2009 Ford Explorer — Known Issues & Recalls

Your transmission failed completely while you were driving on the expressway at 75 mph with cruise control engaged. This caused a sudden loss of power to the wheels while at highway speed, which is a serious safety hazard.

Your car's gear shift lever doesn't stay in place and keeps slipping out of gear, causing the car to roll backward. A pin inside the shifter mechanism isn't working properly, which is preventing the transmission from staying engaged. This is a serious safety issue that needs immediate repair, as your car could roll unexpectedly. The fix will likely involve replacing or repairing the shifter pin and possibly related transmission linkage components.

Your car's interior often fills with a strong sulfur or rotten egg smell, especially after long drives or on very hot days. This problem has been occurring for several years. The issue is typically caused by a failing catalytic converter that isn't properly converting sulfur compounds in the exhaust, and may require catalytic converter replacement or inspection of the exhaust system.

Your car's wheel separated from the vehicle while driving, causing an accident. This is a serious safety issue that requires immediate inspection of the wheel assembly and mounting components to prevent future incidents.

After having your front and rear brakes serviced at a Ford dealership in May 2017, a wheel separated from your vehicle while you were driving with your family, causing an accident. The dealership found that all five lug nuts on the driver's side wheel had sheared off and the wheel bearing had failed. You requested investigations from both the dealership and Ford Motor Company multiple times over several months, but neither provided you with findings or reports. The repair may involve inspection of the wheel bearing assembly, lug nut fastening procedure verification, and brake service work to ensure proper torque specifications were followed.

Your 2009 Ford Explorer suddenly accelerated on its own while you were driving at about 5 mph, causing it to crash into a brick wall. The airbags failed to deploy during the crash. A mechanic determined that multiple parts needed replacement, though the vehicle was not repaired.

Your Explorer is surging forward unexpectedly right after starting, even though cruise control isn't engaged. The first time, the engine kept accelerating despite braking until you shut it off; the second time, pressing the cruise control off button stopped the surge. This happens immediately after startup with no warning lights, and you're confident you didn't accidentally activate cruise control. The issue may involve the throttle control system or idle air control component that needs inspection or replacement.

Your engine is stalling unexpectedly while you're driving at various speeds without any warning. The dealer diagnosed a failed throttle body and replaced it, but your vehicle continues to stall. This issue started at 62,684 miles and has been reported to Ford. The problem may require further diagnosis of the fuel system, ignition system, or engine control module to identify why stalling continues even after throttle body replacement.

When you first start your car, you hear a loud ticking noise from the engine. Research and a mechanic confirmed that exhaust manifold bolts are snapping off, which causes exhaust gases to leak out. This is a known issue that appears frequently in online forums for this model. Fixing it will require replacing the broken exhaust manifold bolts and possibly the manifold itself, and repair costs exceed $1,000.

Your Explorer is idling roughly during startup and while driving, making a whistling sound as if trying to accelerate on its own. You've also noticed brake pads wearing out much faster than normal, with multiple replacements needed before warranty ended. Most concerning, when you put the car in reverse today, it suddenly spun out of control in a complete circle three times before stopping just before hitting another vehicle.

Your Explorer's throttle body may be causing intermittent stalling and the gas pedal may surge forward unexpectedly when you accelerate, which creates a serious safety concern. You've noticed this appears to be a widespread issue affecting 2009 Ford models. Fixing this will likely require throttle body inspection, cleaning, or replacement by a mechanic.

While driving at 70 mph, your vehicle suddenly stalled and a wrench warning light appeared on the dashboard. You lost power steering and power brakes, forcing you to coast to the shoulder. After waiting about two minutes, the engine started again, but the warning light remained on. Your dealer found that the throttle body had failed. Replacing the throttle body should resolve this issue.

Your vehicle was involved in a crash at 50 mph after leaving the road and hitting a tree. During the accident, the airbags failed to deploy and the driver's seat belt buckle did not lock properly, resulting in serious injuries including a fractured rib, bruised lung, and broken tooth. The manufacturer has been notified of these safety system failures.

While driving at about 10 mph, your Explorer suddenly made a loud noise and you lost control of the steering wheel without any warning lights appearing. A mechanic found that the passenger-side tie rod end had separated from the vehicle, even though the tie rod itself wasn't damaged. The repair involved reattaching or replacing the tie rod end connection.

Your car's airbag warning light is staying on, which means the airbag system needs inspection. You're also experiencing ongoing fuel system problems and some electrical issues that are affecting your vehicle's operation. These issues together suggest multiple system malfunctions that should be diagnosed by a mechanic to determine which components need repair or replacement.

Your 2009 Ford Explorer's stability control system is triggering an intermittent alarm while you're driving on regular roads and highways, but the fault code isn't being stored in the vehicle's computer memory, making it difficult to diagnose. You've documented multiple instances with your Ford dealer. The issue may involve a faulty stability control module or sensor that's intermittently malfunctioning.

Your 2009 Ford Explorer's roll stability control (RSC) system intermittently triggers an alarm—both a visual warning light and audible chime—while driving on streets, highways, and freeways. The alarm repeats every 5 minutes for at least 2 minutes and continues as long as you're driving, which is distracting and annoying. The troubling part is that the alarm triggers repeatedly, but no fault code is recorded in the car's computer memory or detected by diagnostic scanners, making it difficult to identify the root cause. The issue may require a full diagnostic scan of the stability control system and possible replacement of faulty sensors or control module components.

Your rear hatchback window hinges broke apart while the vehicle was parked, causing the window to completely detach from the frame at 95,000 miles. This is a structural failure of the hinge hardware rather than a visibility or wiper issue. The repair will likely require replacement of the rear hatchback window hinges and possibly the window itself.

When you pushed the button to open your rear window, the hinge that supports the glass failed and the window dropped unexpectedly. You were able to catch it with your hand, but your wrist was pinched between the glass and the hatch. A similar safety recall was issued for 2002-2005 Ford Explorers for the same hinge failure. The fix will likely involve replacing the rear window hinge assembly.

Unable to process this submission. The complaint does not describe any vehicle defects, malfunctions, or safety issues related to the 2009 Ford Explorer. NHTSA accepts complaints about vehicle performance, safety systems, and component failures only. If you have concerns about a specific mechanical or safety problem with your vehicle, please resubmit with details about what isn't working properly.