Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH the driver's side A-Pillar trim was blown off of the vehicle by the slipstream. The contact stated that the trim piece crashed into a vehicle that was following behind the contact's vehicle. The contact stated that both vehicles had stopped and that the driver of the second vehicle indicated that a small chip was made by the piece of trim that had struck at approximately mid-windshield on the driver's side. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while having the windshield replaced, the A-pillars on both sides of the windshield were cracked. The contact paid out of pocket for the A-pillar replacements. The contact stated that after a while one of the A-pillar trim detached and flew off while driving and the other A-pillar trim was cracked. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where both A-pillar trims were replaced again out of pocket. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact called another dealer a year later and was informed that parts were available and that the part was being held to have the recall repair performed. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side windshield A-Pillar trim detached and flew off the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that due to the failure, the front A-Pillar trim struck the windshield and caused several cracks. The contact stated that she was afraid to drive the vehicle, fearing that the fractured windshield might shatter. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available to repair the vehicle. The contact was advised to delay replacing the front windshield until the parts for the recall repair became available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 24V031000 (Structure). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The VIN tool search showed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The contact stated while driving at various undisclosed speeds, the passenger's side A-pillar was loose and damaged the paint on the wheel well. The local dealer was contacted and inspected the vehicle. The contact was informed that there were no issues. The dealer then orders the part to do the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at various undisclosed speeds, the driver's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired for the most recent failure. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notice of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the driver's side exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. On another occasion, while driving approximately 70 MPH, the passenger's side exterior A-pillar trim detached. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the driver's and passenger's side A-pillar trims and clips needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred approximately 10 months later while driving at an undisclosed speed, and the passenger's side exterior A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle and flew off into traffic. The contact stated that the failure could have caused a crash. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while at a car wash and washing the vehicle and spraying water from the hose onto the passenger's side front windshield, the windshield trim detached. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact purchased glue and Velcro to attempt to reattach the trim to the windshield. The contact stated that while accelerating between 1 - 5 MPH and making a right turn the passenger's side of the front windshield trim detached again. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact purchased gorilla glue and purchased a trim piece from the junkyard to reattach to the windshield. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the A-pillar trim was loose and had started to detach. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that parts would not be available until August 2025. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer removed the molding and placed tape on the windshield and informed the contact that parts would be ordered to repair the vehicle. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side front windshield trim detached. In addition, the contact stated that the passenger's side front windshield trim had fractured later. The contact stated that moisture was entering into the interior of the vehicle. The contact was concerned that moisture would eventually cause damage to the electrical system. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available to repair the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the exterior windshield trim clips on the driver's and passenger's sides were fractured. The contact stated that the windshield trim clips on the driver's and passenger's sides were extremely loose and were rattling while driving. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated that a technician from the dealer went to the residence on 08/2024 and inspected the vehicle and confirmed the failure was linked to the recall; however, the contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the contact saw a piece flapping on the windshield and the contact pulled over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact then pushed the part back into place. The contact arrived at the residence and attempted to glue the part back into place. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that parts were not available and to wait for a second letter. The vehicle was not repaired for the failure. …
Related recalls
Structure › Body › Roof and pillars
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years.
Structure › Body › Door
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2015.
NHTSA investigations
Windshield trim molding Item detachment
On January 27, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-001 to investigate allegations of A-pillar trim panel detachment on model year (MY) 2011-2019 Ford Explorer vehicles. At the time of opening, the office had received 164 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) reporting this failure. ODI has received 671 VOQs regarding this failure, including 1 alleged crash and 2 alleged injuries.
Body complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2013 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 439 complaints about the body & structure of the 2013 Ford Explorer, 20% of the model year's 2,237 complaints. The component named most often is body (224 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Explorer body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 24V-031 (roof and pillars, Jan 19, 2024); NHTSA recall 15V-171 (door, Mar 24, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 Ford Explorer body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 1 fire and 9 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.