Ford Explorer Complaints (2021)

412 consumer complaints on file.

#11678422August 5, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Sunroof shade did not retract properly when opened and sagged down low enough to block visibility to the rear of the vehicle while driving. Not only was rear visibility entirely cut off, rear passengers are affected as the shade hangs down well into the back seat area. I will be taking this to the dealer, problem is reproduced as well as documented by many online. There were no warnings prior to failure. This is clearly an issue with the design and a recall should be issued to all affected.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11677668July 31, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The transmission failed. The electrical component also failed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11675083July 21, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Panoramic sunroof fail for 2nd time repair is close to 2000$ I’m not going to paid again this is a ford design issue not a owner fault Panoramic roof have some plastic click that hold the shade and they got brake or damage by itself causing the shade felt, ford rapair is close to 1.8k$ I paid one when I first bought the car now after the Texas freeze when I was closing the system I heard the clicks braking and then we have the same issue with the panoramic shade got weak and there is no way to fixed just the deal and the price is close to 2000$ for a internal design there is several people with this same issue this is a internal fault design not a owner fault
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674872July 20, 2025
SEAT BELTS, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Recall Action Soon Issue Since 06-20-2025 Unrequested second-row seat movement For More Information Telematics Generated Issue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674796July 19, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
Recall Action Soon Issue Since 06-20-2025 Unrequested second-row seat movement Unrequested second-row seat movement Recall incomplete Recall service not available right now. We have a remedy but parts are not available right now. We will inform you when the service is available. Or, you can contact your dealer. Contact Dealer Issue Date 2025-06-13 Campaign 25S67/25V393 Description On your vehicle, it is possible that the easy entry seat fold switch on the second-row outboard seats may bind or stick if its surrounding trim bezel was installed incorrectly. If the button is stuck in the down position, the seat may unlatch, fold and or slide unexpectedly, potentially while driving. Safety Risk A seat that unexpectedly folds or slides while driving could increase the risk of injury, particularly in a crash. Remedy Ford Motor Company is working to provide parts for this repair. When the remedy becomes available, Ford Motor Company will notify you via mail to schedule a service appointment with your dealer for repairs to be completed free of charge.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674188July 17, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20-30 MPH, the vehicle stalled, with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673816July 15, 2025
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
my explorer has a 10 speed transmission, and its REALLY heavy on shifting like it is missing shifts or slipping, it will shoot up in rpms to the 7-8k mark and jerk forward, this will happen every few minutes when varying speed, driving through residential areas or normal trafficways not including the highway, however on the highway it has a tendency to feel as if it loses power and regains it, dropping rpms and shooting back up to 4-5k rpm, and dropping back down to around 2k. today i had the incident where the car jerked hard after a shift, gave me prompts on the dash about seeing the manual, and that drive modes are not available. this has happened in the past month before multiple times, however this time i lost all power to acceleration going down the road, ended up just coasting to a stop on a road that speed limit is 55 mph. this made me panic, because i could have possibly been rear ended, or in any other case could have been hit if my car would not have properly been able to accelerate. the car has had similar problems reported from previous owners and they have been taken into a dealership for repairs of which did not fix the problem or the problem is reoccurring. there are no warning lamps prior to the jerkiness of shifting and loss of acceleration because of it. it will jerk a handful of times and eventually give me the "see manual" prompt after the initial problem was noticed, i decided to look online for answers as to what was wrong and it seems like this is a reoccurring problem with vehicles similar to mine. Hopefully it hasnt caused and injuries, but it definitely has the possibility to from what i have experienced.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673644July 15, 2025
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle hesitated while accelerating and decelerated unintendedly. The contact stated that the failure mostly occurred during the warmer weather months. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V455000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673550July 15, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Fabric for sunroof shade sags making the rearview mirror un usable due to the fabric sag obstruction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673262July 14, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I was stoped at a red light with cars in front of me and behind me when with my foot on the break the car accelerated forward like my foot was on the gas pedal but my foot was not on pedal, the car surged forward and came close to hitting the car in front of me I pressed the break and got stopped didn’t happen again but sometimes I can feel the car wanting to keep surging forward when breaking. If there is a problem this could cause me to hit someone in the rear or even worse could hit a pedestrian in the crosswalk please check this out
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672932July 11, 2025
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her fiancé was driving 76 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 39,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672511July 10, 2025
LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION
2021 Ford Explorer •Problem: Blind Spot Detection / Sensor Malfunction •Description to copLeft-side blind spot sensor fails intermittently. It shows no warning when vehicles are in the blind spot, creating a risk during lane changes. I found Ford TSB 23-2048 confirms the issue. Dealer quoted $1,200 but this is a known factory problem and safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672046July 8, 2025
SEATS
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V393000 (SEATS); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the rear passenger’s seat moved forward unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670781July 2, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Backup camera has failed again aftyer being programmed twice and replaced once under recall's. But now it's out completely. It has worked off and on since new.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11669715June 27, 2025
STRUCTURE
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that there was a gap between the body and the frame on the passenger's side of the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 74,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11669223June 25, 2025
POWER TRAIN
Transmission failed while driving leading to a sudden loss of power. Vehicle was hard to control after incident causing other vehicles to swerve around. Vehicle was taken to Ford dealership where it was recommended for a total transmission replacement due to internal transmission components that failed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668919June 24, 2025
POWER TRAIN
10 speed Transmission malfunction, needs replacing,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668763June 23, 2025
SEATS
The passenger 3rd row seat if the fold button is hit it can lock and pin a passenger. It wont release itself unless you try and hit the reset holding the 2 buttons simultaneously. Currently for safety reasons I taped that seats button and won't let anyone out in the 3rd row
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668481June 22, 2025
AIR BAGS
The airbag burnt a hole in a cotton shirt and then left 2nd and 3 degree burns on my side.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
2
Deaths:
0
#11666641June 12, 2025
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred while the vehicle was idle. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver had noticed an abnormal exhaust odor coming from the outside of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the catalytic converter had fractured at the welds location and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to cost. The vehicle was then taken to an exhaust system center, where it was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Ford Campaign Number: 21E11. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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