2013 Ford Explorer

2013 Ford Explorer recalls (12)

• SUSPENSION:REAR

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, and inspect both rear toe link ball joints, replacing the rear wheel knuckle(s), if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S17.

• WHEELS:HUB

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Wheel Hub Bearing assemblies, part number HB5Z-1104-C, incorrectly listed as being for installation on the rear axles of 2011-2017 Ford Explorer 4X2 vehicles. These bearings assemblies were manufactured without a self retention feature, possibly resulting in the separation of the wheel or wheel end.

  Remedy: Ford will notify the distributors of the hubs specifying that they are to only be used on drive axles. It is believed that none of the hubs were purchased from Ford dealers for the incorrect application. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.

• STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S11.

• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Explorer Police Utility, Taurus, Taurus Police Interceptor, Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the fuel delivery module may crack, allowing fuel to leak.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on December 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 13S04-S1.

• STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 17, 2010, through February 28, 2012. The affected vehicles may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear, which can cause a loss of the motor position sensor signal resulting in a shut down of the power steering assist.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of motor position sensor signal when the vehicle is brought in for the recall remedy, its steering rack assembly will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2014. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 14S06.

• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY

  Ford is recalling certain model year 2012 Taurus, Lincoln MKS, and model year 2013 Explorer vehicles manufactured July 19, 2011, through March 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the fuel tanks may have a marginally sealed seam in the side of the tank. As a result, the fuel tanks may not provide the expected strength in the event of an impact. The tanks may also leak.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel tanks and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2013. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S03. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.

• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

  Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Fusion, Police Interceptor Sedan and Police Interceptor Utility vehicles; and certain model year 2013 Lincoln MKS, MKT, and MKZ vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the fuel delivery module may develop a crack, allowing fuel to leak.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S04.

• LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Ford Explorer, Taurus, and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured November 29, 2012, through December 12, 2012. In the affected vehicles, with sufficient door openings and closings, the child safety locks may change from an activated position to a deactivated position without notice.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will test the safety locks. If necessary, the locks will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Ford's recall number is 13S07. Owners may contact the Ford customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.

• SUSPENSION:REAR

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. These vehicles may be equipped with a cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) replacement part that could seize, and result in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.

  Remedy: Dealer will inspect for the presence of a CABJ. If a CABJ of any design is found, the dealer will inspect the tightness of the CABJ, and replace the CABJ, knuckle, and/or toe link as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters were mailed November 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 17, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S43.

• SUSPENSION:REAR

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Exposure to road salt can cause the cross-axis ball joint to corrode and seize, resulting in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle, and replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall numbers 16V-245, 19V-435, and 20V-675. Certain vehicles previously repaired will need to return for the new remedy. An interim notification letter notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on September 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2022. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S32.

• SUSPENSION:REAR

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin that were previously repaired under a prior recall numbers 16V-245 or 19V-435. The outboard section of a rear suspension toe link may fracture.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle attached to the rear suspension toe link and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S62.

• STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed Feburary 16, 2024. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 18, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.

2013 Ford Explorer safety ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.

2013 Ford Explorer owner complaints (15)

• STRUCTURE

  See attached document for complaint.

• STRUCTURE

  See attached document for complaint.

• STEERING

  I was driving at about 25 mph when the steering completely locked upon me going around a corner. There was no warning lamps or messages prior to it locking up. If another car would have been in the other lane I would have crashed. I would have been unable to avoid wrecking into anyone or anything that was in the way because I had zero control of my steering. There was nothing I could do to turn. It has not been inspected.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  The sync touch responsive interface for climate control fails. This failure causes the system to repeatedly respond without prompt continually causing the driver to continually attempt to disengage the system causing a significant safety hazard. The chip in the system for the effected buttons is the component that fails. There is no solution. Replacement or upgraded interfaces are not available and disconnection of the panels renders the climate control, radio/entertainment, navigation and all other systems relayed thru the touch screen completely inoperable which is unreasonable. This occurs at random while operating the vehicle with the error often occurring continuously or at very high frequency. Ford discontinued the sync touch panel control due to issues but has provided no solution for the safety hazard it has created.

• STEERING,SUSPENSION

  After getting my vehicle from the dealership my steering wheel was hard to turn , took it in and they replaced the struts (The old struts were binding). 6/7 Days later the same thing happened with the steering wheel. They had said it was a switch in the power steering and there was a safety recall and i would have to take it into a ford dealership. When i had called to make my appointment there wasn’t a recall and i called the ford company and they said the same thing.

• STRUCTURE

  The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. 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.

• STEERING

  Power steering message popped up on dash in a flash and disappeared while I was driving. Same message popped up a couple miles down (I pulled into a parking lot to check message.) Steering wheel locked and left me stranded in need of a tow truck to move car to mechanic and get home. Message pops up and disappears quickly not leaving much time to read or react.

• STEERING

  As I was backing my 2013 Ford Explorer Base model out of my garage I heard a pop and then my steering started making a grinding/dragging noise. When I pulled onto the street I noticed that my steering wheel would "stick". I went a short distance further down the road and it seemed to stop sticking. When I went around a curve towards the left, my steering stuck again and it was harder to get it to "unstick". I returned it back to my home and parked it back in the garage. I see that there is a recall for the steering on the 2013 models, but my VIN is NOT included in this recall. This is a huge safety hazard and could put me out of work, as I care for and transport autistic individuals. This vehicle and my job are my livelihood and this needs to be corrected/recall issued on all of the 2013 models since they all seem to be having similar steering issues. Vehicle has not yet been inspected. Vehicle is available for inspection on request.

• BACK OVER PREVENTION

  The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera intermittently displayed a blank image. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to the dealer due to the front axle fracturing after the vehicle struck a curb while driving in inclement weather. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

• SEAT BELTS

  The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver side seatbelt unexpectedly unlatched. The dealer was contacted; however, it was diagnosed of repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 150,000.

• STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE

  Power steering assist fault while driving with total loss of power steering. Caused difficult steering, particularly at low speed and made for a dangerous driving situation with what seemed like complete loss of steering ability. Power steering fault and lane keeping assist failure warnings lit on display at the same time. Vehicle was towed to dealership and problem was isolated to steering module/gear failure after paying for battery replacement to verify that it was not a voltage related issue. 2013 Ford Explorers manufactured through the end of February 2012 at the Chicago plant have a recall for the same issue, but this vehicle was manufactured in June 2012 and I was told it is not covered. Repair was quoted at $4500.

• STRUCTURE

  The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the driver’s side windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part required for the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the remedy parts were not yet available and were on backorder. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  The car had been parked for 30 minutes in the driveway and spontaneously caught on fire. Our lives and home were at risk of serious injury due to the fire. Firefighters and police were called to the scene and the fire was put out. There were no mechanical issues prior to this happening.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

  Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Ford Explorer. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 136,000; at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 251,393. The contact also reported the odometer fraud to the local authorities.

• STRUCTURE

  I am writing to complain about Recall 24S02. The A-Pillar Trim has become loose on my car and the rubber mold underneath it now is loose and flaps aggressively in the wind creating damage to my windshield and driver side front window. I am afraid the whole piece will come off at any moment and cause a road hazard. I have called multiple dealers in my area over the past two years and were told that the parts for this recall is on "universal backorder. One dealer told me in 2025 verbatim, I'd "...have a better chance of seeing Jesus come back than to get that part fixed." I have tried getting in touch with corporate but have had not luck either. I am not sure what to do.