Got a 2013-2017 Ford Explorer? You may want to listen up because Ford just announced a recall that affects over 375,000 SUVs. The problem isn’t light either, given that suspension failures have been directly linked to at least 13 crashed and six injuries. Excessive corrosion is causing vital suspension components to fracture. According to Car and Driver, this isn’t even the first time ford has had to replace these suspension components on this generation of the Explorer.

What is wrong with the Ford Explorer?

To understand exactly what’s wrong with the Ford Explorer, we have to go back to 2016 when the first suspension-related Explorer recall was issued. At the time, the company recalled more than 75,000 SUVs because of faulty welds in the rear toe links. These vital suspension components began to fracture, causing drivers to lose control. At the time, one crash and one injury were directly linked to the issue.

In 2019, another recall was issued for the same issue, although this time, it affected more than 1.2 million Explorers. According to Ford, “Vehicles that are exposed to frequent full rear suspension articulation (jounce and rebound) may experience a fractured rear suspension toe link.” While it is unclear what Ford considers full suspension articulation, suspension rebound constantly happens while driving.

Which brings us to today’s recall. As you may have guessed, it’s because of fracturing rear suspension toe links. In this most recent recall, Ford claims that excessive corrosion is now causing the toe links to fracture yet again. To make things worse, some of the affected Explorers had already had their toe links replaced. Approximately 350,000 Explorers are affected in the U.S. and 25,000 in Canada. 13 crashes and six injuries have been directly linked to this issue.

What is Ford doing to fix the problem?

To remedy the problems, owners of these Ford Explorers will have to make an appointment with their nearest dealer. From there, the dealers will conduct a torque inspection of the suspension components. If the replaced components are deemed faulty once again, they will be replaced for free.

In terms of the related crashes, the American carmaker hasn’t made a public statement regarding how it will compensate or help affected victims. Given these suspension issues have been a recurring issue for Ford, it could find itself dealing with a large scale lawsuit.

What else has the Explorer been recalled for?

At this point, you won’t be surprised to learn that these aren’t the only recalls out for the Ford Explorer. 2014 saw a small batch of Explorers suffering faults in their steering systems. In 2019, over 311,000 Explorers were recalled due to a sharp seat frame edge. In this case, the seat frame for the available power seats was so sharp that it caused 31 separate injuries. From there, the list of recalls goes on.

If you’ve got a 2013-2017 Ford Explorer, you should take this recall very seriously. Given a large number of affected SUVs, there could be a decent wait time to get the issue serviced by a dealer. This is one case where you’ll want to make your appointment as soon as possible. If we’re lucky, we won’t have to see the fourth recall for faulty vital suspension components.