2016 FORD EXPLORER Power Train Problems

The transmission shifts with a harsh jerk for no apparent reason and is an intermittent not constant problem. Also when stopped at an intersection refuses to engage to power the vehicle forward for a short time 5+ second time period.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle vibrated, and there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the transmission. In addition, the vehicle drove roughly while the transmission was downshifting, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with torque converter failure. The contact was informed that the torque converter needed to be replaced, or the transmission could be replaced. The vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to the Technical Service Bulletin: 20B27. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Transmission slips in and out of gear while driving causing loss of power. Many complaints online about this same issue from others.

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...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle hesitated while responding. The contact stated that after several attempts to depress the accelerator pedal, the vehicle responded as intended. The contact stated that a dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V692000 (POWER TRAIN); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.

Transfer case replacement. Open recall on 2016 4x2 ford explorera for faulty transfer case but not recalled on 4x4 models. This is BS as the transfer case used for both models are the exact same. Should be covered under already open recall for transfer case.

I have already filed a complaint about the transmission issues of my vehicle a few months ago. Ford will not take credit and help me so we had to keep driving it. Hard shifting, slipping, losing reverse, losing power and jerking into gear. Now not only has it nearly killed us twice when we went to pull into traffic, it has jerked into gear and locked up throwing the car into a guardrail and causing an accident while my fiancée was driving it. I reported it was unsafe and no one did anything, now I have a wreck vehicle, fighting with insurance about the safety of it and it’s sitting at a body shop. We are all afraid to drive it. It nearly killed my family and no one cared to help us. Plus we have no vehicle to drive now. Thank you FORD for nearly killing my family and...

My vehicles wrench sign would turn on do a little jerk then I would lose power to my car. Showed malfunction to power train. Took it to mechanic said there was a Crack in the valve gasket and they fixed that and changed spark plugs. A month later car did the same thing. Has done it a total for 4 times very scary when on a high way and it does it and I have to pull over with traffic coming. Took it to another mechanic and he couldn't figure it out either because there are no codes but said he seem something similar and I needed to change all my coils. So I did that. Thousands of dollars later and no one can still figure out the problem. I don't know if it's some safety issue with the engine or transmission. But 3 certified mechanics can not figure out...

The second time my water pump has gone out in this vehicle. Causing over heating of the car and unrepairable wiring. Ford needs to get it right for us 2016 Ford Explorer owners. They [XXX] when it came to this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the engine overheated with the temperature gauge indicating that the engine was hot(H). The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the water pump was replaced. The contact stated that several months later while in reverse(R), the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for a diagnostic test and remained with the dealer for months. The contact was informed that the vehicle had failed to accelerate while in drive(D) or reverse(R). The dealer later diagnosed the vehicle with transmission failure and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it remained unrepaired. The...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the lower transmission and bolts had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 57,770.

Ptu burnt out less than 53k miles. Molding on passenger side broke off while driving 60mph struck another vehicle causing to other vehicle to leave road. Thank God no one was injured. This thing could have killed a motorcycle driver. Checked online and there are thousands of reports of same molding breaking off while driving.ford tn# does not recognize and disconnects call.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the message to service the vehicle was displayed. The contact pulled over and turned off the vehicle, and waited for several minutes before restarting the vehicle and the message was no longer displayed. The contact stated that while depressing accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as needed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was inspected to see if there were any leaks coming from the transmission. The contact called the Bob Johnson Auto Group to schedule an appointment for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle jerked while shifting into gear. The contact stated that upon shifting to drive(D) on several occasions, the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the transmission was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, overheated, and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence, where a mobile independent mechanic diagnosed that the head gasket was blown. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact’s spouse stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not able to be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the link shaft bracket had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V692000 (Power Train). The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 157,627.

There has been an ongoing issue with my vehicle since it was last taken to service for a recall. The transmission has premature failure. I have had the entire vehicle powertrain fluids changed and nothing has helped. My boyfriend has been driving the vehicle and will not let me drive it anymore because it is unsafe. The transmission has torque converter issues. It has got stuck in second gear and when we went to pull out into traffic it would not move and we nearly got T-Boned. That happened while I was with him and I'm afraid to use it. He has to drive it to work because I have his vehicle and he wants me and my daughter to be safe. He says its downshifting hard when slowing down. It will downshift hard and loose power when trying to speed up on the interstate or while trying to get...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle failed to properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that oil from the turbo booster had leaked onto the catalytic converter and both the turbo booster and catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that previously the power transfer off unit was faulty, causing the vehicle to suddenly lose accelerating power; and the front control arms and ball joints were replaced. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 85,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud grinding sound. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle seized, and the vehicle started rolling. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and noticed that the gear box had blown out. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the gear box had fractured and damaged the transmission front assembly. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 156,000.

Randomly whilst driving, my dash had multiple error messages pop up and my power steering went out completely. The error messages were as follows: Service AdvanceTrac, Terrain Management System Fault, Hill Start Assist Not Available, & Power Steering Assit Fault. This keeps happening intermittently, while I am driving. This causes a serious safety issue, for my steering wheel to lock up while I am driving! I did get the codes for the errors and they are as follows: U0420-41, C0051-67, U0151-00, U0131-00. My ABS system failed check, as well. This is a known issue with Ford vehicles, as there have already been recalls for previous models. According to [XXX]: "Ford has recalled earlier model year Explorers with power steering problems before. In 2014, Ford recalled certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorers, saying these vehicles “may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear, which can cause a loss...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing significantly rough idling while in drive(D) or while in reverse(R). Additionally, the contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle jolted and hesitated to respond. The contact also stated that the vehicle shuddered while driving at various speeds. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the failure was related to TSB Number: 20-2271. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the TSB was superseded and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

My car started shaking while i stopped (like at a red light, stop or traffic) I had it diagnosed ($175) and was told it needed to have the transmission changed, my explorer was 6 yrs old with less than 50k miles. I have never hear of that happening as the car well kept. New transmission cost me $5585.40, it seems that every year this car has a new problem. I feel so ripped off this shouldn't happen on a $50k car.

The torque converter failed in my explorer while driving, making it act like it was in neutral. Luckily I was on a small road with little traffic, and able to pull over to a side street before my car was complete undrivable. If this happened on the highway or while turning, it probably would have cause a major issue or accident. NO warning lights on my dash and NO problem codes reported on OBD scanner tool. Ford has put out their own CSP for this issue a while ago and when I asked about it they told me it was expired. How can something they know is an issue expire? Dealership repair confirmed it was the torque converter and has to rebuild the transmission. I even found a service bulletin ford release about this problem, so they know about it.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while at a red light, the vehicle was shaking abnormally. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was drivable and was driven to a dealer. The dealer replaced the motor mounts and informed the contact that the torque converter and transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall for the failure. No further assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,393.

While driving vehicle down the road, steering locked up. Vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed as a bad rack and pinion. This vehicle has 84,000 miles and should not already have issues with the rack and pinion. This incident, could have put my family and many other people's lives/vehicles at risk.

The transmission suddenly downshifts causing rapid deceleration, if on the freeway could have caused an accident, the Ford garage could not duplicate the problem, there were no warning lights and no computer codes

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle failed to exceed 25 MPH or shift out of 1st gear. Additionally, the contact stated that while shifting to reverse(R), the vehicle failed to respond as needed. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

The power transfer unit is broken. Symptoms are vehicle shuddering, vehicle sounds like it is going to stall. This could cause a major accident at any moment.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the contact heard a loud clanking noise coming from the transmission. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the flex plate was cracked, causing transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,060.

While driving on the interstate my transmission decided to stop working. I was not able to safely get off the interstate because this happened going up an incline. My explorer will not shift into any gear and the cost to replace the transmission is $5300. Ford stated that the recall #20B27 was completed on my car in 2020 but when I called after the transmission died they stated that my VIN was not eligible for the #20B27 recall. So, how was it completed if they are now saying the recall wasn’t for my car? My explorer is a 2016/2.3L/6F35 Transmission code/built in Chicago. Ford needs to recall and replace every transmission in these explorers. With so many complaints and transmission failures/problems I’m floored that nothing has been done to remedy this situation that many explorer owners are experiencing. Do better Ford.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH and attempting to stop or decelerate, the rear tires were slippery and failed to stop as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer however, no failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, he was alerted to smoke emanating from underneath the vehicle by another driver. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the power transfer unit, after observing that the unit was leaking fluid onto the exhaust, resulting in a brief fire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 98,000. The VIN was not available.

My car has 84000 miles on it. The car recently over heated, I checked the coolant level, and it was low. I filled it to the required level and the warning went away. 2 weeks later it came back, I brought it to the mechanic and was told that the engine needs to be replaced. That it is recycling exhaust from the engine back through the coolant system and that cylinder 3 is misfiring. I spent over an hour on the phone with Ford who repeatedly stiff armed me on any sort of assistance with the issue or information on expected or estimated failure rates for these issues. The car is currently at the mechanic where I have an estimate with a $12,000 price tag on it. To make this worse, in October of last year I was driving down [XXX] and when I went to exit the highway, there...

I filed a complaint yesterday 5/4/24. The complaint number is #11586924. Yesterday I gave you the details of what happened with my transmission and when it happened. Today I want to give you the Manufacturer Comm. Number. From Ford Motor Co. the service number is SSM46069. It states that Ford knew there could be a problem with some 2015/2016 vehicles equipped with 6F50/6F55 transmissions built on 11/02/2015 and through 2/01 2016 may exhibit no reverse, 3rd and 5th gear. The service bulletin goes on to explain what would cause the transmission to fail and how to repair the damage. This tells me Ford should be responsible to the consumer. My safety concern is this; I was traveling at 30 - 35 mph when the tranny failed and , not knowing at the time, I lost 3rd, 5th and reverse gears. There was a noticeable decrease in my cars speed. At...

I own a 2016 Ford Explorer. My Wife and I bought the car In Jan. 2016. On April 20th 2024, I was on my way to work when a warning came on the dash that said "check manual" and displayed an open end wrench. The car hesitated and then continued on. I was not far from the Ford Dealership where I bought the car so I went there. The service writer was working that day so I left the car at the dealership and called for a ride. On 4/23/24, the service writer called me and said the transmission was shot and would need to be replaced. My bill would be approx $5954.81.

I was driving and everything felt and looked normal. Out of the blue a pop noise, car was smoking. Had to have it towed. Mechanic said the transfer case blew like a grenade. It nicked my transmission as well. I was broke down in an intersection. No warning signs.

While traveling at highway speed (55mph), the transfer case "exploded" resulting in catastrophic failure and fluctuating power and impaired driveability. Defect has been confrimed by independent local repair center.

The transmission began slipping causing poor control at higher speeds using the cruise control or passing gear. Only about 42,000 miles on the vehicle and no financial help from Ford. Service for a new transmission was $7667.11at Dave Sinclair Ford, 7466 South Lindbergh, St. Louis Missouri, 63125. 314-892-2600

I was driving and stopped in the left turn lane and the car wouldn't move. Had to have the vehicle towed and now I have to replace the transmission on a car that has 72,000 miles on it. There was no advance notice that there was a problem. I have the vehicle serviced regularly.

In August 2023, my vehicle began to make a popping noise and began to lose power when attempting to accelerate. It was diagnosed by the repair shop as a turbo going bad. I repaired the turbo. In December 2023, the check engine light came on. The repair shop indicated that the lifters and cam shafts were bad and caused scoring to the engine block, requiring the engine to be replaced. The repair shop asked if I had been changing the oil regularly. I indicated that I did change the oil per when the vehicle would notify me it was time. The repair shop noted that I changed the oil every 10k miles. Per the repair shop, not changing the oil regularly (because the Ford vehicle system designed to tell me when to change the oil) ultimately caused me to need to replace the turbo and the engine. All because the...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The contact stated that when the accelerator pedal was depressed, the transmission started slipping. In addition, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times and the contact was informed that the failure was due to transmission failure and the contact was informed that the repair had been completed; however, the contact was unaware of the diagnostic results. The vehicle was repaired. The failure reoccurred and became persistent. The contact stated that the failure had been ongoing since the purchase of the vehicle in 2017. The contact was informed after each failure that the vehicle had been repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into drive(D), the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed transmission and that the transmission needed to be replaced. The contact was informed about TSB: [XXX]. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The explorer started having issues with the heater not working when stopped. After some research it recommended that we check the coolant level. The coolant was low. Then we refilled it and then it happened again 3 weeks later and the coolant was low. This made us believe there was a coolant leak. After removing the bottom cover under the car it was saturated with coolant with drops coming from various areas on the passenger side. We took it to a mechanic and then transferred to a dealer and both confirmed it was the water pump. Ford negligently designed the water pump within the engine with the timing chain. If enough of the coolant mixes with oil it will cause the engine to seize and the car to shut off. I have two little kids that are in the car with me. This negligent placement can lead to cars seizing...

Several weeks ago we noticed a propane or natural gas smell in the vehicle' cab and around the vehicle. The smell was stronger sometimes and lesser others, but more so when the heater was on. In the very cold weather, I would have to dress in extra warm layers and keep the windows lowered with fresh air flowing through - in order to drive it... to keep the cab warm enough to drive with the heater on. The smell would be stronger when the heater/air was on. The smell would make me cough and gave me a headache. At first, we thought it was a bad batch of gas. Our mechanic couldn't say what it was and referred us to our local Ford dealer. I also researched on-line and found that several thousand U.S. customers have had the same problem [XXX] ; [XXX] ; [XXX] ). It looks from one...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the vehicle failed to exceed 3000 RPM. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a general failure with the transmission. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The dealer informed the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 93,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 55 MPH, there was smoke coming from the engine compartment. Additionally, the "PTU Failure" message was displayed before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the transmission had failed due to the faulty "PTU". The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 15,000.

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal sound coming from underneath the vehicle, and the vehicle was shifting hard. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the gear position sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 12,000.

On December 17th of 2022, I was driving my car when it abruptly became sluggish and felt like it wasn’t shifting gears correctly. After coming to a stop, when I resumed driving, it sounded like the engine was getting gas, racing, but the car was hardly moving at all. Then it seemed like it would shift into gear suddenly and lurch forward. A warning light came on the dashboard stating there was a “powertrain fault.” I was less than a mile from my home at the time, so I limped home, parked in my garage, and then looked up the issue in my owner’s manual. It said to quit driving it and to get it to a Ford dealership. The car was not driven thereafter. I had it towed to the Ford dealership, who did not honor my extended warranty because it wasn't towed in until 4 days after its...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while at a complete stop, the vehicle was shifted into drive(D) and the brake pedal was released; however, the vehicle started shuddering and jerking significantly. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to shift into the intended gear while driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The check engine and the power train warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the insurance company later informed her of Ford Campaign Number: 20B27, which she related to the failure. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under the Campaign. The manufacturer...

The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered and made an abnormal sound. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driveshaft was fractured at the PTU connecting point. The mechanic determined that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V692000 (Power Train) and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was unknown.

While driving on the interstate and set MPH were 55, a series of notifications popped up on my dashboard. One stated “Steering assist fault repair required.” After I hit Ok to clear the screen my steering wheel tightened up and locked and caused me to almost crash into another family. We were able to move it to a safe location.