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.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. When the vehicle was engaged in park, the vehicle still showed that the gear shifter indicator was in drive. In addition, the shift to park warning indicator illuminated. In order to get the vehicle to engage in park, the vehicle had to be turned on and off multiple times. The vehicle was taken to capitol Ford Lincoln llc (4490 cerrillos rd, Santa Fe, nm 87507, (800) 718-5855) where it was diagnosed that the shifter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.
When the vehicle is in motion, an orange wrench light will appear on the dashboard and then the gas pedal no longer works. All you can do is attempt to safely slow down and get to the side of the road. Once at a complete stop, you can turn the engine off and back on again. Then the car seems to be back to normal and the wrench light goes away. It is very frightening for the car to just shut down at any speed, let alone high speeds.
My 2013 Ford Explorer XLT 3.5L transmission started leaking fluid before 27,058 miles on June 14,2016 and as of today March 3,2018 at 44,678 miles the transmission is still leaking. The problem was brought to my dealership's attention during a repair of blistering paint on the hood. Dealer stated they fixed leaking oil pan rather than leaking transmission. As of today vehicle has 44,678 miles and transmission has shown several problems when in operation: Gears take too long to transfer power from 2nd to 3rd, 4th to 5th, severe over revving of engine, jerking feeling coming from transmission while transitioning through those gears, abnormal loud sounds emitting from transmission during these gear changes, leaking and dripping of transmission fluid onto hot transmission case, burning of transmission fluid and vapors entering vehicle cabin, and passengers complaining of noxious oil smell within the cabin.
Driving at 55mph on a highway my Ford Explorer Sport 2013 completely shut off and a amber wrench came on along with 2 more warnings (terrain management system fault and service traction system light). I was able to pull over and restart the vehicle, but it did it 2-3 times the same night. Luckily I was able to get it to the dealership the same day without causing an accident. I can't imagine what would of happened on a interstate at a higher speed.
- Saint Anne, IL, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Codes P2111 and P2112 lack of/no power vibration and sudden jerk backwards. Was driving 45 mph down a busy road and instant loss of power putting me and my family in serious danger
There is an exhaust smell coming through my vents when driving the vehicle. When parked in the garage, the inside of the vehicle and the garage smell as though there is a vehicle running with the doors shut. When I get in the vehicle after work and it has been parked outside all day, the inside of the vehicle smells like exhaust.
Shift to park/transmission not in park message: Ford has tech serv bulletin tsb-0047 on file. A switch or component in multiple Ford (Explorer, edge, Taurus, Lincoln mkx; years 2011-2015) and Mazda 6 vehicles is failing and indicating that vehicle is not in park. The switch is within the shift lever assembly. This is an extreme safety hazard when a vehicle is not secured in a parked position. Ford is charging customers $250-1000 to fix - depending upon the dealer & customer (male, female, white, black, hispanic) - & it requires complete replacement of the shift lever assembly. This component is part of the power train but Ford will not cover it under the 5 yr/60000 mile warranty. Numerous complaints were found during google search for "Ford shift to park lever assembly problem." If a vehicle is positioned on a slope, it could easily roll away and injure someone. This failed electronic component could result in injury or death. A recall should be issued before someone is severely injured, not after. I have no confidence that my vehicle is actually in "park" any longer even when the display does not show the indicator. In 9 of 10 times the last three days, the indicator has shown that the vehicle is not in park. It displays the "shift to park" message each time. It is happening more and more frequently. I visited my dealer today. They first denied a tsb existed. Then, I explained that I knew there had to be one. Shockingly, they found it - only after I said I would file this complaint. NHTSA should force Ford to act now before this blows up in the news. The negative pr will be bad for the current administration, NHTSA, Ford, and the economy as a whole. A recall will not be perceived as bad as the cover-up ongoing by Ford. I fully understand recalls. I am a former cpsc investigator. Thanks. [xxx] [xxx] [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'
A yellow wrench comes on in the dash without any reason. Car experience complete loss of acceleration. Brakes are functional. Engine experience hesitation. Restarting the engine makes the problem go away. This is a very dangerous situation which happens randomly at highway speed.
The power transfer unit (ptu) leaks. The ptu supplies power to all 4 wheels to my 2013 AWD Ford Explorer. The ptu is sealed and is lubricated with a "lifetime" lubricant. This lubricant is not recommended to be changed or serviced, as it has a lifetime longevity. Losing functionality of the ptu causes the vehicle to run rough and reluctant to move.
Loss of drive control transmission shifts out of first gear and rpms go up to rev limit, but no or extremely slow forward motion like the vehicle is stuck between 1st gear and neutral. Happened twice from a cold start several months between occurrences. Start vehicle, back out of driveway, stop, change to drive, move forward about 200 feet and the shift from 1st to second gear does not happen correctly like the vehicle is stuck in 1st gear or neutral. Very unsafe, can cause accidents. Also some unexpected hard upshifts / downshifts.
About 6 months ago my car stalled after being parked at a major highway red light. I was luckily able to pull off the road safely. The wrench warning light came on (power train issue) but after shutting off & restarting the car worked fine. I had it serviced after & it didn't happen again until last Friday,6/16/17. Again after being stopped at a light on a major road & causing me to pull off the road. It has now happened 6 times in a week. Always after a stop sign/light. Every time it seems to lose engine power, the wrench light comes on and the car slows to a scary slow speed. After turning the car off, the light goes away and the car comes back on. After researching the problem online we thought it was the throttle body like others have had. On 6/20/17 we took it to the shop and got the code P2111 (throttle actuator control system - stuck open). They cleaned the part, the code went away and it's been stall free until today, 6/23/17. I didn't make it a street over from my house before it happened again at a 4-way stop. I immediately came back home and the car will sit in my driveway until I take it to have the part replaced. After reading so many accounts of this happening and certain models getting recalled or "customer satisfaction plans" I don't get how Ford hasn't had to replace them all. It is dangerous! I am fortunate enough to not have caused an accident each time this has happened, but I am literally scared to death to drive my car. If I do I spend the entire time tense & driving slow in the right lane in case it stalls & I have to pull over. Ford should not get away with having scared drivers on the road when this is clearly an issue with their vehicles. My car is 4 years old and I take care of it. I should not be scared to leave my house in it. Nor do I think I should have to pay the $100+ it's going to take to replace a part they know to be faulty.
Transmission failed badly at 50,982 miles (under warranty still). Brought in for repairs on 1/31/17 and picked up on evening of 2/8. dealership overhauled transmission replacing front pump/torque converter/center support and seals/gaskets. On 2/9, at 75 mph on interstate with semi-truck behind me, transmission suddenly dropped gears and red-lined to 6500 rpms, before I was able to re-engage it by manually dropping to the M setting and then up to neutral and back to drive. Lost horsepower and if I had not thought to try the above or panicked like a lot of folks would do, I would have been run over by the semi-truck as I was quickly losing speed. Called dealership that night and brought back to them the next morning (2/10/17). They could find nothing wrong, refused to replace the transmission and gave back to me in the same condition on evening of 2/27/17 (though receipt is dated 2/25) advising me to monitor it and contact them if it happens again (provided I am still alive to do so)!! I am now deathly afraid to drive this vehicle for fear it will happen again, and this time I would not be able to get it back in gear before something bad occurs. And a transmission should not go out at 50,000 miles to begin with!!
The power take-off unit had to be replaced within a little over 3 years of purchase at a cost of $14781.11, which would have been double the cost had it been taken to a Ford dealership. The warranty had expired. I was surprised to learn that this is an endemic problem that is neither subject to recall nor prior notice from Ford. I spoke to a Ford representative who was careful to say that she had no statistics about the problem; when I asked her if Ford did, she repeated her prior statement, as if coached. The take-off unit leaked fluid everywhere, and caused the vehicle to stall while driving at street and highways speeds, which could have been a danger to my family and me. Stalling occurred even while the vehicle was not in 4-wheel drive. Again, I was surprised that there is no NHTSA recall issued, nor does Ford notify drivers of the potential danger. Yet per the internet, it appears that hundreds, if not thousands, of these units routinely fail within just a few years due to their design. A great way for Ford to lose customers as well.
Shift to park issue - the vehicle is in park but the dash lights up and says "shift to park'. this happens even though the vehicle is actually in park. After several tries cannot get the dash light to turn off. Problem is even though the car is turned off the back light on the dash will stay on thus draining the battery. If you don't drive the car for a few days you could come out to a car that won't start because of a dead battery. Had it fixed at my local dealership costing roughly $500. The technical service bulletin that is out on the issue says to replace the entire shifter. The problem is something on the inside of the shifter. My vehicle has less than 60,000 miles. This is a very common problem (just google "shift to park"). according to the tsb this affects Explorer, edge, and some Lincoln models as well. Disappointed Ford will not take care of since this is a safety issue. Dealership service manager says Ford should pay for it (bob utter Ford) and Ford customer service line says they only pay for items under warranty, recalls, and the customer satisfaction program. This does not fall under any of those per Ford. Ford should anti up for this as a recall since it is a safety issue and a very common problem. Vehicle stationary during problem.
Vehicle is a 2013 Explorer XLT that was purchased new. It has 69K and is outside the 5yr/60K powertrain warranty. My wife commutes to work and drives the kids to school. We do not tow or haul anything with it. A few days ago she was pulling out of the driveway and hit about 20mph when it lost power and wouldn't accelerate (like it was in neutral). She pulled over and tried to turn around, but there was no reverse. Was able to get home with help from a neighbor. If this had happened on the highway or at an intersection the results could have been very different possibly resulting in injury or death. I drove it and the check engine light was on and "terrain management system fault light came on. It through a few codes P0756, P2701, and U3003. Had it towed to dealer and they ultimately are saying the codes mean that there is a mechanical failure of the transmission and it needs to be replaced to the tune of $5,800. I called Ford customer service and they have yet to do anything. I find it appalling that a 3 year old car with under 70K had a total catastrophic failure of the transmission and I'm expected to cover the entire cost.
Vehicle will not shift into park. Receive message "shift to park". after several attempts, will eventually shift to park (so far). Familiar with several complaints of same issue on Ford Explorer and Expedition with center console
The throttle body fails causing my vehicle to enter "limp" mode regardless of location or current speed. Will go 70 on a highway then all of the sudden lose speed and speed control. This issue can also happen when accelerating, slowing down, etc. The biggest worry is losing speed control regardless of location. This issue has been identified in other Ford models and is being voluntarily repaired (by Ford). However, for some reason the 2013 Ford Explorer was not included in this. Obviously losing throttle control while driving, hence Ford voluntary repair of the issue. The issue started two weeks ago and randomly happens. Last happened on 05 Aug 2016.
On two separate occasions, the car stalled after de-accelerating to a stopped position and made a "clunk" sound from the transmission area. During the first event at a traffic light, a very noticeable "clunk" was heard that sounded like the transmission. The car was re-started and seemed to drive normally. To be on the safe side, we brought the car to the dealership to have it checked but they could find nothing wrong. During the second event at a stop sign, another very noticeable "clunk" was heard from the underside of the car and the car actually shifted so that it was felt by the body. After re-starting the car this time and placing it into drive, this time the car did not move when pressing down on the gas pedal. Instead, only the engine revved up. In addition, when putting the gear into the reverse or drive position, that loud "clunk" sound and the physical shifting of the vehicle also happened. Because the car would literally not go, we called for a tow-truck and took it to the Ford dealership. At the dealership, a customer care rep and a technician came outside to look at the car. When putting the car into reverse and drive, the same "clunk" and shifting of the vehicle was observed and acknowledged by both men. However, at this point the car would move forward when applying the gas. We left the car at the dealership for evaluation. When following up early the next week, ,we were informed that they had driven the car about 100 miles over the course of three trips and the car was running normally. Also, we were told that the diagnostic/evaluation of the PCM and transmission did not show anything was wrong. In my opinion, there are two problems here: #1, the stalling/transmission problem and #2, the inability to identify the problem for such a major event
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Windsor, CO, USA