Ford Explorer 2022

Safety Defect: Moonroof Sunshade Sags and Obstructs Rearward Driver Visibility I am reporting a safety concern involving the fabric sunshade/moonroof cover in my 2022 Ford Explorer. When the moonroof fabric sunshade is closed/engaged, the fabric sags substantially downward from the roof. The sag is severe enough that the sunshade extends well below its intended position and can obstruct the driver’s view through the rear window. This is not simply a cosmetic issue. When the sunshade is engaged, the sagging fabric creates a significant obstruction to rearward visibility from the driver’s seating position. This can prevent the driver from seeing vehicles, pedestrians, or other objects behind the vehicle while driving. The attached photograph shows the condition from inside the vehicle. The fabric can be seen hanging substantially below the surrounding headliner and roof structure. The amount of sag is sufficient to interfere with the driver’s line of sight toward the rear of the vehicle. The driver should not have to operate the vehicle with the moonroof shade open simply to maintain adequate rearward visibility. The purpose of the shade is to block sunlight while remaining within the designed roof area; it should not hang down into the passenger compartment far enough to obstruct the driver’s view. Because this condition can directly affect the driver’s ability to observe traffic behind the vehicle, I believe it presents a potential motor-vehicle safety hazard and should be investigated as a possible defect affecting the moonroof/sunshade assembly. Vehicle: 2022 Ford Explorer I request that NHTSA investigate whether this condition is occurring in other Ford Explorer vehicles and whether the design, material, mounting, or tensioning system of the moonroof sunshade can cause it to sag and obstruct rearward visibility.

On XXX, in the parking lot of O'Reilly Auto Parts (store #2460, telephone number: [XXX]) [XXX], between 12:10 pm and 12:45 pm, my [XXX] daughter was seated in the rear driver's side seat of my parked 2022 Ford Explorer when the unbuckled seat belt unexpectedly became twisted around her body and would not release through normal operation. She was unable to free herself and the belt continued to tighten as we attempted to untangle her. She experienced difficulty hearing, breathing, lost sensation in her arms and nearly lost consciousness. Multiple adults attempted to release the seat belt using the buckle and by manipulating the belt mechanism, but the belt would not release. Because of the immediate risk to her safety, the seat belt had to be cut in order to free her. The failed component was the rear center seat belt assembly. The damaged seat belt is available for inspection upon request. This malfunction placed my daughter at risk of serious injury due to restricted breathing and the inability to exit the restraint. The vehicle could not be returned to normal operation because the seat belt had to be cut to release her. At the time of the incident, there were no warning lights, messages, or other indications that there was a problem with the seat belt system. UNKNOWN whether there were any prior symptoms before the failure. The incident was witnessed by individuals who assisted in freeing my daughter. Two O Reilly employees and my [XXX] daughter who was a passenger. They assisted during the emergency and can verify what occurred. The manufacturer and local dealership have been notified, and a customer service case has been opened. At the time of this report, the manufacturer has not inspected the vehicle or confirmed the cause of the failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The check engine light was on. A Ford dealership diagnosed the issue as a coolant intrusion manufacturer defect. There are a number of safety concerns associated with this issue. The primary danger of the coolant intrusion defect is catastrophic engine failure. Severe overheating, internal damage, misfires, fire hazard and oil contamination. There are no active recalls\campaigns\TSB for 2022 Ford Explorer XLT 2.3L EcoBoost engine. The car is available for inspection. Although, the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance agent, the issue was presented to Ford and a claim was submitted to the insurance company that services my Mechanical Breakdown Insurance. So far the insurance company is not authorizing the work without an engine breakdown. They are not excepting the P0300 and P0316 code or the results of a barascope and other test. The Ford corporation will not provide a written statement that confirms the dealerships diagnosis is accurate. Some doctrine that states the engine long block had to be replaced to fix the coolant intrusion defect. Ford has recalled coolant intrusion issues on other engine models. I requested a formal Tiered Goodwill Review based on the Miller v. Ford framework and resolution terms. Since the service center’s portal does not display an automatic, VIN-specific internal factory code for a long block replacement. The request was denied. While the Miller v. Ford litigation established corporate accountability for structural block and cylinder coolant intrusion faults in 2.0L blocks, my 2022 2.3L engine shares a highly similar open-deck block geometry and suffers from the exact same systemic coolant failure. Furthermore, Ford has acknowledged manufacturing line coolant and block defects on 2021–2023 2.3L engines through Customer Satisfaction Programs 23B42 and 23B08. Yet there are no recalls associated with my VIN.

1. I had received a Ford Motor Company Ford Customer Service Division, P.O. Box 19043, Dearborn, Michigan 48121-1904 Safety Recall Notice 23S55/NHTSA Recall 23V675 letter dated November 2023. 2. Below are my responses to above questions... - What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? ANSWER: A rear axle bolt may fracture. They have inspected months ago. - How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? ANSWER: I am concern for my wife's safety. - Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? ANSWER: Koons is very aware as I have reached out to service advisors, and sent correspondence (web site emails...don't have copies though) between APR24 - JUL24. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? ANSWER: Yes; months ago. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? ANSWER: Not that we are aware of. Our trigger was the letter sent to us in November 2023. Summary: The letter we received is dated November 2023, we started reaching out to Koons in April 2024, and constantly following up with them. All the same answer...waiting for the part to arrive. That only 5 of these parts come out once a week. I finally gave up in July 2024, as I advised them (by sending web site email, and sending service advisor cell phone a test that we communicate by) that I was going to report to problem to your agency. No response back from either of them. I have written down dates and each time I reached out to them with no luck at all, which is on the original recall letter. To be honest, I am very concern as this is my wife's vehicle to drive. I have advised her to use her parking brake when parking, but understand that there is other impacts if the axle would crack.

The panoramic sun roof shade failed on my vehicle where instead of it retracting properly it drops down onto the second row passenger's. This posses a safety risk as it impedes completely the drivers ability to see through the rear view mirror by blocking off the view of the back glass. The issue happened without any notice or noise it just happened all of a sudden I noticed it as I was not able to look through rear view mirror. This also puts at risk others as it impedes the drivers field of view allowing the possibility of an accident of occurring. I like to drive with my sunroof open very often, so now that is a risk I will have all the time I open my sunroof where I will have my field of view blocked. I have called two ford dealership to try to get quotes to repair the issue. First I was shocked with the price for the repair, but I was also shocked when I was told that it is a very common issue with the panoramic sunroof where the shade drops down. I asked do people usually get it repaired or not and they told me that most people don’t fix it that they just decide to deal with it or not use the sunroof at all. One of the dealerships told me the cost of the repair was roughly above $3 thousand dollars and the other told me it would be around $2.8 thousand dollars. A lot of labor is required as they have to bring down the headliner and remove the sunroof glass panels to be able to get it repaired. They also were not able to guarantee that after the repair that it would not happen again as they told me it was a design flaw that it was just a matter of time before it happened again. I believe Ford should be hold accountable for this and provide a permanent fix to this issue that is very common with the panoramic sun roof that creates a safety hazard for vehicle occupants and others. Especially if after customers have to pay considerable amounts of money for repairs and the issue will happen again as it is a design flaw.

Every morning when I go to leave in my 2022 Ford Explorer when it's cold or not. I go to start the vehicle and it automatically says that their is a malfunction in the brake system that it requires service right away. That advance track and a whole bunch of safety systems had failed. The instrument cluster is lit up like a Christmas tree. Then when you do put the Explorer into reverse, your foot almost hits the floor board and automatically starts rolling backward until you slam on the brake hoping it will stop. Then when it flashes stating that the Electronic parking brake is still engaged when it clearly isn't. Then you basically have no brakes until the vehicle "warms up", once you reach normal operating temperature on the Ford explorer you can park and shut off the car release the automatic parking brake then reengage the parking brake and it feels like it's missing the catch mechanism when your foot it on the brake l. Like it tries to engage but then doesn't. Then you open the door then close it, lock the car and wait 2-6 minutes for all the gauges to turn off then you unlock the car open the door press the start button without the brake to confirm no error codes pop back on and if they door you have to reengage the auto brake system off and on. Then rinse and repeat, then when it "fixes" itself no lights turn on and your brake returns to normal. About 50% of the time. Half the time when you first try to drive away the brakes give out and the same errors reoccur. Its extremely unsafe I've had this car for a year and half I brought this issue to multiple Ford dealerships and they say it would be 3 weeks before they could even look at it. I don't have that kind of time. I work and I have a [XXX] daughter and fiance to worry about. This needs to be remedied ASAP. I am planning on taking it to another dealer and the police department to find out what I can do. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Component/System: Low-pressure fuel pump/fuel delivery system related to Recall 25S75. Vehicle is a 2022 Ford Explorer Hybrid. Description: My vehicle is subject to Recall 25S75 involving the low-pressure fuel pump that can cause loss of fuel pressure and engine stalling. The vehicle has stalled six times between about 15,000 and 35,000 miles. The issue is intermittent but ongoing. The vehicle is available for inspection. What failed or malfunctioned: The fuel delivery system appears to lose pressure consistent with Recall 25S75, leading to engine stalling and temporary inability to restart. Safety risk: One stall occurred while driving on a highway on 9/30/23 at about 15,000 miles. The engine lost power without warning and I had to coast to a gas station. Sudden loss of propulsion in traffic creates a serious crash risk. Other stalls happened in driveways or parking lots after the vehicle had been running. In several cases the vehicle would not restart for 20–60 minutes, which could be dangerous if it occurred in traffic or an unsafe location. Reproduction or dealer confirmation: Two incidents required towing to Ford dealerships. The vehicle has been taken to Ford dealers multiple times. Earlier incidents were not linked to a recall at the time. Now that Recall 25S75 has been issued, the symptoms match. Ford has not repaired it because the remedy is still under development and parts are unavailable. Inspections: The vehicle has been inspected by Ford dealerships and towed twice by AAA for diagnosis. No permanent fix has been made because the recall remedy is not yet available. Warnings or symptoms: Stalls often occurred after the vehicle had been running. The vehicle then would not restart for 20–60 minutes. In one event there were dashboard errors. There was not always a clear warning before a stall. Reason for complaint: The recall has been open since July 2025 with no remedy available. The vehicle continues to stall. I do not feel it is safe to operate.

On [XXX] my 2022 Ford Explorer was involved in a collision during my morning commute to work. On [XXX] while stopped at a stoplight across from Sheetz, with the auto brake hold engaged for a minute or two already, my vehicle accelerated forward into the vehicle in front of me. The impact was so sudden that the driver of the vehicle I collided with thought I had been rear ended. While I had contacted my insurance company (Erie Insurance) regarding the collision, I had also reached out to my service center, Laurel Ford (Windber, PA), concerning the incident. Because of my concerns with the auto brake hold and Copilot system with the collision, they had me bring it in on 16 September to run diagnostics. Later that day on the 16th, I had received a phone call from the service tech letting me know that he did find system error logs approx. 40 minutes prior to the collision. He let me know that he was going to keep diagnosing and will be most likely reaching out to his next level service support. The next day on the 17th, the service technician called me back to let me know that when he reported the issue to his support center he was advised to park the vehicle, not let it be driven, and for the service manager to get with me to file a report (Ford reference # XXX). Since that time, nothing more has happened with my Explorer. I have both the current manufacturer's warranty and Ford Protect warranty. The most recent update from Laurel Ford was that Ford Corporate said a Field Service Engineer needed to evaluate the issue. The Laurel Ford Service Center is no longer getting replies from corporate and has a regional manager involved, with no luck so far. It has been an extreme burden and has been beyond stressful using my wife's car for work, l'm in the military and my base is over 40 miles away, while she relies on friends/family to get to her work and also make sure that both of my kids get to their activities. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AC