Ford Motor Company: Suspension › Rear
Ford Motor Company reported this defect to federal regulators on Jul 15, 2021 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 631,176. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Exposure to road salt can cause the cross-axis ball joint to corrode and seize, resulting in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.
The risk
A rear toe-link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle, and replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall numbers 16V-245, 19V-435, and 20V-675. Certain vehicles previously repaired will need to return for the new remedy. An interim notification letter notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on September 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2022. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S32.
5 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 Ford Explorer | 1,704 | 14 | 11 | 34 |
| 2016 Ford Explorer | 2,465 | 15 | 14 | 39 |
| 2015 Ford Explorer | 1,814 | 9 | 1 | 37 |
| 2014 Ford Explorer | 1,684 | 7 | 6 | 32 |
| 2013 Ford Explorer | 2,237 | 12 | 11 | 44 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 21V537000.
Full record for the 2017 Ford Explorer → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →