FORD Explorer Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used FORD Explorer options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the FORD Explorer has 4,728 owner complaints and 165 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is STRUCTURE. 2017 drew the most complaints; 2024 drew the fewest.
- Make
- FORD
- Model
- Explorer
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 4,728
- Safety recall campaigns
- 165
- Crash-related complaints
- 129
- Fire-related complaints
- 36
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2017 (1,673 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2024 (19 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- STRUCTURE
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
FORD Explorer: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe FORD EXPLORER has 4,728 NHTSA complaints and 165 recalls on record. 129 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 4,728 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 165 federal recall campaigns
- 129 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Jul 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
165 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
TRAILER HITCHES
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
SUSPENSION:FRONT:MACPHERSON STRUT
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
SEAT BELTS
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY
BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 4,728 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
4,728 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The center display went blank and a/c controls under it would not work. Stopped vehicle and pushed ignition button to off and waited 1 minute and pushed ignition back to on on and display was still blank. Got to destination and pushed ignition to off. The next day when I got into vehicle and pushed ignition button to on the display worked.
have been getting a warning coming up saying pre-collision sensor not available sensor blocked over 100 times brought it to the dealership and they said that the bracket for the sensor is broken due to road debris, impact or snow and ice buildup with no evidence of any damage
During a severe, multi-lane impact crash, the second-row outer seatbelts completely failed to maintain restraint and failed to retract. Both occupants in the second-row outer seating positions (ages 5 and 7) sustained visible seatbelt friction burns on their arms from the initial impact, but immediately following the crash, both seatbelts were found completely broken, with all slack pulled completely out and zero mechanical retraction. Both children were found entirely unbuckled and unrestrained immediately following the impact. This vehicle is a Ford Explorer, and this failure matches the exact criteria of an active manufacturer safety recall noted on my insurance documentation (NHTSA Campaign ID: 26V159000 / Ford Recall No: 26C18) regarding second-row outer seatbelt anchor bolts being improperly secured. The vehicle has been declared a total loss, but the components are preserved and currently available for inspection upon request under a temporary insurance evidence hold. How safety was put at risk: The safety of two young children was severely compromised. Because the second-row seatbelt mechanisms or anchor bolts failed mid-crash, the children were left entirely unrestrained and unbuckled inside a moving, colliding vehicle after the initial impact, vastly increasing their risk of severe secondary impact injuries. Has the problem been confirmed by a dealer/independent center? UNKNOWN. The failure occurred during the crash, and the vehicle was towed directly to a holding lot. Has it been inspected by others? The vehicle has been documented by insurance representatives for valuation purposes, but a dedicated mechanical inspection of the failed seatbelt components has not yet been performed. Were there warning lamps or prior symptoms? NO. There were absolutely no warning lights, messages, loose seatbelt components, or mechanical symptoms prior to the crash. The system appeared to be functioning normally until it failed under the stress of the impact.
pre-collision warning light comes up, saying sensor blocked and sensor is not blocked. Brought it to the local dealership found that the cruise control module bracket is damaged no visible damage or strikes to the bumper dealership says not under warranty, and Ford is aware of a widespread issue with the bracket snapping on the sensor behind the front bumper
Rear windshield wiper doesn't work. Earlier model years have been recalled for wiper motor issues.
• Driver seat not setting its memory for the driver , and will move on its own and go all the way to dash while setting in it or all the way back . Has happened multiple times and also twice while driving. • Safety at risk could have made me wreck my vehicle if I hadn’t pulled over and the seat stopped what it was doing front and back. • yes , been checked by dealership (4) times in service department. •yes, every code on the dash has appeared and lasted a total 20 minutes and car went into limp mode. Couldn’t turn car on or off. First happen in Dec 2025. There has been multiple issues with this vehicle since I bought it from the first month.
Read 14 more owner reports
The headrest on the third row is locked in the upright position and won't fold down. I've looked online and it seems to happen in every ford explorer in the current generation, 2020+. I see hundreds of complaints online. Across the forums and reddit.
Visual blurry defect in windshield glass in driver side
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the contact struck a deer with the front of the vehicle. There was no property damage reported. The vehicle came to a stop shortly afterwards. The contact stated that the air bags had not deployed. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
Deputy was going to an incident and after arrival at the scene the patrol car began to smoke, and flames were seen within the wheel well. Deputy was not in the vehicle when the fire was discovered, and Fire responded and extinguished the flames - but not before major damage to the engine compartment.
Purchased new from dealer. At 3500 miles, noticed rattling and clunking noise under front end, more noticeable at speeds less than 35. Took to dealer who diagnosed as worn struts, saying shocks and struts need to be replaced, but they need to order parts. When asked if safe to drive, was told "yes", but "avoid potholes". Now waiting to hear from dealer when parts come in. They stated it would take 4 to 5 hours to repair/replace.
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while parked upon inspecting the vehicle, he noticed the driver's side and passenger side struts failed. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that both front struts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 11,103.
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30-40 MPH in cold weather, the vehicle started making an abnormal clunking and rattling sound near the wheels. The contact was unable to determine the source of the noise. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V091000 (SUSPENSION, STEERING). The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front struts were worn and needed to be replaced. The dealer recommended that the contact not drive the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired due to parts being on backorder. The manufacturer was contacted and filed a complaint. The approximate failure mileage was 3,600.
Inner fender liners are getting rubbed through by the tires creating large holes and exposing wiring harnesses and other components to the tire/wheel well area. We have seen this on about 5-6 of these same vehicles now.
There is a distortion in the front windshield affecting my ability to see the front right corner of my vehicle. I was leaving a restaurant in the dark and the distortion affected the headlights to the point it didn’t appear there were any on the right side of the vehicle. In daylight, that area of the windshield is so distorted I’ve missed vehicles coming from the right and developed it migraines while driving. The defect was reported to the dealership and they reported it to the manufacturer in August, they have been going back and forth since, most recently being denied due to ‘orange peel’. There is not damage to any of the paint, nor has the vehicle been through a car wash or any paint repairs (trim as been replaced by the dealership). The salesman and a number of service techs are able to confirm the distortion is visible to the center of the windshield. The manufacturer has been requested to check it in person but has not followed through. I am hoping to get a windshield repair shop, second automotive dealership, and potentially and officer to take a look at it this week.
Hello, I bought 2024 ford explore in Aug 2024 with a few hundred miles on it!! Now two months down the road with 5500miles on it, it is jerking real hard when driving or passing vehicles and slowing down!! The drive mode is in normal at all times. I took it back to where I bought it in Booneville does place and they sent me to ford place in Paris ark where they are ordering a part to see if it fix it or if I need a new transmission. Is this a lemon or what
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65-70 MPH on two occasions, the Lane Keep Assist malfunctioned and the vehicle veered out of the intended lane. The contact was able to recover control of the vehicle to remain in the intended lane. Additionally, while driving 40-45 MPH, the Lane Keep Assist veered the vehicle out of the intended lane and the vehicle side swiped the barrier wall. There were unknown warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries. There was no air bag deployment. The contact stated that a Police report was not filed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 6,560.
This vehicle has a 360 camera system that was not included, despite is being included in the component package that is standard for this vehicle. I contacted the dealer directly, informed them that there are cameras installed on the vehicle, but only the rear camera is operational. Further investigation into the matter revealed that Ford apparently "recalled" the camera systems on the Explorer for the 2023 models, but has not distributed any information to its dealers. Now I have a forward facing camera that is not operational, but the vehicle's warning system continually advises me there is a problem with the front camera's vision, "Check forward camera lens for cleanliness". Also, the front camera lens is clear, but it still will display the warning. The Ford dealers all claim that the manufacturer has not shared information about the 2024 Ford Explorer's 360 camera system. Lastly, the reverse braking system is non-operational as well. Another system that should be included with the upgraded package.
The contact rented a 2024 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 15-20 MPH, the hood became ajar, raised up, and struck the windshield. The windshield shattered and sprayed shards of glass onto the occupants inside the vehicle. There were no reported injuries. The Police were called to the scene and filed a Police report. The vehicle was towed to the rental facility. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
The light for the right hand mirror blind spot warning came loose within the mirror housing. The light still works and activates when a vehicle is in the blind spot, but the light has fallen to the bottom of the mirror housing and is barely visible (a yellow glow at night).
Showing 20 of 4,728 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact FORD Explorer
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used FORD Explorer, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The FORD Explorer has 4,728 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The FORD Explorer has 165 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 129 of the FORD Explorer's 4,728 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all FORD Explorer vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two FORD Explorer vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The FORD Explorer has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Check a FORD Explorer by state
Title-branding rules, flood-damage exposure, and salvage laws vary by state. Run a free VIN check or explore state-specific vehicle history guidance before buying a used FORD Explorer.
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FORD Explorer reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the FORD Explorer reliable?
Poor. The FORD Explorer has 4,728 NHTSA owner complaints and 165 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is STRUCTURE. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which FORD Explorer years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2017 (1,673 complaints), 2020 (1,174 complaints), 2018 (714 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common FORD Explorer problems?
Top reported issues: STRUCTURE (1,168 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (950 complaints); POWER TRAIN (860 complaints).
Does the FORD Explorer have recalls?
Yes — 165 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the FORD Explorer. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.