Ford's 57th Recall Of The Year Hits 288,000 Explorers Over Loose Roof Rails

The recall affects the 2016-2019 Explorer SUVs, including vehicles Ford has previously repaired.

2016 Ford Explorer

Photo by: Ford

Anthony Alaniz

By: Anthony Alaniz

Jul 17, at 2:02pm ET

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THE BREAKDOWN

Ford is recalling 288,314 Explorer SUVs because their roof rails may detach.
Ford has previously repaired some of the affected vehicles.
Technicians might have incorrectly fixed the affected vehicles under previous repair attempts.

Ford has issued its 57th recall of the year. This time, it's for 288,314 SUVs with roof rail covers that might detach.

The recall affects certain 2016-2019 Explorer SUVs, some of which Ford previously repaired. The vehicles previously fixed received "technician-sensitive" repairs, which basically blames techs for incorrectly repairing vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) recall report, in some instances, technicians may not have replaced damaged retention clips, or they applied the incorrect quantity of epoxy/adhesive to the wrong locations with improper curing conditions.

The recall includes Explorers with satin- and chrome-plated covers, as well as painted ones. SUVs affected by this issue may experience increased wind noise, squeaks, and rattles as the cover begins to loosen. A visible gap or misalignment between the cover and roofline may also appear.

Ford will instruct dealers to inspect the roof rail covers and replace any broken roof rail clips or damaged covers. If the push-pin fasteners are not present, Ford dealers will add them. The automaker is aware of one alleged accident related to a roof rail detaching.

2016 Ford Explorer

2016 Ford Explorer

Photo by: Ford

The Recall Timeline

Ford first learned of a potential issue in 2020, and it began offering a one-time repair for loose roof rail covers under an extended warranty. The warranty repair used a two-part epoxy/adhesive to secure the covers.

It was not until April 2021 that the automaker issued a recall for certain 2016-2019 Explorer SUVs after NHTSA approached Ford to discuss the topic. A review of updated field data revealed an increased rate of loose and rattling painted roof rail covers, prompting Ford to approve the safety recall.

To fix the recall, Ford instructed dealers to repair the covers by replacing damaged parts and securing them with four plastic push-pin fasteners. The original recall excluded stain- and chrome-plated covers because warranty data showed “a significantly lower rate of detachment and loose/rattling claims.”

Projections indicated no trend toward the issue increasing over time. The automaker also had data that showed these plated covers “had increased retention strength and were less susceptible to solar loading, which was a contributing factor to the loose/detached condition.”

In March 2026, NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation informed Ford of 46 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires that contained allegations of loose, rattling, and detaching roof rails on 2016-2019 Explorers. This included vehicles that had been repaired under the extended warranty and recall fixes.

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Ford opened an investigation, and between April and June, the automaker uncovered that the Explorers fixed with the epoxy/adhesive or that haven’t been repaired at all still experienced degraded retention. Vehicles repaired with push-pin fasteners are not exhibiting the issue.

Motor1’s Take: Some of Ford's latest recalls are for models that are several years old. The automaker's recent focus on quality has it reevaluating issues on older models, like the previous-generation Ford Explorer.

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