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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
13,055 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.

2018 Ford Explorer electrical problems

electrical problem

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2018 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

Dec 032023

Explorer

  • miles

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

Driver door keypad detacted from pillar. Rear lift gate will not open with button on lift gate, key fob or switch in dash board.

- Boonville, MO, USA

problem #24

Oct 122023

Explorer

  • miles
I have owned this vehicle for a year and have gone through three batteries. It shows multiple coded for circuit shorts - Passenger mirror motor, tailgate/liftgate/trunk motor as well as the cinch striker motor, instrument panel which has lost communication with cruise control module, power steering module, battery voltage circuit below threshold, driver side curtain deployment control 1 circuit short to ground, switch illumination. When the vehicle is stopped or parked it constanly idles up to 1000 to 1500 rpms. These are all the codes that are showing on my vehicle. There has to be some sort of issue causing these problems. What happens if my airbag deploys without warning causing me to cause a major accident which can harm myself, my spouse, children and the people around me.

- Seymour, IN, USA

problem #23

Jul 202023

Explorer

  • miles
When the radio is on, a loud buzzing sound from the radio, do not believe it-??s in the speakers

- Weir, TX, USA

problem #22

Feb 182019

Explorer

  • miles

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

I Drove Explorer directly to Mayo Clinic in MN shorty after the purchase. It would smell like sulpher at times, gasoline, exhaust and I was getting very poor fuel economy. Averaging 17-2. I got extremely sick and confused and had severe headaches and nausea, vertigo, congnitive impairments, burning eyes and all I wanted to do was sleep. I felt fluish and I got confused while going to Mayo for testing. Well, I didn-??t make it to my appointment, I couldn-??t even figure out how to book a hotel or get cash. I ended up lifeless and chose to stay in the Explorer overnight due to the severe fatigue and confusion. I slept in an open air parking garage and had an electric throw and would start the vehicle occasionally to get warm. Well I ended up so sick and mentally confused and cognitively exhausted my sister called the police to let them know something was wrong with me. I ended up in the hospital for a week. I felt like normal during my days in the hospital, I actually thought that I had been sick from the off gassing of the Explorer, but I couldn-??t get away from the smells. I have MCS. After I was released I continued to drive down to Jacksonville Florida for my 3 week outpatient appointment. I was getting terrible fuel economy but I didn-??t realize it until I was getting 12 miles a gallon and eventually it went as low as 5 miles per gallon. I was so sick from the odors I didn-??t realize how much gas I was going through since I left CO. The Ford at that time in April 2019 had 5,000 miles on it and I was told the reason my fuel economy was so poor along with only getting 5-10 miles per gallon and the frightening smells and sickness were caused by the new emission set up and they refused to listen to my story and symptoms and charged me $500 to fix what looked to have been poorly installed. I now have a TBI and severe cognitive and an MRI that shows evidence of Carbon Monoxide Poisoning and things only got worse from there. Thank you.

- Highlands Ranch , CO, USA

problem #21

Jul 102022

Explorer

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the liftgate failed to open. A message indicating a liftgate failure was displayed. The vehicle was taken to a used car dealer, where the liftgate fuse was replaced twice in one year; however, the failure persisted. The Ford dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

- Emporia, KS, USA

problem #20

Jun 282023

Explorer

  • miles
Dealer refuses to repair vehicle without issues being present. States They will only fix it once the problem has arisen.

- Gonzales, LA, USA

problem #19

Mar 222023

Explorer

  • miles

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

The Sync infotainment screen is inoperable and black. My backup camera is no longer operational. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the application programming interface module (APIM) needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.

- Hiram, ME, USA

problem #18

Mar 112023

Explorer

  • miles
Around 4:45, was unable to access cruise control the message rapidly flashed., loss of headlights and all lighting for a few seconds. Was going 70 mph. I exited the interstate to turn around and go to my work on southbound the wrench light came on and I lost power steering, power, acceleration in my turn on the on ramp and proceeded off the road onto the incline somehow avoiding a rollover and teetering sideways. Meanwhile no power to open my window etc. at an angle where I couldn-€™t open the door, took a minute to get out of the seatbelt. Suddenly got my window able to open and crawled out. The cops, and tow truck couldn-€™t believe I didn-€™t roll. The car was at a dealership the previous week for loss of power and terai. System problems/ no power steering and they replaced the throttle body 3 days before this happened. I-€™ve had multiple electrical/exhaust/power failures. I am terrified to drive this vehicle. It-€™s been to different dealerships and the ford ones and ford don-€™t care (only the dealership I purchased it at tries) it is at a fifth one now. We have forscan reports of the failures also. Multiple images at scene also. Car wouldn-€™t drive correctly and terrain management fault, unloaded itself from trailer too.

- Plattsmouth , NE, USA

problem #17

Jun 012021

Explorer

  • 89,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment screen was inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the application programming interface module (APIM) needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #16

Jan 262023

Explorer

  • miles
I-€™ve recently heard from a-couple ford owners and ford technicians them selves that our vehicles come with faulty APIM modules and I just recently found out there was a recall on the 2017 model. I do not understand why there is not a recall on the 2018 model also as mine and several other peoples screen went completely black out of nowhere which is a part called the APIM module has failed which is a safety hazard that I cannot call 911 in an event or even use the back up camera for the safety of my vehicle. APIM modules are not cheap and they are not covered by a lot of warranty companies but it includes so many vital parts or pieces that-€™s supposed to be included. Please seek to look into this APIM module recall for 2018 models also as it-€™s been a headache for many people.

- Trenton, NJ, USA

problem #15

Feb 162022

Explorer

  • 20,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-up camera image was distorted and unviewable. The vehicle had also experienced various electrical failures which included the headlights independently turning on while the vehicle was off. Additionally, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the message "Key Not Detected" was displayed. The vehicle also experienced the liftgate opening independently while driving. The contact also had difficulties starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear camera wire connector had failed due to water damage. The connector was replaced but later the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

- Struthers, OH, USA

problem #14

Jun 012022

Explorer

  • miles
The entire main console screen/information center went black one day. It was unable to be manually reset. Occasionally, on very hot days, the screen would work for the first start up. There are major safety issues associated with this: 1- inability to enable calling for help/911. There is a remote on the steering wheel to make phone calls, however, when the carplay is active and the phone is connected, you must only use the screen, the steering wheel feature is automatically disabled 2- The backup camera system is inoperable when the screen is black. This is dangerous as you cannot see hazards behind you including children, other vehicles, etc. When I contacted Ford's IT department to first report it, they said this has been an ongoing issue with updates that they were aware of, but unable to fix. Skalnek Ford in Lake Orion attempted to diagnose the safety issue for weeks and ultimately the APIM needed replacement.

- Lake Orion, MI, USA

problem #13

Jun 262022

Explorer

  • 50,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was parked on an incline, the vehicle failed to restart without warning. Once the contact arrived at the scene, the vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The failure recurred four additional times after the initial failure. After the most recent failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the mechanic failed to duplicate the failure. The dealer replaced the battery; however, the failure returned soon after the replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

- Royal Oak, MI, USA

problem #12

Apr 062022

Explorer

  • miles
Horn failed to sound after pressing center of steering wheel. The horn started changing tones over a period of time then got quieter and then stopped working all together. Fuses and relays are in good condition. Will take it to a Ford dealer to have it looked at for further diagnosis.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #11

Nov 292021

Explorer

  • miles
The battery continues to drain even when parked next to my house. After a few days some systems shut down beginning with the passenger door handle sensor not unlocking the doors when touched. A few days later the car would not start. It has been to several dealers in the nearly three years I have owned it and had numerous batteries replaced. Dealer always states everything checks out fine I have been stranded with a no start several times. The 12 volt accessories socket also stops working.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #10

Jul 122020

Explorer

  • 30,000 miles
I have been experiencing acceleration/transmission concerns, where the vehicle essential stalls and will not accelerate. After approximately 5 seconds, the computer and transmission appear to 'sync' and the vehicle will accelerate, but the issue will continue to happen until the vehicle is turned off and back on again. The first time this happen, I was in a costco parking lot, so I did not think much of it. The second time this happen, July 12th, 2020, I was crossing a busy road of traffic near my home and was almost involved in a serious accident as a result of this failure. As I was crossing the 2 lanes of traffic to make a left hand turn, my vehicle stalled and I was almost side swiped by an oncoming vehicle. After this incident, I had my vehicle towed to a Ford dealership for inspection. Upon extensive analysis of the vehicle, the technicians could not find anything wrong with the vehicle including no failed sensors in the computer and the technicians were not able to replicate the concern. On August 19th, 2020, my check engine light came on and I immediately returned the vehicle to Ford dealership hoping this was a result of the issues I had been having. Upon another diagnosis, the error was cleared for an engine knock sensor, but this was not related to my concerns with the acceleration or transmission.

- Avondale, AZ, USA

problem #9

Aug 252020

Explorer

  • 43,586 miles
In March 2018 I bought a brand new 2018 Explorer. In November 2019 my security system started going off on it's own without any disturbance to the vehicle or me touching my keys. The next day the battery was dead and the Ford service center told me my battery was dead due to a cold snap (we are in SC...it does not get that cold). I had to get a brand new battery. Now less than a year later, it's August 2020 and the key pad on the driver's side exterior door is malfunctioning and blinking uncontrollably until it finally died and does not work. The car is still functioning fine up until this point. Now 3 weeks later, my car did not start this morning and I had to be jumped off. I took it to the Ford dealership and they said something is draining my battery and it is not holding a charge. There's no reason why a 2018 Explorer should need two new batteries in 2 years. Something is draining my battery and no one can tell me what that issue is.

- North Augusta, SC, USA

problem #8

Jul 092020

Explorer

  • 43,000 miles
Had car serviced on 06/13/20 battery 100% documented. On 07/09/20 while driving the vehicle a quarter of mile from my house when the battery exploded. There was a strong sulfur(rotten egg) smell that filled the whole car and was hard to breathe. Stopped the car and opened the hood and confirmed that the battery had exploded spraying acid all over the entire engine compartment, down under the whole car and covering the tailgate and tires as well since the car was in motion when it happened. Ford wants to take no responsibility for the battery defect they are calling it. I've had to open a comprehensive claim through car insurance to cover all the body damages and mechanical damages from the acid. The car only had 43,000 miles when it happened with a 2 year old Ford manufactured battery that was just serviced as noted in the beginning being at 100%. there was never a indicator light from the battery or engine claiming that something was happening or did happen. My health report on my car still said nothing was wrong even though my battery had exploded.

- Green Cove Springs, FL, USA

problem #7

May 212020

Explorer 6-cyl

  • miles
I have a Ford Explorer limited 2018 with rotten egg and sulfur smell when remote start at idle and hard acceleration. I took the vehicle for the 3rd time and got it back after 14 days. I was hoping they would replace the catalytic converter but they declined it. The report stated there were no cat converter code and that by design the Ford Explorer's catalytic converter has normal sulfur and rotten egg smell. This was taken from the vehicle report " some sulfur or rotten egg type smells from the exhaust are normal because of the catalytic converter design. Please confirm the source of this stench because after hard acceleration and or remote starts the exhaust fumes could smell like sulfur and it's normal". how can I claim the 8yrs/80,000 miles catalytic converter when they call sulfur and rotten egg normal" will I just expose my family to cancer causing fumes" if I trade this vehicle I will be $5000 negative and the person who will buy this vehicle will have the same issues. I can provide a copy of the service report if needed.

- Long Beach, CA, USA

problem #6

Aug 282018

Explorer

  • 3,200 miles
Electric shortages, smell burning wires, stalls vehicle was repurchased by Ford and I want to make sure its reported as a lemon and not resold for safety of others

- Lyndon Station, WI, USA

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