2019 Ford Explorer: What to check before buying

Exterior trim around the windshield loosens, buzzes or whistles at speed, and in many reports tears off on the highway. Most filings tie this to recall 24V031000 for the A-pillar trim. The main complaint is that recall parts stay unavailable for a year or more while the trim keeps failing. Some pieces, such as the B-pillar trim, fall outside the recall, and owners pay for them. Other reports cover a detached roof rack rail, a broken door keypad panel, and a power liftgate that dropped onto a person and caused an injury.

Torque converter and transmission failures dominate. The car shudders on acceleration, vibrates when shifted into Drive or Reverse, shifts hard, or slips between second and third gear. Several reports describe sudden power loss at highway speed. The engine revs, but the car cannot go faster than 20 to 30 mph. Often no warning light comes on, or only the wrench light. Failures cluster around 80,000 to 84,000 miles. Some torque converters fail again after replacement, and quoted repairs run from $4,000 to over $9,400.

Exhaust or burning smells inside the cabin are the most repeated complaint, usually under hard acceleration. Dealers often cannot find or fix the leak, and some drivers report drowsiness. Other reports describe engines that fail outright or shut off at highway speed, then crank without restarting. An internal water pump can leak coolant into the engine and lead to a costly engine replacement. A loud rattle at startup with the check engine light on also appears.

Water pump failure is the recurring problem. Symptoms include an antifreeze smell in the cabin, overheating warnings, coolant on the driveway, and loss of power followed by a stall at highway speed. In some cases coolant reaches the engine, and the engine must be replaced. Water pump failure is reported around 70,000 miles. Other reports describe sputtering and stalling at 75 mph with no restart, and white exhaust smoke from failed superchargers linked to recall 24V635000.

Horn complaints lead. The horn goes silent with no warning light, in reports between 45,600 and 74,000 miles, and many owners find the factory single horn too quiet to be heard. The Sync 3 touchscreen freezes, goes blank, gets stuck on the reverse camera view, and drops Bluetooth. Out of warranty, it is an expensive repair. Other reports describe a black backup camera and a burning odor traced to the rear wiring harness, a charging-system warning in hot weather, a swollen battery, and the engine cranking but not starting.

Sudden loss of steering control is the main risk. Reports include a steering wheel that seized at low speed and caused a crash with 2 injuries. In others, a front control arm broke during a slow turn and left the wheel uncontrollable, and the rear end jerked sideways at interstate speed. Other filings cover a loose horn cover over the driver air bag, a dead horn, and a fuel leak from factory fuel lines that were not attached properly.

Fuel delivery failures cause stalls and no-starts. The engine sputters and dies on the highway or will not start in a parking lot, often after long drives in hot weather. It may start again after a wait. Reports point to the fuel pump and the fuel pump driver module, and the module has failed again after replacement. Fuel pump failures appear around 45,015 to 53,000 miles. Police-use versions also report early catalytic converter failure with code P0430. Campaign 22M06 covers it, but dealers do not always mention it.

Rear toe link failures are the main pattern. A loose link rattles at the rear wheel on rough roads, and a broken link can make the rear end fishtail at highway speed. Owners note that a toe link recall covering earlier Explorers does not include this year. Other reports describe a front ball joint separating while driving straight, pulling the car into oncoming traffic. Owners also report early wear on the inside edges of the tires that continues after parts replacement and alignment.

The windshield seal and surrounding trim wear out. Owners describe a crumbling gasket, a whistling windshield that has started to separate from the body, and a trim piece that flew off at 45 mph. These failures appear around 40,000 to 50,000 miles, and dealers say no recall covers them. A separate report describes power side mirrors that stop tilting left and right because of a failed door switch.