2017 Ford Explorer Complaints

AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS — Filed 09/02/2026

Head on collision occurred XXX. A man was traveling east on XXX and ran the light at the intersection of [XXX]. I was heading south on [XXX] and hit his white truck. My air bags did not deploy. Also, within the last year a seatbelt was not latching properly and I had to get it replaced. In addition to repairing the roof rack cover which flew off as I was driving one day. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 07/27/2026

The vehicle ACM shorted and caused a fire while driving. My safety was put as risk because the car quickly filled with smoke and unbearable fumes causing me to swerve and attempt to find a safe place to pull over.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/27/2026

While driving approximately 65-70mph on a straight stretch of road back end began to fish tail, unable to control the steering of the vehicle, vehicle slide to right, hitting a ditch, causing the vehicle to roll multiple times . Causing severe damage to car, and bodily injury to driver.

SUSPENSION — Filed 02/28/2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after the completion of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V675000(Suspension), the vehicle started experiencing suspension failures. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle vibrated and made an abnormal clunking sound. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle felt like the front end suspension was fighting with the rear end suspension, causing the contact to lose control of the vehicle, and the vehicle crashed into a pole. The pole was damaged and bent. The vehicle sustained front-end damage. No police report was filed. The contact sustained seat belt burn and bruising on the right shoulder by the collar bone. The vehicle was driven to Sweets Auto Repair, where suspension repairs were performed. The contact stated that since 2023, the front and rear wheel hub assembly, the rear driver's side upper control arm, the front driver CV axle, the front stabilizer, and the front driver lower control arm and ball joint assembly had been replaced. Additionally, the sway bar link was replaced three times, all four tires were replaced due to premature wear on one occasion, and the front tires were replaced at 4,000 miles due to premature wear on another occasion. The front-end alignment was performed; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to another certified independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side struts were loose and nearly detached, the front driver's side struts were finger tight, the front and rear sway bar links were internally worn out, and all four tires were prematurely worn out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure on several occasions. The failure mileage was approximately 138,871.

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE — Filed 03/14/2026

The car was up on ramps, to replace a sensor, in park and slipped out of gear rolling backwards with force. Someone could have been under or behind the vehicle. Other vehicles could have been behind, property could have been damaged. The cars door caught the building and pulled it all the way back against the front fender.

AIR BAGS — Filed 08/16/2025

The contact owned a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 15 MPH traveling southbound, the occupant of a Chevrolet Impala driving at approximately 55 MPH allegedly fell asleep, veered into her lane, and crashed into the driver's front end. There were no warning lights illuminated. The steering wheel was bent three inches toward the dashboard. The transmission was fractured during impact. The contact mentioned that the airbag deployed late and may have been too powerful. The impact forced the vehicle back about 40 feet. The driver sustained injuries resulting in broken rib bones, a broken sternum bone, and four herniated discs, and medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The vehicle was towed to the auction lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage is approximately 135,000. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The VIN was not available.

STRUCTURE,VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 08/06/2025

So for starters the visibility wipers should have a auto wiper function as in when it detects rain they will automatically come on. Well they do but they also come on at random intervals even when it’s not raining. Secondly the glove box design is horribly engineered and it falls apart by its self. My glove box flew open while driving down the road and caused me to run off the roadway with my kids in the car. Luckily my kids and I are safe and no one was hurt but something should be done about this. The tension cord that hooks to the glove box just snapped from the looks of it.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 08/25/2022

intermittened starting problems, vechile wont start, clicks, then starts and power train light comes on. Waiting at a red light, press the gas and the car does not go, also when speeding up transmission slips.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE — Filed 06/29/2023

At 28,000 miles, the vehicle emitted black smoke from the exhaust. Despite the mechanic’s efforts to identify the issue, no diagnostic codes were detected. Currently, the vehicle has accumulated 100,000 miles. The engine suddenly lost the ability to accelerate beyond 20 miles per hour. After several months of repairs involving multiple turbo replacements, it was determined that the engine was severely damaged and should have been replaced over 50,000 miles ago. The engine was subsequently replaced, but only a year later, it failed again. After replacing the first engine, the vehicle’s performance deteriorated significantly. The vehicle required another visit to the shop for several months, resulting in another engine replacement. Over the course of several months, the vehicle lost all power and exhibited difficulty shifting into reverse. Consequently, it failed to reverse and was involved in an accident.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 07/01/2023

We notice we were getting a warning about our battery about a year ago, so we took it to Ford and they said they couldn’t find any issues. We found a mechanic in town who looked at it with a volt meter an instantly noticed that the red power cable coming from the battery had burst through the casing that once held it. Now we have an exposed power cable that could potentially catch on fire if fluids from the engine were exposed to it. We first knew something was wrong when the doors would not unlock properly. And while driving we would get a battery warning. Ford told us during our warranty period that they didn’t find anything wrong when this should have been noticed instantly. This is a serious fire hazard. The vehicle was inspected by the manufacturer but a lack of knowledge by their mechanics has led to us filling this report.

ENGINE — Filed 03/01/2024

On Friday March 1, 2024 approximately 10:30pm. My SUV caught on fire while parked and off.

ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 12/08/2022

My suv begin to run hot and instantly water begins to boil and I was trying to pull off the road immediately.with no warning from the forward collision as a car hit me. Got a quote from many dealerships or mechanics who says that the water pump failed and is a common problem with my suv and it quoted 2500 with a two week time frame because the water pump is built inside the engine no one wants to work on it due to risk. Help!

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING — Filed 11/30/2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that carbon monoxide was entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that there was an abnormally strong exhaust odor inside the vehicle after driving short distances. The contact stated that he felt lightheaded while driving the vehicle. No medical attention was sought. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 10/14/2022

Husband returning home, pulled into carport and as he removed foot from accelerator to brake, accelerator pedal kept accelerating. This caused explorer to hit carport awning, classic 65 mustang, 2007 Harley and shed. Airbags did not work. Accelerator is still pressed to floorboard.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 09/28/2022

We had an issue with Fuse 34, it popped and sent warning lights to the dash regarding safety systems and sensors, as well as the cameras in front and back stopped working. We replaced the fuse and it held for a while, but then popped again. I noticed a lamp flickering one day on the front of the vehicle, and upon further inspection saw that the front camera and wiring harness had started on fire. The wiring harness is fully melted and there are signs of smoke and fire damage on the front of the car. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer who confirmed their wiring harness had failed, but will not take responsibility for the issue. The care only has about 45k miles on it. I called to their corporate office who also rejected any liability. Obviously this is more than just the money for repairs, but a safety hazard that they will not respond to.

SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 08/11/2022

On freeway, pushed brakes but vehicle did not stop or slow down resulting in multi car rear end collision. Auto braking and ABS features did not engage. Vehicle was towed and our insurance agent claim adjuster recommended we reach out to you. No warning lamps, messages, etc. went off at the time or had gone off previously.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 07/18/2022

Exhaust Fumes entering the passenger cabin through the heat/ac vents and causing carbon monoxide poisoning to passengers! Having medical issues due to this issue and it has been found twice and it’s been doing this since day 3 of owning it! Purchased new on February 21, 2018 with only 2 miles and 6 miles when paperwork was signed! On day 5, 02-26-2018, called dealer was told by the salesman Tommy, it was the new smell and it would go away, Never has and never will! I’ve been sick for over 2 years and 90% of my medical issues has came from purchasing this vehicle and it’s still releasing exhaust fumes and causing me problems. I would like to know WHY a recall has never been done and FORD to be made response for their actions and deceit for this major problem!

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 07/10/2022

While backing out of our driveway the car started speeding up and the brakes failed. Even with repeated pumping of brakes the car wouldn’t stop. We finally jammed the shift lever into park and even then it continue moving for a short distance. We wiped out our neighbors mailbox. It did the same thing yesterday but we thought my husband accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake. Today we know it was the car.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION — Filed 05/01/2022

I backed into a parking spot, put the car in park and turned the vehicle off. As I was getting ready to get out of the car, it rolled backwards into another car parked to my passenger side rear. My vehicle did not give any warning, no sensor alert, or anything!

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/11/2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after his wife exited the vehicle from the front driver’s side door, while attempting to open the rear driver’s side door, the vehicle began to roll backwards and knocked her to the ground. The contact's wife was taken to the hospital to seek medical attention but was not injured. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 66,281. The contact has stated that they have been in communicate with several Ford dealerships as well as their corporate offices. Neither of them have been able to replicate the issue and resolve it.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 01/09/2022

This vehicle is equipped with an Anti-lock brakes. On Sunday, while driving slowly through a slippery parking lot, due to ice, my brakes locked in the downward position. I was not able to get the brakes to function. This resulted in a low impact auto accident.

SUSPENSION — Filed 05/21/2021

Vehicle was WB on I94 in Minneapolis when the rear toe link fractured causing loss of steering control and a crash. The driver and injured party is [XXX]. I am his attorney. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 11/02/2021

Smell in car when driving on freeway or using air conditioner. Burning eyes, nose running, sore throat, feeling sick.

SUSPENSION — Filed 08/07/2021

Was driving 35mph and rear left toe link snapped causing the car to swerve into another car. There is a recall on it from Ford but I do not have any outstanding recalls.

AIR BAGS — Filed 04/28/2021

My daughter and I had a car accident she was driving and I was in the passenger side on April 28 the car side swiped us tried to avoid from hitting her in the back the seatbelts locked but the airbags never deployed none of the recalls were fixed and Ford denied my claims for nothing will not send out an investigator to check the car my insurance said it’s a total loss so I did get hurt in the accident and I want to be compensated please call me [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).