This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Bad smell with heat or ac on at higher speeds headaches and lightheadedness felt at times. A seperate issue altogether windows and door locks have failed to work a couple times leaving me stuck inside car until it decides to work. Dealer has had suposed part on back order for 2 months.
My vehicles air turns on on it's own as you drive. This is not the ac nor heater. As you drive you can hear your air vents turn on and you smell a foul smell and the air pushing through the vents is muggy sticky air that makes your skin feel clammy. This has been reported to the dealership before and had been "repaired" however, the air continues to push through the vents whether you have the switch set to on or not.
Drove about 2 miles in the morning while turning onto the interstate ramp the steering locked up would not go over 30mph, SUV started to smoke while the temperature gauge never changed inside of the vehicle. Lucky to not have caused a major accident. After having vehicle towed, per the mechanic the computer system is fried, motor valves melted, and all spark plugs need to be replaced. This SUV is only a 2012 and should not have this major of problems when it has been well taken care of. Ford really needs to look further into this so this does not happen to someone else.
Takata recall I purchased this vehicle in January 2016, on October 22, 2016 while driving in elberton Georgia my car alerted me that the power steering needed to be serviced. About 2 miles down the road my turn signal wouldn't stay on when being used to turn. A few hours later when ready to head home I could not get my car to steer without major effort on my part. I am a mother of 3 and I refuse to put my kids in an unsafe vehicle. The issue has to do with the power steering control module and I was informed by Ford that they would not fix the issue at no charge because the recall 14S06 has expired and I had exceeded the mileage warranty by almost 3000 miles. I don't feel that I am responsible for the charges to get this issue fixed being as I was not aware of the recall. I'm not happy that I'm expected to cover charges on something I wasn't aware was a problem with my vehicle until the service alert appeared. This is my 1st Ford vehicle and I absolutely love it, however, if this is the customer service that I am going to receive I will not ever buy another Ford vehicle and I will not recommend anyone to purchase from Ford. I have been without a vehicle for 2 days as of right now, which makes it very difficult to get my kids to daycare/school and get to work. My husband has had to ask about changing his schedule in order to help me since I don't have a vehicle. Sincerely, unhappy mother of 3
My air bag light is on and won't turn. What I have read is once it on the airbags will not deploy I'm case of an accident. Ford know about this problem and is not trying to fix this is very unacceptable for such an expensive vehicle.
- Manassas, VA, USA
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Transmission shifts out of gear, from drive into neutral or stalls out. Safety hazard while driving. 6F35 transmission. Dealer(s) refuse to acknowledge issue or repair despite customer complaint and transmission fault code. Vehicle stalls while at all speeds on highway, city streets, or while in intersections. Too dangerous to drive
The airbag warning light is constantly illuminated. After researching the problem at www.explorerforum.com/forums/index.php?threads/air-bag-light-seat-belt-warning.349429/ this appears to be a common problem among all of the fifth generation Ford Explorer. Electrical connectors under the seats that run to the seat weight sensors are having continuity issues and causing airbags to not deploy.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle had trouble starting sporadically. The vehicle displayed a" key not recognized start car" message. The dealer diagnosed that the shifter malfunctioned and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. While driving at an unknown speed, the contact smelled a strong fuel and burning odor in the vehicle. The failure was persistent. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the heat and air conditioner calibrations needed to be updated. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was concerned about the fumes in the vehicle affecting her children. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the sender and pump assembly needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired since the parts were not available anywhere in the country. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the heater failed to blow hot air which prevented the windows from defrosting. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 167. Updated 6/11/15 also, the thermostat was replaced, the vehicle had to be jump started. Updated 01/26/16.
I went to unlock my vehicle and the system did not respond to unlock my doors. I unlocked my doors manually and there was no lighting indicator throughout the vehicle. I placed my key in the ignition and there was still no power. I have less than 20,000 miles on my vehicle and barely use it. How can a vehicle less than two years old just stop working altogether" this is my only source of transportation and now I will have to put out additional funding just to get it to a place where it can be checked out. What is going on with Ford vehicles" I am really frustrated!!!
My wife was driving our 2012 Ford Explorer down the highway when the steering went stiff (power steering went off), causing the vehicle to swerve into the other lane, after which the terrain management system fault light came on. I happened to be in our other car following directly behind her and was able to watch the incident happen. She immediately slowed down and steered the vehicle to the side of the road. I switched vehicles with her and drove the Explorer to our house, with no additional trouble. After restarting the vehicle, the fault light was no longer on. Our vehicle is at the dealer now, and they could not find any issues. I did a google search and found this webpage, which clearly shows that this issue is wide spread and could easily cause a fatality: www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2012/Ford/Explorer/steering fortunately, my wife was only traveling 45 mph and there was no other vehicle in the other lane when the car pulled out of the lane. We have not received a safety recall for this issue yet, but we recommend NHTSA contacts Ford immediately to inquire on what they are doing to identify the defect and implement an immediate solution. This issue, if not corrected, may result in a fatality - especially if the vehicle is being operated by a young, elderly or distracted driver.
May 2013 (13490 miles) was driving 30 35 mph power steering went out, traction control light went on, I turned off and restarted. All was ok. Took to dealer and dealer replaced the steering rack December 23,2013, (21173 miles) was driving 40 mph power steering went out, traction control light went on. Would not reset by turning on and off. Drove to dealer with no power steering and dealer reset computer and sent me on my way. January 17,2014 (21808 miles) was driving 35 mph power steering went out, traction light went on would not reset by turning on and off. Drove to dealer with no power steering. Dealer reset computer and sent me on my way.
The vehicle power steering and power brakes shut off while driving making pulling over and stopping very difficult for a mature male driver. I find it difficult I can only imagine how difficult and dangerous this could be for my wife or any smaller or less experienced driver. This happened multiple times during regular driving on fairly smooth surface normal conditions.
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact was driving 50 mph when the advance tracking warning lamp illuminated and the power steering failed. The vehicle was taken the dealer for inspection. The contact was informed that the electronic power assistance system failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the incident. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.
This is a continual problem report one 8/10/13 19,000 miles: Power steering light came on and power steering went out while driving vehicle <15 mph and back ceiling light came on and wouldn't go out. Ford: 8/13/2013 said ceiling light shortened out battery and caused power steering to go out - ordered light bulb came back in 3 days to replace light bulb - they said power steering was fixed. Report two 9/23/13 23,891 miles: Power steering light came on while parked. Ford: Did diagnostic said the issue was most likely wiring and said issue was fixed and I left with car report three 10/02/13 24,280 miles: Power steering light came on dashboard and power steering went out while driving on a highway 65 mph, pulled off hwy. Reported incident to Ford. Ford: Ran diagnostic, said issue was motherboard. Ordered part and I returned in a few days to replace computer board. Told issue was resolved and left with my car. Report four 10/31/2013 25,295 miles: Power steering yellow light came on dashboard as I started vehicle in parking lot. Power steering had not gone out only had warning light showing. I drove a few minutes home without the steering going out. I started car about an hour later in garage and power steering was completely out. Bright red lights on dashboard. Warning light said something to the tune of 'report power steering immediately". Ford: Kept car for 4 full days while we drove rental and was told they have no solution and Ford regional's engineers supposedly said 'this is not an issue they have seen before' (even though there are almost 100 reports on the NHTSA website about this exact issue) and to report if happens again. Report five 11/28/13 27,000 miles: Power steering went out while starting vehicle in garage dashboard light up with red warning signs. Have to wait until after holiday to report to service.
While driving my 2012 Ford Explorer limited V6 with ecoboost system up a hill I had to stopped behind a stopped school bus. I tried to give the vehicle a little gas to edge up the hill and the truck cut off. Since I was in drive the truck began to roll backwards until I pushed the brake. I was in shock. Luckily there weren't any vehicles behind me but it scared my kids. While pressing the brake I flipped it into park and restarted the engine. I then called and scheduled service for the next day. I was fully covered under my maintenance plan but the dealership could not duplicate the problem. They have no clue what caused this issue but I am terrified it may happen again and now my kids are terrified as well.
Ford sync system - continues to freeze and not function. Navigation system freezes up and/or doesn't work at times. Phone system shows you on a call when you are not. Multiple times not working and is supposed to be hands free. Have had the system replaced and updated and still doesn't work properly or as advertised. Ford case # cas [xxx] keep getting told they have an expert looking in to it and it might be related to the iphone. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Jefferson, OH, USA