2014 Ford Explorer Suspension Problems

Which parts fail

• Rear
  4
• Front › Control arm › Lower arm
  1
• Front › Wheel bearing
  1

Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  919%
• 25k–50k
  715%
• 50k–75k
  510%
• 75k–100k
  817%
• 100k–150k
  1633%
• 150k+
  36%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with his 12-year-old child in the vehicle, the steering wheel tightened up, and the vehicle drove straight and crashed into a sand barrier. The air bags deployed. The driver sustained injuries to his chest, head, and shoulder. There was no injury stated for the 12-year-old child who was also in the vehicle during the crash. Medical attention was provided to the driver. A Police report was filed but was not provided to the contact. The vehicle was towed to the Police Precinct. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that prior to the crash, the vehicle was parked and rolled back and struck another vehicle. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension). …

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after making a left turn, the vehicle jerked in the opposite direction, and then the steering wheel became difficult to turn, and she crashed into a parked vehicle. The check engine and air bag warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, she noticed a fluid leak underneath. The vehicle had not yet been taken to an independent mechanic or a local dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V675000 (Suspension). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. The contact stated that the air bags never deployed at the time of the incident. Also, it is difficult to click the seatbelt clip in. …

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle was driving rough. In addition, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle vibrated abnormally; however, when the vehicle shifted to neutral(N), the vibration ceased. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that recently all four tires were damaged. The vehicle was taken to Costco and all four tires were replaced. The contact had previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 21V537000 (SUSPENSION) and the vehicle was repaired. The contact related the failure to the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the Extended Warranty had expired. …

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving over bumps in the roadway at various speeds, a jolt could be felt from the rear end of the vehicle. The contact then received a recall notice for NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension) which she linked to the failure. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for the repair; however, upon return of the vehicle, the contact was informed that she needed to replace a knuckle assembly on the toe link that was not covered under a recall. The contact was assured that the vehicle was safe to drive and she was referred to the manufacturer for assistance. The contact then stated that while driving 65 MPH, she drove over a bump in the roadway and the entire rear end of the vehicle slid into the opposite lane of traffic and almost caused an accident. …

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front passenger's side door panel had started to detach from the body of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VIN and the contact was provided an estimate for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, there was an abnormal whining sound coming from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the rear wheel bearing needed to be replaced. The dealer repaired the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine warning light later was illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. …

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle, the tech stated that the toe link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer repaired the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V537000 (Suspension). The vehicle was taken to the inspection center again and the tech stated that the toe link needed to be replaced once again and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the rear passenger's side knuckle needed to be replaced and stated that the vehicle had exceeded the 6 marks for warranty coverage. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to file a complaint with the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was 123,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made abnormal sounds and was vibrating abnormally. Additionally, the tires experienced a loss of traction while turning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who replaced the CV joints twice; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer, where the steering rack and bushings were replaced, and an alignment was performed. The failure recurred, and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was determined that the CV joints needed to be replaced for the third time. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that the VIN was not included in an unknown TSB. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low tire pressure warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that when she inspected the vehicle, she became aware that the steel belts were hanging from the interior of the rear tires. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a failure with the rear alignment. The contact was informed that the rear toe link needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made of the failure and the contact was referred to NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage approximately was 120,000.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the sunroof motor had failed due to water intrusion. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the sunroof motor was replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that after parking the vehicle in the independent mechanic parking lot on another occasion, he noticed a steal band underneath the rubber of the rear tires. The mechanic informed the contact that the suspension had failed, which was damaging the rear tires. The vehicle was being diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 97,745.

The contact owns a 2014 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 15 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. The driver was able to steer the vehicle safely to a nearby parking lot. The contact was unaware if any warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer and was diagnosed with the steering gear assembly failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V245000 (Suspension). The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Related recalls

Suspension complaints in other Explorer years