2013 Ford Explorer Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part for the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, the front driver’s side and passenger’s side A-Pillar trims started to partially detach and became loosened. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

While I was driving the passenger side panel started to fly off. I pulled over to the side of the road and secured it. My husband placed black tape on it to hold it down until it gets repaired.

Side pillar flew off while driving

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on two separate occasions, the power steering assist failure warning message appeared on the instrument panel and the vehicle lost power steering assist functionality. On both occasions, the contact was able to restart the vehicle and resume normal driving. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) which she linked to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 122,000.

Reverse Parking Camera goes blank when backing up intermitently or does not work unless you shut the vehicle down multiple times

Vehicle lost power steering while driving. Vehicle indicates power steering assist fault. Vehicle is currently at a Ford dealership. My 17 year old son was driving the vehicle at the time of the malfunction with several passengers in the vehicle. Thankfully he was able to maintain control of the vehicle, but a power steering failure and lower experienced driver could have easily resulted in an motor vehicle accident and injuries. The dealership has confirmed that this was the failure of the steering gear, a known issue with many 2013 Ford Explorers. A search of my VIN indicates that it was not part of a recall, but vehicle presents with the same problems as described in NHTSA Recall 14V-286 issued in 2014. There were no previous indicators of this failure prior to the time of the event.

Vehicle Lost Power Steering while driving to drop my kids off at school, lets talk about heart dropping! Became extremely hard to turn the wheel! Thankfully made it home, where it just sits with the service power steering light on along with service Advancetrac. Called the ford dealership in ottawa kansas where we bought this Car February 2019, they said there was no recalls, completely no help. Just let us know it would cost close to $4,000 to fix! As in other complaints it sounds alot like recall from 2014 14V-286, however when I put my vin in shows up as no recalls found for the 2013 ford explorer. The amount of complaints for the steering on this vehicle, please open a investigation in this. Before someone gets seriously hurt.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. and the vehicle lost motive power shortly after. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine and water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was then towed back to the residence. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was offered a trade-in. The approximate failure mileage was 118,500.

The windshield cover on the driver side flew off while I was driving down the interstate.

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.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while having routine maintenance performed on the vehicle, the mechanic noticed there was no coolant in the reservoir and the water pump was leaking. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 115,000.

Water pump leak after 123000 miles. Antifreeze got in engine and may have damaged the engine. No warning given. Found anti freeze under vehicle in garage. Ford website expects water pump to last 150K miles. Had to have vehicle towed to repair shop. Estimate around $3k to repair. Read on Ford forums of many folks having similar experience. Why no recall on these issues?

I have owned this car since 2013 - since it was new. For the 2nd time, I am getting messages saying "switch to park" when I put the car in park. The first time was in 2017 after about 48000 miles. When I took it to the dealer they replaced a part of the transmission. Now again it is happening in 2022 at almost 72000 miles. Obviously the replacement part is just as bad as the original - probably worse since the 2nd time it only lasted about 24000 miles. I now have had to pay to replace a part of the transmission 2 times. Is this a message I could have ignored? Is it only a faulty sensor? Or is the transmission really not in park? Who knows what else it wrong with the transmission. If you google "switch to park ford explorer" you will see that there are many many others with the same problem. Even the dealer's service person when I brought it in to be fixed a 2nd time said they see this problem a lot. I have bought and driven Fords for the last 40 years - usually past 100000 miles each - and have never had this problem occur.

I was driving the kids to school and the power steering assist light came on and then the steering went and the vehicle became very hard to steer. I called Ford twice and spoke to two different representatives who said because my vehicle was not built between May 17, 2010 and February 28, 2012 there was nothing they could do, upon looking at the over 1500 complaints on this website over 620 are for this same issue with 2013 explorers built just outside of the above dates. Does there have to be injury, fatality or fire before this is addressed.

I own a 2013 Ford Explorer. While driving in the rain exiting the freeway at approximate speed of 25 MPH the steering wheel seemed to lock up and then was extremely difficult to steer, making it impossible to maneuver the vehicle causing me to hydroplane across several lanes until I crashed into a mature bush. Causing damage to my radiator. I have not taken it to the dealer and have only shopped around for independent mechanics. I am not sure of the extent of other damage. I just became aware that this is a similar problem for other owners. The car is currently undrivable and is going to cost me a large amount of money - now the registration has lapsed (cannot smog) and I have DMV fees to. This was a solo car accident and no other people were in my vehicle at the time. I saw the recall notice (recently) on NHTSA but my VIN number is not included. I have not contacted anyone yet regarding this - I am already have trouble with FORD regarding covered repairs and being charged for a rental car (that was supposed to be included) Not sure what to do! Now i am making payments on a vehicle that i cannot drive and i cannot afford to purchase another one.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH, the steering wheel became significantly difficult to steer. Additionally, there was an abnormally strong burning odor coming through the A/C vents. The contact stated that she lost control of the steering wheel and the vehicle veered towards the opposite lane of traffic. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped. The contact then contacted the Highway Patrol who drove the vehicle to the side of the road. The contact stated that the power steering assist fault message was displayed with another unknown message. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle and determined the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering motor and electrical wiring had experienced an electrical short. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not provide any assistance. A case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

The trim of the windshield has come off. This may have hit other drivers behind me as well as caused significant distraction to me. Also the rear view camera does not work and should be recalled. This causes significant safety concern.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the steering wheel failed to operate as needed. The power steering assist message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact notified the dealer of the failure and was informed that there was no open recall on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure and informed him that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

This vehicle has had recurring instances of failed power steering. It will happen at low speeds where the power steering malfunctions and does not work until the car is shut off and turned back on. This can be especially dangerous when driving near other people or cars when we experience loss of control. Thankfully no collisions have occurred yet but it’s is an issue that has been recurring. There was a recall set out for electrical power steering failure - #14V286000. Unfortunately this recall only affects 2011-2013 FORD Explorers up until Feb 28, 2012 while this one was made Mar 7, 2012 (just a week outside of the recall). This was frustrating because the vehicle is experiencing every symptom that the recall #14V286000 states it fixes.

Driving on I95 South in Daytona Beach, Florida during crowded weekend event traffic, the lane assist malfunctioned, would not turn on and then immediately experienced power steering failure. Both warning and failure lights illuminated on the dashboard. The power steering is electric and turning the wheel was near impossible. I had 4 occupants in the vehicle and almost caused a very severe accident crossing lanes of traffic to attempt to reach the shoulder. It is near impossible to turn the wheel and although the car is driveable, its not steerable. Found out that the NHSTA campaign # 14V286000 describes the same issue as I have. Ford recall #14S06 is that recall but the issue I now have is my vehicle was built 1 day after the recall parameters. The car is sitting unable to be safely operated, and I'm asking for NHSTA to extend the dates of original recall from February to March to include this vehicle in the existing recall for the necessary repairs.

The 2013 Ford Explorer power steering stopped working at 89,100 miles. The mechanic we took it to said this should be a recall. Mechanic provided me with recall 14S06, which describes my problem. I called ford and the vin didn’t come up as in this recall. I think it needs to be added to the recall, Mechanic says steering rack needs to be replaced. Lots of people have same problem it’s not safe and too expensive. We bought this car brand new and it can’t even steer after less than 90k miles. I hope others complain

Every now and then, the "Power Steering Assist Fault" light would come one, usually once I parked or when I first started the car. When I would turn off the car and restart, the light would no longer be on and there were no power steering problems. This went on for a month or two. It seemed like it was just a faulty warning light. Then one day while at my daughters school, thankfully, I was parked, my "Power Steering Assist Fault" light came on and power steering no longer works. The car is extremely difficult to turn and is not safe to drive.

at any speed the Explorer would go into "limp Mode"....NO THROTTLE...Terrian Management Error would appear and the wrench sign,,,,,dash lights and terrain knob light would go off....at highway speeds, with no warning, this could be a deadly situation.....taken to our local Ford dealership.....they had no idea what happened....COULD DO NOTHING...after some research we decided to have them replace the THROTTLE BODY, at our "out of pocket" expense.....driven the car three times with no problems.....but after the first time it happened, to my wife, we went like 2 months without a problem...then it happened again...three more times before we took it in......YouTube is full of folks having the same problem....Explorers and F-150 trucks......you can stop and turn the car off...wait about 20 secs and restart...everything was back to normal...TIL THE NEXT TIME.....my Wife refuses to drive the car again til it is FIXED.....I drive it twice a week only....2013 Ford Explorer LTD....V6

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while at a car wash and washing the vehicle and spraying water from the hose onto the passenger’s side front windshield, the windshield trim detached. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact purchased glue and Velcro to attempt to reattach the trim to the windshield. The contact stated that while accelerating between 1 - 5 MPH and making a right turn the passenger’s side of the front windshield trim detached again. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact purchased gorilla glue and purchased a trim piece from the junkyard to reattach to the windshield. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 86,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

The contact's wife owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while his wife was pulling into the driveway, the steering wheel locked inadvertently. A message indicating a power steering system failure was displayed. The contact's wife parked and turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure persisted upon starting the vehicle the next day. The dealer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, she heard a popping sound on the driver’s side of the vehicle. The contact stated that when she arrived at her residence, she became aware that the windshield trim panel had detached from the rear windshield and cut the rubber seal around the window. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the driver’s side windshield trim panel was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Rear backup camera stopped working a year ago. the rear of the car is a huge blind spot and have had a few close calls with pedestrians and other vehicles' when backing out of parking spots. My son also has a 2013 Explorer and his rear camera stopped working several years ago.

No incidents steering makes loud noise

Both pilars flew off, right and left. There is a recall and i went to Ford in San Bruno and Fullerton, both were giving me the run around and supposedly in late 2024 parts were available and its now 2026 and i am still waiting for both to be replaced. I need this case to be expedited from Ford. Thank you

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at a slow speed, the steering wheel failed to operate as needed with the Traction Control warning light illuminated. The contact attempted to reset the battery; however, the failure persisted. The contact notified the dealer and the manufacturer of the failure and was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and parking the vehicle, she heard a loud noise coming from the engine fan and the temperature gauge was rising. The contact stated that while her brother was inspecting the vehicle, he noticed a leak underneath the vehicle, and the radiator fluid was low. The contract called two local dealers: Fort Mill Ford (801 Gold Hill Rd, Fort Mill, SC 29708: (803) 948-8202) and Rock Hill Ford (1884 Canterbury Glen Ln, Rock Hill, SC 29730: (803) 573-4302) and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,650.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Power Steering Assist Fault" was displayed, and the steering wheel seized. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road by using physical strength to turn the steering wheel. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, and the power steering functionality returned. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving, and there was significant play in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while shifting in reverse, the rear-view camera intermittently displayed a distorted or blank image. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the camera wiring harness was rusted. The contact was informed that the vehicle was included in an undisclosed recall and advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The contact stated that she notified the dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The contact was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

As stated in the 2 of the articles in this year make and model range 2013-2018 Ford explorer. The car has been up to date with maintenance, after a couple thousand miles after the oil changed was. I then took the car to a mechanic shop and was told the water pump and thermostat were failing. I stopped driving the car and decided to take it to a ford dealer. After visiting Palmetto Ford in Miami. I was told the car did not have an open recall for this vin and they did not cover it. It is evident that the problem has been present in many ford explorers in this year and has been a safety concern since the car overheats while on the road. I will need to have a recall placed on my vin number so that i can take this to a ford dealer and get it resolved asap so that i can get back to my normal living as I do not have a transportation and happen to be losing time from work and spending money in rides. My vin number is provided in this report Vin: [XXX] 2013 Ford Explorer Limited Recall 16v925000 (engine and engine cooling) https://www.bing.com/search?q=2013+ford+explorer+water+pump+recall&cvid=744c57e549d049c2bbcd35d89655cedd&aqs=edge.0.0l3.8405j0j1&pglt=41&FORM=ANNTA1&PC=U531 https://www.carproblemzoo.com/ford/explorer/water-pump-problems.php#:~:text=The%20contact%20reference%20manufacturer%20recall%20number%3A%2016s46%20campaign,not%20assist.%20The%20failure%20mileage%20was%20approximately%2065%2C000. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

Water pump failure, this part has been recalled on most Ford explorers but not mine and I’m unsure why. My water pump has failed and is causing additional damage to hoses and the engine due to overheating. My vehicle overheated on the interstate and was completely drained of water. I had to pay a $400 tow bill and walk over 10 miles home. The water pump started working again and then once again stopped working. This has caused a lot of problems to my safety and well-being, not to mention I have lost my job due to being late for work multiple times due to not having a reliable form of transportation. A quick Internet search has showed me this is a very common issue for my vehicle and I believe Ford should be held responsible for the faulty part.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the second-row driver’s side seat belt had malfunctioned and would not safely secure the passenger. The contact indicated that the seat belt buckle mechanism had failed and could not be latched. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were both notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 76,000.

Power steering control module causing power steering to stop and loss of control to car. I took to auto shop and had codes reset and happened again with in an hour.

[XXX] 13 recalls listed two of which are the electronic power steering and traction control. I bought this vehicle and less than five days later the power steering goes out. So I'm going to loose my job and I could have lost my life yet Ford is denying there are any recalls and refusing to fix them. I am also a veteran and this is the last bit of bad news I can bare. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The passenger side windshield trim panel has flown off. When asking the dealership about it, they said it was an issue with the Explorers and that it will most likely happen to the second one as well. We are unable to attach it back on but have kept the piece as we were able to pull over and retrieve it.

My water pump failed while driving which made the car overheat and instantly shut off while driving. I have maintained the engine. The internal water pump is leaking the coolant into the motor. Why an internal water Pump?

On September 2, 2021, I was driving with my young son in the car. I had to pick him up from daycare due to severe weather(High winds and tornado warning in effect). I heard something hit my window, then my sons window, while driving 55 mph on the highway. I looked in the rearview and could'nt tell what it was. I dropped my son off at home with my mother and then noticed the entire A Pilar was missing on my 2013 Ford Explorer. I was shocked to say the least. I waited a few months to get this repair complete due to money restraints. Within those few months I noticed many other vehicles similar to mine by make and model were missing the same piece. Which I thought could no way be just a coincidence. I finally decided to get this eye sore fixed before it caused any more damage to my vehicle. I called my local body shop and they said that piece needs to be replaced by an auto glass shop. So then I thought, this is going to be expensive. I called my local auto body shop. Found out it would be $300 to replace both A pillars because you cant just have one. You need the pair. So I paid that and now that I know this is a known issue with my model vehicle I would expect more investigation or some sort of reimbursement for this.

The steering assist doesn't work All the time. We have to shut the vehicle off and then restart it. It is really hard to steer. The warning light comes on letting us know that there is a failure. It is available for inspection. This is not a good feeling when this happens. This happens roughly twice a week.

Our Explorer has been riding extremely rough going down smooth highways and the slightest bump in the road make the car shake sideways as if it’s almost bending in half. Last week, We drove a couple miles down the road and stopped at Walmart. After loading groceries up I started the car to leave and the steering wheel was harder than normal to move. I thought we might have had a low tire and we weren’t that far from home, however as we’re driving home, the dash notification screen lights up and says power steering assist fault. So I then let off the gas pedal attempting to try to slow down and this causes the steering wheel to completely tighten up, almost causing us to wreck as I can no longer move the steering wheel more than an inch in either direction while going down the highway. The only way I was able to get us home safely was stopping and going no more than 15 mph until we pulled into our driveway. I will not let my family get in the car until I know we’re all completely safe and out of harms way. The Ford dealership in Ponchatoula said it will have to be towed there and the problem won’t go away until the faulty steering motor is fixed. We were told they’ve had plenty Explorers come in with the same problem as our year, make, model and engine. I’m 6’2 230lbs I should not have this much trouble trying to turn a steering wheel either driving or sitting still.

Steering wheel would turn but the SUV would not turn in the direction the steering wheel direction. Could have been a major accident from the SUV not able to turn directions.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at slow speeds, the steering wheel failed to turn as needed and was inoperable. The contact pulled over and turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. The power steering assist message was displayed. The contact notified the local dealer of the failure but the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V286000 (Steering). The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Ac is not blowing cold air, it is also making a hissing noise. I got it inspected by an independent service center, and was told it will be expensive to repair. It is very common with my year and make of vehicle. A freon leak it is very dangerous for a person to breathe in, and can cause significate damage to me and my baby.

The water pump failed and left my family stranded in northern New Mexico. This issue overheats the engine making the vehicle un-drivable. Super dangerous and apparently very common in ford explorers.

On more than one occasion (starting at about 90,000 mi) experienced steering wheel lockup while starting vehicle with message alerting to steering assist failure. On those occasions, turning off and restarting vehicle reset the problem. But just the other day while driving, the steering wheel locked up and the message alert was displayed. Luckily vehicle was in right hand lane and was able to drift to the side of the road. Internet search reveals this as a frequent complaint and there is a factory recall for my vehicle year (Ford 14S06), but for a build on or before Feb 2012, mine is in Nov 2012. With a personal OBDII reader, was able to obtain DTC codes U3000-42 and U3000-72 which point to steering/rack n pinion problem. Repair of this problem is an urgent and essential safety issuse and lives are at stake if not fixed. These electrical steering mechanism is less effective than vacuum power assist and in manual mode even harder than old cars without power assist.

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 20 MPH, the coolant warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the local dealer who diagnosed a failure with the water pump. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 123,000.

My 2013 Ford Explorer Sport lost control while driving. My wife ran off the road while driving going around a curve because the power steering went out without warning. Luckily, she was not in a place where she did not hit anyone but had a near miss with a pedestrian walking on the side of the road. I noticed in the past that the power steering fault indicator came on a few times when starting the vehicle. After turning the SUV off and back on, everything worked fine. I notified them at the dealership the last time I was getting serviced and they said it was a common problem but for some reason, there was no recall for my VIN. After reading the complaints online for this issue, I find it disturbing that this is not a safety recall. I can only imagine how this could have turned tragic while driving down the mountain last weekend if this happened while on a downward descent, my family could have been killed. This is scary to think about and I am surprised that more people have not been seriously hurt or killed due to this electrical malfunction. I also don't understand how the same year models have recalls on the same part but because of the factory location that this is not covered on some VIN numbers. This should defiantly be a recall that is reconsidered. Thank God that she was able to vear enough to miss the pedestrian walking.