Back in May, The Blue Oval issued a recall for a little over 300,000 2020-2023 Ford Explorer models, in which the 360-degree camera video output could fail, preventing the rear view camera image from displaying. At that time, Ford had not come up with a fix for the issue, but even now – months later – the automaker still hasn’t come up with a solution, which has led to a large number of 2023 Ford Explorer models sitting on dealer lots, waiting on some sort of solution. As one might imagine, this has led to a sharp decline in both sales and profits for the automaker and its dealers alike, as well as a number of frustrated customers, according to the Detroit Free Press.
In May, Ford noted that a remedy was in development, but also admitted that it had not yet determined the root cause of this 360-degree camera issue at that time. Now, as many 2023 Ford Explorer models await that development amid a stop-sale issued by the automaker, a FoMoCo spokesperson has confirmed that the automaker has discovered the root cause of the issue, though word on a remedy remains weeks away – and for now, a simple software update is only a temporary fix, not a permanent one.
“We acknowledge this has taken too long. We know this is frustrating for our customers and dealers,” said Ford spokesman Said Deep. “Our focus is to provide a high quality fix. We are dedicating more engineering resources to work in partnership with our suppliers on camera-related technologies to resolve this matter.”
This enduring issue has led to a significant drop in sales for the 2023 Ford Explorer, as the crossover dipped 23 percent in Q2, ceding first place in the mainstream large three-row crossover segment to the Toyota Highlander, which enjoyed a 12.74 percent increase in the second quarter. In terms of share, the Explorer went from 22 percent in Q2 2022 to 15 percent in the second quarter of this year, too. Meanwhile, Explorer production at the Chicago Assembly plant plunged from 19,990 units in May to just 9,253 in June, which is a significant drop of 10,737 units, or nearly 54 percent, as Ford Authority reported last month.
We’ll have more on this recall soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Explorer news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
This camera issue also stopped the sale of 2024 Explores and Navigators. We could not believe it. So we bought a 24 xt6.
This camera issue has also stopped the sale of the Lincoln Corsair and Aviator.
Waiting for a fix so I can buy a new car.
Please hurry!!!
What is happening with the 2021 Edge infotainment system. My friend’s 2021 Edge with SYNC4 worked good for a little over 2 years. It stopped connecting by Bluetooth to his android phone and his wife’s iPhone. Now he has had it in 6 times at 2 different dealers and they are telling him it it his problem not Ford’s.
Fords are just garbage. Dump billions and billions into these ridiculous and poorly engineered EV and completely forget the ICE vehicles that pay the bills. This is why Ford had led the industry in recalls over the past three years and is leading this year with 36. Embarrassing
We ordered a 23’ Aviator back in March. Has been completed since May and just sitting in a Chicago warehouse. We were told probably won’t have the vehicle until November now. We starting looking at other vehicles- just a shame they can’t get this resolved in 4-5 months.
Yes this CEO Farley has prioritized the EV Climate Change push so much he has doubled down on it. Why not dump the 360 camera altogether, go back to basic rear/front cameras put vehicles back on lot to sale and work on 360 camera solution. Offer a deal once problem is solved.