535 complaints reported

2017 Ford Explorer Structure

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
535
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Feb 2023

I've had both passenger and driver side Windshield A-Pillar Molding rip off while driving on highway which thankfully no one was behind me but could have causes serious damage if it hit another vehicle going 70 mph. Both of these have failed to stay intact/ place

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Feb 2023

I bought the 2017 Ford Explorer on 8/29/2020. The next month I drove to Nags Head, N.C. from Nashville, Tn. Sometime within an hour of arrival, the a piece of trim on the passenger side panel between the doors fell off while going over the bridges. We never saw it and did not know where it landed. I ordered a replacement from Ford Parts to replace it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: May 2020
Feb 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that she discovered that the side panel trim for the front passenger’s side window was missing from her vehicle upon exiting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they diagnosed that the adhesive had deteriorated causing the panel to detach from the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact stated that she had read an article regarding the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Feb 2023

The driver side windshield panel thing flew off while I was driving.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Feb 2023
Jan 2023

At the end of December 2022, my entire right side of my windshield trim piece flew off on the highway. In addition, my right side passenger applique has come off twice on the highway since summer of 2021. The second one was a replacement and it only lasted less than a year before flying off while on the highway again in the fall of 2022. Pictures attached show the windshield piece completely cracked and flew off taking the seal with it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2022
Jan 2023

Windshield trim panel flew off my car while traveling at highway speeds. I was traveling on the highway when suddenly the trim and seal under the trim flew off my car and got caught on my side mirror. I was in the middle of a trip nowhere near a ford dealer and had to tape up my car so that it was protected from the elements. I had to pay hundreds of dollars to fix this problem on my own.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2020
Jan 2023

Driving from Lubbock Texas home to Carlsbad New Mexico on January 18. Very windy out. At approximately 6:00 pm my wife and I heard a noise like something light hit our windshield. It was dark when we got home and we went to bed. Got up to go to the office in the am and same the drivers side A pillar windshield trim piece missing. Saw that there was a recall for this issued in Dec 2022. Went to the Ford Dealer and they said this vehicle was not in the recall list. Why?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Jan 2023

The right side trim piece on the windshield came off while driving and was dangerous for me and my passenger. The whole side is exposed and will most likely leak. The rubber gasket tore after the trim piece came off and was hitting the side window.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Jan 2023

Outer windshield guide/protector cracked in half and parts flew off while driving on highway around 60MPH.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2023
Jan 2023

The drivers side windshield trim molding A-pillar flew off of my 2017 Explorer on the highway, hitting my rear view mirror and startling me causing me to veer. The Ford dealer body shop has ordered a new one at $547 for the part, but it still has not come in I ordered both sides as the passenger side is very loose. They are sharp and present danger of injury and/or property damage when they fly off. I saw on-line that this is a common problem for this model. The consumer stated that the repair was completed, however promptly after the repair work, the same piece broke off again. The vehicle was returned to the dealer where they reinstalled the piece and added urethane.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2023
Jan 2023

The cowl needs to be repaired. It makes an annoying buzzing sound inside of the car on the dashboard. It distracts the drive and the driver, I can't go over 40mph. I did my research and put masking type over it and it stopped the noise. I've only had the vehicle since 2019

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Jan 2023

Left windshield trim suddenly detached while driving on freeway, which presents the risk of flying debris striking other cars; since I was in the left lane during the incident in the middle of Nebraska and it landed in the median, no others were known to be struck. Since the problem was a known issue within a Ford Explorer owner's group on Facebook, I simply ordered a replacement part soon after it happened and did not notify anybody. However, keep in mind that since I had a windshield crack and it was replaced with a new trim panel in December 2022, the replacement part is not available anymore as well.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jun 2021
Jan 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side front door trim panel detached. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced the driver's side front door trim panel. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Action Number: PE23001 (Structure). The failure mileage was approximately 58,800.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Dec 2022

The side pillars on both the driver side and front passenger side became loose. There was a definite rattle sound inside the car. Thankfully I noticed it before they flew off and hit another person/car on the highway. This could have led to multiple injuries. When I brought the car back to the dealership they mentioned that this has happened to other cars. Perhaps there needs to be a recall. This only compounds the situation I had in April of 2022. While driving on a highway I suddenly had a rattle in the front window. I discovered that the moulding had rotted and the window was separating. When replaced by the dealership, they told me that they have dealt with this problem numerous times. Is it time to recall and have Ford pay back these expenses?

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2022
Dec 2022

I WAS DRIVING ON I95 ON FRIDAY AND THE DRIVER LEFT SIDE WINSHIELD OUTER PILLAR OUTER TRIM MOLDING FLEW OFF IN THE WIND VERY HARD. ON SATURDAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE BELTWAY WHEN THE PASSENGER SIDE RIGHT SIDE WINDSHIELD OUTER PILLAR OUTER TRIM MOLDING FEW OFF I WAS SO SCARED BECAUSE I DONT KNOW IF HIT THE WINDSHILED OF THE CAR BEHIND ME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. NOW BOTH ARE GONE.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Dec 2022
Dec 2022

I purchased 2 2017 ford explorers and they both developed the same problem . The plastic windshield pillar facia trim breaks off at highway speed. Not only is this a dangerous distraction to the driver, the part flying off at 65 mph becomes a projectile that is a hazard to vehicles following behind. Based on forums, you tube videos, and the availability of aftermarket replacement trim, this would appear to be a wide scale problem.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2022
Dec 2022

While driving on the highway the driver side windshield flew off the car into the roadway.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Dec 2022

- The weather stripping around my front windshield failed and caused the molding around the windshield to also fail. - This failure occurred while driving at highway speeds. The flying debris alarmed me and could have obstructed my view. It could also have hit another vehicle and caused an accident. - There are instances online of this happening to Ford Explorers. Unknown if it has been inspected by dealers. - My vehicle has not yet been inspected for this defect. - There were no warning lamps or messages/symptoms before this failure. It first appeared on 12/1/2022. My vehicle is a 2017 and at 56000 miles.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2022
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the keyless entry outside the front driver’s side door popped off without warning. The contact also stated that the rear tailgate latch failed to operate. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the wiring of the keyless entry was repaired also repaired the rear tailgate latch. Additionally, the contacts stated that the roof rail cover started to detach from the sunroof, and water leaked through the sunroof. The contact then received notification of the NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V316000 (Structure). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed to call the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 119,000

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Oct 2022
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 80 MPH, the windshield trim detached from the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and had the trim replaced out of pocket. The contact then stated that both the driver’s and passenger’s side pillar trims had started to detach and was temporarily sealed with tape. The dealer was notified of the failure and provided an estimate for the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jan 2021
Nov 2022

Windshield Molding broke off while driving on road. Causing the vehicle behind me to swerve off the road. Damages were done to the other vehicles windshield.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Nov 2022
Oct 2022

WINDSHIELD TRIM LOOSENED AND DETACHES WHILE DRIVING. CAN CREATE A ROAD HAZARD FOR OTHERS, INCREASING RISK OF AN ACCIDENT. HAVE SEEN IN COUNTLESS OTHER EXPLORERS WITH SAME PROBLEM! THIS IS A MAJOR HAZARD!!!!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Sep 2022
Sep 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was outside in the rain, the contact noticed a moldy and musty odor inside the vehicle. The contact noticed that the trunk and spare tire compartment was wet. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where a water specialist diagnosed the vehicle and informed him that the passenger's side luggage pillar rack was cracked. The mechanic added sealant to the pillars. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and referred him to the NHTSA Hotline. The approximate failure mileage was 49,831.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Jul 2022
Sep 2022

The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her husband was driving approximately 70 MPH, the door lock access panel on the driver's side started to loosen and almost separated from the door frame. The contact pulled off the highway and observed that the passenger’s side door lock access panel was also loosened. The contact stated that her husband used duct tape to secure the panels. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Aug 2022
Sep 2022

A-Pillar exterior windshield trim became detached from the passenger side at highway speeds without warning and no prior indication of damage. This appears to be a very common issue with this generation of models based on a simple internet search, and I am shocked that Ford Motor Co. is doing nothing to resolve this. The loose piece becomes a hazard to other motor vehicle operators where it could potentially strike a vehicle causing windshield damage, startle an operator causing loss of control, or in the case of motorcycles, injure the operator. Even if it does not strike another vehicle or operator, it becomes road debris and is a safety hazard to other vehicles, and to persons attempting to retrieve it. While we were fortunate that it did not cause any further incident, the potential for a serious accident is high with this defect.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2017 FORD EXPLORER, Manufacturer: Ford Motor Company
Incident: Mar 2022

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2017 Ford Explorer has 535 Structure complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.