2015 Ford Explorer Airbags Problems

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the wiring underneath the second-row seats had failed. The dealer spliced new pigtail connectors underneath the second-row seats and rerouted the harness underneath the seats, as per TSB Number: 16-0001. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 80,159.

NHTSA ID

11638288

Incident

Jan 4, 2025

Mileage

80,159 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rubber around the front windshield had disintegrated. There was water entering the vehicle from the front windshield. The contact added a caulk to the vehicle to stop the water leaking in on the dashboard. The engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that an unknown 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 failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA ID

11622711

Incident

Jan 1, 2016

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an auto repair shop where it was diagnosed that the rear driver-side and passenger-side air bag retractors were inoperable and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 61,480.

NHTSA ID

11620177

Incident

Sep 16, 2024

Mileage

61,480 mi

i dont understand ford explorer has same recall i have a lot of recall on these and i cant take it off everytime its a recall. i work 7 days a week. Thats the reason i try to trade it in . But i still own a lot for it. I dont know to much about the explorer i brought from the carlot.

NHTSA ID

11608675

Incident

Aug 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the air bag warning light had remained illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 80,000.

NHTSA ID

11608661

Incident

Aug 8, 2024

Mileage

80,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with faulty wiring for the second-row seat air bags. The contact was informed that the wiring needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was due to a manufacturing design flaw. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,489.

NHTSA ID

11608598

Incident

Aug 9, 2024

Mileage

109,489 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the second-row seat wiring harness had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer determined that the failure was related to Ford Campaign Number: 21B11. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 126,250.

NHTSA ID

11594902

Incident

May 5, 2024

Mileage

126,250 mi

Extensive leaking from the windshield area that is causing a significant amount of water to flood the passenger floorboard and the middle console where the screen for the radio, ac/heating control, and navigation system is. The lights on the middle console screen have become wet and are now blinking. The radio and the ac/heating screen is not allowing for any adjustments. The airbag light is now on the driver's console screen. The safety concerns due to the leaking of the windshield or the seals around the windshield would be an sudden loss of vehicle power while driving. Another safety concern is the windshield or the parts of the seals will come lose while operating the vehicle. There is also water leakage coming from the interior lights right above the middle console control panel.

NHTSA ID

11586500

Incident

Feb 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light intermittently appeared on the instrument panel while starting the vehicle. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 161,645.

NHTSA ID

11580865

Incident

Apr 3, 2023

Mileage

161,645 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when the vehicle was powered on, the Air Bag warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that wiring under the rear passenger seats needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11579916

Incident

Mar 6, 2024

Mileage

70,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the second-row driver’s and passenger's side seat belt buckle covers had detached, causing the air bag warning light to illuminate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21B11 (2nd Row Inflatable Seat Belt); however, the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ID

11550240

Incident

Oct 16, 2023

Mileage

125,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that he received notification of Customer Satisfaction Program (CSP): 21B11 (Second Row Inflatable Seat Belt); however, the part to do the repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The local dealer and two unknown dealers were contacted several times and informed the contact the part was not yet available for Customer Satisfaction Program. The dealer later informed the contact that the Customer Satisfaction Program had expired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist because the Customer Satisfaction Program had expired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

NHTSA ID

11545219

Incident

Sep 18, 2022

Mileage

45,000 mi

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the seat belt and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed and the contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harness located in the second-row seat had failed. The wiring harness was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact was informed that the seat belt wiring harness needed to be replaced; however, the parts were on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

NHTSA ID

11541831

Incident

Jul 30, 2023

Mileage

65,000 mi

The air bag system light came on. Dealer says repair requires splicing into passive restraint system wiring to repair. To me seems unacceptable as a method of repair as the passive restraint system saves lives. As a former highway patrolman for California I see what airbags do to save lives and the fact that ford refuses to help with a passive restraint system on a vehicle I just purchased seems as if they want my family endanger. And they want me to pay for a splice wire job which puts my family at a higher risk of injury or death. Ford has had vehicle for two weeks and their rectification to the issue is splice the wires se attached email from dealership

NHTSA ID

11525756

Incident

May 30, 2023

Air bag light comes on intermittently. Current mileage 62,094. Noted 21 prior complaints on your site. Brought to dealer who told me the problem was with a wire harness failure. None of the safety air bags will operate/deploy when this light is on. A faulty harness that had failed will put me and my passengers in serious jeopardy of injury or death in the event of an accident. This diagnosis cost me $149 only to find out it would cost hundreds of dollars more to have the problem fixed. Internet research reveals this problem was addressed in a 2016 technical bulletin 16-0001; Code B141B. We purchased this vehicle as a certified pre-owned vehicle after Ford issued the technical bulletin. No mention of Ford's internal bulletin was made by the dealer at the time of my purchase. Ford has been aware of this problem for years. According to the dealership technician there is no formal recall to have this manufacturing defect corrected by Ford at no cost to the purchaser of the vehicle. Didn't fully functional air bags come as part of my certified pre-owned purchase? I expect the manufacturer's safety equipment to be fully functional. Please review 2015 Explorer Owner's Manual as follows: Child Safety (pages 18-37), Safety Belts (pages 38-48) Personal Safety System (page 49) and Supplementary Restraints System (pages 50-61) with particular attention to page 49 bearing in mind that NONE of these safety features work when the air bag light is on. What good are safety features that are disabled by a manufacturing defect in the wiring harness? Ford has not only disappointed its customers, it has put them in serious jeopardy when using their product. Your rating system notes Crash, Fire, Injuries and Deaths. Do not wait for a positive notation in any of these categories before you act on safety recommendations, including a mandated recall, which is your primary tool for preventing future civil transportation accidents.

NHTSA ID

11524144

Incident

May 23, 2023

Airbag light on. Caused by fraying wires/bad connector under 2nd row passenger seat. Ford is aware of the incident and has made a solution at the owner’s expense.

NHTSA ID

11522107

Incident

May 15, 2023

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the second-row rear inflatable seat belt connector caused the air bag warning light to illuminate. The contact related the failure to TSB-21B11 (2nd Row Inflatable Seat Belt). The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the cable was re-routed under the seat and re-enforced with electrical tape; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA ID

11503994

Incident

Jan 13, 2023

Mileage

75,000 mi

Air Bag system wire harness and components continually fail resulting in inoperable airbag system. Risk of injury to driver and passengers as airbags will not deploy while SRS Error light is occuring.

NHTSA ID

11497594

Incident

Dec 15, 2022

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, she was crashed into head-on by another vehicle which sent the vehicle backward into a guardrail. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact's right shoulder hit the steering wheel and her head hit the pillar on the driver's side door. The contact sought medical treatment after the accident and received an X-ray on her right shoulder; the results showed no broken bones. The other driver was transported to the hospital by ambulance for leg pain. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and she was given a case number; she was then referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle had yet to be destroyed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 157,000.

NHTSA ID

11485923

Incident

Sep 20, 2022

Mileage

157,000 mi

My SRS air bag light came on intermittently and is now on all the time. A internet search showed many years of explorer also have this problem. It appears MANY owners are having this same safety problem and Ford is charging full price for repair. CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN AIR BAGS ARE NOT WORKING. A RECALL IS NEEDED!

NHTSA ID

11435284

Incident

Oct 3, 2021

Driver side air bag light on.

NHTSA ID

11427073

Incident

Jul 29, 2021

The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was referred to an authorized dealer. The local authorized dealer was contacted and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11417859

Incident

May 6, 2021

OUR INSTRUMENT PANEL AIRBAG LIGHT TURNED ON INTERMITTENTLY SINCE 2026. FORD WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE AN ISSUE UNTIL MARCH 27, 2021. THE WARNING LIGHT HAS REMAINED ILLUMINATED WHILE IN THE REPAIR SHOP. THEY FOUND A FAULT CODE AND IT IS ATTRIBUTED TO TSB 16-0001. WE ARE NOW RESPONSIBLE FOR AN ALMOST $1,000 REPAIR BILL ($150 DIAGNOSIS CHARGE AND $800+ REPAIR). THE REPAIR IS DUE TO FAULTY WIRING CONNECTIONS. OUR AIRBAGS ARE NOW SUPPOSEDLY INOPERABLE.

NHTSA ID

11406767

Incident

Mar 27, 2021

Mileage

65,237 mi

OUR AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO GORDIE BOUCHER FORD IN JANESVILLE WI FOR REPAIRS. THE ENTIRE AIR BAG SYSTEM WILL NOT WORK IF THIS LIGHT IS ON. FORD KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, IT IS WELL DOCUMENTED IF YOU SEARCH THE INTERNET. A COMMON PROBLEM THAT REQUIRES A WIRING HARNESS TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A FRAYED WIRE. THE COST TO REPAIR THIS IS $1200. I DID HAVE THE REPAIR DONE BECAUSE WITHOUT IT I WOULD HAVE NO WORKING AIRBAGS ON MY VEHICLE. THIS IS CLEARLY A SAFETY ISSUE THAT FORD IS AWARE OF AND SHOULD BE IMMEDIATELY RECALLED. I DID REQUEST THE OLD WIRING HARNESS IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD NEED TO HELP GET THIS SAFETY RECALL STARTED. I WOULD LIKE TO BE REIMBURSED FOR MY EXPENSES.

NHTSA ID

11403721

Incident

Mar 8, 2021

Mileage

99,720 mi

AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT ON 2015 EXPLORER CAME ON (HAS BEEN SOME TIME). TOOK TO DEALER SEVERAL YEARS AGO AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE, WOULD REQUIRE TRACING DOWN WIRING COSTING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS AND WAS NOT WORTH US DOING. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW A DEALER (FORD) CAN DISMISS THIS SAFETY ISSUE

NHTSA ID

11398755

Incident

Mar 1, 2019