2021 Explorer ST won't start

Hey everyone,

So I've had my 2021 ST for the grand total of 4 weeks, and unfortunately it's already in the dealership for repairs. I'll give you a bit of a back story, apologies for the lengthy post.

So on Saturday I was about half an hour from home and stopped at a gas station to use the restroom. I was inside for no longer than 5 minutes. Went to remote start it as I was walking up to it and realized it didn't work. That's strange, but whatever. Got in the driver's seat and attempted to start, no success. Everything on the dash was working, headlights worked, so it seemed to have battery power. But it would not start at all. I contacted Ford Roadside Assistance who sent someone out within 45 minutes, they attempted to jump start and it fired up first time. I drove the half hour or so home and figured I'd get the battery looked at on Monday at the Dealership so booked an appointment online.

So Sunday approaches, and I'm at yet another gas station, this time filling up with gas. Again, no more than 5 minutes after switching off the engine, go to start, no luck. I was really close to home at this point so I walked home and grabbed my wife's car and some jumper cables. Again, successfully jumped first time.

Monday rolls around and I know at this point it definitely needs to be looked at, I go to leave my house to take the Explorer to my dealership. Won't start again, which I half expected. Go to jump start, this time that's not working at all. I call Ford Roadside Assistance who come out within the hour, he tries to jump it, no joy. So he tows it to the dealership Monday afternoon and it's been there ever since.

Today i hear from the dealership and they don't sound too confident in finding the issue, his exact words were "we have no clue what the issue is at this stage, we've been looking at it all day and can't figure it out"

Being the inquisitive person that I am, I start doing research on this issue. There are a bunch of 2020 Explorer owners on different forums and on YouTube with reports of the same issue, seemingly with no fix. The vast majority end up with their vehicle stuck with Ford for weeks / months and eventually have a buyback claim processed. I am hoping I don't have to go down that route as I really am enjoying this vehicle.

Browsing through the Technical Service Bulletins for the Explorer, there was one that stuck out for me; SSM 49329 - Intermittent No Crank, Remote Start Inoperative, Shift System Fault Message And/Or Illuminated Wrench Light With DTC P07E4, B135C And/Or U0103. It specifically notes for some 2020/21 Explorer models that there is an intermittent no crank, inoperative remote start issue. Suspected cause is a loose ground wire, and to check the G210 and G214 ground wires. I'm praying that's all it is, and I'll call the dealership tomorrow to mention this Service Bulletin.

I'll update this post with updates.

You would think that Ford would have all of the bugs worked out by now. Hope yours is an easy fix.

I heard back from my dealership today. They suspect it is a faulty Shift Assembly Module, which is causing the vehicle to think it's not in Park, hence why it's not starting. They've overnighted the replacement module and will fit tomorrow. I'm doubtful this will be the fix, but we shall see!

Wanted to give everyone an update. I got my Explorer back today, thankfully. They identified that the Starter Motor was failing, so replaced it. Everything seems to be back to normal now, but my concern is, what caused the Starter Motor to fail after 1000 miles? Was it just faulty from the get go and destined to fail? Do Starter Motors fail so early in their life?

I'm glad to have the vehicle back, but I can't help but have a bad feeling in the back of my mind that this is just a band-aid to even bigger problems.

It's always possible that a part passes QC and tests ok, then a short time later fails. As long as the new one continues to work I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I would imagine that the starter motor is a supplier part, Ford buys them from another company. More than likely a defective starter from the get go.

That is really early failure. My fuel pump failed at about 11,000 miles which was also way too early. I've never in my life replaced a fuel pump even on cars with over 100,000 miles.

I’ve changed HPFP before 75k miles! All twin turbo vehicles too! Coincidence?

Sounds to me Ford came through again...

It's always nice when the problem is fixed and we can carry on driving this beautiful SUV. Happy mileage...

It does seem odd the Starter Motor went so early, but as boosted_st said, it could've been the 1 of thousands of bad parts that are put on vehicles on a daily basis. My buddy works at a Chrysler Plant and says the amount of broken parts that are put off to the side is unbelievable... Remember, these parts used are bought is MASSES and thrown onto cars so fast, lemons are bound to come off the line..

Thats why it's always good to test drive more than one car/model.

Love to see some pics of the 2021 inside...

What sort of pics are you looking for? I took a few with my phone and could take more with my DSLR, but anything in particular you are looking for? (I'll start a new post if I can provide what you are looking for)

So far, so good. It's definitely nice to have it back for sure. We've had a fairly decent amount of snow the past couple days and I'm one of those rare people that actually appreciate how good the Explorer is in the snow, even on the stock tires!