1. Component/System Failure: The water pump on my 2016 Ford Explorer failed, causing a significant antifreeze leak. The component is available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety Risk: The failure creates a risk of engine seizure while driving. Loss of engine coolant can cause the engine to overheat suddenly, potentially leading to a dangerous situation on the road that could harm myself or other drivers. 3. Confirmation of Problem: The problem has been confirmed by the dealer service department during inspection. The water pump leak was observed and diagnosed by a certified Ford service technician. 4. Inspections: The vehicle has been inspected by the dealer. I have also documented prior repairs to the vehicle, including a timing chain replacement two years ago. The water pump issue has not yet been inspected by Ford corporate. 5. Warning Lamps/Symptoms: Prior to the failure, there were no warning lamps on the dashboard. I noticed coolant leaking from the water pump area, and the temperature gauge began to rise. The leak was first observed AUG 15
2015 Ford Explorer engine complaints
Page 2 of 11: complaints 11 to 40 of 289, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The factory installed headlight screw punctured the coolant line of my 2015 Ford Explorer causing my transmission to stop working properly. This resulted in a $725 tow bill and $1,067.56 in repairs. The certified mechanic verified that the screw was an original part and it punctured the line, likely after some time rubbing against it. The transmission did not appear to be damaged however my safety was at risk trying to pull over to when the vehicle would no longer shift gears. I have a video of the leak that lines up with the screw placement but was not able to upload it...I am happy to email it to you.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the power steering assist was inoperable. The failure occurred while the contact’s husband was stopped for fuel. The driver turned on the vehicle and the steering wheel had seized. The engine maintenance warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion and steering needed to be replaced; however, the vehicle was not repaired by the dealer. The contact stated that an independent mechanic confirmed that the steering and rack and pinion needed to be replaced, but the parts were on backorder. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was opened. The owner was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power, with the ABS, traction control, and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ABS control module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 158,443.
When vehicle is on and either in park or at a stop, RPMs will idle at about 800-1000 RPM then randomly shoot up between 2000-2500 RPMs then drop to below 500 RPMs before returning to idle. It’ll do this randomly.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds on several occasions, there was an abnormally strong odor entering the cabin of the vehicle. The contact was experiencing reoccurring headaches from the odor. No medical attention was needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the failure could not be replicated. The contact stated that shortly after a visit to the mechanic, the check engine warning light intermittently illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.
Took vehicle in to see local mechanic due to small drops of antifreeze on ground. Mechanic concluded water pump would need to be replaced. Since water pump is built into the engine for this Ford model, the engine would need to be dismantled to fix. Repairs are going to cost around 3500-4000 to fix just a water pump.....(poor design by Ford) 2015 Ford Explorer Sport has 110,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rubber around the front windshield had disintegrated. There was water entering the vehicle from the front windshield. The contact added a caulk to the vehicle to stop the water leaking in on the dashboard. The engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. 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 an unknown local dealer was contacted. 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, there was a strong abnormal odor intermittently coming from the inside of the vehicle. The failure occurred on several different occasions. The contact stated that it became difficult to breathe; there was no medical attention sought. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the place of residence. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 35-40 MPH, the rear turbo failed. There were no warning lights. There was smoke emerging from the rear exhaust. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, while test driving the vehicle determined that the front turbo blew out and an engine replacement was needed. Additionally, the fan was moved by the turbo failure. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who referred to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle briefly shuddered before losing motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to restart. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the torque converter. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 20N07. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 127,000.
Had the car for about a year. After the last service I brought in car was fine for a few months, but just recently Had a coolant leak start, very slow but not good. Took it to the service department and they said The water pump is bad. I’ve heard several case of this being a known issue but am learning that it has not been issued as a recall. Now expected to drop $5K on replacing the water pump on a known issue.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the water pump was leaking. The contact added coolant. There was cool air being distributed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined there was a water pump leak and that the water pump needed to be replaced. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the RPM increased to 6,000 and the vehicle lost motive power. In addition, the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two independent mechanics where it was diagnosed with a failed leaking turbo charger. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,000.
See attached document for complaint.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while operating the vehicle the odor of exhaust fumes was present inside the cabin of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the cabin of the vehicle needed to be resealed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle did not qualify for the manufacturer’s Extended Warranty coverage to repair the vehicle. The failure mileage was 114,000.
i dont understand ford explorer has same recall i have a lot of recall on these and i cant take it off everytime its a recall. i work 7 days a week. Thats the reason i try to trade it in . But i still own a lot for it. I dont know to much about the explorer i brought from the carlot.
Car kept overheating and I checked the antifreeze. Several times during the week it was empty. Took it to PepBoys and found out the water pump was faulty.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the engine overheated with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with water pump failure. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 136,000.
Sudden Unintended Acceleration of the vehicle when slowing to park vehicle. This has happened on 2 occasions- both scenarios the same: slowing and turning left into a parking space, foot on the brake, almost to a complete stop and the vehicle suddenly accelerates out of control. the 1st time into a tree, the 2nd time into a parked/unoccupied vehicle. The brake was applied w/o response, the vehicle would not stop. I am certain my foot was not on the gas. Fortunate no one was injured.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, there was condensation underneath the front of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump, timing chain, and belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 49,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was overheating while driving. The message "Engine Coolant Overtemperature" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the water pump had failed and was leaking. The mechanic informed the contact that the water pump was built into the engine, which required the engine to be disassembled for the water pump replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she noticed the coolant fluid was low and the engine overheating warning light was illuminated, but there were no visible coolant leaks. The contact was able to drive a short distance to the residence. The contact refilled the coolant reservoir, but the coolant level was low the following day. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,418.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the contact noticed a gasoline odor coming from the exhaust. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. The mechanic stated that it was a known failure associated with the vehicle. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance since the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the warning message "Engine Overheating" had been displayed. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the engine coolant reservoir was low and coolant had leaked from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the engine overheated. The contact stated that the coolant had leaked from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the water pump was leaking. The engine had to be removed before accessing the water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 86,500.
Water pump and timing belt failure, causing overheating and leaving driver stranded and posing threat for engine failure.
Water pump inside the engine went out and was leaking coolant all over the engine and transmission. Caused the engine to over heat and the cabin heat to fail. Risk of fire with fluids on engine. Problem so common there is a class action lawsuit but no recall.
Premature water pump failure on 2015 Ford Explorer Limited with 51,000 miles. Noticed coolant leak while changing oil. Took it to a mechanic that pressure tested cooling system to discover water pump is leaking.
While driving at 40 mph the car suddenly lost power. The accelerator would not respond. We were luckily able to coast downhill and get on the shoulder. This has happened four times in six months. The car is not safe for highway driving.
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