2025 Ford Explorer: Is It Reliable?
Problems, Recalls & Buyer Verdict
Shopping for a used 2025 Ford Explorer? This page highlights owner-reported complaint patterns and recall history so you can inspect the right systems before buying. Current data includes 72 complaints, with Electrical Faults as the top reported area.
2025 Ford Explorer Fuel Economy
✓ EPA Official DataEPA-rated fuel economy across 6 2025 Ford Explorer trim configurations. The median figure is shown; range reflects all available trims.
Source: EPA FuelEconomy.gov. Figures reflect EPA lab testing; real-world results vary by driving style, load, and conditions. 6 trims analysed.
2025 Ford Explorer Safety Ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Program2 variants tested — showing 2025 Ford Explorer SUV 4WDOfficial crash test results from the NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings program. Stars reflect government-conducted tests; higher is safer.
Overall
15.1% rollover risk
Frontal Crash
Side Crash
Rollover
15.1% probability
Source: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Ratings are based on government crash tests and may not reflect all trim levels.
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the 2025 Ford Explorer has 72 owner complaints, 6 crash-related complaints, and 17 recall campaigns on record. The most frequently reported component is Electrical Faults. NHTSA reliability signal: Severe Issues.
- Make
- Ford
- Model
- Explorer
- Model year
- 2025
- NHTSA owner complaints
- 72
- Crash-related complaints
- 6
- Safety recall campaigns
- 17
- Top reported component
- Electrical Faults
- Reliability signal
- Severe Issues
- EPA MPG combined
- 21
- EPA MPG city / highway
- 18 / 25
- Fuel type
- Regular Gasoline
- NHTSA overall safety rating
- 5/5 stars
- NHTSA frontal crash rating
- 5/5 stars
- NHTSA side crash rating
- 5/5 stars
- NHTSA rollover rating
- 4/5 stars
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
Most Common 2025 Ford Explorer Problems
Top owner-reported complaint areas and where they often appear.
Electrical Faults
Uncategorized Issues
Transmission / Drivetrain
Complaint patterns center on Electrical Faults, Uncategorized Issues, Transmission / Drivetrain. Use these as a pre-purchase inspection guide, then verify recall and damage history on the specific VIN.
Should You Buy a Used 2025 Ford Explorer?
The 2025 Ford Explorer shows higher complaint activity for its model-year profile, so buyers should inspect known problem areas carefully before purchase.
Use the model-year trend to shortlist candidates, then confirm the exact vehicle condition with service records, recall status, and a VIN history report.
What to Check Before Buying a Used 2025 Ford Explorer
Inspection Focus
- Inspect electrical system components, including wiring and infotainment.
- Verify all open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
- Request service records for transmission, brakes, and AEB system.
- Have a mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase.
Before You Close the Deal
- Inspect electrical system components, including wiring and infotainment.
- Verify all open recalls at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
- Request service records for transmission, brakes, and AEB system.
- Have a mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase.
Shortlist with model-year data. Decide with the exact VIN.
Before buying a used 2025 Ford Explorer, run a VIN history report to verify accidents, title brands, odometer records, theft checks, and open recalls for the exact vehicle.
What the Complaint Data Suggests
Editorial interpretation of NHTSA public complaint data. Source: nhtsa.gov. Complaints are owner-submitted and do not confirm a defect. Methodology
Based on 72 complaints for the 2025 Ford Explorer, issues appear concentrated in electrical faults, transmission/drivetrain, and brake systems. There are 17 recalls and 6 crash-related complaints, but the low confidence level means these patterns should be interpreted cautiously.
- Electrical faults account for the highest number of complaints (15).
- Transmission/drivetrain and brake systems each have 12 complaints.
- Forward collision avoidance (AEB) has 10 complaints.
- Electrical faults
- Transmission/drivetrain issues
- Brake system problems
All 2025 Ford Explorer Complaints by Category
Every owner-reported complaint category filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Ford Explorer. Use this as a pre-purchase inspection checklist.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Avg Mileage | Volume |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical Faults | 15 | 1 | — | — | |
| Uncategorized Issues | 13 | 1 | — | — | |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 12 | 1 | — | — | |
| Brake System | 12 | 3 | — | — | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: AEB | 10 | 1 | — | — | |
| Visibility/Wiper | 8 | — | — | — | |
| Steering Defects | 6 | 1 | — | — | |
| Engine Problems | 6 | — | — | — | |
| Structural Problems | 5 | — | — | — | |
| Unintended Acceleration | 4 | 1 | — | — | |
| Suspension Failures | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Headlight/Taillight Failures | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Airbag Malfunctions | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Visibility | 3 | — | — | — | |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 1 | — | — | |
| Fuel/Propulsion System | 2 | — | — | — | |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Seat-Related Issues | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Wheel Issues | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Seat Belt Issues | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Door Lock Issues | 1 | — | — | — | |
| Communication | 1 | — | — | — |
Source: NHTSA Complaints Database. Complaint counts may exceed total complaints because one report can span multiple categories.
Real Owner Complaints
Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2025 Ford Explorer. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.
Front side windows (driver and passenger side) have a quality issue that creates a distorted, wave-like view when looking out the window. This results difficulty viewing objects seen in the side mirrors. Also, when viewing anything out the side windows (ie. cross traffic) the vie…
Alignment went bad 23489 miles and took to dealer. It was inspected and found out the front cam bushings and bolts were already worn out and had to be replaced both sides. Plus realignment after. Cost was 544.00 dollars had to pay because alignment from factory only goes to 12000…
My 2025 Ford Explorer pulls hard to the left, the steering wheel feels heavy, stiff, and gets hard to steer my wife and I are constantly fighting with the car to get it to steer right and stay in the lane. If I let it, I can keep the steering wheel straight and the car will just …
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle started shaking violently. The check engine warning light came on, and the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The contact used a scanner to identify an error code…
On March 2nd 2026, while operating my 2025 Ford Explorer ST at highway speeds of approximately 78 MPH, the vehicle experienced a sudden, uncommanded shift from Drive into Neutral. This resulted in an immediate and total loss of motive power in live traffic, creating a life-threat…
I am writing to formally report a series of catastrophic and life-threatening mechanical and electronic failures in my 2025 Ford Explorer Active (VIN: [XXX] ]), purchased in Bogotá, Colombia. Despite immediately notifying the Ford Post-Sales Support Line after the first incident…
The vehicle failed the inspection related to Recall 25C42. Since owning the vehicle, I have experienced repeated intermittent failures of multiple safety and driver-assistance systems, which raise serious safety concerns. The Pre-Collision Assist system has activated without any…
While using Ford Blue Cruise, the Blue Cruise system failed to maintain lane control and fought the driver's steering wheel input, resulting in the vehicle colliding with a traffic cone. I have had 3 other instances where Blue Cruise has randomly jerked me toward the shoulder or …
Ever since I bought that vehicle, it's had system malfunctions. I received three letters directly from Ford explaining the problems this vehicle had or could have. But he and the dealerships, where I took my vehicle for repairs, never did them. They always denied that it had any …
Car was parked on a driveway, decent grade, with 50 miles left to empty (no low fuel light on). Facing downward. Car did not turn over. Had to use manual override to put vehicle into neutral and coast to a more level area and start it up. Seen this issue posted on the Explore…
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on the first day after the vehicle was purchased, the pre-collision camera failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the alarm failed to beep as intended when a person or an object was in front of or pas…
Since new. Thousands of dots or specs are visible in the window upon sun up of sun down. This is not the snow flake safety campain that Ford has. Others have the same complaint on social media.
First, we took this vehicle to a dealer because the rear window buttons were not working. They wouldn't roll down. Second, the dome lamps inside only work part of the time, when we take the vehicle to the dealer or another Ford dealer that we decided to try, they say they can't…
Parked vehicle on snowy driveway, went to back to unload personal items from liftgate, and vehicle began sliding backwards towards me. Ran to the driver‘s door, got in, put on brakes, started vehicle and pulled it forward. Put it in park, and as I was exiting the vehicle, it bega…
I brought my 2025 Explorer in on 12/19/2025 for a recall check. I mentioned to the Service Advisor that the left rear inner wheel well skirt was detached from the quarter panel. After the car was looked at, he came to me and said that they can be replaced at a cost of $600...XXX.…
Front and side curtain air bags failed. Was side swiped and hit a guard rail head on at 60-70 mph. I was going on the far left lane on the interstate 85. When a lady in the center lane hit the side of my car not paying attention that I was in my lane.
My remote start would not work from inside of a restaurant so I went out to manually start the car. It started fine. It was very cold out so I thought that I would drive up next to the building to get close to the entrance. The parking lot was not slippery at all , when I applied…
We purchased a 2025 Ford Explorer Active RWD and had a couple of issues with it. Twice when starting the car, foot on brake and when putting it into D the brake pedal drops a notch. It had some error codes as well and OF Course the dealer could find anything wrong. So we trade…
My wife found an article about this, so I guess it happens to other people as well. I will leave the link that she sent to me in this report. To put it very simple there seems to be a problem with the seat, memory module in the door of some Ford Explorers. So many times when my …
There is a large black box on the interior windshield surrounding the rearview mirror. This box blocks the defrost on the windshield, causing ice buildup on the windshield in this area thus causing ice buildup on the windshield wipers. This causes the windshield wipers to be inef…
Source: NHTSA Complaints Database. Real owner reports for the 2025 Ford Explorer.
2025 Ford Explorer Recalls
17 campaignsNHTSA recall campaigns for the 2025 Ford Explorer. 17 recall campaigns are on record for this model year. Recalls are free to fix at authorized dealers, but completion status must be verified on the exact VIN.
2025 Ford Explorer Buying FAQ
Buyer-focused answers based on real NHTSA complaint and recall data for this model year.
Is the 2025 Ford Explorer reliable?▾
Severe Issues. NHTSA currently shows 72 owner complaints, 6 crash-related complaints, and 17 recall campaigns for this model year. The 2025 Ford Explorer shows higher complaint activity for its model-year profile, so buyers should inspect known problem areas carefully before purchase. Treat this as a model-year signal, then verify the exact vehicle's condition and history before purchase.
What are the most common problems with the 2025 Ford Explorer?▾
#1: Electrical Faults (15 complaints). #2: Uncategorized Issues (13 complaints). #3: Transmission / Drivetrain (12 complaints)
At what mileage do problems start on the 2025 Ford Explorer?▾
Mileage data is not available or insufficient for this model year.
How safe is the 2025 Ford Explorer?▾
Complaint data is not the same as crash-test scoring, but it does highlight possible risk patterns. For the 2025 Ford Explorer, NHTSA complaints include 6 crash-related reports and 0 fire reports out of 72 total complaints. 2 injury reports are also on file. For controlled crash-test ratings, check nhtsa.gov/ratings.
Does the 2025 Ford Explorer have any recalls?▾
Yes. 17 NHTSA recall campaigns affect the 2025 Ford Explorer. A major recall area is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS. 17 recall campaigns are on record for this model year. Always verify open recalls by VIN because completion status varies by vehicle.
Should I buy a 2025 Ford Explorer?▾
The 2025 Ford Explorer shows higher complaint activity for its model-year profile, so buyers should inspect known problem areas carefully before purchase. Use the model-year trend to shortlist candidates, then confirm the exact vehicle condition with service records, recall status, and a VIN history report. Pay extra attention to Electrical Faults during inspection. Before committing, run a VIN history report to verify accidents, title brands, odometer records, and recall completion for the exact car.
Source: NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) complaint and recall databases, aggregated by VinSpector AI.
Wider context: See the full Ford Explorer reliability report with year-by-year comparison.
Owner Reliability Rating
Rate the 2025 Ford Explorer based on your ownership experience.
Add your rating:
Ratings are based on owner experience and are separate from NHTSA data shown above.
Check the Exact Vehicle History Before You Buy
Model-year complaints and recalls reveal patterns. A VIN report confirms whether the exact car has accident history, title brands, mileage issues, or open recalls.