2021 Ford Explorer Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
On June 3, 2024, vehicle was taken to dealer for rattling noises under truck close to front passenger side and state inspection. Dealer informed flex pipe was rattling and offered repair. Repair declined. Dealer/service department emphasized vehicle was safe to drive, no impact on performance or safety. On June 18, 2024, while pulling up to home, metal noises were heard under car. Observed a pipe hanging from under car near passenger front. Towed to dealer. Informed on June 19, 2024, “flex pipe” needs replacing. Thank you
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that parts were available; however, the dealer failed to schedule an appointment. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. 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 had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
rear axle bolt snapped that holds the rear differential to the subframe. there was already a recall on this before and my explorer had it snap before. this is the second time it snapped in less than two years.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
25,000 miles on it, transmission failed on my husband and I as we were pulling out onto a busy street. The car jerked forward and shot us out half way before locking completely as a semi truck was coming and almost smashed into the side of us. Luckily we were on a hill and were able to put the car into neutral & was able to roll back at the last second before we were severely injured. Car was towed to dealer as it would not drive at all. Dealer had for 3 weeks before coming back and saying the fluid was low and discolored and had several burnt clutches..again only has 25,000 miles on it..replaced the clutches and told me I was good to go. 7,000 miles later car AGAIN jerks me as im on a busy street and then completely loses all power and will not accelerate, I was barely able to pull over into a business parking lot before almost getting rear ended because I was going 30mph UNDER the speed limit!!! I didn’t even have to exit my vehicle because I could smell the burnt trans fluid from inside the cabin! Getting towed to dealer in 2 days.. this is a MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN! I have almost gotten hurt TWICE by this defect with the 10r80 transmissions! This is serious and ford needs to start addressing this problem before someone seriously gets hurt!!!!
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part for the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time to for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
While making a left turn on a city street there was a loud bang noise and a sudden shift of the rear of the car. The bang noise was immediately followed by a loud grinding noise (sounded like metal on metal). There was a sudden loss in power, and I was only able to drive the car a short distance to get to the side of the street. When the car was put in park, the car rolled downhill without resistance. The car was towed to a Ford dealer for repairs. The dealer's repair shop drained the fluid from the rear differential and found "large chunks of metal." The repair required the replacement of the rear differential. Had this event occured on a busy street, it could have resulted in a vehicle accident. The loss of vehicle control when the vehicle was placed in "park" could have also been a safety risk. This event is similar to the Ford recall of the Explorer for a rear axel bolt fracture (NHTSA recall 23V-199 and 22V-255). My vehicle VIN # has not been added to the recall list, therefore, Ford has refused to consider reimbursement for the cost of the repairs. I would like the NHTSA to consider adding my VIN# to the recall for this design defect.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Difficulty shifting gears, delayed shifting, slipping between gears, jerking motions during acceleration, and stalling when you move from a stop. Also leaking oil under transmission pan and makes noises in the transmission.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear axle bolt fractured. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on a busy highway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the vehicle was scheduled for the recall repair; however, the recall repair was not completed. The contact was informed that the recall repair was not completed due to the tool not being available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 40,093. Parts distribution disconnect.
I had my car towed to mechanic because transmission would go into park. He ran a diagnostic and found multiple codes (mechanics Bill and list of codes he found will be included) relating to transmission. He searched on a data base he uses Shopkey.pro(copy of recall will be included) to check on recalls. He requested I have car towed to Dealership. I did that and the dealer has a letter about the recall(also included) showing the recall. My car falls in all the parameters of this recall. The vehicle year, the assembly plant and the build date as well as the 2.3L engine and a 10R60 transmission. The dealer says my vin number doesn't fall under this warranty and he doesn't understand why. He said I fit all parameters and Im experiencing all the reasons listed for this recall. Most importantly car can roll in park which is safety. It also had on occasions loss of motive power while driving. These are all reasons listed for this safety recall and as the dealership I am lost as to why the NHTSA and ford doesn't have my VIN included in this saftety recall,. I would like you to review this complaint and hopefully understand my vehicle should be included in this safety recall. There are numerous safety concerns with everything wrong. Please take careful consideration of all that I submitted and properly add this vehicle..2 safety Warnings messages I received are transmission not in park and please apply emergency brake before exiting the vehicle.
The startrover run clutch or whatever went out and they said it was bumper to bumper, not powertrain warranty! Don’t make any sense to me , the starter has to dtart everthing for there to be power and it’s attached to everything that’s powertrain related!
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to accelerate after coming to a complete stop, the vehicle briefly lunged forward. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) the VIN was included but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 15,000.
The contact's daughter owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving from a complete stop in a parking lot, the vehicle stalled. A message indicating a transmission failure was displayed. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed and was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer informed the contact's daughter that a diagnostic test cost would be charged because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
UNKNOWN My rear axle bolt may fracture. and this repair still has not been done. and Ford doesn't know. when the part will be in, I'm in fear. for my safety.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V635000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue. 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 and confirmed parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V675000 (Power Train) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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 while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle started to vibrate. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that she drove the vehicle to a dealer and was informed that the failure could not duplicated. The vehicle had not been repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into park(P), the parking brake automatically activated, and the contact did not manually set the parking brake. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The contact took the vehicle to recall repaired and adjustments needed from the previous recall . The dealer stated the recall repair could not be done because they did not have the tool to perform the repairs. When the vehicle was delivered, it was detached from the part of the third row seats.
I bought the car in 12/21/21 brand new from Hopkins Ford in Illinois drive the car just for work and school, we serviced the car and well mantained with all needed services around 1000 miles I start noticed lots of clunking noises coming out of the car right after exit the vehicle and took it to 2 diferent ford dealerships and they said was normal, which wasn't. kept driving the car I had also an issue with the panoramic roof having leaks and wasn't fixed too, around 15000 miles start noticed delay on the transmission when moving from park to reverse and also a very loud clunking noise , when moving from reverse to drive noticed de delay and and pull when the transmission engaged to drive, I use the highway around 1 time a week and noticed loose of power when accelerating so I decided to take it to the Hopkins dealership, initially they diagnose just need an update and will be ready in 5 days , they never contacted me and I call them back to ask the status because I need the SUV for my family and they gave me a Pickup TRUCK as loaner and is useless for my family, they told me it will be another 4 days, than at day 20 they said they have to replace the whole transmission , and I forced them to give me a another EXPLORER as loaner because I need that size car, I drove it and at day 29 called me and asked me for their car back and they gave me again a F150 but my car was not ready and will take another 4-5 days, magically my car was ready next day !! day 30 really? they dropped at home but with scratches in door panels and dents in the paint. they I drove the car for .3 miles and the car had the same issues , they told me to drive it for 500 miles and transmission will adapt, I drove it for 1000 miles and now the problems still and now are worse even with new transmission, vibration while driving on highway, clunking noises and lose of power , I dropped the car at the dealership already for a week and is no estimated time on repairs or how long this will take
This vehicle has a major defect and is unsafe to operate. The rear differential has only 1 rear bolt and is completely inadequate for the performance and duty of the car. It can break and cause gerat injury or death if it fails. It puts anyone operating and in the car at great risk of injury or death if the only remaining rear bolt breaks, dislogding the drive shaft and half shafts in catastrophic failure. I have had the vehicle inspected and compared to the 2020 Ex ST which has 2 rear bolts and my 2021 only has 1 rear differential bolt. This is a major defect and major safety concern. Lets not wait for someone to get injured or die. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
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The 2021 Ford Explorer has 72 Power Train complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.