2021 Ford Explorer

They have fixed zero recalls. I have no wipers at all. I’ve attempted to get a resolution multiple times with no care or concern nor resolution. This is ridiculous. A recall almost 8 months and people have zero wipers!!! And the engine recall. It’s going to blow up before it’s fixed!

My vehicle was just diagnosed with trouble code P2888 (Park Lock Actuator Circuit/Open). This prevents the vehicle from shifting safely into Park. SHIFT SYS FAILURE was the error displayed in the dash readout. This matches the exact model, year, and dangerous symptoms outlined in Ford Safety Recall 26S48. My local Ford dealership has recommended the exact repair specified by that recall—a full transmission valve body replacement. Despite having the identical component failure and safety risk as the recalled vehicles, I am being asked to pay out of pocket solely due to my VIN assembly date. Because this is a known, documented manufacturing flaw, I respectfully request that Ford provide goodwill coverage to resolve this repair. They denied it despite acknowledging the matching details.

The right rear passenger door of my 2021 Ford Explorer ST repeatedly becomes unlatched and physically opens while the vehicle is in motion, including at highway speeds of approximately 72 mph. This occurs almost every time the vehicle is driven and creates a serious safety hazard. The door visibly separates from the vehicle’s body, which I can see in the passenger-side mirror. When this occurs, the dashboard displays a door-ajar warning, the interior lights illuminate, and wind can be heard entering through the opening. This is not simply a faulty warning indicator. The door is physically opening while the vehicle is moving. I am extremely concerned about the risk of the door opening farther and potentially causing a passenger, particularly a child seated in the rear, to be seriously injured or ejected from the vehicle. This defect was present before the vehicle was taken to Tipton Ford in April 2026. I also recall that that when I originally purchased the vehicle, the child safety lock was engaged on the right rear passenger door only. I found this unusual at the time, and given the ongoing malfunction involving that same door, I am concerned the issue may have existed before my purchase. Tipton retained the vehicle for approximately one month and completed repairs on May 8, 2026. However, the repair documentation indicates that the LEFT rear door latch assembly was replaced, while the RIGHT rear passenger door has consistently been the door physically opening. The dealership documented reproducing an intermittent door-ajar warning and replacing the left rear latch assembly. However, the original right rear door malfunction remains unresolved. The cause of the right rear door malfunction remains unknown. The vehicle is available for inspection. I am requesting an investigation into this potentially dangerous door-latching defect before it results in serious injury or death.

Never really used sun roof , but accidentally hit button to open … then closed….. not realizing that the cover didn’t close it SAG down behind my head… blocking rear view completely. It was dark out and had to pull over and try to fix so I could see out my rear window

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving in rainy conditions, windshield visibility remained poor despite replacing the wiper blades multiple times. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V117000 (Visibility); however, the part required to perform the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time to provide the recall remedy. The failure mileage was 83,000.

Vehicle: 2021 Ford Explorer XLT - 2.3L EcoBoost I-4 VIN: [XXX] Odometer: 127,824 Date of failure: [XXX] Complaint Description: I am reporting a complete engine failure due to coolant intrusion on my 2021 Ford Explorer 2.3L EcoBoost. This is the known defect affecting 2016-2024 Explorer 2.3L engines. Independent shop diagnosis from attached receipt states: "Engine failure due to Head problem, which cylinder 3 + 4 and head in engine known for coolant intrusion. Cylinder Head failure, carbon build up plus Turbocharger also failure." Vehicle stored DTCs P0300, P0302, P0304, P0316 - random misfire and start-up misfire. Symptoms included rough idle on cold start, white smoke from exhaust, loss of power, check engine light. Mechanic confirmed coolant in cylinders 3 and 4 due to cylinder head failure. This matches Ford's own TSB process for coolant intrusion where if coolant is found, the long block must be replaced. Safety Risk: Loss of drive power, stalling, overheating. This occurred at 127k miles with regular maintenance. This is not wear and tear - this is the documented design defect where machining grooves in the head allow coolant to pool and leak into cylinders. I have requested Ford Customer Relationship Center (1-866-436-7332) open a case for goodwill and check VIN for open recalls including 23S05 (PCM/10R60) and the June 2026 2.3L long block recall for roller finger failure. Ford has not yet issued a formal recall for coolant intrusion despite class action litigation. Request: NHTSA investigate and expand recall to include 2021 Explorer 2.3L EcoBoost coolant intrusion / cylinder head failures. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the fabric inside the cabin of the vehicle covering the sunroof was detaching from the frame and lowering down to obstruct the view of the rear-view mirror and rear glass. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the fabric needed to be replaced. The contact decided not to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

The passenger window and the driver window will not respond. The windows will not go up on either side, exposing the driver and passengers to the elements of rain. In addition, the car is vulnerable to theft and break-ins. The windows are part of a larger electrical problem that the car has, including key fob delays and screen shut off during driving. The problem has been confirmed by the service center. No warning signs are available for these problems.

I am extremely disappointed with the safety and reliability of this vehicle. While I was backing up with my five children in the vehicle, the right-side control line suddenly snapped in half. There was absolutely no warning or indication that anything was about to happen. The failure left us stranded in the middle of a busy road, putting my children and me in a very dangerous situation. I had to call the police for assistance, and the responding officer actually identified the issue as the vehicle’s control line. A major vehicle component failing suddenly and without warning, especially with five children in the car, is extremely concerning. I expected this vehicle to be safe and reliable, and this experience has seriously shaken my confidence in it. I strongly believe this issue needs to be investigated to determine whether there is a defect or safety concern with the control line, particularly because of how suddenly it failed. I would not want another family to experience what we went through.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V117000 (Visibility), 26V402000 (Power Train), and 26V451000 (Seats); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available.

I was driving down the road and the vehicle started to cut out like it was running out of fuel. Maybe 1 minute later it died in the middle of heavy traffic and would not re-start. I had to have it towed and I called Ford and they told me to wait until the repair remedy was available to have it fixed. I have been without this vehicle for 6 weeks now and still no remedy.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle ran over an object and a moment later, the vehicle suddenly jolted very hard and transmission was upshifting and downshifting erratically. The contact was able to pull over safely. The contact became aware of a foul burning odor inside the vehicle cabin of the vehicle coming from the transmission. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where technicians confirmed a front axle leak and discovered that the internal E-clutch inside the transmission had come apart, causing the transmission fluid to burn. The contact referenced Ford Special Service Message SSM: 49507 and Ford Technical Service Bulletin: 23-2250; as possible causes of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000.

Ladder being shut off, I exited the vehicle. I shut the driver side door. The car locked itself after shutting . Locking the keys and entrapped my 1.5 year old for 30 minutes while I waited for police to come and assist.

Since buying the vehicle the front windshield wipers will intermittently stop working during a rainstorm causing me to have pull over and either wait out the rain or getting out in the rain to wipe the windshield. Sometimes if I turn the vehicle off for a few minutes the windshield wipers will start working again. If I had not pulled over during these times I could have been in a severe accident. Yes the vehicle has been inspected and they said there was no remedy for it as of now. No warning lights have came on.

Within a month of Purchasing the Vehicle, around end of June, the image on the back up camera would flip upside down when trying to reverse. This only happens occasionally but the times that it has happened I have backed into a ditch and ran over a child's bicycle. There has been no damage to my vehicle as of yet. Because this does not happen regularly the dealership has not been able to look at it and diagnosis it. They tell me to bring it when it is doing it but that is impossible unless I drive in reverse the entire way to them.

While driving the vehicle, in any mode, the car will stutter or "cough" causing it to slow down. I have to pull the vehicle to the slow lane until it eventually corrects itself. Also, on multiple occasions when I hit the gas the car stalls until I let off the gas pedal and let the car "think" for a moment and then it will drive. This happens a lot at stop signs or when the light changes. I will hit the gas to go and the car does nothing. It feels like the engine stalls even though the car is still on. On a few occasions I will be driving at high speeds on the interstate and I will punch the gas to go around a car and it stalls. On EVERY occasion when this happens, whether I am pulling out at a busy intersection or am driving with the flow of traffic on the interstate, I am around multiple cars and cars are having to hit their brakes or swerve to avoid my vehicle. When this happens it only takes about 10 seconds for the car to go again but that is still long enough to get hit. I am scared to drive my car with my children in it because of this. A have contacted the dealership but they say to bring it in when it is acting up but it does not do it everyday so there is no way for me to do that. They also said they could keep it and drive it but they do no offer a loaner vehicle so I cannot be without my only vehicle for multiple days at a time. On other occasions the vehicle seems like it looses momentum and is very sluggish. Sometimes the car jerks into gear instead of a smooth transition.

About 3 months ago, every time I started the vehicle, I heard a whining noise coming from the 2nd row passenger seat that my [XXX] sits in with her car seat that We could not figure it out for awhile. I then took her car seat out of the car 2 weeks ago to clean underneath it and the seat automatically folded up with force. I jammed it back into the lock position and it would hold, sometimes for an hour or so and sometimes for a couple days before it started whining again and folding back up. I switched the car seat to the other seat and put my [XXX] in the seat that kept folding to see if it would fold on her and It folded up on her while I was driving down the interstate causing a big bruise on her arm and causing her to severely stub her toe on the bottom of the seat in front of her due to the seat sliding forward and folding with such force. I pulled over on the interstate and put her in the 3rd row. I reached out to FORD customer relations on September 29th and told them all of this and this was their reply. " There is not a remedy for that until maybe end of October so I would just stop driving the vehicle with your kids in it" We argued back and forth about how that was not possible because this is the vehicle that I bought to haul my kids around and eventually I asked for a supervisor to call me back. He called me back and left a voicemail and this is what he said " We cant fix something that we don't have parts for so call the dealership and get put on a call back list so they will call you when the new parts come in" I will be contacting the dealership on Monday as soon as it opens to get my car in asap or to ask for a loaner until I can get it fixed since it is not safe for my children or any other adult to ride in it. As of now nothing has been inspected . There is no warning lights that have came on the vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The fabric sunshade covering the panoramic roof sags or comes right off the track creating a visibility/safety issue in the rear window. The dealership is aware and has verified the defect.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware of water in the front passenger's side footwell. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was diagnosed with a failed windshield power panel. The contact was informed that the windshield power panel needed to be replaced. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall associated with the failure. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 33,700.

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V451000 (SEATS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired because the remedy was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the rear driver’s side seat failed to lock into place, causing the seat to flip forward. The failure mileage was 119,000.