2012 Ford Explorer: engine overheating

Filed Oct 28, 2021 · Engine · PA

Water coolant leaking out, engine over heating. Having to constantly add coolant and limiting driving of the vehicle.

Filed Feb 7, 2020 · Engine · FL

Vehicle overheated without warning leaving me stranded on a deserted highway. After speaking with a mechanic and having them come to the vehicles location and performing a visual inspection he stated antifreeze was leaking from the water pump. The vehicle was taken to a local ford dealer and upon completing a diagnostic check they confirmed the 'internal' water pump had failed without warning. I was contacted 5 times by the dealership and each time the news got worse. Then final call the advisor told me to fix it and nothing was going to be guaranteed to last it was going to cost approximately $4,000 before taxes. They'd also have to change the oil twice along with the spark plugs. The vehicle had just been at a local ford dealership for maintenance and to fix outstanding recalls and after checking the service manual nothing is 'suggested' 'recommended' or 'required' to service the internal water pump.

Filed Jan 23, 2020 · Engine · 132,000 miles · WV

I have coolant leaking, I took it to a shop to be diagnosed and was told that it would cost over $2,000 since the water pump is in the front of the engine, there is only 132,000 miles on my car and I shouldn't be having this issue!!

Filed Jan 2, 2017 · Brakes · 56,000 miles · MD

The rear brake calipers were not releasing properly after application of the brakes. This LED to accelerated wear of the brake pads, overheating of the pads and rotors, and ultimately, non-repairable damage to the rotors. We believe this is a safety issue related to a design flaw that could lead to brake failure, or overheating to the point of creating a fire or explosion hazard.

Filed May 3, 2013 · Engine, Steering · 47,627 miles · VA

I was driving when the steering wheel jerked. The steering immediately became very hard to operate and the engine appeared to lose power. Indicator lights came on about the same time the steering jerked. The lights said "service advance trac" and "terrain management system fault". I had to pull of the road and just trying to make to left turns to pull into a parking lot took all the strength I had in both arms. My turn signals would also not work. I even tried turning the 4 wheel drive knob, as I noticed that the lights were not working on that as well and nothing would light up or show up on the dash screen. I turned off the car while I pulled out my owners manual to look up information on these indicators. After letting the car sit for a while, I restarted the car and the indicator lights were still there. I called ford road side assistance and had the car towed. I also was put in a rental car. Then today the ford dealer told me that since my car had 47, 627 miles on it that this problem wasn't covered under warranty. They told me only if it happened in first 36,000 miles. They also said I would have to pay $1865 for a new rack and pinion steering or they would clear the code and I could chance it to see if it happens again. They said it was common and most times you just need to let the car cool down and restart it. This is very upsetting- they knew this was a common problem and then I investigated this further online and found many other people reporting the same issues. Some in just the first month of owning the vehicle. This is the same thing that happened to me with this vehicle and the engine fan not working causing the car to overheat in the first 6 months of owning it. Later I got a recall on it. This is very frustrating- I have a car that is 18 months old and I have to put $1865 into it to fix a common problem/defect. This is a serious defect!

Filed Jun 13, 2012 · Engine · 50 miles · VA

Overheating large amount of fluid leaking under car and steam or smoke coming out of tail pipe? Tow truck was called car towed to local dealer. My 2012 ford explorer has been in shop 3 different occasions for same thing: no heat , no air conditioning, overheating, my ford sync recall???