Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2015 Ford Explorer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 33 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 33, in the owner's own words
ABS module has failed. Causing a number of other safety systems to be deactivated. Power steering, traction control, drive mode selection, and braking. All these lights are illuminated on dash. Independent auto repair shop verified this ABS module has failed and there is no replacement parts from Ford.
My vehicle has been shaking and clunking for years now, and my dealership has denied me service for two years on account of them not being able to recieve parts
After dealer-performed repair to the ABS braking system, the vehicle was returned with a malfunctioning ABS control module and a loose brake line near the ABS unit. An independent licensed repair facility confirmed that the ABS control module was never programmed with required vehicle configuration data and would not accept programming attempts. The module is internally corrupted and requires replacement. The loose brake line was tightened by the independent shop. Multiple ABS and communication fault codes were present, and warning lights remained illuminated. The braking system was compromised and the vehicle was not safe to operate due to risk of brake failure and loss of ABS function. The condition was confirmed by an independent service center.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost automotive power, with the ABS, traction control, and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the ABS control module was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 158,443.
1-emergency brake will no longer engage, alert continues to sound while driving even though it’s not working. Took it to a mechanic and he was unable to diagnose exactly where in the emergency brake system the issue is.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS and several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while out of town. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed ABS module. The contact was informed that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the ABS module was on back order. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
The contact’s brother owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was being driven by the owner, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The parking brake was used to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The contact stated that an independent mechanic unofficially diagnosed the vehicle powertrain failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,400.
Sudden Unintended Acceleration of the vehicle when slowing to park vehicle. This has happened on 2 occasions- both scenarios the same: slowing and turning left into a parking space, foot on the brake, almost to a complete stop and the vehicle suddenly accelerates out of control. the 1st time into a tree, the 2nd time into a parked/unoccupied vehicle. The brake was applied w/o response, the vehicle would not stop. I am certain my foot was not on the gas. Fortunate no one was injured.
Warning lights that the ABS system was not functioning. Said to see dealer. Dealer said ABS module bad and had to be replaced. Told me could affect my ability to stop without new module could be a safety concern. Told me there is a back log of orders for module and could not give me a date when parts could come in. Said it could be months which leads me to believe many vehicles have this issue. Big concern to me. In addition, the rear back up camera does not always work which I believe is a real safety concern and know many year explorer cameras have malfunctioned and have been recalled. This year explorer should be recalled also. They have many fixes listed on youtube that identify various fixes various engineering issues, For safety of people (especially children) sake, this should be recalled in my opinion.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 20V675000 (Suspension) and 21V537000 (Suspension) however, after the repairs, the vehicle started experiencing suspension and alignment failures. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle seemed misaligned and was pulling to the right and to the left. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle shuddered significantly while depressing the brake pedal. The contact also stated that the vehicle was hesitant while depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that while on a road trip, the floorboard of the vehicle was hot, which caused her to pull to the side of the road until the vehicle had cooled down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times. The dealer replaced the front brake calipers, rotors and pads, the rear brake rotors, the rack and pinion, the sway bar link, and bushings, the four tires, and performed an alignment several times; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to a second dealer for assistance. The second dealer, Ray Pearman Lincoln (2501 Bob Wallace Ave SW, Huntsville, AL 35805) determined that the recall repairs needed to be performed a second time, and a new set of knuckles needed to be installed. The manufacturer was informed of the second dealer's assessment and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
I was driving my explorer in the snow and had put it in 4 wheel snow mode..as I was driving down a hill and began braking to make a turn the car slid a little bit and I thought nothing of it. I parked and drove again in snow mode a few miles and noticed that after I put the car back into regular drive the brake pedal seemed harder than usual. I parked, waited a minute, turned my car back on, touched the brake pedal and it seemed ok or better. A few hours later, I leave work and brakes seem harder than usual again. I had not put it in snow mode nor were any warning lights on. I only make it a mile or so when I find myself in the left lane of a highway attempting to drive up hill and my car barely goes 20mph. Something is seriously wrong at this point, with my 4 way flashers on, I had to navigate heavy rush hour traffic on a highway until I could find a safe place to pull off. Still no warning lights. I call my mechanic and he advised me to have it towed to his garage, Meineke. He is able to look at it the next day and finds the brakes are locked up and possibly something wrong with the 4 wheel drive. He's unable to determine for sure what is wrong and I have it towed again to the Ford Dealership. Ford Dealership has it for a few days and they had a tough time determining what was wrong. They checked codes and because no warning lights were on they didn't have much to go on. They determined it wasn't my 4 wheel drive but that it was my ABS module. They replaced it and flushed the fluid (which I was told was not the problem, it showed no signs of being compromised). They also replaced brakes rotors and calipers in the rear which I believe we're damaged in the ordeal. I do believe my safety and the safety of others was at risk. I should have seen a warning light to let me know something was wrong before I was on a highway.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to engage the parking brake, the parking brake failed to respond. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and the parking brake assembly was replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V464000 (Parking Brake) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included. The approximate failure mileage was 82,900.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while shifting to park(P), the message that the transmission was not in park(P) was displayed. The contact stated she shifted back to drive and then to park until the shift selector recognized that the vehicle was in park. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the shifter assembly replaced. The vehicle was repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V464000 (Parking Brake) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 46,382.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and turning into a parking lot, the steering wheel inadvertently seized. The warning message "Steering Malfunction, Serviced Needed" appeared on the instrument panel. The contact stated that she turned off and restarted the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The contact was able to pull into a parking space with assistance. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced, and that the failure was a manufacturer’s defect. The contact stated that the vehicle was not repaired and was towed back to her residence. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they could not assist because there was no open recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Driving at interstate speeds I lost total ABS, Traction Control, and Stability Control systems. Putting the lives of my entire family at risk. Also catylatic converts have gone bad
WIFE DROVE TO GROCERY STORE PARKED WENT IN STORE CAME OUT TO TRUCK STARTED IT PUT IN REVERSE IN THERE WAS NO POWER STEERING. TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT IS O ABS LIGHT IS ON AND BRAKE LIGHT IS ALSO ON . VEHICLE IS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. LOOKED UP THE PROBLEM ON INTERNET AND LOTS OF SAME PROBLEMS WITH THIS.
EMERGENCY BRAKE IS NO LONGER ENGAGING. YOU CAN PUSH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE DOWN, THERE IS TENSION, BUT IT WONT LOCK IN PLACE.
I HAVE READ THAT THERE WERE RECALLS REGARDING PARKING BRAKES HOWEVER MY SPECIFIC MODEL 2015 BASIC MODEL EXPLORER WAS NOT ON THE LIST BUT MY PARKING BRAKES GAVE OUT AS I TRIED TO BACK OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY. THE BRAKE HANDLE POPPED UP AND I WAS UNABLE TO USE IT EVER SINCE AND I CANNOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITHOUT THE ALARMS GOING OFF WHICH INTERFERES WITH MY HEARING AIDS. TOOK IT TO DEALERSHIP AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT I NEEDED A BRAND NEW REPLACEMENT KIT, A COST OVER $700.
MY PARKING BRAKE WONT ENGAGE. APPEARED AT 57K MILES. APPARENTLY THERE WAS A RECALL BUT NOT ON MY VEHICLE SPECIFICALLY.
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. IS NOOTGOOD
HOOD HAVE DETAIL RETAINING DENTS. WHEN I BACK UP SWELLING SOUNDS
WAS DRIVING AND THE STEER WELL BECAME LOCK COULDN'T TURN THE WHEEL, TRIED TO PUMP THE BRAKES AND THEY DIDN'T CATCH. END UP DRIVING RIGHT INTO A POLE AND THE AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY WITH EVERYONE HITTING THEIR HEADS AND KIDS GETTING CONCUSSIONS.
HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE KIDS INTO TOWN FOR EARLY PRACTICE. AFTER ALMOST A 45 MINUTE DRIVE WHEN HE GOT BACK THE DRIVERS REAR BRAKE WAS GLOWING RED AND SMELLED LIKE IT WAS BURNING. THIS COULD OF CAUSED A FIRE IF HE DROVE IT LONGER.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 FORD EXPLORER. WHEN THE VEHICLE'S GEAR SHIFTER WAS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, IT FAILED TO DISPLAY 'PARK' ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO LEIF JOHNSON FORD (501 E KOENIG LANE, AUSTIN, TX 78751), BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V464000 (PARKING BRAKE). NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5,000.
5/27/2016, WE UNKNOWINGLY PURCHASED OUR 2015 FORD EXPLORER. SINCE THEN WE HAVE EXPERIENCED A NUMBER OF ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE FIRST MAJOR ISSUE IS EXHAUST FUMES, GASES ENTERING INTO THE CABIN OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING AND UPON ACCELERATION. SECOND, 8/25/17, THIS VEHICLE LOST ALL OF ITS FUNCTIONS (BRAKES,STEERING) WHILE I WAS OPERATING THE VEHICLE ON A BUSY STREET WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. I HAVE MADE THE DECISION THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO OPERATE AND IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. I HAVE STOPPED PUTTING MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT IS MAKING US ILL AND I AM SCARED. WE HAVE EXPERIENCED HEADACHES, NAUSEA, LETHARGY, NOSE BLEEDS, STOMACH ISSUES FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME. WE HAVE BEEN ILL MORE OFTEN THAN NOT. I FEEL THIS VEHICLE IS SILENTLY AND SLOWLY HURTING US. I AM SO FRIGHTENED OF WHAT IT HAS DONE TO US LONG TERM. IT'S ON A DAILY BASIS THAT WE EXPERIENCE THE STRONG FOUL ODOR AND SMELLS OF EXHAUST FUMES AND GASES ENTERING INTO THE CABIN. I CANNOT SAY ENOUGH HOW BADLY IT SMELLS OF EXHAUST. I DO NOT USE THE A/C OR HEATER BECAUSE I AM SO FEARFUL OF WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO MYSELF OR MY FAMILY WITH THE WINDOWS CLOSED. THIS IS ON A DAILY BASIS. 8/28/17, I CONTACTED FORD. I SPOKE WITH A REPRESENTATIVE IN CUSTOMER RELATIONS ABOUT EVERYTHING WE WERE EXPERIENCING WITH THE VEHICLE. THEN WAS TRANSFERRED TO A MANAGER WHO TOOK MY VIN# WHILE MAKING NOTATIONS. IN RETURN I WAS GIVEN A CLAIM # AND TOLD SHE COULD NOT PROVIDE ME WITH ANY INFORMATION ABOUT MY VEHICLE ONLY THAT THERE WAS AN INVESTIGATION BEING CONDUCTED AND, SHE WAS SORRY. TWO MONTHS LATER, I HAVE YET TO RECEIVE ANY INFORMATION FROM FORD. SADLY, I'VE HAD TO RESEARCH ON MY OWN AND FOUND ONLY A SERVICE BULLETIN, TSB 14-0130. AS A CONSUMER I AM RUNNING OUT OF OPTIONS. THE VEHICLE ITSELF IS PROOF. THE NEXT STEP SHOULD BE A RECALL, NOT ME HAVING TO OBTAIN AN ATTORNEY.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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