2018 Ford Explorer

Around 4:45 , was unable to access cruise control the message rapidly flashed., loss of headlights and all lighting for a few seconds. Was going 70 mph. I exited the interstate to turn around and go to my work on southbound the wrench light came on and I lost power steering, power, acceleration in my turn on the on ramp and proceeded off the road onto the incline somehow avoiding a rollover and teetering sideways. Meanwhile no power to open my window etc. at an angle where I couldn’t open the door, took a minute to get out of the seatbelt. Suddenly got my window able to open and crawled out. The cops, and tow truck couldn’t believe I didn’t roll. The car was at a dealership the previous week for loss of power and terai. System problems/ no power steering and they replaced the throttle body 3 days before this happened. I’ve had multiple electrical/exhaust/power failures. I am terrified to drive this vehicle. It’s been to different dealerships and the ford ones and ford don’t care (only the dealership I purchased it at tries) it is at a fifth one now. We have forscan reports of the failures also. Multiple images at scene also. Car wouldn’t drive correctly and terrain management fault, unloaded itself from trailer too.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the infotainment screen was inoperable. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the application programming interface module (APIM) needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

I’ve recently heard from a-couple ford owners and ford technicians them selves that our vehicles come with faulty APIM modules and I just recently found out there was a recall on the 2017 model . I do not understand why there is not a recall on the 2018 model also as mine and several other peoples screen went completely black out of nowhere which is a part called the APIM module has failed which is a safety hazard that I cannot call 911 in an event or even use the back up camera for the safety of my vehicle . APIM modules are not cheap and they are not covered by a lot of warranty companies but it includes so many vital parts or pieces that’s supposed to be included . Please seek to look into this APIM module recall for 2018 models also as it’s been a headache for many people .

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back-up camera image was distorted and unviewable. The vehicle had also experienced various electrical failures which included the headlights independently turning on while the vehicle was off. Additionally, while driving at undisclosed speeds, the message "Key Not Detected" was displayed. The vehicle also experienced the liftgate opening independently while driving. The contact also had difficulties starting the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the rear camera wire connector had failed due to water damage. The connector was replaced but later the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 20,000.

The entire main console screen/information center went black one day. It was unable to be manually reset. Occasionally, on very hot days, the screen would work for the first start up. There are major safety issues associated with this: 1- inability to enable calling for help/911. There is a remote on the steering wheel to make phone calls, however, when the carplay is active and the phone is connected, you must only use the screen, the steering wheel feature is automatically disabled 2- The backup camera system is inoperable when the screen is black. This is dangerous as you cannot see hazards behind you including children, other vehicles, etc. When I contacted Ford's IT department to first report it, they said this has been an ongoing issue with updates that they were aware of, but unable to fix. Skalnek Ford in Lake Orion attempted to diagnose the safety issue for weeks and ultimately the APIM needed replacement.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was parked on an incline, the vehicle failed to restart without warning. Once the contact arrived at the scene, the vehicle restarted and resumed normal operation. The failure recurred four additional times after the initial failure. After the most recent failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer where the mechanic failed to duplicate the failure. The dealer replaced the battery; however, the failure returned soon after the replacement. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to the NHTSA for assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The battery continues to drain even when parked next to my house. After a few days some systems shut down beginning with the passenger door handle sensor not unlocking the doors when touched. A few days later the car would not start. It has been to several dealers in the nearly three years I have owned it and had numerous batteries replaced. Dealer always states everything checks out fine I have been stranded with a no start several times. The 12 volt accessories socket also stops working.

I HAVE BEEN EXPERIENCING ACCELERATION/TRANSMISSION CONCERNS, WHERE THE VEHICLE ESSENTIAL STALLS AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE. AFTER APPROXIMATELY 5 SECONDS, THE COMPUTER AND TRANSMISSION APPEAR TO 'SYNC' AND THE VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE, BUT THE ISSUE WILL CONTINUE TO HAPPEN UNTIL THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND BACK ON AGAIN. THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPEN, I WAS IN A COSTCO PARKING LOT, SO I DID NOT THINK MUCH OF IT. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPEN, JULY 12TH, 2020, I WAS CROSSING A BUSY ROAD OF TRAFFIC NEAR MY HOME AND WAS ALMOST INVOLVED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT AS A RESULT OF THIS FAILURE. AS I WAS CROSSING THE 2 LANES OF TRAFFIC TO MAKE A LEFT HAND TURN, MY VEHICLE STALLED AND I WAS ALMOST SIDE SWIPED BY AN ONCOMING VEHICLE. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, I HAD MY VEHICLE TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION. UPON EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS OF THE VEHICLE, THE TECHNICIANS COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE INCLUDING NO FAILED SENSORS IN THE COMPUTER AND THE TECHNICIANS WERE NOT ABLE TO REPLICATE THE CONCERN. ON AUGUST 19TH, 2020, MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I IMMEDIATELY RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO FORD DEALERSHIP HOPING THIS WAS A RESULT OF THE ISSUES I HAD BEEN HAVING. UPON ANOTHER DIAGNOSIS, THE ERROR WAS CLEARED FOR AN ENGINE KNOCK SENSOR, BUT THIS WAS NOT RELATED TO MY CONCERNS WITH THE ACCELERATION OR TRANSMISSION.

IN MARCH 2018 I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2018 EXPLORER. IN NOVEMBER 2019 MY SECURITY SYSTEM STARTED GOING OFF ON IT'S OWN WITHOUT ANY DISTURBANCE TO THE VEHICLE OR ME TOUCHING MY KEYS. THE NEXT DAY THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AND THE FORD SERVICE CENTER TOLD ME MY BATTERY WAS DEAD DUE TO A COLD SNAP (WE ARE IN SC...IT DOES NOT GET THAT COLD). I HAD TO GET A BRAND NEW BATTERY. NOW LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, IT'S AUGUST 2020 AND THE KEY PAD ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE EXTERIOR DOOR IS MALFUNCTIONING AND BLINKING UNCONTROLLABLY UNTIL IT FINALLY DIED AND DOES NOT WORK. THE CAR IS STILL FUNCTIONING FINE UP UNTIL THIS POINT. NOW 3 WEEKS LATER, MY CAR DID NOT START THIS MORNING AND I HAD TO BE JUMPED OFF. I TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID SOMETHING IS DRAINING MY BATTERY AND IT IS NOT HOLDING A CHARGE. THERE'S NO REASON WHY A 2018 EXPLORER SHOULD NEED TWO NEW BATTERIES IN 2 YEARS. SOMETHING IS DRAINING MY BATTERY AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHAT THAT ISSUE IS.