NHTSA Complaint #11659710 — 2016 FORD EXPLORER

I experienced two failures associated with other model years. The first was the right side A-pillar trim. It pulled free on the highway. I noticed it fly off and was able to recover the majority of it. It smashed on impact and there is a large piece missing. The remaining piece is available for inspection upon request. The A-pillar exterior trim flew off on a one-lane section of divided highway, there would have been no place for anyone to go if it flew back and there was a car behind me. This problem is a known issue I found out about on this (NHTSA) website. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No, it flew off on the highway and has not been reported yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No warning at all that this was going to break loose. I also have an issue with the PTU. I was driving home from the airport and at a a stoplight, I noticed a ticking noise when I stopped at the exit of the parking lot. I noticed it again closer to home, after a fifty mile drive. When I stopped on the off ramp from the highway, I noticed smoke coming from under/behind my explorer. It smelled like antifreeze, but when I arrived home, and checked under the vehicle, I found black residue on the PTU and what looked like leaks from the axle seals that were not there for the last five months I've owned the vehicle. The vehicle smoked heavily when I stopped on the exit ramp, and when I went to accelerate into the traffic round-about, the vehicle lagged before moving, with an audible clunk and a lurch when it finally moved. Any reasonably hard acceleration produces a noise and will usually lag before moving. It may make a ticking noise when at idle cold, but is more pronounced the hotter the drivetrain gets. I had an OBD II scan done with no codes produced.