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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,159 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2016 Ford Explorer engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #31

Jun 192016

Explorer 6-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2016 Ford Explorer. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle complete loss of power, airbag, check engine and powertrain warning lights illuminated at various times and accelerator malfunction. The consumer stated while driving on a main road, he heard a loud thud accompanied by an immediate and complete loss of power. The engine was still running, but the vehicle quickly lost speed and the accelerator was not functioning. It seemed as though the engine was idling. The consumer was able to maneuver the vehicle safely out of traffic and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer informed the consumer, the throttle body needed to be replaced. Also, there was a recurring electrical issue that he experienced in January 2016 with the first month of delivery. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for service on two separate occasions due to dead batteries.

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

problem #30

Jul 152016

Explorer

  • 14,306 miles
I rented a 2016 Ford Explorer from avis at the portland (me) airport (avis vehicle #40933351). On Friday, July 15th, the unit stalled as I pulled into an intersection. The accelerator was non-responsive and the car moved at a very reduced rate of speed. Several lights on the dashboard lit up - check engine, airbag, and a note came up to check the owner's manual. I was able to finish crossing the intersection at the slower speed and pull to the side of the road. I shut the car off and restarted it and it operated properly for a while. Later that night, I stopped at a stop light. When the light turned green, I made a left hand turn. Once again, the accelerator stopped working and the dashboard lit up with multiple warning lights. I pulled to the side of the road and called avis roadside assistance. The person on the line told me this was a common issue with Ford Explorer and that I had to turn the car off, step on the accelerator, then put my foot on the brake and restart the car to clear the fault but the check engine light would stay on. The check engine light stayed on but I was able to pull back onto the road at full speed. Approximately 1/4 mile down the road I stopped at a traffic light. Once again, I began to cross the intersection when the accelerator stopped working and the dashboard lit up. I pulled over and reset the car as I had done before and proceeded to drive away. A few hundred feet away, the accelerator stopped working again and the dashboard lit up. I was able to pull over, reset the car and drive away. This is an extremely dangerous condition that needs to be fixed immediately. The accelerator stops working without warning and the car only travels at a very slow speed that is not controlled by the accelerator. 3 out of 4 times it happened in the middle of an intersection. If there was oncoming traffic, I would have been hit.

- Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA

problem #29

Jul 222016

Explorer

  • 7,740 miles
Driving down road and Explorer started losing power, cutting out and engine almost died. The check engine light and tool light came on display. I was barely a few hundred feet from my house, so I slowly managed to get vehicle to my driveway. My husband attempted to drive Explorer in subdivision again and Explorer again started misfiring and engine died. Turned air conditioner off and it restarted and appeared to shake Explorer as engine misfired and we barely got it back in our driveway. It only has 7,740 miles on it!! I called dealership and had it towed to there today.

- Jacksboro, TN, USA

problem #28

Jul 232016

Explorer

  • 7,250 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car jerked and then the wrench light came on. Could not accelerate over 5 mph, has gas pedal to the floor, just over 7000 miles.

- West Seneca, NY, USA

problem #27

Jun 252016

Explorer

  • 6,250 miles
Driving on interstate highway, wrench light came on, loss of acceleration, limped to side of road. Was on vacation, brought car to dealer, needed throttle body and was told Ford had a 23 day back order on part so this is obviously a common, dangerous problem. Ford would not pay for comparable rental car.

- Hasbrouck Heights, NJ, USA

problem #26

Jul 162016

Explorer

  • 10,000 miles
I was driving my vehicle on a street and the gas petal stopped working. The car started shaking and I couldn't make it to the side of the road. The car would drive again after restarting the engine, but, only for 5-10 minutes before the gas petal stopped working again. I took it to the Ford dealership and was told it was the throttle body and they have been having electrical issues and this happens a lot. They installed a new throttle body and told me they weren't sure if it would happen again. I had my family in the car with me and it was an extremely dangerous situation.

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

problem #25

Jul 162016

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Husband was driving the vehicle was about to accelerate to get up a hill on a city street and engine sounded like transmission or other major part just "dropped". steering wheel froze, car idled violently, could not move vehicle, started to roll backwards until emergency brake was applied.acceleration went to literally zero, SUV would not move. Orange wrench light came on, stated to see manual.placed car in park shut off engine and waited and started at back up again. Scarry stuff, 2 children 2 and younger in vehicle. Won't let me input on next page, approximately 25-30 miles an hour, SUV has 5,500 miles on

- Redondo Beach, CA, USA

problem #24

Jul 132016

Explorer

  • 9,000 miles
Driving on I-10 about 1 mile before daphne, al, engine sputtered and vehicle began loosing speed. Pressing the gas pedal did nothing, check engine light came on, service manual light came on, and airbag light came on. Coasted to the side of the interstate, stuck between the white line of the lane edge and a guardrail with only inches to spare from traffic passing at 70 mph. All this with my wife in the front seat and our 2 daughters in the backseat who are 2 years old and 5 months old. Engine was running rough and would not increase rpms even when pressing the accelerator pedal. Shut engine off and on 6 times before it finally responded to accelerator pedal input. Was finally able to merge back on to the interstate and get to the daphne exit. We had to stay the night in a hotel in daphne while we waited for another vehicle to get us home to Louisiana. This was a rental vehicle and had to be towed to the mobile airport so that we could get another vehicle from enterprise. A quick internet search revealed numerous complaints of the exact same issue but no evidence of any recall. Apparently the throttle body is faulty and most people report that the part is on back order. Ford knows about this problem and NHTSA should too but somehow nothing is being done. This incident left us on the side of the road, inches from being killed by passing motorists. How this is not under a recall or stop sale order is beyond me. Please initiate a recall and/or stop sale order on these vehicles before someone is killed or seriously injured.

- Walker, LA, USA

problem #23

Jun 242016

Explorer

  • 6,000 miles
I was driving my 2016 Ford Explorer on a busy street when the engine light and the orange wrench light came on. The car stalled and would not accelerate.it lost all power. I am terrified of driving it now. It would not move faster than 5 miles per hour. The car has 6,000 miles on it.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #22

Mar 162016

Explorer

  • 18,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. When the accelerator pedal was depressed at 50 mph, the vehicle failed to respond and stalled without warning. The vehicle was able to be restarted. The service vehicle soon and air bag warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle body failed. The vehicle was repaired twice for the same failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 18,000.

- Milton, MA, USA

problem #21

Jul 062016

Explorer

  • 9,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

This particular problem occurred three times over two days. The first time I was driving approximately 45mph on a city street when a wrench light and airbag light came on and the vehicle's throttle stopped responding. If I let off the break the vehicle would continue to move at approximately 5mph so I was able to get it off the roadway. I turned the vehicle off and back on and it seemed to be functioning normally with the check engine light illuminated. I was able to make it to my office where I left it parked until after lunch. When I cranked up the vehicle after lunch the check engine light was no longer on. After driving approximately ten more miles I attempted to make a left turn into a parking lot when the same thing happened and I was almost hit by an oncoming truck. After turning the vehicle off for a while I cranked it again and the check engine light was not illuminated. I made it home with no issue and the next morning I left home heading to the dealership to drop the vehicle off. As I was turning left on to a side street the vehicle again stalled and again I was almost struck by oncoming traffic. I turned the vehicle off and back on and after that was able to make it to the dealership without an issue. The diagnostic test indicated that the electronic throttle body was the issue. The dealership informed me that this was a widespread problem. The vehicle I was operating is an undercover police vehicle and only has 9,000 miles on it. Had I been responding to an emergency at a high speed I fear that either I or another motorist could have been seriously hurt or killed.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #20

Jul 012016

Explorer

  • 10 miles
I was driving 45mph on a busy street when suddenly the car just stalled. I had kids in the back seat and frantically pressed the gas pedal which pressed down but nothing happened. The wrench and check engine light illuminated. Luckily, I was able to put my hazards on and pull over. We are so fortunate we didn't reach the highway yet on this busy holiday weekend. I am sure it would have ended differently. This is a very dangerous situation and needs to be addressed. What good is a new car if you can't trust it? hoping the throttle body is a reconfigured part when they fix it. Needs a recall!!

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #19

Jun 242016

Explorer

  • 3,750 miles
I was driving home at 10:00 am after visiting a doctor's office on a busy highway at 57 mph when all of a sudden the car gas peddle is not working. The car is in complete shut down mode. I rolled through an intersection to get to safe place out of traffic. The car dash board showed a wrench and engine light and on the dashboard a message stated "see manual". the car had completely shut down. Scared to death at what just happened, I called Ford warranty number for a tow truck and waited for 2 1/2 hours till finally the tow truck showed up. When I got to the dealership where I purchased the car, I was seriously devastated. Two managers told me they didn't know what was wrong with the car, but they would work to find out. They knew what the problem was and how serious this situation was and never told me at the time. I searched the internet and found that the problem is the throttle body. It has been happening a quite a few of Ford's cars. I still can't believe the very serious situation I had been in. I searched to see if there were any recalls for my vehicle and there wasn't any. This needs to stop and Ford needs to recall all these vehicles before somebody gets killed. I do not care to own this vehicle any longer or any other Ford vehicle for that matter.. whose to say this problem doesn't exist in any other models. I was called yesterday but justin in service and was told that it is the throttle body and it was going to take along time to get the part and that he would stay in touch to let me know anything. He stated that sam gallaway Ford would pay for the 1st 9 days of my rental and then my insurance would have to pay the rest.

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

problem #18

Jun 242016

Explorer

  • 6,000 miles
The vehicle was in movement, going 50 mph, when it came to a sudden stall. The vehicle would not go over 5 mph even while pressing the accelerator. The wrence light would come on and it would it would not go over 5 mph.

- Arlington, TX, USA

problem #17

Jun 232016

Explorer

  • 7,419 miles
The vehicle was paused at gas station exit ready to enter the traffic. When I stepped on the gas pedal the vehicle started to move forward then immediately three lights (air bag, wrench, and motor) came on and the vehicle would not accelerate leaving me to simply "roll" on and maneuver to a side area off the main road. Thankfully the brakes were functioning or the outcome could have been potentially worse.

- Lake City, FL, USA

problem #16

Jun 102016

Explorer

  • 4,500 miles
I was driving my car everything was fine, it has 4,800 miles on it and all of a sudden the accelerator wouldn't work. I had the gas pedal push to the floor and nothing. A small tool wrench came on the dash with a service light. I brought my Explorer to the dealership. I was told it was the throttle body that needs to be replaced but it's been four weeks and the part is still on back order.

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #15

Jun 162016

Explorer

  • 52,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. While driving 45 mph, the check engine light illuminated, the vehicle lost power, and stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and coasted to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that there was an issue with the throttle body, which needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.

- Parlin, NJ, USA

problem #14

Jun 152016

Explorer

  • 13,000 miles
I was driving in the left lane of an interstate highway at ~65 mph when my vehicle decelerated down to 15 mph. The vehicle was still running but it was essentially 'dead' in that nothing happened when you step on the gas pedal. I was losing speed by the second and could not make it over to the right lane due to heavy traffic, so I was lucky and found a small left should to pull over on. If there was no left shoulder, I don't know what the outcome would have been. After being towed to the local Ford dealer/service shop, it was determined to be an electronic throttle body(etb) which failed. Ford replaced the etb, but stated the replacement etb was the same as the one which failed. There was no reassurance that the problematic etb was being replaced with a more durable solution. The Ford service shop mentioned that this has been a major issue in 2015 & 2016 Ford Explorer, but there is no official recall. After doing some research on my own, I was disturbed to find that there have been many recent etb failures on Ford Explorer. Considering this issue relates directly to the ability of the driver to accelerate, it is a major safety hazard. If the driver loses the ability to move off the road, there many accidents waiting to happen.

- Southbury, CT, USA

problem #13

Jun 152016

Explorer

  • 6,000 miles
The throttle body on my Ford Explorer failed at only 6,000 miles.

- Cumming, GA, USA

problem #12

Jun 112016

Explorer

  • 5,007 miles
I was on my way home from ocean city, & was slowing down at a stop light, when a wrench lit up on my dash & I totally lost all acceleration. I was unable to accelerate and could hardly move. Luckily, I was in the right lane & was able to drift slowly off the highway into a gas station. I live 2 1/2 hours from where this happened & it was a Saturday night, and nothing was open. I took manual out and found the 24 hr roadside assistance number, which they were able to get a tow truck for me. And I had purchased the extended warranty but the 24 hour help line could not advise me on anything, just to call my dealer in the morning, which the next day was Sunday, and no one was open til Monday. The tow truck driver came & towed my truck to the nearest dealer, which is still 125 miles from home. Received a call Monday, 6/13, that it is the throttle body that needs replaced, but the part is on back order and no idea on when the part will be in, but they put a rush on it. I was told that I could pick up my truck, but that it could happen again" why would I drive it knowing that I could lose power while driving it again" next time I might not be so lucky and be able to safely get off the road........ needless to say, I have a rental car, which Ford is paying for and have no idea on when my vehicle will be fixed, as they are not providing me with an estimated repair completion date at this time. I bought this truck so I wouldn't have to worry about breaking down, my previous vehicle was a 2006 Ford Explorer with 237,500 miles on it that only let me sit once, I have only made two payments on my new truck, and am without my new vehicle. From what I am reading, this is a recurring issue with 2016 Ford Explorer, this problem should be a recall issue, & if the part is on back order, then it's definitely a problem.

- Pasadena, MD, USA

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