2016 FORD EXPLORER — Complaint #1970809
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:FUELING/CHARGING DOOR/HATCH/PORT:LATCH/LOCK RELEASE SYSTEM filed February 27, 2024
NHTSA complaint #1970809 (ODI reference 11574255) concerns a 2016 FORD EXPLORER and was filed on February 27, 2024. The owner reports the failure occurred on December 4, 2023. The vehicle had 195,000 miles on the odometer at the time of the incident. The report was geocoded to Massachusetts based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as latches/locks/linkages:fueling/charging door/hatch/port:latch/lock release system, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same FORD EXPLORER cohort independently describe similar latches/locks/linkages:fueling/charging door/hatch/port:latch/lock release system failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2016 FORD EXPLORER shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
The contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the driverâs side front door panel became loosened due to failed adhesive exposing wiring in the door. The front door lights remained illuminated while the door was closed. The contact stated that the rear door failed to open however, the door ajar light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and tape was placed on the vehicle however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the Keyless entry door panel and actuary for the rear door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 195,000.
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 1970809 |
| ODI Number | 11574255 |
| Date Filed | February 27, 2024 |
| Failure Date | December 4, 2023 |
| VIN | 1FM5K8D81GG |
Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.