2018 Ford Explorer Complaints

IN SOME OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE THAT SOME OF THE EXTERIOR A-PILLAR APPLIQUE TRIM CLIP ATTACHMENTS ARE NOT PROPERLY ENGAGED DUE TO IMPROPER ASSEMBLY OR REPAIR. IF THIS OCCURS, THE A-PILLAR APPLIQUE TRIM, WHICH BORDERS THE RIGHT AND LEFT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD, MAY BE LOOSE, MISSING OR BECOME DETACHED. Safety Risk AN EXTERIOR A-PILLAR TRIM PART THAT DETACHES WHILE DRIVING CAN CREATE A ROAD HAZARD FOR OTHER ROAD USERS, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the parts to perform the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that in April, the vehicle was taken to a dealer for the recall repair. Although the recall database stated that the parts were available, the dealer advised the contact that the parts were unavailable. The dealer instructed the contact to return at a later date for the permanent repair; however, the dealer marked the recall as completed in the system without performing the repair. The contact had secured the trim pillar to the body of the vehicle using electrical tape. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 140,852.

The contact owned a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, a message displayed on several occasions instructing the driver to pull over and shut off the vehicle because the battery would shut off. Upon pulling over and turning off the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart and required towing on several occasions. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where a wiring failure was determined. The dealer attempted to repair the vehicle, but the failure persisted. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the infotainment screen turned blank, and a large wrench warning light illuminated. The vehicle independently accelerated, became uncontrollable, and drifted out of the intended lane. The contact regained partial control as the vehicle continued accelerating toward an embankment. The front driver's side wheel was caught in the gutter of the embankment, causing the driver's side of the vehicle to crash into the embankment. The contact's head struck the driver'...

Failure in the adhesion of the dash cover and is available for inspection. My safety is at risk due to vision impairment from the white padding reflecting on the inside of the car window. I have not taken my vehicle to a dealer yet. No inspection has happened. The first bit of white in my vision I thought was a reflection of the hood of my car because my car is white. And I thought why as of recently is my view through the windshield all of a sudden being impaired every time I drive, I thought maybe it was sun direction or something like that. Then it worsened and the white gap became worse which is making it more difficult to see through my windshield. And recently I noticed the cause was the padding under the dash cover and the sun reflecting off of it is reflecting on the inside glass of the car.

I purchased this 2018 Ford Explorer from Speedway Motors in Murfreesboro, TN back in July 2026. Within a month I notice that the windshield was whistling. I took it back and they told me that it was a recall on the "A pillar exterior trim." I contacted the Murfreesboro Ford dealership and was told that the Ford dealership in Franklin had done a recall "check" in 2024 and it "passed" the recall. They did NOT replace seal the parts. Now two years later, the recall is supposedly not considered "open" by Ford Manufacturing. When I contacted their customer service to ask how a recall can be closed or ignored, they simply will not answer the question. My understanding is that a recall technically can not be "closed" if it a safety issue. In this case, the trim pieces come loose and become a road hazard. The pieces are not attached correctly or completely and the adhesive comes apart. This allows the trim and even the windshield to come off while driving down the road. There are hundreds of...