2014 Ford Explorer
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 1,678 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 26 Explorer model years with reports.
Of the 2014 reports, 32 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 38 people were injured and 2 people died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Structure, body, roof and pillarsJan 19, 2024
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.
A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
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. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.
Campaign 24V031000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearJul 15, 2021
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.
A rear toe-link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 21V537000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearMar 12, 2021
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.
A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 20V675000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftNov 10, 2020
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Explorer, 2014-2015 Taurus and 2014 Edge vehicles equipped with 2.0L or 2.3L engines and front wheel drive. The support bracket for the front drive axle halfshaft may fail.
The failed bracket could result in a loss of park function which can cause unintended vehicle movement, and loss of motive power while driving which increases the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the link shaft bracket, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners received an interim notification detailing safety risk December 8, 2020. A second letter will be mailed when parts become available in January 2021. The recall began February 2, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S63.
Campaign 20V692000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearJun 10, 2019
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.
A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 19V435000 on NHTSA.gov
Wheels, hubAug 28, 2017
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.
A loss of the wheel or wheel end can increase the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 17E048000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearApr 26, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured January 17, 2014 to May 31, 2014. The affected vehicles may have improperly welded rear suspension toe links that may fracture.
A fracture of the rear suspension toe link may result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S18.
Campaign 16V245000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
1,678 reports, newest first.
Visibility, Structure, Sep 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the passenger’s side windshield trim molding detached from the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed however, the contact was informed that the adhesive used to secure the molding had melted. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to file a complaint. The failure mileage was 110,660.
Steering, Sep 27, 2022
Loss of steering in my 2014 Ford Explorer. Traction light’s and “Steering Loss” came on warning me to “Stop Safely”
Steering, Sep 26, 2022
I was driving home from dropping my kids off at school. I was on a main road and I lost the power steering on my vehicle while I was driving, I had to turn off the road a make a few more turns to get home. When the power steering went out a light went on saying my ETS and warning my PAS was out. I did not get this warning PRIOR to losing power steering. The warning came after I had lost power. My car had to be towed to the Ford dealer in town. They informed me I needed a steering rack due to PSCM failure but they were unable to find the part and had no idea when they could fix it. I contacted a dealer 2 hours away and and was told they could get it in 1-2 weeks. I had to tow the car to them. It then sat in their lot from May 27th to August 31, 2022, waiting to get the part in. Final repair bill was $2300, on top of the towing charges and the first dealer charges to “ diagnose”. The car had 77,000 miles and is a 2014 Ford Explorer. The safety issue is my greatest concern, losing power steering with no warning, while on a busy road you need to turn off of, could have easily caused a major accident. To find out this is a known problem with Ford Explorers and nothing has been done to fix the issue across the model years affected is beyond concerning. And the fact that it took 3 months to even get the part in to fix the vehicle. And the numerous other people who have had the same issue, tells me this is something that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later, before someone is gravely injured.
Back over prevention, Sep 25, 2022
The back up camera does not always work. You may want to back up and find the camera does not work. Makes the process difficult and dangerous. Other times it might start as you back up then all of a sudden it stops working. Providing a in motion safety issue. Then there times it just doesn’t work. When the driver is use to use in it makes the driver uncomfortable and dangerous.
Steering, Sep 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the steering wheel became firm and required excessive force to steer the vehicle. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who informed her of an existing recall for the steering wheel. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure and the dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact then stated that on another occasion while driving out of her driveway, the steering wheel became firm and she was unable to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the vehicle was inoperable. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000.
Steering, Sep 19, 2022
Car has been hard when turning since last year.also, on highway while traveling at 55mph car drifting from side to side.
Steering, Sep 18, 2022
Clicking noise from inside steering gear.
Steering, Electrical system, Sep 14, 2022
The power steering went out and it was discovered the steering rack and pinion need replaced. This is available for inspection upon request. It is unknown when this can be fixed so I am without a car until then. Upon research this is a common problem for this year and model of car. There was no warning messages, I just all of a sudden did not have power steering and was not able to steer my vehicle.
Steering, Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Sep 14, 2022
Electric Power Steering locked up. Almost killed me my fiance. And my 2 kids.
Engine and engine cooling, Sep 13, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH and other speeds, the vehicle overheated. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the hood was extremely hot to the touch. There was also an odor of antifreeze and gasoline coming from under the hood. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.
Steering, Sep 13, 2022
Steering went completely out in a curve while my wife was driving. She had to manually steer the wheel to keep from wrecking, and it was very hard for her to turn. This isn’t the first issue I’ve had with the steering, but I’ve researched and other years of explorer with the same issue have recalls but not the 2014s. It’s VERY dangerous for my 110lb wife with our 4 children to drive a vehicle who’s steering may go out at any moment. There were never any dash lights to indicate any problems. I will be getting it serviced soon. Please put out a recall on the 2014s before the steering goes out and ends up killing someone.
Steering, Sep 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the steering wheel seized. A message indicating a steering rack failure was displayed. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road. The contact stated upon turning off and restarting the vehicle, the steering wheel operated as needed; however, the failure reoccurred several times while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the vehicle was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Sep 6, 2022
Power steering stopped working while my family and I were an hour from home. Dash warning said Power Steering Fault Stop Safely. Drove home with no power steering and parked it. Have not driven it since. Started the vehicle multiple times, inspected all fuses and breakers, all intact. All research points towards a fault in the Electric assisted power steering.
Steering, Sep 6, 2022
I was driving home on the Bonne Carre Spillway Bridge from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and the warning lights came on while my car started swerving. Needless to say, I was Terrified when the warning message on my dashboard said, "Steering fault Service now" and both swervy line warning lamps under the directional panel on the dashboard came on. I had no steering power and had to drive 45 mph all the way to Baton Rouge on I-10 almost getting run over by 18 wheelers and other vehicles. I have 163,303 miles on the truck. Thank God for the Hollingsworth Ford Dealership employees (Lori) who were able to take my vehicle that same day. They had to tow it into the work bay, because the system completely froze up on them the following day. There is already a 2014 - 2017 Ford Explorer recall for Northeastern states, but Louisiana should be included also as we have a lot of flooding which can be worse than snow and ice nowadays. I have had to rent a vehicle for a month now and do not have anymore money to rent. I am over 50 years old so you can imagine how my body will be worn out if I have to take a bus to work. I know my truck was probably made in the same plant as the other 22 states vehicles who are included in the recall. I should NOT have to pay for these repairs!!! Please Help Me get Fair treatment as a 2017 Ford Explorer owner. I Appreciate your help.
Steering, Sep 2, 2022
Steering started grinding and has slight resistance when turning left when trying to pull the wheel back to straight. Upon taking it to my repair shop, they have found that the electric steering rack & pinion component needs to be replaced. When they contacted Ford for this part, it's on national backorder with no ETA. There were no warnings to this happening, no lights, no other issues, this just started out of the blue. Obviously with the part being on national backorder, this is happening with more than just my vehicle and yet Ford is not issuing a recall. How long can I drive this for waiting on the recall? I don't have another vehicle to use to get to/from work.
Steering, Aug 31, 2022
- Power steering failed - My safety as well as the safety of my children - Research shows that many people have had the same incident, some have been in accidents others have not. Luckily I was able to drift off to the shoulder of the road without an accident. There were no cars around me at the time. - Waiting on Ford Dealership to call me back - Once my power steering failed there was a warning light stating that it failed and I needed to pull over safely. This happened after my power steering failed not before.
Power train, Aug 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while at a stop light, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle would not properly accelerate. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the transmission was slipping. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and a case was filed. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 96,000.
Steering, Aug 29, 2022
Vehicle lost all power steering, traction control, and AdvanceTrac features due to electronic steering gear failure(ASE certified diagnosis). Very dangerous, and costly problem for a vehicle with only 100k miles.
Steering, Aug 28, 2022
While driving down freeway at 65 mph, noticed on curves, steering was becoming "glitchy." Upon getting off freeway, noticed warning light for Loss of Accutrac warning came up on the message center. Turned engine off and looked under hood to see if there were any visible problems, no visible problems. I proceeded to turn ignition back on and red warning came up loss of power steering. I was able to drive vehicle to safe place, however with no power steering. 2014 ford explorer was then towed to dealership for repair/service. Contacted by dealership that the rack and pinion (electronic power steering) needed to be replaced and reprogrammed, not under warranty and cost would be $3200.00. It has been a month with no repair and part still on factory back order. Apparently 2014 is not under the recall for previous and post years (not sure why). Mileage on vehicle is 49500. My opinion is that Ford should cover this under recall, serious safety issue with vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Back over prevention, Aug 26, 2022
Rear back up camera only works intermittently.
Steering, Aug 22, 2022
The contact's sister owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his sister was driving 75 MPH, the power steering assist fault warning message appeared on the instrument panel. The steering wheel became firm and his sister was unable to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was initially towed to a hotel; the next day, the contact drove to his sister's location and towed the vehicle back to her residence. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer where he was given an estimate for the repair and was informed that the part for repair was on backorder. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where it remained in their possession. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Steering, Aug 22, 2022
Steering has become stiff and unable to turn wheel. Have recall for toe link scheduled, but Ford says if steering is that tough than it’s not just the toe link causing issue.
Wheels, Aug 21, 2022
Lug nuts need to be replaced due to swelling per Ford dealership
Steering, Aug 21, 2022
Electric power steering failing while driving. Loss of power steering assist cause vehicle to become hard to steer at speed, no warning lights. Took to mechanic who reproduced the problem but said they could not do anything and it had to go to the dealer for repair.
Steering, Aug 20, 2022
While turning into a parking lot the steering wheel locks up and almost impossible to control the steering. This will cause me to have a wreck. It will reset when the vehicle is cut off and back on. Ford had a recall on the 2013 models for this reason because it locks up the steering wheel it is a dangerous thing. I need help I read there is alot of people with this issue with their 2014 explorers around the same millage. There needs to be a recall on this