2018 Ford Explorer: engine failure

Filed Oct 5, 2026 · Engine · FL

My vehhicle has been tested by ford service center and found to be affected by the factory defect that allows coolant to leak causing a catastrophic engine failure where the only remedy is a new engine block. My vehicle has 69919 miles. The problem was recognized when the vehicle bagan to misfire causing the check engine light to come on resulting in expensive diagnostics. Ford has put my safety as well as the safety of my passengers in jeopardy by knowing but not disclosing this factory defect that can become catastrophic at any given time. Service advisories were sent out to employees but no notification to customers.

Filed Jul 10, 2026 · Engine · MI

While driving at highway speed on a 2-lane highway with three children under the age of [XXX] in the vehicle, my 2018 Ford Explorer experienced sudden complete engine failure with no prior warning. No warning lights, no temperature gauge change, no unusual sounds. The vehicle went from operating normally to catastrophic failure instantaneously, forcing me to sharply cross active traffic to exit the roadway. The vehicle came to rest near a train track. The root cause was internal water pump failure. Ford's design places the water pump inside the engine, causing coolant to leak internally with no external indicators and no dashboard warning until catastrophic damage has already occurred. Ford did not install a coolant level sensor in the reservoir, and the only coolant warning available is an overheating alert, which never triggered. I had taken every reasonable precaution. Two thousand miles prior, an oil change showed no coolant contamination. One week prior, I physically checked the coolant level and it was within safe range. Ford's design gave me zero opportunity to detect or prevent this failure. This is a known recurring issue. Over 86 engine complaints have been filed with the federal safety agency for this model year alone and Ford has been aware of this defect since at least 2007. Despite class action litigation in both Canada and the United States, Ford has not issued a U.S. recall. Repair costs exceed $9,000. I am requesting the federal safety agency open a formal investigation and compel Ford to issue a U.S. recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed May 22, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · IA

Total engine failure in the Ford Explorer XLT 2.3L ecoboost.

Filed Apr 17, 2026 · Engine · NY

I purchased a 2018 ford explorer with the 2.3l 4 cylinder enginge in 2023. Withihn a year of my engine started to have issues hesitating when accelerating. Then it overheated and I realized my coolant was disappearing but wasnt pooling anywhere.. It was evaporating because it was leaking into my spark plugs. When I changed plugs I noticed oil or coolant on two of them I called ford about it because my engine has a pending lawsuit for this problem it kept getting worse . I dont have the money for the repairs and I asked them if they could do a good faith repair and I was denied. As of 4/16/2026 my engine failed and my coolant is filled with oil because of the defective engine that they knew about since 2010

Filed Apr 17, 2026 · Engine · UT

At 89k miles, my engine has failed, due to coolant intrusion, according to Ken Garff Ford Dealership in St. George, UT. I started having issues with rough start and timing miss and engine light came on. I immediately took it to Dealership and they did two repairs (tune-up) and subsequent gasket change because they said oil was getting into my spark plugs. It did not resolve the issue, took it straight back and now they're telling me I need a new engine. This comes 2 years after I had to pay $7k for a new transmission at only 60k miles. This is wrong and not OK that I am having to deal with this. I don't have $12k laying around for a new engine on a vehicle that shouldn't be having all these issues!

Filed Mar 20, 2026 · Transmission · 92,000 miles · OH

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the VIN was associated with the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 26V101000 (SUSPENSION). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal, and the transmission seized. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to move forward or reverse(R) as needed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called a transmission specialty shop. The vehicle was not inspected or diagnosed. The vehicle remained at the residence and had not been driven since. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Filed Jan 27, 2026 · Engine · 162,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after the vehicle was idling at a traffic stop, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was restarted; however, the vehicle stalled after driving several minutes. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The vehicle remained with the independent mechanic unrepaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 162,000.

Filed Dec 22, 2025 · Engine · MI

Leaking water pump that if isn’t repaired will cause catastrophic engine failure. Very expensive repair, $2800 because of internal placement of the pump. Since the water pump is in line with the crankshaft and located over the main body of the engine, it allows coolant to leak from the water pump into the oil pan. Mixed coolant and oil will lead to engine failure.

Filed Oct 21, 2025 · Steering, Suspension · MI

On Saturday 10/18/2025 the rear drivers side tow link of my 2018 Ford Explorer XLT snapped while driving 70 mph under normal driving conditions on a 4-lane section of i-75 in Detroit, MI. This caused a loss of steering, and my family and almost hit the median concrete wall when it sharply veered to the left completely unexpectedly. There were no warning sounds or symptoms and happened at random on a straight away. We then spun out doing multiple 360 spins on 2 wheels, almost flipping completely, and landing in the middle 2 lanes. We had a semi truck and another vehicle narrowly miss us. I was able to then move fast enough to the side of the road and avoid being hit by more oncoming traffic. We called 911 and AAA for towing to Suburban Ford of Troy who did an inspection and found the drivers side rear tow link has snapped due to a seized knuckle. There is a recall for the exact same known issue in the 2011-2017 Ford Explorers. My wife’s 2017 explorer has the same parts as my 2018 and has the recall for the tow links and ball joint due to this known issue, yet Ford is refusing to acknowledge the issue is still affecting later model years. My Explorer only had 74,000 miles on it and never any accidents or abnormal driving conditions/hard driving. My family and I are extremely lucky to be alive after such a catastrophic failure. This type of issue should never happen on any vehicle and is a totally unacceptable engineering failure. Ford needs to inspect this issue on the later models beyond 2017 as this will cost lives. This will kill people and we are actually in shock that we lived through this. Ford should take responsibility and pay for this repair, as well as the other side the same as they do the years the recalled.

Filed Aug 30, 2025 · Engine · TX

The internal water pump system on the EcoBoost engine in the 2018 Ford Explorer failed after 7 years and only 63,880 miles. The vehicle was taken into the shop multiple times when the check engine light came on and the defect was not located until the vehicle failed. Due to the design, it is not easily fixed and cost an outrageous amount of money to fix for a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles. This is a safety risk because if this is a common issue, which it is, and the engine fails while driving it, the driver is not able to get to a safe area to address damages and is left stranded. There are numerous complaints regarding the design flaw of having the water pump inside the engine. The manufacturer refuses to address the flaw. The check engine light came on and was taken in and wrongly diagnosed each time until the engine failed.

Filed Aug 8, 2025 · Electrical · MO

I previously reported a battery 'explosion' in this 2018 Ford Explorer with ODI 11678705 due to my concern for a potentially highly dangerous situation for my grandchildren who were riding with me. And myself. An unpleasant smell intermittently followed this car that morning July 10 Upon opening the hood it was evident that battery acid had leaked out of the battery and 'exploded' covering most visible engine parts. Entire time of drive there was no 'alert' showing up on my dashboard July 11 car would not start to take to Ford dealership. AAA towed car with AAA driver remarking 'looks like your battery exploded!' Engine compartment cleaned by service, battery replaced July 12 July 18 engine light came on. Ford dealership contacted, no service appointment available until Aug 20. Advised by Ford service to take short trips only, and stop driving if engine light started flashing. I restricted my driving. July 27 started car for trip to church. Loud banging coming from under hood. Stopped driving. Car towed July 28 to Ford dealership repair. Car was not into service dept until Aug. 5. Aug 6, Ford service decided to get input from a more experienced technician to diagnose the problem with 2018 Ford explorer Aug 7, Ford service escalated case to Ford corporate for engineering help with identifying 'electrical' problem with my car. Ford service rep stated 'you car is throwing a code not typically seen with explorers) How can be safe if these my car had a battery issues mechanics freely admit they have not seen before. And now trained Ford mechanics cannot even find or fix the broken link that truly may be responsible for back to back engine failures? Dealer has finally been able to provide a rental. This car has been maintained according to factory recommendations at Sunset Ford and Bommarito Ford St. Loui

Filed Jul 28, 2025 · Engine · AR

Engine light turning off and on. Engine overheating light on. Told by Ford dealership that I need engine replacement.