Symptom explainer · every vehicle on the site
Trim or a body panel comes off while driving
Most reported: 2017 Ford Explorer with 416 reports. Across the 41 model years on this site with at least five, owners filed 1,827.
- 1,827owner reports
- 41model years affected
- 80,000median miles
- 10involved a crash
- 1involved a fire
Owners in this group describe a piece of trim or body cladding that came off the car in motion: a pillar cover, a windshield molding, a grille, a roof rail or a bumper cover. Most say it flew off on the highway.
Which cars report it most · By model · When it happens · What it is and what to do
The 25 vehicles with the most reports
Each row is one model year. The bar is its count of trim coming off reports; the share is how much of that car's complaint file this problem takes up. Bigger sellers draw more reports, so read the share alongside the count. Red dots mark crashes and fires in these reports; amber marks a recall on the same system.
- 12017 Ford Explorerrecall41625% of its complaints80k mi
- 22016 Ford Explorer3 crashes1 firerecall37315% of its complaints85k mi
- 32015 Ford Explorerrecall20912% of its complaints96k mi
- 42014 Ford Explorerrecall16210% of its complaints100k mi
- 52018 Ford Explorerrecall13919% of its complaints70k mi
- 62019 Ford Explorerrecall7726% of its complaints71k mi
- 72022 GMC Sierra 1500recall6511% of its complaints39k mi
- 85912% of its complaints51k mi
- 92019 Ford Flex1 crashrecall2711% of its complaints70k mi
- 102022 Toyota Highlanderrecall208% of its complaints33k mi
- 11206% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 122025 Toyota Camry Hybrid2 crashes1710% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 13161% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 142021 Toyota Highlander1 crashrecall143% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 152024 Kia Telluriderecall146% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 162020 Toyota Highlanderrecall124% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 17112% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 18101% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 19101% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 202016 Tesla Model X1 crashrecall102% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 212021 Dodge Durangorecall105% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 222024 Tesla Cybertruckrecall106% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 232020 Ford Escaperecall91% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 242023 Toyota Highlander1 crashrecall95% of its complaintsfew mileages
- 2581% of its complaintsfew mileages
Where it dominates the complaint file
Model years with at least 25 reports, ranked by the share of all their complaints that describe trim coming off. That takes most of the sales-volume effect out (small sellers still swing more).
- 12019 Ford Explorerrecall7726% of its complaints71k mi
- 22017 Ford Explorerrecall41625% of its complaints80k mi
- 32018 Ford Explorerrecall13919% of its complaints70k mi
- 42016 Ford Explorer3 crashes1 firerecall37315% of its complaints85k mi
- 55912% of its complaints51k mi
- 62015 Ford Explorerrecall20912% of its complaints96k mi
- 72022 GMC Sierra 1500recall6511% of its complaints39k mi
- 82019 Ford Flex1 crashrecall2711% of its complaints70k mi
- 92014 Ford Explorerrecall16210% of its complaints100k mi
By model, every year together
The 12 models with the most reports. Each chip is a model year; the darker chip is its worst year.
- Ford Explorer1,397
When it happens
877 of the 1,827 reports state a mileage. The middle half fall between 51,260 and 105,000 miles; the median is 80,000. Each column is a 20,000-mile band.
Reports by model year
Every report of trim coming off, grouped by the model year of the car. 10 involved a crash and 1 a fire. 11 people were hurt.
What owners describe
Share of the 1,827 reports that use each phrase. One report can use several.
What got replaced
Reports that name the part, across every vehicle.
What it is and what to do
About 1,800 complaints on this site fit. Ford Explorers from 2014 to 2019 supply about three in four of them, and the 2017 and 2016 model years lead. The median is about 80,000 miles. About half name the A-pillar or windshield trim, about half name the highway or a speed of 40 mph or more, and about one in fourteen say the piece could have hit a car behind them or forced a swerve. About four in ten mention a recall or a wait for parts, which is a sign of how many owners had already been told the fix wasn't ready.
NHTSA opened PE23-001 in January 2023 on A-pillar trim detachment in 2011 to 2019 Explorers. It had 164 owner reports at opening and 671 by the time it closed in 2024, with one alleged crash and two alleged injuries. Some drivers reported the panel landing in the path of the vehicle behind them, forcing that driver to take evasive action. The result was recall 24V031, which covers retention clips that may not be properly engaged. Dealers inspect and replace the trim, and it was a phased campaign, with the remedy arriving in stages by model year. Owner letters were mailed from July 2024 to December 2025.
NHTSA's PE25-007 looked at B-pillar trim detachment on the Ford Flex and led to recall 25V732 for 2017 to 2019 Flex vehicles. Ford's interim letters went out in December 2025, and the remedy was expected in March 2027. Kia's 25V493 covers rear window trim on 2023 to 2025 K5 vehicles, and Ford's 25V829 covers liftgate hinge covers on certain 2020 to 2022 and 2025 Escapes.
Detached parts matter beyond your own car. The AAA Foundation estimated that road debris was a factor in about 320,000 crashes in the US from 2018 to 2023, with 433 deaths, and found most of the debris in the crashes it examined came from other vehicles.
Look up your VIN at NHTSA's recall page. If a recall applies and the part isn't available, ask the dealer for the remedy date and keep a record of each call. Tell the shop which piece came off, on which side, and how fast you were going. If it was a piece the recall doesn't list, report it to NHTSA, which adds your case to the complaints it screens.
Sources
- NHTSA investigation PE23-001, A-pillar trim panel detachment, 2011 to 2019 Ford Explorer (NHTSA investigation file)
- NHTSA investigation PE25-007, B-pillar trim detachment, Ford Flex (NHTSA investigation file)
- NHTSA recall 24V-031, Ford Explorer A-pillar trim
- NHTSA recall 25V-732, Ford Flex B-pillar trim
- NHTSA recall 25V-493, Kia K5 rear window trim
- NHTSA recall 25V-829, Ford Escape liftgate hinge covers
- The Safety Impact of Road Debris, 2018 to 2023, AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
- Check for recalls and report a safety problem, NHTSA
- Complaint counts, mileages and phrase shares: NHTSA complaint files as tallied on this site
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints on the 1,043 vehicle model years that have a page here, grouped by the word patterns described on the method page. A vehicle needs five matching reports to be counted in this ranking. Checked Sep 29, 2026. All problem explainers.