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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
24 / 0
Average Mileage:
18,391 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2016 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 1 of 18)

problem #355

Nov 102023

Explorer

  • miles

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

While driving on the highway, windshield trim flew off (2 different times, passenger and driver side). It scared me at first when it started to come loose because it flapped around and I wasn-??t really sure what was going on. And can-??t pull over or slow down on highway. When it broke off, it flew up in the air and almost hit another car. I was distracted trying to see what it was and where it landed behind me. So definitely a safety concern. Total repair cost $650

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #354

Sep 062023

Explorer

  • miles
The automatic tailgate in my Explorer Sport accelerates when closing creating a serious amount of force that could kill a small child or even an adult if striking them in the head or neck. I'm shocked that this hasn't been a recall issue for Ford vehicles because of the amount of speed and force this tailgate is generating. It hit my wife (69 years old) in the head unexpectedly a couple of monrhs ago when she was unloading groceries from the back of the car. Until then the tailgate functioned normally. I took the car to the dealer in Santa Monica and they said they did not see any safety issues but unstead said I'd have to pay a couple of thousand dollars to replace the motor. This makes no sense since the motor is hyper functioning and it's more likely a failed safety sensor or accuator that's causing the motor to acceleare the tailgate closure. The internet has a method to reset the sensor by removing and then replacing the fuse, but I do not believe the dealer attempted that process. This is a severe safety issue that Ford should immediately address and fix.

- Santa Monica, CA, USA

problem #353

Oct 202023

Explorer

  • miles
when traveling at highway speed the side fins fly off. i have had them replaced 3 times now at dealership. thank God there was not someone behind me - especially on a motor cycle it could of killed them

- Parshall, ND, USA

problem #352

Oct 282023

Explorer

  • miles

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

I was driving on the highway and heard a loud noise didn-??t know what it was until I got home and realized my windshield trim on passenger side was not on there anymore. It had flown off while driving down the highway.

- Seaford, DE, USA

problem #351

Oct 282023

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving on the highway and heard a loud noise didn-??t know what it was until I got home and realized my windshield trim on passenger side was not on there anymore. It had flown off while driving down the highway.

- Seaford, DE, USA

problem #350

Oct 312023

Explorer

  • miles
My side pillar on the passenger side of my 2016 Ford Explorer door came off and I had to buy a new one. Now my A-Pillar on the drivers windshield has come off as I was on the freeway. This is safety issue for me and other drivers who may be struck. I read that this is a known issue with the 5th generation Explorers. I wanted to see if Ford has acknowledged this and has a fix in place for this issue. Thanks

- Yorba Linda, CA, USA

problem #349

Jun 022023

Explorer

  • miles

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

All of the moulding, seals & rubber windshield trim/gasket around the windshield has failed. It has cracked, broken off and much is now missing off the vehicle. Now when I drive the vehicle it makes scary noises due to the cracked/missing moulding/seals. This has created some scary driving situations that almost caused accidents while on highways. Now I worry my windshield will leak and damage the interior. This does not seem to be something that should be happening to my Ford Explorer and why isn't this a recall issue.

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #348

Oct 192023

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving my 2016 Ford Explorer on I-65 October 19, 2023, in the afternoon. I thought something flew off of one of the two semis in front of me and hit my windshield on two separate times, within a few seconds of each other. When I arrived home, I checked to see if I had any damages, and I was surprised to see pieces missing from the passenger side of my windshield. This morning, October 20, 2023, I went to a local Ford Dealership and was informed there is no recall regarding the upper and lower pillars (windshield trim pieces). I called Ford Headquarters and was told they hadn't heard of this issue before, and I filed a claim. I researched and found two articles: January 31, 2023, USA Today and Carscoops, February 03, 2023, regarding NHTSA investing these same pieces flying off of Ford Explorers, and I found pictures on the internet that look exactly like my vehicle when these pieces flew off.

- Hendersonville, TN, USA

problem #347

Sep 232023

Explorer

  • miles
The roof rail cover blew off going down the highway on saturday 9/23/23. I'm not sure if it hit any cars. I saw it fly off in my rearview mirror but there was nothing I could do.

- Sanger, TX, USA

problem #346

Jul 062023

Explorer

  • miles
The power liftgate stop working. The liftgate light on dashboard shows liftgate open and the power liftgate does not work open nor closes.

- Magee , MS, USA

problem #345

Sep 052023

Explorer

  • miles

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

Windshield trim on right side of windshield detached while driving and flew off behind the vehicle

- Zachary, LA, USA

problem #344

Aug 012023

Explorer

  • miles
While driving down the highway the passenger side A pillar windshield trim broke in half and flew backwards impacting passenger window. The broken piece of trim remain attached by a rubber seal. At highway speeds this caused the piece to impact the side window many times. Had to pull off the road and cut the seal to remove the broken trim.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #343

Aug 212023

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving down the interstate when the passenger side windshield moulding flew off of my vehicle. Parts flying off of a vehicle at 70+ mph could cause accidents and injur other drivers.

- Monroe, LA, USA

problem #342

Aug 182023

Explorer

  • miles
While driving on the freeway at about 65mph, the driver side windshield Trim and Rubber Seal detached. The trim moulding flew off completely and the rubber trim began flapping against my driver window. Now I need to look into getting this replaced/repaired. Apparently this is a common issue with these model and year Ford Explorers. This is a serious issue that should be recalled and repaired by Ford immediately.

- West Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #341

Aug 052023

Explorer

  • miles
The mouldings on the side of the windshield have detached multiple times. There is no warning lights, and I have been told by the dealership and outside repair shops that it is a common problem. Detachment of these parts puts other motorists at risk of injury. July 2021 driver side flew off on the highway - parts on backorder from dealership so they never repaired it. May 2022 had both sides replaced for $160 since they were done at time of windshield replacement. June 2022 passenger side flew off on the highway (no cost replacement since so soon after last replacement). August 2023 passenger side flew off on the highway and hit a semi, $100 repair quote.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #340

Jul 302023

Explorer

  • miles
On 07/30/2023 The right passenger front windshield trim plus rubber stripping flew off our 2016 Ford Explorer XL. We were travelling 60 mph down a mountain area from San Diego, CA heading into Yuma, AZ. The noise of the trim was so loud hitting the windshield then the windshield panel blew off and the windshield stripping blew off. We made sure no one was behind us as it could have caused damage if the cover would have hit car behind us. Vehicle inspection yearly and no signs of any areas of concern. No warning or signs of this part coming off.

- New Braunfels, TX, USA

problem #339

Jul 122023

Explorer

  • miles
While driving on the highway, the passenger side windshield trim flew off hitting my windshield. I've been told by the police that it happens frequently on their vehicles, but never thought it would happen to me. It did. Now. I have to pay for the repair and it could have easily caused an accident, because it scared me so much that I swerved thinking something hit me. Which it did. My own car!

- North Bend, OR, USA

problem #338

Jun 302023

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving down Highway 90 in Houston Tx, doing roughly 60 mph when all of a sudden the drivers side window trim, I believe it's called a pillar, just detached and flew behind the car causing the cars behind me to swerve almost crashing into each other. When it detached, the car besides me abruptly swerved to the right almost hitting a car which caused them to swerve back towards me, almost hitting me which caused me to swerve towards the right almost hitting a concrete barrier. I drove maybe a block up, pulled over and had a panic attack. This could have been a horrific outcome and would have had to carry the responsibility, that's if I didn't get injured by the wall, things could have been very bad maybe deadly if EVERYONE wasn't paying attention. I'm actually mentally disturbed by this. There was no reason for the part to fly off, it just popped off on its own. This needs to be fixed immediately before someone dies.

- Missouri City , TX, USA

problem #337

Jun 142023

Explorer

  • miles
In the past week or two I have noticed the steering in my 2016 Ford Explorer starting to feel "heavy" and that progressed to being really stiff and kind of hard to turn. Called Ford and they advised to have the vehicle examined. Took the car to my preferred repair facility and there were no codes for an issue; they found my battery was bad and suggested changing it to see if that would help the steering. Battery was replaced and still issues with the steering, the mechanic at my facility said "the rack is still bad". I will make contact with Ford again however based on the number of complaints I see from others I am sure that will get me no where. It appears there are hundreds of complaints about this issue I see for the 2016 Explorers, and many others from prior years too. And these are just the people who have taken the time to complain. This clearly can turn into a large safety issue if people aren't able to control their vehicles while operating. I have no issue with making repairs to my cars, things break. I do have an issue with having to go into my own pocket to fix issues that are a known problem. While not safety issues I also have two other seemingly "known" issues with my car. The rear air conditioning line is leaking so my air is out; and the paint on my hood is bubbling and chipping away, apparently an issue with manufacture of the hood.

- Grosse Pointe Farms, MI, USA

problem #336

Jun 222023

Explorer

  • miles
While driving on Freeway 10 on June 23, 2023 around the Palm Springs area the passenger windshield side panel flew off. There were considerable wind gusts while driving at average traffic speed around 70 mph. The driver windshield side panel flew off on June 2020 on the same freeway also during wind gusts. I fixed the driver side panel by ordering a replacement part and used additional epoxy reinforcement which proved more effective than just original affixing as the part still remains affixed in place.

- Anaheim, CA, USA

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