2018 Ford Explorer

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle veered off the road toward the passenger’s side. The contact turned the steering wheel; however, the vehicle became uncontrollable, crossed into the opposite lane, and drove into a ditch. The vehicle was driven on a back road to the residence and was then towed to a dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed with a rear toe link failure associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V101000 (Suspension). The VIN was included in the recall. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied reimbursement for towing expenses.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to the dealer for service, the contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V101000 (Suspension). The contact agreed to have the recall repair performed. The contact stated that approximately one month later, the contact discovered that the tread on the rear tires was shredding along the inner sidewalls. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, and the tire failure was confirmed; however, the dealer stated that the work performed on the vehicle was not associated with the tire failure. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic, and the contact paid out-of-pocket for two new tires and a rear wheel alignment. The contact stated that after the repair, the OBD2 scanner indicated that the rear wheel alignment was not properly performed. The contact stated that due to the failure, the tread on the new tires had started to shred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

On March 25, 2026, an authorized Ford dealership in Florida performed a safety recall involving the rear suspension toe links. The recall addressed a condition that Ford states can result in loss of steering control and increased crash risk. After the recall was completed, I drove approximately 1,200 miles home believing the safety defect had been corrected. After returning home, I began experiencing rear-end instability. The vehicle would sway when driving over even small bumps. I took the vehicle to another authorized Ford dealership, which confirmed the original recall repair had not been performed correctly. The dealership found problems with the rear suspension and alignment that required extensive corrective repairs, including replacement of rear suspension components and correction of the rear suspension alignment. Both rear tires had also developed severe, uneven wear and were determined to be unsafe, requiring replacement despite being only about two months old. No warning lights or messages appeared before or during this condition. I was unaware that the recall repair had been performed incorrectly and unknowingly drove approximately 1,200 miles with a compromised rear suspension after being told the safety recall had been completed. I am submitting this complaint because an improperly performed safety recall repair may have exposed me, my passenger, and others to the same safety risk the recall was intended to prevent.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact had received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V101000 (Suspension), and the recall repair was completed. The contact stated that immediately after the recall repair, while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the rear end of the vehicle fishtailed, and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the same dealer on several occasions; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The contact was advised that the tires needed to be replaced. The contact purchased and replaced the tires and had a four-wheel alignment performed, but the failure persisted, although not as severe. While the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the tread on the rear tires was extremely worn. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

Attempted to make an appointment on XXX with [XXX], 2121 W Bell Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85023 phone 602-375-7400 to have the two open safety recalls completed( 26V101 & 24v031). Could not make a service appointment because the service writer said that parts were not available and had no idea of when they would be available to fix the safety recalls. Service writer indicated they COULD NOT notify me when parts were available. I was to continuously call them for follow up as to when the car could be fixed. I continue to use the vehicle in spite of the safety defects as I can not afford another transportation method. Please help me get my Explorer fixed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V101000 (Suspension); 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 for the recall repair were on back order. The contact called other dealers nearby and was provided the same information. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Received Safety Recall 26S08 about rear suspension toe link. However, the new toe link design Ford provided as a remedy only fixes the breakage issue, but it is known to be "inadjustable" and causing control issues from the recall on previous model years. The new toe link will lose alignment within 6 months, and causing early wore out on rear tires. It looks like Ford's remediation is only fixing one issue to create another one. A lot of owners are switching to aftermarket toe links which helps to stabilize the control.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 26V101000 (Suspension); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issues. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE) and 26V101000 (SUSPENSION); however, the parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the passenger's side A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the recall repairs were not available. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the driver’s side A-pillar trim became loose. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired after the most recent failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure with the suspension. The dealer advised the contact that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH over a bump on a snowy road, there was an abnormal popping sound coming from the rear suspension, and the contact lost control of the vehicle. The contact stated that upon decelerating to 5 MPH, the contact was able to regain control of the vehicle and to pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact noticed that the rear driver's side tire was folded inward. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the driver's side rear suspension toe link was fractured and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the part was replaced; however, the rear suspension was making an abnormal squeaking sound while driving. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact became aware that the VIN was recently included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V101000 (Suspension), which the contact associated with the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.