NHTSA Complaint #11438362 — 2019 FORD EXPLORER

The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was water leaking into the headliner and sunroof. Additionally, the battery was leaking battery acid. The battery failure caused the contact's baby to be diagnosed with Intrauterine Growth Restrictions (IUGR). The first failure occurred when the contact detected an odor and checked under the hood of the vehicle. The contact saw that the battery was swollen and had exploded. The vehicle was towed to the dealer on October 21, 2020, and the dealer informed the contact that it was a faulty battery and replaced it with a new battery that the contact had purchased from Walmart. The dealer informed the contact, who was pregnant at the time, that the vehicle was safe to drive. The failure recurred, and the vehicle was taken to Darling's Brunswick Ford (262 Bath Rd, Brunswick, ME 04011) on May 17, 2021. The dealer informed the contact that the battery was actively leaking and covered in battery acid. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and first informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer later informed the contact that they would be buying back the vehicle from the contact under Florida's Lemon Law. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.