2016 Ford Explorer: harsh or hard shifting

Filed May 8, 2025 · Transmission · MA

I experienced two failures associated with other model years. The first was the right side A-pillar trim. It pulled free on the highway. I noticed it fly off and was able to recover the majority of it. It smashed on impact and there is a large piece missing. The remaining piece is available for inspection upon request. The A-pillar exterior trim flew off on a one-lane section of divided highway, there would have been no place for anyone to go if it flew back and there was a car behind me. This problem is a known issue I found out about on this (the federal safety agency) website. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, it flew off on the highway and has not been reported yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning at all that this was going to break loose. I also have an issue with the PTU. I was driving home from the airport and at a a stoplight, I noticed a ticking noise when I stopped at the exit of the parking lot. I noticed it again closer to home, after a fifty mile drive. When I stopped on the off ramp from the highway, I noticed smoke coming from under/behind my explorer. It smelled like antifreeze, but when I arrived home, and checked under the vehicle, I found black residue on the PTU and what looked like leaks from the axle seals that were not there for the last five months I've owned the vehicle. The vehicle smoked heavily when I stopped on the exit ramp, and when I went to accelerate into the traffic round-about, the vehicle lagged before moving, with an audible clunk and a lurch when it finally moved. Any reasonably hard acceleration produces a noise and will usually lag before moving. It may make a ticking noise when at idle cold, but is more pronounced the hotter the drivetrain gets. I had an OBD II scan done with no codes produced.

Filed Mar 30, 2025 · Transmission · VA · crash

I have already filed a complaint about the transmission issues of my vehicle a few months ago. Ford will not take credit and help me so we had to keep driving it. Hard shifting, slipping, losing reverse, losing power and jerking into gear. Now not only has it nearly killed us twice when we went to pull into traffic, it has jerked into gear and locked up throwing the car into a guardrail and causing an accident while my fiancée was driving it. I reported it was unsafe and no one did anything, now I have a wreck vehicle, fighting with insurance about the safety of it and it’s sitting at a body shop. We are all afraid to drive it. It nearly killed my family and no one cared to help us. Plus we have no vehicle to drive now. Thank you FORD for nearly killing my family and making us feel unimportant in every way possible. Plus the federal safety agency did nothing when I filed my first complaint!

Filed Dec 15, 2024 · Transmission · VA

There has been an ongoing issue with my vehicle since it was last taken to service for a recall. The transmission has premature failure. I have had the entire vehicle powertrain fluids changed and nothing has helped. My boyfriend has been driving the vehicle and will not let me drive it anymore because it is unsafe. The transmission has torque converter issues. It has got stuck in second gear and when we went to pull out into traffic it would not move and we nearly got T-Boned. That happened while I was with him and I'm afraid to use it. He has to drive it to work because I have his vehicle and he wants me and my daughter to be safe. He says its downshifting hard when slowing down. It will downshift hard and loose power when trying to speed up on the interstate or while trying to get on the interstate. It shifts hard into reverse and is delayed shifting. Its lost power due to the transmission slipping. There has never been any check engine lights come on. Ford will do absolutely nothing about it. The vehicle has around 62,000 miles on it now and its gotten worse and is going to cause an accident or kill someone. I have called ford several times and they don't seem to care. They want me to go have it fixed and pay for it. I don't have that kind of money and I should not have to pay for there problem. Its a known issue I found out by searching online, even lawsuits. They need to recall these transmissions and fix the issue with them before someone is killed. If there hasn't already been deaths. Its unsafe. It has put me and my daughter at risk. Other drivers at risk and now with him having to drive it, his life is at risk everyday! Ford does not care about people or their family. They know they put a bad transmission in these vehicles and it cause premature wear. The transmission fluid is black, smells burnt and even metal shavings in it. Its a ticking bomb and its unfair they want me to pay for their mistakes!

Filed Oct 7, 2024 · Steering, Wheels · WA

Other Explorers have a recall for electric steering problems but my VIN is not included in the recall. I only have 52,000 miles on the vehicle with clunking sounds when we back up with the wheels turn to the right. I also have had really bad tire wear on the back with the inside edge completely worn off. Toe in adjustment way off, says that this vehicle already had the fix for that but looks like it was not fixed right. We are still driving vehicle at this time but not sure if we should or not? We just had new tires put on vehicle and they checked for the clunking sound. There are no warning lamps on. I will be taking the vehicle to thr Ford dealer on October 23, 2024.

Filed Jul 10, 2024 · Steering · 145,761 miles · KS

Took my 2016 Ford Explorer in to get A/C fixed and investigate "clunking" noise heard when turning. Dealer service rep informed me that the entire rack and pinion steering assembly needed to be replaced at a cost of ~$3200. When I asked if I could just ignore it and not get the work done (as this is quite expensive), I was told that I didn't have to get the work done but, I would be in danger of losing steering control of the vehicle. Upon doing research, online, to see if this was a normal cost, I found that there were many consumers who had the same issue. Some of these dated clear back to 2017 with low mileage. This is only a year after this vehicle was released. Even if that was the 1st complaint made, Ford has had 7 years to investigate this issue and, one would hope, issue a voluntary recall to fix it since it is a major safety issue.

Filed May 16, 2024 · Engine, Suspension · FL

My car has 84000 miles on it. The car recently over heated, I checked the coolant level, and it was low. I filled it to the required level and the warning went away. 2 weeks later it came back, I brought it to the mechanic and was told that the engine needs to be replaced. That it is recycling exhaust from the engine back through the coolant system and that cylinder 3 is misfiring. I spent over an hour on the phone with Ford who repeatedly stiff armed me on any sort of assistance with the issue or information on expected or estimated failure rates for these issues. The car is currently at the mechanic where I have an estimate with a $12,000 price tag on it. To make this worse, in October of last year I was driving down [XXX] and when I went to exit the highway, there was a loud clunk and the car revved up real high before it started to move. This put me and all the drivers exiting this very busy off ramp in danger. At 74,000 miles I needed a new transmission because that loud clunk was me losing actual gears in the transmission. That repair cost right around $10,000 and again, Ford does not care. There were no warning lights with this issue, it just happened and left me in a very precarious predicament at a very busy intersection. The transmission has since been replaced for roughly a $10,000 price tag and now I am looking at another $12,000. All I want is Ford to do what is right. I could have been killed in that intersection or my car could have caught on fire recently with the engine issue. The financial strain of having to do 2 major repairs on a car that is relatively new and only had 74,000 for the transmission and 84,000 for the engine is unbelievable and unacceptable. Through research I feel that this transmission issue should be covered under an extension of the Customer Satisfaction Program #20B27 or #20N07 as the transmission issue fits the descriptions nearly perfectly. Built "Ford Tough" is apparently just a sales pitch. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S

Filed May 9, 2024 · Steering · WI

A loud clunking noise was heard when the vehicle was turned to the right. Diagnosis at the CarMax repair facility indicated that the steering rack was broken. Diagnosis was complicated by the fact that the damaged part was hidden under a rubber boot. The actual damage on the steering rack appears to be a broken retainer, sealing washer, or similar that circles the jack screw of the steering rack. This retainer or washer is visible in the attached pictures. I believe there was a potential for the damaged retainer or washer to become jammed in the steering rack when the rack is in the right turn position which would make it impossible or difficult to turn the steering wheel. This could have resulted in an accident. I authorized CarMax to complete the repair and was informed that the steering rack was back ordered from Ford and would not be available for approximately 3 weeks. CarMax gave me a loaner vehicle and completed the repair when the part arrived. The broken steering rack was returned to Ford. A steering rack is not a part that I expect to fail. The fact that the part was back ordered for three weeks suggests that this part is in high demand because this is a common problem with this vehicle. The fact that the damaged part was concealed by a rubber boot made it difficult to diagnose. Clunking noises in the front suspension of a vehicle can be caused by many problems and a failure to correctly diagnose this problem could have resulted in a serious accident. I thanked the CarMax technicians for there perseverance in getting to the true cause of the noise. It is my opinion that this is a serious safety issue and that Ford should issue a safety recall for affected vehicles.

Filed Oct 19, 2023 · Steering · MI

The vehicle starting making a clunking noise while doing turns. While making a right hand turn, the steering wheel stuck and I had to yank it back (left) which caused a loud popping noise. Took it straight to the auto shop and next day was notified it was the steering rack and pinion.

Filed Oct 26, 2022 · Steering · AL

Clunking and popping noise from steering while steering left or right while slowly traveling forward or reverse. Noise can be heard from steering while front end jacked up off ground. Afraid steering may lock up or fail while driving causing injury or death or stranding. Noise has become more frequent lately, started around 65k miles.

Filed Aug 31, 2022 · Steering · 89,000 miles · AZ

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving and making left and right turns, the contact heard a clunking noise in the steering wheel. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel felt detached. The contact stated that the vehicle was swaying to the left and the right. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the rack and pinion needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was transferred to the federal safety agency Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.

Filed Aug 12, 2022 · Steering · CA

Steering makes occasional clunking/popping noises at very slow speeds backing out and turning form my driveway. It also occurs occasionally making slow speed turns like on a roundabout or U-turn. On one occasion we had a loss of power steering mid corner and jerking sensation. I had it towed to my local Ford dealer as it is a safety concern and they said they could find no noise and no codes stored. There were no warning lamps indicated. I demonstrated it to t he technician and they said it was "normal". No way is this normal and it is a safety issue as I can feel the clunking and my steering wheel fighting me when it happens. I have read others have experienced similar issues. We purchased the Explorer new and have had no accidents.

Filed Apr 27, 2022 · Engine · RI

Indicator light indicating power train issues came on after a few days of delayed shifting and slipping between gears. As well as thunking when putting the car in reverse. The car would not accelerate at all and was not safe to drive. I had it towed to the mechanic who consulted with a ford engine specialist. The specialist said the codes and symptoms lead to needing the torque converter fixed. That is when I consulted the recall for my exact vehicle. I had the vehicle towed to the Ford dealer. Ford is not agreeing to repair the recall. They have only agreed to fixing the valve body for $903.00. I would like my recall repair.