2013 Ford Explorer: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Mar 6, 2024 · Body, Locks · 106,000 miles · VA

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front driver's side exterior door handle cover and keyhole detached while opening. Additionally, the front driver's side door failed to latch, and the contact had to force the door to close. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the federal safety agency Hotline. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V171000 (Structure) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 106,000.

Filed Feb 27, 2024 · Electrical · CA

Both the rear door lock actuators on my 2013 Ford Explorer broke within a month of each other. I am aware of actuator recalls on different Ford vehicles and I believe these broke for the same reasons as the other Ford actuators were recalled.

Filed Feb 2, 2023 · Body · 131,000 miles · SC

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side windshield trim detached. Additionally, the driver's side door handle had also detached. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 131,000.

Filed Oct 22, 2021 · Locks · WA

All doors sporadically do not unlock. Sometimes it one sometimes it’s two sometimes it’s three. The back doors locked and will not unlock with the key fob, the indoor lock controls, or manually attempting to unlock the doors. The rear doors cannot be opened from the outside or inside when the locking mechanisms stop working. It poses a large risk when there are children in the car. And the front doors can be opened from the inside when the locking mechanisms stop working. It seems as though the locks start to act up when the weather is below 60°F. It is so sporadic that we can’t risk to take our family or children anywhere as we have to maneuver them out of car seats to get them out through front doors instead. I have taken our vehicle into our local Ford dealer for inspection upon which they stated that a specific component wasn’t working and it needed to be replaced, although that’s not the case considering how sporadic the locks are. They work when it’s warm and usually during the spring and summer, but all of a sudden when it’s below 60° they only want to work every so often. They should be a safety recall considering when people can’t get out of their car it poses a large risk. There are no warnings for this happening, and I don’t believe that the Ford dealership is even aware of what causes this as I’ve seen on many online forums that a lot of Ford owners have this problem. This has been going on since we purchased our car in June 2020

Filed Jul 15, 2021 · Locks · 102,000 miles · FL

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the passenger’s side door failed to latch properly. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated tied the door shut to continue to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that in February 2021 the driver’s side door latch was replaced, not the passenger’s side door latch. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the Vin was not under recall. The failure mileage was approximate 102,000.

Filed Oct 13, 2020 · Body · 52,000 miles · NY

The driver car door latch broke off and driver door doesn't close properly. The door flys open while in motion especially on turns and I have to hold it closed with one hand while trying to drive with my only other hand. Cannot get in or out of the vehicle! I have to climb in through the passenger or back seat to push the door fully open so I can get in to drive. The door ajar light stays on and the door can open while in motion. Ford said the recall has expired 7/2020 and refuses to fix my car door handle, very dangerous situation I want to sell this vehicle and the new owner will then be in danger however ford refuses to cover this defect with their door handles that already had a recall on it. Please help me make others aware of this dangerous situation and any new car owners who will have the same issue. This is a known issue with this year ford explorer and they refuse to fix it and cover the expense to fix when it was part of a recall that 'expired'. I'm scared I may fly out of the door while driving and get hurt or run over by another vehicle because this door won't close securely.

Filed May 4, 2020 · Body · 45,000 miles · TX

Interior driver door handle does not return to the recessed (parked) position. This same defect is a recall on ford fusions and some other similar vehicles; why not on this ford explorer? Cost to repair at dealer around $150.00. Worked fine for 7 years. (spring inside door is either broken or off its anchor(s).

Filed Jan 20, 2020 · Body, Electrical · 135,000 miles · TX

Both driver and passenger door lock/latch mechanisms failed showing car door is ajar when door is actually shut. Driver door lock actuator failed around 30,000 miles and passenger lock actuator failed around 135000 miles. When driving at night, the interior lights of car cannot be turned off until speed reaches approximately 10 MPH. This leads to unsafe driving conditions and limits driver visibility outside of car due to glare.

Filed Sep 6, 2019 · Electrical · 99,000 miles · AZ

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While the vehicle was parked in the garage, multiple warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel and flashed different colors. Also, the information screen on the right side of the dashboard turned black. There were no warning indicators illuminated. On september 6, 2019, the ignition failed to start. The contact also stated that the door latches would open and close multiple times. The vehicle was unable to be driven and was towed to jim click ford lincoln (located at 6244 e 22nd st, tucson, az 85711, (866) 787-4416). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 99,000.

Filed Jul 5, 2019 · Body, Locks · 800 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult to turn in either direction. The failure occurred on multiple occasions and the fuse was reinserted in order to repair the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Also, while driving, the passenger side of the vehicle wobbled and vibrated. The vehicle was taken to bill flick ford (737 north freeway service rd, huntsville, tx) where it was diagnosed that the suspension was faulty. The vehicle was repaired. Furthermore, while operating the vehicle, the door ajar warning message erroneously displayed, the interior dome light remained illuminated, and the doors would not lock. The cause of the failures was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was 800.

Filed May 6, 2019 · Lights · 25,000 miles · VA

Door ajar notification remains on when all doors are closed and vehicle is in motion. Alert tone will sound when vehicle starts moving or comes to a stop. Auto door locks will not function or doors will not remain locked. Interior dome lights remain on until vehicle starts motion. The vehicle was serviced by ford and sensors cleaned under warranty at 25k miles. Fix lasted about 4 months. Current mileage 67k.

Filed Jan 26, 2019 · Body · 66,000 miles · VA

My drivers side door latch failed while I was driving. The caution light came on saying drivers side door not latched and my door started to open. I pulled over and couldn't get the door to latch shut. After working with it it latched so I could get home. The next time I got into my drivers side the same thing, my door would not close. This time I was in my driveway attempting to leave and could not. The latch it still broken, a piece of the handle actually fell off. My car is in excellent condition and well taken care of , kept in a garage , low miles etc. Our friend mentioned their ford having a recall on the door latch. Do not understand why it wasn't implemented on all 2013 explorers.