2011-2019 Ford Explorer A-Pillar Recall covers nearly 2 MILLION cars

In 2023, Ford issued over 58 recalls covering just about 6.4 million cars, the most of any manufacturer. Now, to start 2024, Ford is issuing another recall of nearly 2 million Ford Explorer spanning years from 2011 to 2019.

According to Automotive News, that figure rises to 2.2 million automobiles worldwide, and it's all because of a straightforward issue. According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recall number 24V-031: "Some of the exterior A-pillar applique trim clip attachments are not properly engaged due to improper assembly or repair." The problem, which relates to Explorers model years 2011 through 2019, is that, as you can probably imagine, clips that "are not properly engaged" may cause the trim piece to fly off.

That doesn’t sound fun at all and I can see why Ford is sometimes known as “Found On Recall Daily”

According to Ford, this malfunction has not resulted in any mishaps or injuries. There seem to be a lot of incident reports, though. Looking through a timeline of the recall, Ford finds 14,337 warranty claims and 568 Vehicle Online Questionnaire responses mentioning the external A-pillar trim being either absent or disconnected.

Strangely, the article claims that Ford, at the NHTSA's request, carried out a preliminary inquiry on its own back in 2018. It was determined that it posed "not an unreasonable risk to safety due to the low mass/geometry of the part with NHTSA alignment."

The recall repair appears to be simple. Ford dealers will inspect the Explorer's A-pillar trim and repair or replace if it's not securely fastened. Owner notification will begin in March, but folks with concerns can call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332 and reference Ford recall 24S02 for more information.