2022 Ford Explorer Suspension Problems

Driving home from work at intersection of XXX and [XXX] after stopping at signal light heard loud knocking sound. Stop check tires and could find anything wrong visually. Drove off and vehicle making clunking noise from rear. Drove home parked vehicle. Called warranty agency Fidelity and had vehicle towed to Planet Ford I-45. XXX Fidelity denied claim state the rear differential mounting bushing failure caused by workmanship performed in previous recall repair 23S55/22S27. 5/1/26 Planet Ford submit claim to SSSC 5/8 SSSC claim denied. 5/12/26 Called Ford Customer Care - Case# XXX as of 6/12/ 26 pursuant to 49 USC Chapter 301 the persistent recall issue has not been repaired. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11743762

Incident

Apr 3, 2026

With less than 33,000 miles, started to experience noise, like something was loose coming from the right rear when going over bumps. This is intermittent. Took to mechanic and there is leaking coming from the shocks. same issue as stated in NHTSA complaint ID11544167. There is also a General Accounting Bulletins acknowledging this issue.

NHTSA ID

11726734

Incident

Feb 2, 2026

While traveling on I-26 east near North Carolina MM 51 in the left lane, the vehicle suddenly pulled uncontrollably to the left resulting in a sideswipe of the guardrail. The vehicle then swerved to the right stopping near the center of the interstate. My wife was able to move the vehicle to the right shoulder under its own power. The right front tire/wheel was laying almost flat attached to the vehicle only by the brake line. The entire wheel assembly was detached from the steering/suspension system. The vehicle was towed to a local collision center and inspected by my insurance adjuster. The vehicle was determined a total loss. There were no injuries or other vehicles involved. The NC Highway Patrol responded but did not complete an accident report.

NHTSA ID

11715098

Incident

Jan 21, 2026

2022 Ford Explorer Limited issues: 49K miles, when putting the vehicle in reverse and press gas it does not engage, it rolls and takes a few seconds before it engages. Powertrain Failure/Malfunction causes vehicle to bog down, low power, and vibration in rear. Once you turn vehicle off the error goes away only to come up again around 75 mph. Vibration also occurs at 30-40 mph and again at 60-70 mph, rear captains seats shake and passenger can feel in front seat. Dealer is aware, this is the 3rd time in 1 month it’s done this.

NHTSA ID

11664232

Incident

Jun 1, 2025

A bolt sheared off of the wheel assembly and got stuck between the rotor and break pad causing damage to rotor and break pad. This has since been repaired by the dealership, I am not aware if it was inspected by the manufacturer. I have pictures of the damage from the dealership. No warning lamps or messages prior to the failure. It was in the dealership 900 miles (3 weeks earlier) for an oil change and tire rotation.

NHTSA ID

11633053

Incident

Nov 24, 2024

Front suspension makes rattling noise when driving under 20 mi/hr on bumpy roads . Especially noticed in cold temperatures. Dealership replaced sway bar link that has not fixed the Problem. Also power training light flashed multiple times

NHTSA ID

11569718

Incident

Feb 3, 2024

AT MY 10,000 MILE SERVICE, ON JUNE 08, 2023, I WAS TOLD THAT THE REAR SHOCKS WERE LEAKING. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY THE FORD DEALERSHIP THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED BUT WERE ON BACK ORDER DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF SHOCKS THAT HAVE FAILED ON THIS MODEL VEHICLE. IT IS NOW SEPTEMBER 12, 2023 AND THE SHOCKS ARE STILL ON BACK ORDER AND I NOW HAVE 14,500 MI ON THE VEHICLE. OVER 3 MONTHS AND ADDITIONAL 4,500 MILES ON DEFECTIVE SHOCKS THAT ARE STILL ON BACK ORDER SEEMS LIKE A SAFETY ISSUE TO ME.

NHTSA ID

11544167

Incident

Jun 8, 2023

Rear tires when striking a pot hole create a loud noise in the rear of the vehicle on the side the tire strikes the pothole. Ford took me on a test drive on a brand new explorer hybrid with 26 miles on it and related it makes the same noise and at this time there is no fix in place.

NHTSA ID

11504645

Incident

Jan 31, 2023

I have not had an incident but i was told by a Ford dealership that a recall would be applicable to my 2022 Ford Explorer ST-Line, 2.3L engine. The dealer stated that the rear suspension cross member only has one bolt. Ford put out notification to all dealers several months ago that that one bolt may fracture possibly causing the vehicle to not stay stopped while in Park. A fix was to have been provided to dealers in June. I have not received any recall notification as of this date, 31 Aug. Please research this to see if my vehicle is indeed affected by this issue. Thank you.

NHTSA ID

11482246

Incident

Aug 31, 2022

This is my second submission. I will continue to submit to attempt to have NHTSA find out why FORD will only offer a software tweak to fix a very dangerous physical issue with all 20-22 Ford Explorers. Ford provided Advance Notice 22S27 to dealers dated 4/19/22 advising them to STOP delivery of any in stock Explorer due to a possible bolt fracture on the rear subframe which if cracked will disable the vehicle. Their "fix" is a software update that will reduce power to avoid acceleration which will put stress on the bolt. Ford decided to remove the second bolt from all the Explorers which subsequently will put stress on the one bolt they left intact. Ford needs to recall and put that bolt back on the subframe as the vehicle was originally designed to have. Please, please address this issue with Ford to make them fix the physical issue!

NHTSA ID

11461908

Incident

Apr 19, 2022

Ford released a bulletin - 22S27- to all dealers to immediately stop demo/delivery for all new Explorers in stock as of 4/19/22. At issue is a possibility of a fractured bolt that causes the differential to separate and cause "severe vibration" rendering the vehicle disabled. No fix was mentioned other than a software update possibly by the end of June 22 (2d qtr). This is serious if dealers are told to stop delivery! I just got mine in the beginning of April. Ford needs to step up and address this to ALL owners and not just dealers. It appears that Ford is waiting for failure of the parts before allowing any repairs. So far, only software is mentioned which supposedly throttles the engine to avoid putting stress on the rear end. This of course does NOT address the physical issue with a fractured bolt. Apparently, Ford redesigned the differential to use only one bolt vs two they had used earlier. Please pursue this as soon as possible with Ford to make them put out an emergency recall to resolve this very serious defect in manufacturing. Normally, recalls are for something that can be addressed eventually based on reported issues. However, there have not been that many incidents. For Ford to issue this notice to dealers indicates the seriousness or expected seriousnes. Thank you for your attention!

NHTSA ID

11461576

Incident

Apr 20, 2022