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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,903 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.

2017 Ford Explorer drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2017 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #26

Aug 182020

Explorer

  • 29,350 miles

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

When backing up the vehicle will hesitate then it feels like I hit something. Then there's a clunk.. (rear tow bearing/U-joint) #2 have to always have defrost on or windows fog up.. then there's a smell of antifreeze coming through the vents. Breaks grind when stopping. Rear brakes and rotors were replaced by dealership.. break fluid low, along with a bunch of other issues transmission slips when taking off from a stop. Always have to reset average gas mileage to get a reading. I believe I was sold a lemon as the finance guy took my down payment and purchased a extended warranty which I never agreed to.

- Big Lake, MN, USA

problem #25

Aug 102020

Explorer

  • 13,000 miles
Two Ford dealerships have attempted to repair transmission issue which was first reported last October 2019 with only 11,000 miles. Since then, 6 repairs have been made by Ford in an attempt to fix ongoing transmission issue but have been unsuccessful. Vehicle will not accelerate at high rates of speed. Ford has been made aware of multiple unsafe events caused by this issue where vehicle would not accelerate on highway with three small children riding in car as passengers. Ford refuses to replace or refund for unsafe, defective vehicle despite customer's complaints and requests.

- Roswell, GA, USA

problem #24

Jul 092020

Explorer

  • 15,000 miles
Ford continues to make unsuccessful repairs on continuous transmission issue despite 6 failed attempts since first reported October 2019 at only 11,000 miles. Car will not accelerate into higher gear when traveling at high rates of speed. Ford continues to neglect many written notifications of dangerous events caused by transmission failure as well as blatantly refuses to diagnose reported errors present on car and continues to knowingly and negligently put its consumer and their passengers in danger by refusing to acknowledge ongoing issue that has now had 6 unsuccessful repairs made to attempt to resolve transmission issue. Consumer has desperately requested a full replacement/refund for defective vehicle for her safety and her family's but Ford has repeatedly denied 3 buy back requests now citing that only 2 repairs have been made when clearly this is not the case.

- Roswell, GA, USA

problem #23

Jul 242020

Explorer

  • 42,000 miles

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

About a week ago my vehicle was idling, backed straight into the turnaround in my driveway with the car in park. The two passenger side doors were open. My daughters and I (unbuckled) sat there about ten minutes while the engine was cranked but in park, waiting on my husband to finish up grabbing things for the vacation we were getting ready to leave on. My two year old had moved to the driver's seat, and I was in the passenger seat. My daughter reached over and pressed the push to start button as she has a hundred times and killed the engine, but this time, when the engine turned off, something obviously caused the transmission to disengage and we were sent rolling down the hill behind my turn around. I tried to climb over and hit the emergency brake but was unsuccessful. We were finally stopped when our back end smashed into the second tree we hit. Fortunately no one was injured besides me, and it was relatively minor with just bruising, particularly since I'm 7 months pregnant. My car is now completely totaled as a result.

- Rocky Face, GA, USA

problem #22

Jul 012020

Explorer

  • 94,531 miles
Slowing down hard shift @ 40 and @20. Steering feels like it wants to pull when driving on a curve or when turning.

- Lakeland, FL, USA

problem #21

Mar 272020

Explorer

  • 29,000 miles
A few months ago (less than 30,000 miles) transmission began to "thump" when shifting in low gear after stop at light or stop sign. Lately, transmission makes a loud "thud" and very noticeable jerk when shifting in low gear after stop.

- Kailua Kona, HI, USA

problem #20

Mar 152019

Explorer

  • 33,000 miles

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

Several problems with this Explorer. There was a noise in the engine compartment when the A/C is running and gibbons Ford tried to fix it several times. They tightened a heat shield twice. Replaced the idler and belt 3 times and finally changed the A/C compressor. Also the hood bubbled and they replaced the hood and repainted it. There also was a transmission leak and the alternator had to be replaced. They ended up buying the vehicle back due to the ongoing unresolved issues.

- Scott Township, PA, USA

problem #19

Jan 312020

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 15,000 miles
Re: 2017 Ford Explorer. Car dying out on acceleration from a stop. A scary thing happened on rt #619 today in hartville. That is, the car died out halfway out onto the roadway, it pauses for some seconds where the accelerator does nothing. Then it picks up by itself. The throttle does nothing. None of these actions are desirable. These behaviors put us in great danger. So let's see, this happened twice in the morning I brought it to the dealership (Monday 01-06-2020). And, it happened once the 2nd day back to me on Friday 01-31-2019. But it did not happen for you in the 4 weeks you had it to test. Amazing isn't it" well, I think I'm going to go along with the many other people online that report the identical problem that I experience. In my car, it's been a problem since new. I do believe Ford is well aware of this problem. I also believe they're not going to do anything to correct it until they're made to. When I asked the service manager, he said to me: "Ford told us not to do anything unless you can verify it." So, you just don't verify it. In "Ford think" this must mean the problem doesn't exist. This puts me in mind of some years back when cars were taking off by themselves. Pinning, injuring, and even killing some owners. It's odd, but it was the same thing back then. It's the drivers, they're doing something wrong. It's not our cars, and that's exactly what I'm being told now. It's my driving habits. The same habits that don't effect my other 5 cars. I did not believe it then, nor do I believe it now. Ford seems to have an odd mindset. To find something, you have to be looking for it. And, I also reported to you that the sync system was going crazy, making adjustments that weren't needed or called for. It has to be continually readjusted. Did it not do that either" it did it for me the minute I started it up. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Uniontown, OH, USA

problem #18

Nov 092019

Explorer

  • 39,000 miles
Purchased 2017 Ford Explorer new with only 549 miles. 16 months after purchase, at approx. 39,000 miles, torque converter went out and had to be replaced. 16 months later, at approx. 79,000 miles, torque converter went out again and had to be replaced. I believe this to be yet another faulty Ford transmission issue, as I am a daily commuter and keep my vehicles well maintained.

- Slidell, LA, USA

problem #17

Nov 182019

Explorer

  • 75,232 miles
Vehicle started jerking, so took it to Ford after scheduling an appointment and still couldn't get it seen. Clerk said it needed to stay overnight but will not give me a loaner so let me leave with the same conditions. The vehicle stopped moving forward or in reverse as I entered a parking garage, so towed it back to dealership to only find out that the transmission is blown and will cost $7K to repair. The vehicle is a 2017 with 75,000 miles, bought new and with no issues until now. Clerk stated it is outside power-train warranty of 5 years 60,000 miles. However this is a known issue with Ford as they are going through a lawsuit now due to their transmissions but will not fix the issue.

- Bowie, MD, USA

problem #16

Oct 052019

Explorer

  • 29,000 miles

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

Vehicle loses acceleration, stalls and shakes when at a stop. Jerks when backing up. Vehicle has been to Ford two times. First time replaced throttle, and second time unable to duplicate error. Currently will be picking up vehichle from sheehy Ford ashland in va. This is extremely unsafe

- Quinton, VA, USA

problem #15

Oct 212019

Explorer

  • miles
Here was a problem with the transmission stalling had the transmission replaced at 44000 miles.

- Bristow, VA, USA

problem #14

Oct 152019

Explorer

  • 62,000 miles
There was a problem with the transmission stalling and later the motor mounts had to be replaced veg only had 62,000 miles on it. The power train happened several months before the problem with the motor mounts

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #13

Aug 032019

Explorer

  • 32,000 miles
Takata recall after purchasing 2017 Explorer noticed severe headaches, digestion problems, drowsiness, difficulty focusing due to carbon monoxide entering the cabin. Took it to the dealer for a recall but doesn't seem like that they solved the issue. Also noticed a rumbling sound underneath the vehicle when turning left under acceleration, feeling like a transmission problem. Would never expect something like this to occur on a $47K car with only 30K miles.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #12

Mar 012018

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 36,000 miles
Ford Explorer transmission complaint I took my 2017 Ford Explorer into Ford dealer and explained about a shifting problem between 1st and 2nd gear the but they found nothing during technician diagnostics in October of 2017 I started experiencing the jerking problem again except this time it was during my first morning start up and accelerating from 1st to 2nd gear and would get a substantial jerk. Again technician found nothing. Problem continued on morning start ups and decided to take back into the Ford dealer a 3rd time for diagnostics with warmer weather now, June 12, 2019, this time the service manager experienced the jerk after several hours of the car sitting after servicing the Explorer for other recall notices. Parked car overnight and when the transmission technician started the car in the morning and accelerated, he experience the same jerk between gears. Finally someone believes I am having a problem!! Ford dealer transmission technician performed diagnostics again and still nothing found. Ford dealer decided to check trouble shooting board from Ford service bulletins and found information identifying the condition cause which additional documentation will follow. Consumer stated transmisson problem will not go away and the current mileage is 59,438.

- Carmel, IN, USA

problem #11

Mar 292019

Explorer

  • 81,000 miles
Transmition failure. The vehicle was on a highway and lost acceleration and power to drive creating an unsafe condition.

- Yuma, AZ, USA

problem #10

Apr 222019

Explorer

  • 25,000 miles
The car lurches for the first 40-50 feet at slow speeds while applying minimal pressure on the gas pedal. It happens the initial time putting it in drive after each engine start, regardless of putting it in reverse first or not. It used to only happen after every few starts, but has progressed to every single time now and some can be very aggressive. The dealership has attempted to fix the issue 5 times now, with the 5th time resulting in them saying it is a "normal characteristic" of the vehicle, without being able to explain what is causing it. I was told by the local service manager that he "doesn't know why it is doing it, but it's normal." He then proceeded to compare the characteristic to someone poorly releasing the clutch on a manual vehicle and again, still claiming that everything is perfectly normal.

- Fort Campbell, KY, USA

problem #9

Feb 022019

Explorer

  • 59,000 miles
When gear is engaged in 'd' with engine on, vehicle moves without foot on throttle. When brake is applied to stop it, there comes a loud vibration from the engine which becomes nervous and tries to drag vehicle forward unless gear is put in 'N' or 'P'. it happens anytime vehicle is stationary with engine running including stop signs and traffic lights. No check light on dashboard. Phenomenon observed in early February 2019.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #8

Jun 042018

Explorer

  • 23,350 miles
Vehicle stalls when driving and is more pronounced when making turns. After stalling it starts bucking and I have to press gas pedal to the floor to get a response.

- Hollywood, FL, USA

problem #7

Apr 142018

Explorer

  • 7,000 miles
Unintended vehicle movement while in park - also noise from transmission when slowing down

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

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