Just started my Explorer this morning and this warning popped up. It was fine yesterday, so not sure what’s causing this today. It’s been super cold this week, around -16°C.
I just refilled the coolant too. Anyone have ideas on what might be going on? Help would be appreciated.
I’m hoping it’s not your water pump. That can be expensive to fix.
Unfortunately, there’s not much we can figure out from here. Best bet is to get it towed to a shop.
Ben said:
I’m hoping it’s not your water pump. That can be expensive to fix.
Unfortunately, there’s not much we can figure out from here. Best bet is to get it towed to a shop.
This looks like a 2020+ model. Would the water pump be part of the powertrain on those?
Sorry man, looks like you might be joining the water pump club. 
Chen said:
Sorry man, looks like you might be joining the water pump club.
It looks like a 2020+ model, which means it doesn’t have the internal water pump.
You said you just filled the coolant, but you might want to check it again.
Adding coolant could point to a bigger issue, like a leak somewhere.
What’s concerning here is that the temperature gauge is all the way hot, but the engine is still running. That could cause serious damage, like warping the cylinder heads or engine block. I’d definitely have it towed to a shop. If you needed to top off the coolant, it could be leaking somewhere.
It’s funny how the warning has an OK button to dismiss it, like that’s going to make the problem go away. More like a killer of engines than anything else!
Ari said:
It’s funny how the warning has an OK button to dismiss it, like that’s going to make the problem go away. More like a killer of engines than anything else!
Ari said:
It’s funny how the warning has an OK button to dismiss it, like that’s going to make the problem go away. More like a killer of engines than anything else!
You mentioned starting the car and getting this warning. How long was it running? Was it a cold start? Or is the engine really overheating? I’ve had a similar issue when changing a battery and got that warning. I shut off the vehicle right away, checked under the hood for anything obvious, and restarted the car. Everything was fine after that. You mentioned adding coolant, why was that? How low was it? Could be an electronic glitch or maybe it’s really overheating. Might want to include your car model and engine type for more details.
@Nori
The car ran for 30 seconds after a -20°C night. I think it’s a faulty coolant sensor because the car runs fine. No weird noises or anything. I drove around the block but it wouldn’t shift out of 1st gear. I did get it into manual mode for a sec though. It’s getting towed this week, so hopefully it’s nothing serious.