2021 Ford Explorer complaints

The panel next the windows on both sides are cracking. The dealer said they need to be replaced on my dime. After doing a search for this problem, it appears that this is a common problem. It appears to be an issue with the seal and hot/cold weather creating the issue.

I had my car towed to mechanic because transmission would go into park. He ran a diagnostic and found multiple codes (mechanics Bill and list of codes he found will be included) relating to transmission. He searched on a data base he uses Shopkey.pro(copy of recall will be included) to check on recalls. He requested I have car towed to Dealership. I did that and the dealer has a letter about the recall(also included) showing the recall. My car falls in all the parameters of this recall. The vehicle year, the assembly plant and the build date as well as the 2.3L engine and a 10R60 transmission. The dealer says my vin number doesn't fall under this warranty and he doesn't understand why. He said I fit all parameters and Im experiencing all the reasons listed for this recall. Most importantly car can roll in park which is safety. It also had on occasions loss of motive power while driving. These are all reasons listed for this safety recall and as the dealership I am lost as to why the NHTSA and ford doesn't have my VIN included in this saftety recall,. I would like you to review this complaint and hopefully understand my vehicle should be included in this safety recall. There are numerous safety concerns with everything wrong. Please take careful consideration of all that I submitted and properly add this vehicle..2 safety Warnings messages I received are transmission not in park and please apply emergency brake before exiting the vehicle.

While driving down the interstate, the tires (rear passenger?) suddenly locked/stuck. This caused vehicle to lose control, 360, and slam into the guardrails. Prior to this incident, when the car was turned on, it stalled a bit like it was about to turn off. This lasted for a few seconds, but returned to normal. So may be a component of electrical and/or directly related to the rear tire. There were no warning messages. Driver was thankful injuries did not occur. Could have flipped, or slammed into other cars, trees, etc. This is a serious issue. While the vehicle was being loaded onto the wrecker, in neutral, the rear passenger tire was visibly stuck. This was observed by owner, husband, police officer and tow company. When offloading from the tow truck, the tire made a loud pop and movement returned to normal. Vehicle is currently at the shop (ford dealership). Will have more information next week from their diagnostic studies. It is available for inspection upon request.

I was driving and hood flew up and hit the windshield and caused it to cave inward despite hood not being popped since April. Dealership confirmed that hood was not popped that day according to censors and codes that were seen. I was unable to see and it could have caused a wreck and serious injury or worse the windshield almost fell on me and into my car with my one year old baby. Dealer confirmed latch was never popped. Therfore resulting in a malfunction with the hood. Vehicle has been inspected by dealership service center. No, there were no signs or indicators prior to the incident. The indicators did not illuminate until test at the dealership although they did not the day of the incident (confirmed by dealership service department)

Ford Explorer 2021 recall stems from a defective rear axle horizontal mounting bolt. Ford Motor Company has promised to cover the cost of replacing the subframe bushing and the rear axle bolt and repairing any resultant damage. The dealer, Payne Ford Weslaco, the Tech broke a tool to fix and Ford has failed to replace said tool.

On June 3, 2024, vehicle was taken to dealer for rattling noises under truck close to front passenger side and state inspection. Dealer informed flex pipe was rattling and offered repair. Repair declined. Dealer/service department emphasized vehicle was safe to drive, no impact on performance or safety. On June 18, 2024, while pulling up to home, metal noises were heard under car. Observed a pipe hanging from under car near passenger front. Towed to dealer. Informed on June 19, 2024, “flex pipe” needs replacing. Thank you

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling at a traffic light, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound. The vehicle was taken to the dealer the following day. The dealer diagnosed that both exhaust flex pipes had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that it was a known failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to shift into reverse, the contact became aware that the rear-view camera showed a blue screen. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

I have a catastrophic engine failure. The dealership (Doherty Ford) in Forest Grove Or acknowledges it. They are working with me. However, Ford has not responded to the dealers request for warranty work. It will be two weeks since I took the car to the dealer with a loud ticking noise. Dealer found a BUNCH of metal in the oil. I'm waiting to hear how Ford will fix it. The car has 45k on it. They also gave me an extended warranty because of all the issues I had with the car when I first got it. The [XXX] steering coupler to the rack was loose and almost came off when I drove it home. I have had a number of other issues. All dealer repaired. The car has also been to Doherty Ford almost exclusively for all its oil changes. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70–75 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 54,500.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that parts were available; however, the dealer failed to schedule an appointment. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Rear axle bolt snapped that holds the rear differential to the subframe. there was already a recall on this before and my explorer had it snap before. this is the second time it snapped in less than two years.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) 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 made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

On April 28, 2023, while driving our Forf Explore, we smelled gasoline from our vehicle. We immediately stopped at the next exit, and my husband looked under the vehicle and saw gas dripping from under the engine. We immediately went to the nearest Ford dealership where the vehicle had stayed for a week. We were advised that the leak was one of the metal fuel lines that rubbed onto the frame and caused the leak, also the engine light code was due to the small hole in the fuel line. Which we had taken to a Ford dealership previously due to the engine light on, but they cannot detect the problem. We have contacted Ford Headquarters via phone and mail for further assistance. And up to today, which is April 15, 2024 we have never received a response from Ford Headquarters. This was a very scary situation, which could’ve caused a vehicle fire.

The recall to replace the rear axle bolt was completed and new boil installed. They left the automatic emergency brake program engager which results in the vehicle lurching forward or backward when shifted into gear and results in collisions with other vehicles as the collision detection system is not working.

My driver side cv joint went out Dec 2023, noticed grease, throwing while a tire rotation was being done. April 2024 was completing a oil change and we decided to check the passenger side and now that CV joint is going out as well. This vehicle has less than 30,000 miles on it.

The vehicle looses power occasionally. When the accelerator is pressed it can take a second or 2 to start moving again. It happens when turning, changing lanes or going straight. I could be pulling into traffic and it will stop moving, even if the gas pedal is pressed down all the way. It will happen in every drive mode and when the traction control is off. The only time it hasn't happened yet is when I turn off the AdvaneTrac stability control. I have to hold down the traction control button for 5 seconds every time I start the vehicle. The dealer said they couldn't find the problem. The associate said it's a common issue with the Explorer's. It is very dangerous.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the audio connection failed to function as intended. The contact stated that there was no audio power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the radio audio connection was in the rear hatch of the vehicle and that water had been leaking into the rear hatch of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and agreed to assist with sixty-five percent of the repair cost. Additionally, the contact was advised to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 33,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was 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 contact had not experienced a failure.

25,000 miles on it, transmission failed on my husband and I as we were pulling out onto a busy street. The car jerked forward and shot us out half way before locking completely as a semi truck was coming and almost smashed into the side of us. Luckily we were on a hill and were able to put the car into neutral & was able to roll back at the last second before we were severely injured. Car was towed to dealer as it would not drive at all. Dealer had for 3 weeks before coming back and saying the fluid was low and discolored and had several burnt clutches..again only has 25,000 miles on it..replaced the clutches and told me I was good to go. 7,000 miles later car AGAIN jerks me as im on a busy street and then completely loses all power and will not accelerate, I was barely able to pull over into a business parking lot before almost getting rear ended because I was going 30mph UNDER the speed limit!!! I didn’t even have to exit my vehicle because I could smell the burnt trans fluid from inside the cabin! Getting towed to dealer in 2 days.. this is a MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN! I have almost gotten hurt TWICE by this defect with the 10r80 transmissions! This is serious and ford needs to start addressing this problem before someone seriously gets hurt!!!!

While driving around 45 miles per hour the vehicle braked on its own without any vehicle in front and dropped to 5 miles per hour, the dash displayed Brake Assistance. While that happened a car behind me came close to rear-ended my car. At this time the vehicle is at the dealer, it was towed. This is the first time this happened, the vehicle showed no warning before the incident. The fact the vehicle behind came so close to rear-ending my car makes this a safety concern, if this happened at a higher rate of speed the consequences could have been more serious.

See attached document for complaint

When shifting from drive to reverse, there is a significant lag in shifting (3-5 seconds). This is especially dangerous when needing to back into a driveway from a busy road.

I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to you regarding a persistent issue I have been experiencing with my 2021 Ford Explorer For some time now, I have noticed a loud sound when braking and when navigating obstacles such as speed bumps or when entering and exiting the ramp of my parking lot. Concerned about this situation, I took my vehicle to the service department at your dealership, where I was informed that there was a recall to replace a part related to this issue. I appreciate that you have identified and committed to addressing this problem through the recall. However, I am concerned that despite more than one or two months having passed since my initial visit, I have still not received any notification regarding the availability of the necessary part for the repair. This delay has been particularly frustrating as the problem persists and even seems to have worsened over time. The loud sound when braking and navigating obstacles is becoming increasingly pronounced, significantly affecting the driving experience and my safety on the road. I understand that manufacturing and distribution processes can be complicated, but I need an urgent solution to this problem. As a loyal customer of your dealership, I trust that you will take the necessary steps to resolve this situation quickly and effectively. Since my vehicle is my primary means of transportation, I strongly request that you expedite the repair process and keep me informed of any developments related to t

My vehicle started to put up messages regarding going into power saver mode. The vehicle then said all wheel drive not available. After that electrical components started going unavailable such as power steering, brake assist, blind spot monitoring, cameras, and traction control. The vehicle then shut down while driving and all I could do was brake. When I attempted to restart the vehicle it did not restart. I jumped it and was able to safely pull it off the road. This is the 2nd time in three weeks this happened. Ford looked at the vehicle and tightened the battery cables. Then told me it was fine.

Roof trim blew off. Moon roof- yes Luggage rack- no Driver side

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

While making a left turn on a city street there was a loud bang noise and a sudden shift of the rear of the car. The bang noise was immediately followed by a loud grinding noise (sounded like metal on metal). There was a sudden loss in power, and I was only able to drive the car a short distance to get to the side of the street. When the car was put in park, the car rolled downhill without resistance. The car was towed to a Ford dealer for repairs. The dealer's repair shop drained the fluid from the rear differential and found "large chunks of metal." The repair required the replacement of the rear differential. Had this event occured on a busy street, it could have resulted in a vehicle accident. The loss of vehicle control when the vehicle was placed in "park" could have also been a safety risk. This event is similar to the Ford recall of the Explorer for a rear axel bolt fracture (NHTSA recall 23V-199 and 22V-255). My vehicle VIN # has not been added to the recall list, therefore, Ford has refused to consider reimbursement for the cost of the repairs. I would like the NHTSA to consider adding my VIN# to the recall for this design defect.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the third-row seats were inoperable. The contact stated that the passenger’s and driver’s side seats were frozen in a semi-folded-down position and were not responding to the electronic control switch. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the seat control unit needed to be replaced. The contact was advised by the dealer that the seat failure was a known failure; however, the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,438.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. 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 the camera intermittently failed, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The failure mileage was 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

There was no incident yet. This concerns the ballistic panels mounted in the two front doors, the mounting tabs break and are broken in this vehicle and there is a TSB but Ford refuses to fix because they claim it's not a "Safety" issue which it is and because it has a salvage title. This needs to go to a recall or customer satisfaction "Safety issue". "SSM 51945 2020-2023 Police Interceptor Utility - Level III Ballistic Panel Mounting Tab Service Kit Now Available". "2020-2023 Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may require level III ballistic panels to be replaced due to broken mounting tabs. Level III ballistic panel mounting tab service kits are now available (right LB5Z-78201B68-F and left LB5Z-78201B69-F). Replacement of the level III ballistic panel assembly is not required for this condition. Level IV ballistic panels do not have removable mounting tabs and still require complete panel replacement. Level III vs. level IV ballistic panels can be identified by a large roman numeral label on the panel or by the vehicle window sticker if equipped".

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. 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 the back-over prevention camera intermittently failed to operate as needed while in use. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

My complaint relates to: Manufacturer Recall Number: 23S23 NHTSA Recall Number: 23V342 INTERMITTENT EXPERIENCE OF A REAR CAMERA BLUE ON THE SYNC SCREEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN REVERSE and notification that rear parking assistant is disabled. Per January 2024 I received a notification that a remedy is available (replacement of rear camera and software update of SYNC). The dealership was not able to perform the remedy as they told me that the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) showed error codes and could not be updated. I was told to replace the APIM on my own expenses of ~$1,800. I am not willing to pay for a hardware replacement as I strongly believe that the APIM was defected by two prior updates: 1. prior effort of Ford to solve blue screen issue via software update and 2. a subsequent botched Over-The-Air update to version 22251 which is know to having bugs and causing APIM issues according to various Internet forums: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] So I have a security relevant recall that won't be fixed unless I pay. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The startrover run clutch or whatever went out and they said it was bumper to bumper, not powertrain warranty! Don’t make any sense to me , the starter has to dtart everthing for there to be power and it’s attached to everything that’s powertrain related!

When driving at low speed, every uneven thing in the road surface creates a low resonating frequency sound (deep base) through out the cabin.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) 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 dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the passenger’s side rear door glass fastener installed between the V-shaped glass and the door glass had fractured. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the passenger’s side rear door glass fastener needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the repair could not be covered under warranty. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

Both rail roof luggage racks on roof are loose. Flap at high speeds. Ford advises it's not covered.

My digital dash would get wavy and flickery with lines through it almost like the LEDs in the screen we're going bad. They made lines going across which made it hard to read the speedometer. Since I brought this up it's been two or three times that I've tried to have them look at it and they finally saw what was going on and they decided that they were going to replace the instrument cluster in the dash and since they replaced it it has been fine. Also I am on battery number for due to the vehicle going in battery saver mode every time the battery starts to go bad and Ford has yet to figure out what is going on with my vehicle that is causing me to have bad batteries and causing it to go in the battery saver mode to preserve power within hours of the vehicle having been driven.

P25B4- TURBOCHARGER/SUPERCHARGER WASTE GATE (A) STUCK CLOSED P0299- TURBOCHARGER/SUPERCHARGER UNDERBOOST POWERTRAIN AND 4-WHEEL DRIVE IN-OPERABLE, TURNED ON VEHICLE TO DRIVE AND IMMEDIATELY THREW THE TWO CODES ABOVE. FORD SAYS THIS IS NOT A COVERED ISSUE.

FELT LINER ON THE BOTTOM OF VEHICLE HAS COME OFF WHILE DRIVING 3X. IN SNOW AND RAIN WITH FREEZING TEMPERATURES THE FELT LINER GETS WET AND HEAVY AND TIED UP IN THE TIRES. THE DESIGN AS WELL AS THE BOLTS CONTINUOUSLY FAIL.

The rear windshield shattered as I was driving. I did not hit anything, nor did anything hit the rear window. The temperature is -3. I had the defroster on and think the extreme cold mixed with the defroster caused the window to shatter. Is the glass faulty? Or the defroster?

Front windshield cracked n has expanded along the very bottom in the dark black area n spread up into clear glass for no reason whatsoever. Never heard a rock or anything else hit. One day it just started a small looping crack.

Strong egg odor from exhaust when temperature is below 0 degrees C or 32F. This is especially the case then the car is started and left to warm up for 5-10 min. The smell goes away after 15-20min.

With the Ford Intelli-Cruise enabled in settings, the vehicle automatically adjust the speed while using the cruise control. The vehicle will randomly, quickly, accellerate to a extreme new speed limit it thinks it has detected. For instance, several times while travelling on I-81, with a 70mph speed limit, the vehicle will think the new speed limit is suddenly 85mph and quickly accelerate to that speed. I have attached a photo of the dash displaying that setting the car set by itself. On the flip side, once on I-81, it thought the speed limit was 35mph and quickly slammed on the brakes to slow to 35mph from 70mph. Both are quickly overridden by the driver tapping the brake and cancelling the cruise control. However, both could lead to hazards to other drivers potentially resulting in a wreck, especially the sudden slow to 35mph on the interestate. The dealership says "Yea, it happens and people complain". I have no idea why the speed changes, there are no road signs or other indications to even cause the system to re-evaluate its settings. Ford says Intelli-Cruise uses road signage and other ways to also determine speed (whatever that means). This is a safety issue that needs to be remedied by Ford. However, without NHTSA enforcement, they don't seem interested in resolution. (This website isn't allowing me to upload the .jpg file, upload button disappears when I click it)

Vehicle blinker works at fast rate at all times. In the event that one of the rear turn signals stops working, the vehicle will not adjust the turn signal flash rate frequency to warn the driver that a turn signal is not working correctly. Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment." Ford says 'fast' blinker on all Explorer ST's is by design and normal.

11/9/23 our still under warranty, 2021 Ford Explorer Platinum with 20,152 miles on it died at stop sign and would not start. Locked in park and had to be towed to dealer who worked on it for one week and claimed it was fixed. Same problem second time a few days later and dealer claimed it was lose wires and returned to us on 11/28. This last time (happened at a very dangerous onramp location and I thought I was going to get hit by another car while waiting for the police to arrive) they have had it since 12/4 and can not diagnose or fix the problem despite claiming to have done numerous things. Ford (Detroit) CS has been of zero help and will not loan us a car or rent one for us to use. We are supposed to be leaving in a few days for our Florida residence for 4 months without our car being fixed. We have had the car a total of 10 days out of the last 51 and with the holiday weekend being tomorrow and Monday it will be 53 days. I have read about numerous Ford Explorers having this same problem and never getting fixed correctly, only to have repeated software issues. How much is enough for a consumer to finally have protection. Lemon Law has expired and I can not find any information for consumers in our current situation. Please advise. We are [XXX] and this is very stressful to say the least. Thank you! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)