Ford Explorer 2011-2019 Close Sunroof Procedure

[@francisdamico3802]

Ford should recall for this issue. Water poured through my roof console and eventually rusted out the motor. After watching this video I will attempt to fix myself. Great video!thanks

[@MarkHassler-s4s]

Thank You for this video! My roof was left open and the sky opened up, flooding the inside floors and even my glove box as well soaking the circuit board of the slide motor. After watching your video, I was able to manually control the motor and close the roof and now have the right part number available to me for ordering a new one.....Thank You again!!

[@andrewkeener5480]

Thank you! My 2013 explorer was stuck open and this worked perfectly! You are the only one I found that actually showed how to hotwire the damn thing.

[@fidelferrer7916]

This was the only really detailed video I found on how to replace the sunroof motor. Thank you for making this video. I’m replacing mine when it comes in today and clean the drains so it won’t happen again. Thank you.

[@jaybird20784]

Still today! This video helped me close my sunroof! Thank you so much!!! Ford should def do a recall, this is the second time I am now replacing this part.

[@theonlyabsolute]

Thanks! my sunroof drains were clogged, so not only was water dripping into the cabin when it rained but it also fried the motor, leaving me no way to clear the clogs. Using a dewalt cordless drill battery, I was able to get the sunroof open to make the repairs. Thanks again!

[@dmatz564]

Tremendous, saved me hundreds of dollars getting my sunroof closed and reminded me to replace the back up battery on my garage door opener! Thank you!

[@froggs]

That’s great. Thx for the feedback.

[@traincndr1]

Was it open and stuck in the tilt position

[@baohara-us6xi]

Great video. Purchased the motor from our Ford dealership. We swopped out the entire unit. Not just the circuit board. Initialized and it worked immediately. Thank you again.

[@goateegohan]

CANT THANK YOU ENOUGH! I am now a loyal subscriber! Godbless you brother I am not a handy man at all and I was able to do this! You are a true blessing!

[@debraedwards]

Ok I'd like to start off by saying THANKS!!!!!!..i can't afford to go to dealer to fix...sunroof was stuck open..I'm in Arizona and worst rains in a few years...just an FYI for anyone who doesn't a battery around you can use your cordless drill battery...I used my Robi 18v and it shut ASAP....thank you so much..ordering new motor and installing soon...I swear I didn't have the 1st clue until this video...note to self...clean those drain lines at the top and bottom ..again thanks for saving me hundreds!!!!

[@froggs]

Wonderful. Thanks for the feedback.

[@jjmcg9688]

I’m doing literally the same thing right now but MN, mine is stuck in tilt

[@corygarza7924]

Just wanted to say thank you. My shop opened the sunroof not knowing it wasn't working correctly. It was stuck in tilt when I realized it at home. You saved me some aggravation with rain and trying to plug the gap.

[@froggs]

Happy it helped!

[@davidwittig8817]

Thank you for the tutorial. It worked great. Sunroof is closed . Last vehicle I will ever buy with a sunroof. They always leak! Bad drains like you said. Thanks again!

[@jeffrey5935]

On a 2016 you can also just remove the motor completly and then switch the passenger one over to the driver side and reset it to just close it. Thats what i did and it worked, but your video also helped out alot. Much thanks

[@harptoharp]

Thank you so much for this video. Had a mechanic tell me that you couldn’t just order the motor for replacement and it would cost 8 thousand dollars to fix. Did exactly what you showed and got it closed. I’m good now just won’t open it again. Not like I did much anyway!

[@kennyrkun]

The motor can be had directly from Ford for about $260. It is as simple to install as the process in this video, except you just have to take out and put in a new motor when the headliner is down. Hopefully you can get it working like new!

[@georgegotoshia7831]

This is the only really detailed video, on the sunroof motor replacement. Thank you for this video.

[@joeanderson1758]

Thank you! This video worked like a charm and we were able to get our roof closed

[@ahshe792]

Great presentation step by step. It will save me from spending unnecessarily as found a simple fix. I will keep the sunroof closed.

[@gervani]

This video was excellent .Step by step easy to follow everything was right where you said it would be .Thank you very much!

[@robertherz5678]

Ian - Thanks for putting this together. This worked perfectly for me.

[@jimgarges72]

Genius!! What a huge help. Thanks so much for all the work on the video. My 2013 Ford Explorer moon roof is closed tight! I’m ordering a new mother board for the motor in hopes of getting it to function again. Be careful if you cut a hole in a perfectly good car roof!

[@debraedwards]

can you order the motherboard separately???? I have only seen them sold as 1 piece....sure would save me a lot of time if they do....if so where did you order it???

[@paulbok6941]

@@debraedwards You can just clean the board up yourself. Usually just one of the capacitors on the board that is bad. A whole bunch of electronics from the early 2000's had the problem of a "BAD BATCH" of capacitors supplying all the boards. Still can't believe this was allowed to happen even though they knew about the "BATCH" when they could've done something about it, but they didn't. *****SO, HERE'S WHAT YOU DO: Take a good look at all of the caps on your circuit board. Look for "doming" on the top of each capacitor (it will be pretty obvious) No damage then continue: With the board removed from the motor, hold it up to some in front of bright light so you can see any burned spots. If there are any spots burned...it will be obvious. After that, if nothing found then the last thing you may want to do is to more closely inspect every component on the board for damage or shorting. I've done almost 50 of these boards found in various Fords and I can't say how many TV boards, microwaves, desk top computers, etc...I have seen with bad CAPACITORS (or inadequate sealing from the elements as far as Fords) Pisses me off that they can just get away with this all the time without recalling and fixing issues. GOOD LUCK TO YOU!

[@debraedwards]

@@paulbok6941 thanks for your reply....I contacted my son, Carl, who has built various things since a kid with mother boards ...we did a duo chat so he could visually see the board itself...and he helped me...from the second he saw it he knew it was fried...it had rust..and several areas where corrosion had set in...turned out it wasn't my sunroof drains that were clogged...I cleaned them early this year and water poured all the way to the ground...found out the back seal on the sunroof glass itself had just simply, and ever so slightly, "seperated" from the glass...I actually caught it by chance as I was looking saw a bit of light and inspected.. a lil silicone around it....and wa..la...no more water leaking in...found out this is a common problem in fords of this year...numerous and various moonroof problems...they shoulda recalled...but ya know they make stuff to break down nowadays and not to last..got keep their cash flow and screw the customer service...I've never had any other issue with my Explorer..she only has 81, 000 miles now... and still going strong...driving her till she drops..I'm getting my $32k outta this one...next car..no hole in the roof..lol

[@SBELTRAN404]

Thank you for taking the time to help everyone with this knowledge. We were able to close the sunroof on a relatives car that was having this issue. The screws are Torx 28.

[@SealofPerfection]

Torx 25

[@RubenHernandez-ud2mh]

This was the only video that guide me through it... thanks man, thanks to you I did myself didn't have to pay 230 at the dealer

[@froggs]

Glad I could help, and thanks for the nice comment.

[@jaandel1]

@@froggs can you make a video about the moonroof draigane i have leak in the bank driverside but no idea if its from moonroof rear drainge tube or maybe the rack system screw any advise??

[@mredron5545]

Awesome worked like a charm on my 2013 explorer. Thank you so much!

[@FireDude13]

Nicely done. Glad to see I'm not the only one having all these issues... lol. We went to town and water just poured out from the overhead console. Then the next morning, 2 inches of water sitting in the Husky floor liners and the sunroof in the vent position. Heavy rains over the last year, no covered parking, I can see where water leaks could be an issue and corrode the control units for the sunroof motors. And the drive selector switch not showing it is in park... and the rear camera keeps cutting out. Thanks for sharing - it at least gives me some perspective on if I want to tackle this or just tarp it until I can get it to the dealer...

[@sandmanxo]

Thank you, i wish i had searched for this days ago with my roof tilted open for several 40 degree days

[@fdjohnson1961]

Thanks Ian!! We got the roof shut again using your procedure. My sunroof motor circuit board was most definitely bad. Unfortunately, the whole assembly has to be replaced. Both sunroof drains were clogged. We cleared the drains using the air compressor.

[@froggs]

My pleasure. Gotta work on a new one for common sensors going bad like oil pressure switch.

[@ConnerLopp]

Hello, also just pulled the roof panel down a little , enough to tap the motor a few times with my wrench, and it worked. Tryed this because in the past had to do the same with starter motors not engaging, tap with a pry bar and it engaged the solenoid. This might work for y’all, it worked for me.

[@juanpittman2802]

Just wanted to give you a HUGE THANKS for this video! You saved me in the midst of a rain storm!

[@brianwhitt5630]

Straight and to the point. Good job.

[@DaOhBoY]

i bought the motor on amazon and change it.. works fine.. mechanic wanted to change the whole sunroof moonroof. thanks for the video.

[@froggs]

I did as well. I strongly recommend going with the mopar vs. no-name. I went with a cheap no-name and it doesn't seem to learn the open, close, and tilt positions properly. Annoying.

[@agustinmejia6861]

Thank you that was so helpfull my sunroof was stuck on tilt up ans was able to close it by your video

[@creature197]

Fixed my moonroof! Thanks Ian! 👍🏼

[@yevgeniyfiskin4781]

Thank you for the video. Used a portable jump start pack to apply power to the motor.

[@omarnevarez2412]

Amazing video! I have same issues with my explorer. I’ve seen other videos but we’re poor quality and not too helpful. Yours really makes it easy to fix your self at home. Thanks your time and video

[@froggs]

Thanks, happy it was helpful.

[@chrish8645]

Thanks for the post, this worked perfectly today.

[@naamahyahyisraelphoenixrising]

Very good video. There was minimal pull down to see the stuff that matters most. Thank you and I will take it from here. Yes indeed

[@robertmetzner3866]

Life saver..used the alligator clips to shut the top before it rained .. awesome

[@lordhatch]

Great video, thank you so much. This was a really helpful trick until the new motor comes in.

[@luchohn]

excelente!!!! yo tengo el mismo problema y ahora se como resolverlo

[@victoriamarie2026]

Thank you so much. I wish I was as patient as you are… unfortunately I’m getting rid of my Ford Explorer. Too many things going down hill for my 2013 green hornet.

[@debraedwards]

I have to wonder now that I have received a RECALL notice for the windshield connectors going bad (but Ford doesn't have a "fix" at the moment) if the sunroof motors are going bad due to leakage around the top of the windshield and pooling by the sunroof motor/s. I cleaned the drain tubes....closed the sunroof via my 18v battery and haven't opened it since...yet when we have heavy rains there is water dripping from the sunglass compartment/light area and the visor area all around the top of the windshield is wet and even dripping at times... this is a common problem and with this recall I think they owe more than a few sunroof motors to customers....I told this to my local dealer and made a written complaint for such...$32,000 they should stand by their products and fix or repair....I believe that they know and are aware that the sunroof motors are going bad and are related to the windshield issue connectors because that's the only place that my Ford is leaking from right at the windshield where these connectors are bad

[@marksarna6129]

This really helped with my sunroof motor replacement, thank you!

[@froggs]

Good to hear, been thinking of doing that as well. I saw the controller and motors being sold on amazon.

[@andrewtipton2103]

Thank you for your video. I really put me on the right track.

[@milesmullins3525]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@miguelcruz-lg3gq]

God bless you thank you very much for your help

[@cherylcaardillo1702]

Ty😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤great video for someone who is an electrician

[@scottdarowski625]

Mine was stuck in tilt. Thanks tor the video. I used some longer leads and a car battery in the passenger seat

[@walterwhite1]

Wow super helpful man ❤

[@kaitlynoamil6589]

What size torque screwdriver???? Mine is stuck in tilt mode! 2017 ford explorer sport here & tried to do the reset now it’s stuck in tilt , motor is not working

[@JosephMastrella]

Worked great!!

[@gaa6805]

Thank you that was really helpful

[@natarajansomasundaram3475]

Thanks for the video. Mine is Ford Explorer 2012 and i prefer to replace the driver side sunroof motor. I removed three bolts but the motor is very hard to remove from track. Is there any way to remove it without damaging the track gear assembly?

[@froggs]

I also replaced my controller and motor (one combined part). Be sure to use Mopar, as didn’t and regret it. I don’t remember any issue dropping the unit off the spindle that drives the glass along the track. Perhaps you’ve missed something like a specific bolt? If not, maybe it just needs a little unsticking with a tug. The glass is now in closed position I suspect, so lower risk. Last thought is there is specific reinitialization steps with the new park installed.

[@SealofPerfection]

Sometimes the gear is in a bind. I rock them back and forth and occasionally use a screwdriver to put a bit of pressure on it while I'm doing that, and eventually it'll come loose.

[@traincndr1]

My ford explorer limited the sunroof is open and stuck in the tilt position and won't close

[@SealofPerfection]

That's one way to do it, I guess. Here's how I do it: Remove the motor. Just let it hang. Then pull the glass with your hands and you can manually get it to "almost shut", where the back is still tilted down. Then you can remove the glass. 4 Torx #25's. Use a screwdriver to get the guides into the final "closed" position. You can test fit the glass to see if you're there if you're not sure. Then reinstall the motor and the glass and you're done. That's about a 7 minute process for me, so someone who's not a pro but handy with tools should be able to do it in 30-40 minutes, I'd think. And clear the front sunroof drains, because them being stopped up and leaking water into the motor is what killed it. Other way I've done it is, swap the motors. They are the same. Shade motor usually still works, so it will close the glass. Then you can swap them back...or not, depends on if you want the shade to still operate.

[@Clemus94]

I tried swapping motors and still won’t close .. my shade motor was working.

[@Clemus94]

I also manually closed the glass but there is a gap any way I can fix this ? Any insight please

[@SealofPerfection]

@@Clemus94 Gap in the back? If so, remove the glass, and with the motor removed take a screwdriver and move the lower guides to the "closed" position. Reinstall the glass to see if you have it right, then when you do, reinstall the motor.

[@SealofPerfection]

@@Clemus94 Swap the motors and do the programming procedure to program that motor for the sunroof. I have a video on how to do it on my channel. But then your shade won't work, but at least you can operate the sunroof.

[@nikkorivas9193]

@@SealofPerfection hi buddy ,can you tell me what motor is for the sunroof,driver side or passenger side? My shade works sunroof doesn't,thanks in advance.

[@toddkirichkow7981]

Good video… I have a 2014 Ford explore with 118,000 miles on it and I’ll never buy a Ford ever again… Like you said it runs fast looks good but that’s about it… Just a terrible design… So many little things go wrong that should not. I replace both sunroof motors, and now have the same issue again even after cleaning my drain lines before the rain season… Driver side AC won’t work, and heat is stuck on for the right side dashboard… Bad control arms because bushings to rub against metal every time you go over a bump if you’re hitting the brakes you hear loud metal on metal clunking noise.. Ford should be ashamed of themselves for designing such a poorly built automobile . . Henry should be rolling in his grave!

[@froggs]

All I can say is… correct! Thx.

[@jonkitrel6622]

Great video. We just picked up a 2012 Explorer and my wife loves it... except for the deluge when it rains. I went to clean out the drain holes and nope, it won't open. It appears that Rock Auto and l are gonna become best buds over this vehicle

[@debraedwards]

How do you manually close if motor blown..help it's raining

[@tonyya8623]

This video was helpful, thanks 🙏🏾!!

[@froggs]

Glad it was helpful!

[@squisher2007]

Will this work if it is stuck on the tilt open?

[@froggs]

Yes

[@saltylikesalineicurn]

The other day I got in the car to go to work and it was leaking through the center console and it's never done that before but today while driving my sunroof opened by itself and won't shut now

[@jjmcg9688]

Wait, so the motor wasn’t the problem the circuit board was?

[@barbarazampieri]

minuto 7. gracias buen hombre

[@fredgorut480]

Gracias,.me salvaste

[@shane4954]

Is there any way to close it without electricity like manually? I don’t have the device you have hooked up

[@froggs]

I remember there being a spot where you could insert a short shaft Phillips screwdriver to manually turn things. Understand it will be difficult as each turn will only slightly change the position of the glass, and there is risk of stripping the plastic where the screwdriver goes in unless you have the right size screw head.

[@shane4954]

@@froggs yea I ended up stripping the piece but I didn’t notice the glass moving anyways. I completely removed the motor and it did have water damage. Mine is just stuck tilted

[@veronicadelgado1566]

Thank you so much ❤

[@LIONESSOFZION]

Was your vin on a recall list? Beautiful vehicle sad to hear it has so many problems

[@froggs]

No recall for this issue as far as I know. That said, yes there are a few recalls… something on suspension, something on air bag wiring.

[@stangowner8687]

So here’s my issue… the motor on the left is the problem. So when I take the left motor and put on the right side it works, when I put the right side motor on the left it doesn’t move. Could it be the actual 3 button switch controller itself malfunctioning?

[@froggs]

Or wiring, or connections as I believe they are both on the same fuse. I'd trace it and check with a voltmeter.

[@nickysolomon6037]

do the second sun roof opens?

[@anthonyfranchini6536]

Bro, where you live? Can i just bring it to you!

[@sandmanxo]

And several hours later my motor burned out. $361 for a new one from the dealer, as I needed to get on the road tomorrow for several hundred miles. Insane that Ford charges these kinds of prices for a more than likely sub $20 cost on their end, but at least my sunroof is closed before it rains.

[@geoffbernstein206]

I have a todo list item to blow out both drains every 2-3 months.

[@3nigma.3nc]

Dude.. it's a circuit board. Water will short circuit it and any amount of cleaning won't fix it. Just replace it.

[@froggs]

Well thanks for the tip. This is an emergency closure video assuming a replacement isn't in hand. For others reading this, the primary reason for these motors failing is blocked front drain tubes that run from the front corners to behind the wheel well. Cleaning them out can be found on KZbin, but best approach is with nylon trimmer cord, soapy water and a straw.

[@dentevo2259]

@@froggs Ian, our sunroof on our explorer was stuck in the tilt position. The rain was on its way and your video saved us in the nick of time! I was able to jump it with our back up battery from our garage door opener lol. Thank you for taking the time to share this!!!

[@RyanLeaym]

Let's say when I put power to the motor nothing happens. I need a new motor huh?

[@froggs]

Yeah that is rare that the motor itself is burned out vs. the board. When you buy a replacement it should be the assembly of both.

[@samuelugh5729]

Damn! I see u nicked the hell out of your hand. i hate that. When u work on stuff. always happens.

[@deecobra69]

If I could Like this video 1000th time i would!! Grate job thx.