making a right turn, the steering wheel did not return to center. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed to respond normally while turning the steering wheel to center. Additionally, the contact stated that the instrument cluster went black, and the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over safely and restarted the vehicle. The contact stated that the “System Communication Error" message was displayed on the infotainment screen after the restart. The contact later had the vehicle towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring harness and the GWM harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle had been repaired. The contact stated that after the repair, the battery had started to drain very quickly. The vehicle was towed back to the same dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,833.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle was shaking violently. The contact stated that the engine failed to turn over after several attempts while starting the vehicle. There was an abnormal rotten and sulfur odor entering the cabin of the vehicle from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was overheating with the check engine warning light illuminated. The catalytic converter had failed due to oil leaking from the turbo charger onto the catalytic converter. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter and turbo charger needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The contact became aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000. The consumer is requesting that their VIN be included in the recall that applies to the turbo charger failure. The vehicle has not been repaired.

Power steering locked up during a drive around the block, had to turn off the engine and turn it back on. After the car was running again, no issue. If this issue persists or comes back again, drivers aside from myself will be put in danger on the road as the steering can lock up anytime during the drive. I was lucky enough to only have it happen during a short drive around the block.

I bought the SUV Used in January/2023 from a Ford dealer. It had brand new tires on it. 6 months later and the outer tread of the tires are bald, that’s when I realized the toe angle was pointed in. I went to Discount Tire to get new tires and an alignment. They put new tires on and then they told me they couldn’t do the alignment on my truck because it has a recalled part on the rear suspension. The toe angle rods are not adjustable. He showed me what they are supposed to look like on his computer for him to do the alignment. He then proceeded to tell me how dangerous it was because if the rod cracks, my wheel will fall off. I called ford, but they are claiming there is no recall for that part, but that can’t be true.

Passanger side pillar broke off while traveling about 60mph. Hit window and almost hit a motorcycle traveling in adjacent lane. Looking for a replacement online and found several forums requesting it to be reported for a possible recall.

PASSENGER SIDE WINSHIELD TRIM FLEW OFF GOING DOWN THE ROAD

The trim surrounding the windshield on the passenger side detached and flew off at high way speeds. While no vehicles were close enough to be impacted by this part of the vehicle detaching, it could create a hazard had there been a vehicle close by. I have seen evidence that this is prevalent on this year, make, and model and it should be remedied. There was no evidence that this would happen and it occurred randomly while driving ~70 MPH.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for routine maintenance and was informed by the service technician that the water pump was leaking coolant into an engine cylinder. The contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

While driving on the interstate at speed of around 65mph, plastic piece that is mounted between windshield and passenger side door detached and flew into following traffic

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and attempting to accelerate uphill, the vehicle lost motive power with difficulty while shifting gears. After a visual inspection, the contact observed excessive amounts of fumes coming from the exhaust. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine was extremely low on oil due to excessive oil consumption. Additionally, the turbocharger had failed. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, and the diagnostic test result was confirmed. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V925000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but was unable to provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 103,000.

The drivers side windshield trim molding A-pillar flew off of my 2017 Explorer on the highway, hitting my rear view mirror and startling me causing me to veer. The Ford dealer body shop has ordered a new one at $547 for the part, but it still has not come in I ordered both sides as the passenger side is very loose. They are sharp and present danger of injury and/or property damage when they fly off. I saw on-line that this is a common problem for this model. The consumer stated that the repair was completed, however promptly after the repair work, the same piece broke off again. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where they reinstalled the piece and added urethane.

Coolant was found to be infiltrating cylinders 2 & 3 of the engine. The engine was idling roughly and just about died before the check engine light came on. The service center did a pressure check and used a bore scope to confirm that there was coolant in the cylinders. My understanding of this problem is that the engine begins to misfire as coolant and oil mix and the cylinder walls start and other components deteriorate. When deterioration is bad enough the engine can quit. This can happen at any time including at high speeds on the highway. I'm not totally sure how long the rough idling had been going on, but the incident where the engine almost died and the check engine light came on was at about 80,000 miles. My guess is that the rough idling started around 70,000 miles -- give or take. Ford has not yet done a diagnostic teardown to determine how the coolant is infiltrating the cylinders, but it is a known problem for other sizes of the Ecoboost engine. I have the 2.3L Ecoboost. There was a recall on the 1.6L Ecoboost and there is a class action lawsuit for the 1.5L, 1.6L, and 2.0L versions of the engine.

2017 ford explorer. Driving down the interstate and the window trim around front window starts flying off. It’s completely dry rotted. No warning, have not taken it to the dealership because they charge $150 just for diagnostic.

Heard a flapping noise from the upper drivers corner of the windshield at highway speed. Stopped before anything catastrophic occurred, but part of the drivers side windshield trim was loose and flapping in the wind. It was striking the drivers window and the windshield as it flapped back and forth. The stiffer cover piece was also loose, but removing the flapping piece of trim resolved the immediate concern. The trim apparently needs replacement.

The passenger side of windshield trim flew off on highway when driving. There was no indication or evidence that it was loose or coming off.

The water pump went bad which cost me 1500 dollars and the shop whom done it had replaced 15 water pumps on the exact make and model car as mine this year!

The vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, the vehicle would not properly shift gears while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the engine seized. The contact was able to veer to the side of the roadway. The contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle, the message "No Oil Pressure" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown, causing coolant and oil to mix. The dealer diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

This vehicle has many blind spots and the blind spot alert only works sometimes. The locks only work sometimes too. It consistently does not lock the passenger side door with the lock or the key fob. When I was in traffic someone was able to open the door.

OVERHEATING WARNING ILLUMINATED, RESULTED IN VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN WHILE BRIEFLY PULLING OVER IN A PARKING LOT TO GET DIRECTIONS TO A SPECIFIC HOSPITAL ENTRANCE. STOP TO SHUT DOWN, ABOUT 1 MIN. THIS HAS OCCURRED A TOTAL OF 7 OTHER TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST 12 MONTHS, BEGINNING WITH THE FIRST ONE IN JULY OF 2022. MY WIFE WAS IDLING WHILE AWAITING TO PICK UP THE KIDS FROM A GYMNASTICS CLASS. OVERHEATING WARNING ILLUMINATED, RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN. A MECHANIC WE KNOW WAS ALSO THERE AWAITING HIS CHILDREN AND DISCOVERED VERY LOW COOLANT LEVEL. IT WAS FILLED & THINGS SEEMED FINE UNTIL THIS SPRING, WHERE IT IS A BI-WEEKLY OCCURRENCE. COOLANT BOTTLES ARE ON STAND-BY AS WE HAVE NO OTHER OPTION. EVEN IF THE WATER PUMP IS FAILING, THIS IS ALL WE HAVE TO WORK WITH. OUR OTHER VEHICLE JUST SHUT DOWN MID-DRIVE IN MARCH. IT WAS TOWED TO THE MECHANIC. HERE WE ARE NEARLY 5 MONTHS LATER AND HE DOESN’T HAVE A GUESS AT WHAT THE PROBLEM MIGHT ACTUALLY BE. THAT VEHICLE, A 2012 FORD FOCUS SE.

Driver's side rear suspension, toe-link arm broke while driving at approximately 30mph and I nearly lost control. After towing vehicle home, I found the toe-link broke completely off at the weld closest to the wheel hub.

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while approaching a stop light the vehicle was shaking violently. The contact shifted into neutral, and the shaking stopped. While shifting into drive or reverse, the vehicle shuddered and was shaking and then stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the torque converter was faulty, and the transmission cooler line and plate needed to be replaced. The dealer informed him that the transmission line was contaminated. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 96,626.

The black weather striping under the windshield trim molding is coming off / detaching while driving

WATER PUMP LEAKING

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he attempted to start the vehicle however, the engine failed to turn over. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to and independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed that the relay and fuses failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then stated that the independent mechanic test drove the vehicle and the vehicle stalled. The contact was then informed by the dealer that the vehicle was included in Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N01 (Cooling Fan Motor Relay). The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the contact was unsure of the diagnostic results. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was then advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.