2018 FORD EXPLORER Structurebody Problems

During a storm, our SUV had water leaking in through the top, middle of the windshield. The water soaked the dashboard controls and our heating/air system was stuck on high heat and would not turn off. It was 70° and it was extremely hot in the SUV and the windows kept fogging up making it hard to see. Our temperature controls no longer work properly.

I am filing a safety complaint regarding unresolved recalls on my 2018 Ford Explorer (VIN: [XXX] ). FIRST RECALL: Over two years ago, I was notified to repair the exterior A-pillar trim/window shields. The dealer in Yakima, WA, placed me on a waiting list and said the part was unavailable. I have been waiting over two years with no resolution. Recently, while driving on the highway, this part fell off and struck the windshield of another vehicle behind me, creating a dangerous situation and potential for serious injury. The dealer refused to repair it for free, stating I must either wait longer or purchase the part myself, despite this being a manufacturer safety recall. This long delay and refusal put my safety and the safety of others at risk. It also caused stress, confrontation, and concern for my financial obligations, as I continue paying for a vehicle with unresolved safety...

[XXX] ur complaint I can't figure out where one files a complaint on an outstanding recall. Ford keeps sending notices, but is obviously not serious about fixing the issue, as its been going on approaching 3 years. If you call their hotline, it cuts you off after entering the recall number, saying there's no available fix at the moment. However, by searching some dealers around the nation, the parts are out there to purchase, but our two local dealers say they've seen nothing and advise using two sided tape in the meantime. How can such a basic part be so difficult to have available in under 2 - 3 years time? Our pillar piece has been barely hanging on for almost 2 years. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

My VIN was removed for the A Pillar recall. I received no notice as to why and my car was inspected a year ago. At that time the problem was not present. It is present now, but for some reason, my VIN has been removed. I would like to know under what conditions it was removed and by whom.

The dash on my 2018 Ford Explorer platinum is rolling up from the front of the dash. It is made out of some sort of leather or vinyl. But with it rolling up towards the driver, it causes a glare onto the windshield which causes visibility issues. I know I'm not the only one experiencing these problems with the platinum trim on the 2018 ford explorer. But this really needs to be looked into and recalled. You can also look up the explorer platinum on a vehicle search website and visibly see that every platinum edition explorer has this issue. It's unsafe and should be addressed immediately.

1 year ago, the exterior pillar trim detached on the 202 Highway in Mesa, Arizona while I was drivign 65 MPH. It cracked another windshield. I received the recall and went in to Robert Horne Ford Dealership. They informed me those pieces are on recall. I told them to notify me when they became available. It has been 1 1/2 years and still nothing. This week, the other side pillar trim came off, again while I was on the highway. This is dangerous. Now I feel like my windshield is not secure, as it is shaking while I am driving. The recall was announced in January of 2024. It is October of 2025. How can a company ignor the recall and simply not address explicit safety violations? NHTSA # 24V031

The paint is bubbling and peeling on front hood and looks like trash. I have 50,000 miles on my car it isn’t used that frequently

This recall has been 1.5 years and still does t have a remedy by Ford? Part was checked by Ford dealership, they advised yep it qualifies but we don't have parts then left. That was 1 year ago.

We have been trying to get Safety Recall Notice 24S02/NHTSA recall 24V031 accomplished by our Ford dealership for several months and they say that the parts required are on back order from Ford. My complaint with Ford Motor Company is not having the parts needed for the dealerships to comply with the recall. Currently, the parts are on an emergency order from the dealership. The part on the right side A pillar is vibrating at highway speed and I am expecting a failure.

B pillar trim behind passenger door (vertical pillar) is peeling from the top. May fly off and cause a safety issue on roadway if unaddressed. Similar to existing recall of A pillar trim for same year and model as well as an existing recall for 2011-2017 B pillar trim (same issue as mine, but adjacent model years).

About two years ago, I had the windshield replaced because I had a crack in it. A certified tech approved by my insurance replaced it. Once that happened, I noticed the right A-pillar was loose. Thinking it was something they did incorrectly, I called and they came to fix it; however, a day later, it did the same thing. The clips would not fit correctly. While going down the road, it flew off and scraped the side of my car. Now there isn't an A-pillar and I'm afraid water is getting into my car. Since that happened, my electrical system has been acting strange. I called the AutoNation and I was told the saw the recall, but they didn't have any fixes for it yet. That was in 2024.

On July 5, 2024, I was driving on Hwy. 12 in Napa, California. The front pillar on my window flew off on the highway. Luckily, no other cars were around and no one was hurt. When I took my car in for service, I told them I needed it fixed and the other pillar looked at. Ford in Walnut Creek told me that they were on backorder and had no idea when I would get a replacement part. I called again a couple of weeks ago to see what the status was and again, no idea when the part would come in. This is the fault of Ford. They should be mfg. these parts. In the meantime, I have been driving around for close to a year with no A-pillar and at risk of losing the other one. Please help. They need to be accountable.

I saw that Ford has issued a recall that affects 2016 and 2017 Ford Explorers due to a B-pillar trim piece that is not properly attached and may separate from the vehicle. My 2018 Ford Explorer also has this issue. Will 2018 Explorers be included in this recall?

The A-piller trim molding flew off while I was driving down the road. I am aware that this part was previously recalled and potentially “fixed” before I purchased the vehicle, however it flew off and was a terrible safety hazard.

The A Pillar trim has become loose and detached while I was driving, almost causing an accident. There has been a recall on this part. I have tried on numerous occasions to resolve the issue. It has been over a year and the parts are still not available. I have tried to remedy and made multiple appointments at the Service Center to get my vehicle inspected and they tell me the same thing that there is nothing they can do.

Roof rails are coming detached in the rear of vehicle which was found at the dealership before purchasing and pointed out to the salesman. He said that the Ford dealership would take care of this problem at a later date after the purchase. I told him of the importance of needing the roof rails secured on the vehicle. He said no problem that the dealership would take care of this with either a pin kit or just replace them. Now that vehicle is in for service and the sales department is saying that they will not cover the price of the fix. I think that this should be part of the roof rail recall or the roof rail recall should be expanded to cover my vehicle. Car was purchased on 11/25/2024.

The A-pillar appliqué trim has cracked and is pulling away from body of vehicle. There is a safety recall notice that was issued in February 2024. I have been calling regarding remedy of this issue and I have been told parts are still not available. It has almost been one year.

The vehicle experienced multiple defects, including: Overheating due to a malfunctioning cooling fan motor relay. Exterior A-pillar trim detachment. Persistent starting issues, even after replacing the battery. The vehicle is no longer in my possession due to repossession, so inspection may not be possible. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The overheating issue posed a risk of engine failure while driving. The detached A-pillar trim could have caused a road hazard for other drivers if it fell off while in motion. The starting issues left me stranded on multiple occasions, which could have been dangerous in certain environments. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the dealership confirmed the issues but stated the vehicle needed to meet specific conditions (e.g., 100 miles for certain repairs) and required costly repairs that I couldn’t afford. Has the vehicle...

While traveling on [XXX] eastbound in the St. Louis, MO area I heard a pop and noticed my passenger side A-frame trim body piece was free from the top mooring point. This caused me to have to exit the freeway earlier than expected. Fortunately, the trim piece did not come completely dislodged and cause further danger on the freeway. I still need to drive this vehicle with a trim piece that is only partially connected to the vehicle. This is related to an unresolved recall and could cause further safety concerns on an ongoing recall. Please help me contact Ford to ensure a quick resolution to this recall that is supposed to be resolved "late 2024". INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Exterior A- Left pillar become detached on the interstate and was a hazard to the cars behind, almost caused a crash. Exterior A-Right pillar is loose. I have attempted to get the recall repair completed at a dealership, but have been unsuccessful.

The keyless entry panel on driver's side next to driver's window is poorly put on and is starting to come off and could tear off on freeway and cause a safety risk to others. We took the vehicle into a Ford dealership for repairs on some other trim that had a recall and when we received our vehicle back we heard a whistling noise on drivers side and saw the keyless entry panel trim piece was coming off and when we called back to have them fix they stated they didn't damage it during the other trim work they performed and it isn't part of the recall

Cowl is rotting and pieces are coming off. Car has less than 50k miles. Also causing windshield to rattle.

Front hood paint bubbling, corrosion and peeling

No incident yet.Between front door and back door, trim not secure. Is this included in recall #24V031?

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, a tractor trailer truck passed by in the opposite lane and the rear GPS fin and the radio antenna blew off the vehicle. The contact stated that the loss of the rear fin exposed the electrical circuits to the wind and water. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.

Frame around windshield is loose on the right. Rattles when driving at higher speeds.

Lost A pillar trim yesterday on a drive. I was advised that the recall was still in advanced notice. I am not paying to repair my vehicle while they figure their stuff out. I will be driving around without an A pillar now!

Passenger side A-pillor flew off car on hwy near sweetwater tx luckily there wasn’t a car behind while driving hwy speed

I have a 2018 Explorer that may be involved in the Ford recall for the windshield trimpieces that may come loose. I may not have that issue but I have an issue with trim pieces separating from both the drivers and front passenger doors.

Was driving on the high way and the B pillar trim detached and was hanging by the wire. No damage was done to this area prior and appears the adhesive gave out. Due to incident back lift gate is inoperable and displays as open.

On the exterior this car has a plastic A-pillar cover on both sides of the windshield, i already had one fly off on expressway ( luckily didnt hit anyone or cause an accident) i replaced the one, but now the other side is coming loose as well, not sure if its a defect in the clips or the design , but the dealer doesnt acknowledge this to be a problem, there happily charging 600.00 to replace each A-pillar and they keep coming loose

I was driving on the freeway when one of my A pillers flew off and cause the person behind me to loose control of their car. About 5 min later the other a piller flew off almost causing an accident with a semi and trailer.

The passenger windshield trim piece blew off my vehicle on the interstate yesterday and caused the vehicle behind me to swerve to try to avoid it. Looking through my rear view mirror, the driver appeared to lose control due to over correction. The driver avoided a collision and crash, but it looked hairy for a few moments. The driver's side trim piece blew off my vehicle last year. After Googling, I see that this is a very common problem that should be addressed, in my opinion, with a recall due to safety.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the passenger’s side trim detached from the vehicle. The trim struck the front windshield of another vehicle, causing the other driver to lose control of the vehicle and the vehicle spun out. The contact was unsure if the front windshield was cracked due to the impact. There were no reported injuries. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to a Collision Center for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The Collision Center was contacted and provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was contacted, opened a case, and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 99,800. The VIN was not available.

Windshield cowl (trim) had deteriorated, possibly due to common heat and sun damage. 1. We do not know whether or not the deteriorated cowl will affect windshield stability or water leaks. If windshield stability is affected, it would affect safety. 2. Other complaints have noted that pieces of deteriorated cowl/trim have impacted safety of nearby vehicles. 3. The vibration, humming, and buzzing are irritating to drivers and passengers. // This observed deterioration occurred when the vehicle was 5 years old, however, we know of the same problem occurring in a 2019 Explorer at about 3 years. // The local Ford dealer stated it would cost over $650 to replace the cowl.

Cowl trim on front windshield is detaching from the windshield and flapping while vehicle in operation. Concerned this will fly off the vehicle snd possibly land on another traveling vehicle and possibly cause an accident. This just started making a buzzing noise approximately two weeks ago and after further investigation the trim is literally coming off the windshield in pieces. No warning lights just a noise from the dash. Pictures can be provided.

The windshield trim has come loose & come off on the left side while going down the road. The right side is beginning to do the same thing. I noticed pieces missing on 10/10/23 & on 10/11/23 a big piece flew off the car as I was driving down the highway.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while self-inspecting the vehicle, he noticed the paint on the front of the hood was corroded and peeling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer informed the contact that his VIN was not included in an unknown recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to file the complaint with the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 12,000.

Windshield trim detached during highway travel. It flapped hitting the windshield and flew off almost causing collision.

The windshield bottom rubber trim is Descente grating and falling apart.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that two years ago, he had received an unstated NHTSA Campaign for the roof rail. The contact stated that the recall repair was completed. The contact stated that the roof rail failure had occurred after the recall repair was completed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with roof rail assembly failure. The contact was informed that the roof rail needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that if the repair was performed, a two-year warranty on the repair would be authorized. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.

I was driving on the highway at about 70 mph when the passenger side window trim flew off of the vehicle, causing a loud noise that startled me as I drove. I do not believe the trim piece hit another vehicle as it was nighttime and the road was not crowded, but it easily could have in other circumstances.

The cover to the hitch flew off (never taken off) while going up the interstate

Windshield panel pillar and moldings are missing and flying off vehicle.

The passenger side windshield panel flew off while driving 70 mph on the highway. There is now a rattling sound when I drive over 30 mph. There were no warning signs, only a loud crack. This could have been very dangerous if someone had been next to or behind the vehicle.

Windshield allows wind noise to come through. components loose scare it might fly off

A Piller trim came flying off on the highway.

Paint bubbling on hood near grill

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was an abnormal rattling sound coming from the passenger’s side dashboard. Over time, the sound spread to the middle and driver’s side of the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the weather stripping on the dashboard had started to detach from the panel, and that the cowl panel needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

While driving on the highway the right windshield trim piece on the pillar completely ripped off.