2012 Ford Explorer body & structure problems

Related recalls

• Recall 24V031000Jan 19, 20241,889,110 vehicles
  STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.

  Risk: A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

  Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.

• Recall 15V171000Mar 24, 2015194,484 vehicles
  STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.

  Risk: If the interior door handle return spring is unseated, the door may unlatch in the event of a side impact crash, increasing the risk of personal injury.

  Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15S11.

What owners say

1. Filed Sep 9, 2026100,000 miMDBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the driver's side and passenger's side exterior A-pillar trim detached. The contact used tape on the driver's side to secure the molding to the windshield. The contact stated that the passenger's side A-pillar trim detached and fell off the vehicle. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the vehicle was inspected. The contact…

   NHTSA complaint #11763200 · source
2. Filed Sep 2, 2026159,000 miCABody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, and it was realized that both front A-pillar trims were loose. The vehicle was repaired using duct tape as a temporary fix for both front A-pillar trims. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure by phone. The failure mileage was approximately…

   NHTSA complaint #11761657 · source
3. Filed Jul 10, 202680,000 miKYBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to complete the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH on a bypass, the A-pillar exterior trim detached. The owner applied duct tape to the front windshield out of concern that the front windshield would detach. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for…

   NHTSA complaint #11749525 · source
4. Filed Jun 10, 2026OHBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part required for the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was unavailable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

   NHTSA complaint #11743199 · source
5. Filed May 18, 2026VABody & Structure

   I received the first recall notice for this defect from Ford Motor Co. in February 2024 and took the vehicle to Sheehy Ford in Ashland, Virginia on August 7, 2025. Sheehy Ford did the required inspection and confirmed that the vehicle had defective windshield rubber molding. The inspection required that the plastic body molding on both sides of the windshield be removed, which rendered them unusable and could not be replaced. Sheehy Ford said they had ordered the necessary…

   NHTSA complaint #11738521 · source
6. Filed Apr 21, 2026155,500 miMOBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway, the driver's side A-pillar trim clip became partially detached on the side of the windshield. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the vehicle was previously repaired under the recall.…

   NHTSA complaint #11732733 · source
7. Filed Jan 28, 2026CABody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the part was on backorder. The contact stated that the vehicle could not be registered in the State of California due to the incomplete recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for…

   NHTSA complaint #11713995 · source
8. Filed Oct 7, 2025NCBody & Structure

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000(Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the passenger's side and driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trims had separated and flown off the vehicle while driving. The local dealer was contacted several times and was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the…

   NHTSA complaint #11691834 · source
9. Filed Sep 11, 2025125,000 miCABody & StructureSteering

   The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000(Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that upon purchasing the vehicle, the trim on the lower part of the windshield detached and was loosened. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the…

   NHTSA complaint #11686724 · source
10. Filed Sep 4, 2025150,000 miMDBody & Structure

    The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the A-pillar trim detached from the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, where it was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The dealer informed the contact that the parts were being ordered. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

    NHTSA complaint #11684993 · source
11. Filed Aug 26, 2025MOBody & Structure

    The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The contact stated that the A-pillar trim was loose. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.

    NHTSA complaint #11683094 · source
12. Filed Aug 19, 2025NJBody & Structure

    The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. 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.

    NHTSA complaint #11681559 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology