2013 Ford Explorer Power Train Problems
- 79
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 79 stored complaint records:
- 7 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 0 indicate fire
- 1 indicate a death
What owners report
- shift park · 17 records
- transfer case · 7 records
- same issue · 5 records
- power steering · 4 records
- lost power · 4 records
- hard acceleration · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 30–60k mi | 25 |
| 60–100k mi | 24 |
| 1–30k mi | 20 |
| 100–150k mi | 4 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electronic Stability Control · Power Train · Steering
Steering become hard cant move the wheel or make any turn... And the light of service power steering and service advance trac came on. I almost have a accident do to this problem.
ODI 11307585
Power Train
2013 ford explorer limited 4wd 3.5l became undriveable in a matter of 4 days. It started as a squeal as i accelerated from a stop and quickly escalated to lurching, pulsating and bumping at all speeds. Mechanic initially thought it was a caliper that was locked up but when i brought it back 2 days later after the problem persisted and worsened he realized that the transfer case was faulty. He noted that ford is…
ODI 11306477
Air Bags · Power Train · Steering
Received a message on my dashboard " power assist fault", the steering was stiff and could not turn. Turn off the car for 10 minutes and the steering was functioning ok. Later in the afternoon, i was about to hit the gas pump as my steering went stiff again. Now am scared that this may cause accident
ODI 11288788
Power Train
My car began lurching when i was driving and began leaking oil. When i took it in, i found out the pto needed repaired. The transfer case was filled with metal and covered in metal shards. Mechanic said the car wasn't driveable and would be dangerous to have on the road.
ODI 11291237
Power Train · Unknown Or Other · Vehicle Speed Control
It occurs 1 to 4 times while i'm driving. All of a suddenly the the gas pedal doesn't work and the terrain management system is off. I have to turn off the engine in the middle of the road in order for it to work again. Also, there's a weird smell coming coming out when all windows are closed and the ac is on.
ODI 11297545
Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
Since i've had this vehicle it jerks back and clicks as the transmission switches gear. Normally between 3 and 4th gear it seems. More importantly its overheating and leaking coolant! Same issue as fusions and other suv ford offers. This seems to me like a fire hazard that should be recalled in all fords. It leaks when parked. And overheats if the ac is in use. The leak was out of nowhere and suddenly. The fuel…
ODI 11266000
Power Train · Unknown Or Other
Tapping noise after turning car off. Burning smell but no visible smoke.
ODI 11255777
Power Train
Transfer case leak and failure at 82755 miles. No apparent cause. Car lurched forward twice and almost hit vehicles in front of car
ODI 11241132
Electrical System · Power Train
When i shift it to park. It doesn't recognize it and when you turn of the car. A sign comes up on the dash screen saying 'shift into park'. And it drains your battery because the system is waiting for you to shift it. Also you can't use the factory remote start.
ODI 11222349
Power Train
Engine was revving and jerking in to the next gear while accelerating the first time after starting the car. After the first cycle through gears, the issue no longer happened. While being a 2013, the vehicle has only 36,500 miles on it. The vehicle requires replacement of valve body and selenoid body due to the seals in the direct clutch being "destroyed." the transmission had to be completely taken apart to find…
ODI 11221723
Power Train
2013 FORD EXPLORER TRANSFER CASE
ODI 11221086
Body · Power Train · Unknown Or Other
Pillars flying off car and power transfer unit not working
ODI 11235332
Power Train
Does not show up in park when in park. If the in park is not lit up it will leave relays will be left open and run down battery.have looked on line and there hundreds of thousands of this issue on multiple different vehicles.
ODI 11241391
Power Train
Car lost power on very busy road. Throttle body issue.
ODI 11195858
Fuel/Propulsion System · Power Train
Pursuant to nhtsa investigation # ea 17-002 opened on 7/27/17, i am experiencing the periodic exhaust odors in my vehicle detailed in that report. All relevant recalls have been performed, which have not fixed the problem.
ODI 11190306
Power Train
Power transfer unit "ptu" began leaking spontaneously; looks like leaking motor oil on the ground. Caused grinding noise and dangerous transmission issues when driving. Solution was replacement of the ptu which cost $1650 by ford service.
ODI 11184351
Power Train · Unknown Or Other
The vehicle will not stay engaged in park. This is the third time this has been repaired. However, this time it rolled backwards into someone else's vehicle. Our vehicle was in park at the top of the driveway for nearly 2 hours before the person parked behind or vehicle. They where at our house for about an hour, when they where leaving we noticed that our vehicle had disengaged from park and rolled 15' down the…
Crash reported
ODI 11182102
Power Train
Tamara recall vehicle has excessive down shifting and gets stuck no matter what kind of road i'm on
ODI 11180407
Power Train
While driving on moderately busy interstate all terrain sensor warning sign and orange wrench appeared on dash as the car lost power and failed to respond to accelerator. The car felt like it was in shutdown mode. Let me pull over to accident lane at almost 0 mph. Terrifying. Turned off motor and upon restart car was fine. Drove to dealer that interrogated computer and nothing was found. Happened 2 more times. Have…
ODI 11183688
Power Train
The ptu has failed. The bearings inside disintegrated
ODI 11165580
Power Train
The ptu has gone bad. The bearings inside are ruing and the entire case must be replaced
ODI 11165575
Power Train
Over the summer, i began smelling fumes in my vehicle cabin. The local dealer told me it was due to the recall, and i had no reason to be worried. Unfortunately, due to housing issues, the recall got pushed to the back burner. So, i had an appointment scheduled for yesterday, 12/11 to have the recall on my vehicle fixed. Then last wednesday, 12/5 my car kept seizing when i was braking or accelerating, and i almost…
ODI 11160924
Power Train
I was driving down the highway when the suv shuddered and i heard something bouncing down the underside of the suv, which isshudderong every badatthispoint so i stop seeif i could tell what the problem was... Indeed i did there was a large piece of my transfer case/ ptu missing i tried finding it with no luck .. I tried moving the suv off the highway babying it jerked at 5 mph mind then awd light flashed and went…
ODI 11157162
Power Train
When the vehicle is stationary, the not in parking warning light remains on even through the transmission is in the park position. The park detection switch is faulty. Accordingly to owner complaints on the internet, this is a very common problem for ford suvs like explorer, edge and lincoln mkc and mkx.
ODI 11165131
Power Train
Has there been any reported cases of a 2013 ford explorer slipping from park to reverse with the shifter? I have no specifics other than an accident where the car was physically shifted from drive to park or reverse (accidentally) after pulling into a parking lot in houma, la.. Person drove car into parking lot and possibly wanted to get out and see how far they were from curb. Car was still running and person…
Crash reported · 1 death
ODI 11162920