2014 Ford Explorer: water leaks into the cabin

Filed Jul 14, 2026 · NC

This complaint concerns a failed federal safety recall repair that has resulted in structural damage and rendered my vehicle unsafe to drive. I am the original owner of this vehicle (since XXX). On XXX, Riverside Ford ([XXX]) performed a federal safety recall repair on my vehicle's A-pillars. On January 28, 2026, the vehicle began leaking water. On that day the dealership find the leak due to cracked A-pillar from the clip not holding.In May 2026 I had 4 inches of standing water on the passenger side while in Florida on vacation, and smeared excessive, unprofessional adhesive on the exterior trim. Took it to the dealership the Monday after returned from vacation to have them figure out why it was leaking again. They charged me $218 to have a diagnostic check even though it was part of the recall. Couldn't find any leaks. Took the headliner down. Said that they cleaned out the sunroof tubes but didn't verify if anything ever came out of them. Went back again because of the adhesive that was seeping and dried onto it and you look it's very sloppy. Contacted Ford corporate office opened a case. On XXX, during a another attempt, the dealership replaced the A-pillars again. Upon pickup, the interior sunroof headliner was completely sagging and unseated from its rails. There are massive structural gaps on all sides where I can stick my hand through to the sunroof rails. The dealership service manager, Connie Tell, denied responsibility and refused to let me view the shop video. The vehicle is no longer weather-tight, poses an interior electrical/mildew hazard, and cannot be driven in the rain due to the dealership's faulty execution of a federal safety recall. They also chipped paint off of my vehicle again taking the pillars off to replace them. Connie, when I had mentioned it said you already have paint chips on your car. What difference would it make that's not the point at all. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 21, 2025 · Body · CA

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the driver's side A-pillar and the passenger's side A-pillar trims had detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while it rained, water entered inside the vehicle. The dashboard, the carpet, and the dome light were wet. The contact stated that water dripped down into the console area. The contact believed that the water entered through the dome light. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed May 9, 2025 · Electrical · TX

Problem with sunroof leaking. had car 11 years, at dealership 5 times water coming in from headliner soaking all electrical...radio, AC/heater, sunroof controls. Currently, sunroof is open and will not close. Repair 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and today 5-9-25

Filed Mar 13, 2025 · Body · SC

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at highway speed, the driver-side A-pillar trim clip detached from the vehicle. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. In addition, the contact stated that during inclement weather, water leaked into the vehicle from the middle interior light. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Mar 11, 2025 · Body, Driver assistance · CA

In February of 2024 I received a recall notice for this vehicle with respect to defective A-pillar applique trim clip attachments around the windshield. The recall stated that parts would be available the latter half of 2024 and that we would be notified when we could schedule our SUV to be fixed. We did not hear from Ford for many months. When winter approached, we called to see what the status was of the parts for this recall. We were told the parts were not available until December. Unaware that this flaw could cause severe water leaking, my wife drove the car as usual. The recall notice even states that there is no reason to stop driving the vehicle. When the first rains hit in November, the car leaked A LOT of water around the windshield and came through the top console. So much water leaked into the floor carpet areas had standing water. We had never experienced any leakage issues before and we're not properly notified that this was the potential issue or that it should not be driven in the rain. We STILL do not have any date for the fix on our SUV. We cannot drive it when it is raining, and in fact, have to cover it with a large tarp so water does not leak inside again. The leak having run down through the electrical system at the top of the inside of the windshield has caused problems. The sun roof now does not work and is now stuck in a partially open position. the rearview camera now works intermittently and the main computer console has gone black a number of times. We seem to have been able to air out the wet carpet smell that prevailed for some time. Needless to say, this is ridiculous. It has been a YEAR since the recall notice was sent. My wile and I are incredibly angry about this situation. Your dealership has done nothing to help us and has only said that we have to contact Ford directly ourselves. I would appreciate your passing this email along to Ford Customer Service in Dearborn, Ml and to your Service department. I will also be sending a copy to the National Highway Traffic Safety Admini

Filed Feb 18, 2025 · Body, Electrical · HI

Due to a failed seal between the roof and the trunk door, water has leaked and corroded the exterior of the body over time. The corrosion has caused a hole to develop to the point that when it rains water leaks into the back of the car. As a result water entered the tail lights and caused the tail light to short out on one side. Some roofing tar and duck tape has helped with a temporary fix but it has been a hazardous problem because the leaking water can create a build up of moisture and mold growth within the vehicle. Another problem is the power windows and the power locking and unlocking system have become glitchy and have failed to work at times. The key pad, keyless entry has completely stopped working and the lock mechanism for the driver side of the car has completely fallen apart and can no longer be used. The only way to unlock and lock the car is to use the key lock and unlock buttons. Lastly, the door hinges have ripped off on the passenger door which prevents the door from staying open. The extra bar that helps the door stay open broke off during a relatively moderate winds when the door got caught in a moderate level strength wind gust and completely broke off.

Filed Dec 28, 2024 · Visibility · MO

My APillar molding piece flew off the passenger side of my wind shield. I’m scared the other side will do the same thing and I don’t want anyone to get hurt but I have to use my car. I have been waiting 6 months for the parts… Also, whenever it rains my floorboards flood from water leaking through my windshield and could possibly get into my electronics as well.

Filed Mar 6, 2024 · Body · WA

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that whenever it rained, rainwater leaked into the interior of the vehicle. The water had been leaking onto the dashboard and onto the center console. The contact stated that the carpet in the front of the vehicle was damaged due to the water leak. In addition, the front passenger's side-view mirror had an electrical shortage. The contact stated that the light independently turned on and remain on for a while before independently turning off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer cleaned the seal around the sunroof, however the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that wind could be heard coming through the windshield area. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Filed Dec 23, 2021 · Body, Brakes · VA

At one point the Explorer was always causing a rear wheel area to squeal really loud while driving. That finally got remedied but after 3 years of taking the vehicle in to 2 different shops. While yhe vehicle was still under warranty I was told there was nothing wrong and they can't reproduce the squeal. Once the warranty expired they said it was due to a seized brake which I ended up paying for the replacement even though they said this was a known issue on the Explorers. Another issue with the 2014 Explorer is water leaking into the rear compartments and the spare tire area in the vehicle. From online sear he's, this is also a known issue with no recalls. More recently, I was trying to get all four of my tires changed, but was told by the tire shop that they can't change my tires due to swollen lug nuts,this is a known issue on Ford's and I have to take it to a mechanic. I called Ted Britt Ford and inquired about the service to replace the lugs with solid metal lug nuts instead of the OEM chrome plated. Parts department told me they are $10 a piece. I went ahead an ordered them through the parts department. When I picked up my vehicle, I was told they don't sell the solid metal lug nuts and only replaced with the chrome plated OEM lug nuts.

Filed Dec 23, 2019 · Engine, Transmission · 79,072 miles · LA

The water pump in my 2014 ford explorer 3.5l v6 engine began leaking coolant. The water pump had to be replaced at 79,000 miles. I became aware of this problem after getting an oil change. The coolant reservoir had to be filled and I was informed of a possible coolant leak. Two weeks after getting the coolant filled, my radiator fan began running fast and loud. I brought it into the shop and was told I had a leaking water pump. There was only one inch left of coolant in the reservoir after just being filled up. I was then told it would take 14-16 hours of labor to replace the water pump which itself costs less than $150. I was referred by the shop to the dealership because the work needed was extensive and because it involved a ford part. The dealership refused to pay for the repairs and referred me to ford. The dealership confirmed the water pump leak. Basically, the engine had to be taken apart to replace the water pump, because the pump is made part of the engine itself. I believe the ford engine and the water pump is defective. The gaskets or bearings in the water pump fail and there are weep holes in the water pump which allow coolant to leak into the engine and mix with the engine oil. My vehicle was out of the manufacturer's warranty. I spent $1,839.82 to fix a single water pump! There should be an investigation into this manufacturing and design defect due to the burden it places on the public. There are also safety issues caused by this due to vehicles being so affected by the coolant leaks the engines shut down completely while in use. I understand this has happened to many, many other ford 3.5l v6 engines. I have the my vehicle repair records if you would like to review them.