For the last three years, Ford has led the way in America in terms of recalls, and it’s off to a big start in 2024. The blue oval must recall 1,889,110 Explorers over a manufacturing issue that could allow trim around the windshield to come loose and endanger following vehicles.
Or, at least, that’s the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) position. Ford, which first became aware of a potential issue with the A-pillar trim on fifth-generation Explorers in 2018, initially dismissed this issue because it felt that the detaching trim pieces were so small and blunt that they did not pose a safety hazard.
However, in February 2023, NHTSA opened a preliminary investigation into the issue, and a few months later, Transport Canada also decided that the issue was worth investigating due to what they felt was the inevitable danger of detritus flying off vehicles while they were traveling at speed.
In November, Ford relented, and decided it should recall all fifth-generation Explorers, spanning the 2011 to 2019 model years. It is aware of 14,337 warranty reports in which owners allege that they have lost trim around the windshield.
Ford believes that the issue is caused by improperly engaged clip attachments in the trim. This could be because they were simply installed incorrectly at the factory, or because they were reinstalled improperly after a repair.
Read: Kia Recalls 100k Sportage And Carnivals Over Roof Trim That May Come Flying Off
Fortunately, the issue should be relatively easy for an owner to catch. If their A-pillar trim is loose, it will rattle audibly, and a gap may even be visible before the piece of trim comes flying off.
Ford says it will start getting in touch with owners on March 13, and will ask them to take their vehicle to a nearby dealer in order to have their A-pillar trim inspected and repaired as necessary. In order to prevent this problem from reoccurring, the new part will have extra adhesive applied to it, and the post-installation inspection process will be more thorough. The automaker has also set up a general reimbursement plan for owners who have paid to repair this issue out of pocket.
