Ford Explorer problems: recalls, complaints and what they cost
Pick a model year below for the Ford Explorer's open safety recalls and the components owners complain about most — then, for each of those, whether it is safe to keep driving and what the repair should cost.
Choose a year to load recalls and complaints.
What goes wrong with the Ford Explorer?
Across 8 model years sampled between 2011 and 2024, NHTSA records 114 recall entries — one campaign counts once for each model year it covers, so the number of distinct campaigns is lower — and 7,964 owner complaints for the Ford Explorer. Counts track how many were sold as much as how good the vehicle is, so the useful signal is which components the complaints cluster on and which years stand out against the rest of the run.
Where complaints concentrate
| Component | Owner complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering | 2,146 | 27% |
| Structure | 1,332 | 17% |
| Unknown or Other | 1,234 | 15% |
| Engine | 579 | 7% |
| Power Train | 562 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 350 | 4% |
Steering draws the most reports on this nameplate. That is a starting point rather than a verdict — a component can dominate because it genuinely fails or simply because it is the part owners notice. Match it against what your own vehicle is doing before spending anything.
By model year
| Year | Recall entries | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 10 | 21 |
| 2023 | 15 | 110 |
| 2022 | 24 | 268 |
| 2021 | 26 | 434 |
| 2016 | 15 | 2,459 |
| 2015 | 9 | 1,797 |
| 2014 | 7 | 1,679 |
| 2011 | 8 | 1,196 |
Model years 2012, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 are not in this retrieval, which means no records were returned for them — not that there were none. Use the year selector above to query those years live.
Older years accumulate more complaints simply by being on the road longer, so compare a year against its neighbours rather than against the newest one.
Recent safety recalls
Suspension
The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
Free remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, and inspect both rear toe link ball joints, replacing the rear wheel knuckle(s), if necessary, free of charge.
Wheels
These bearings assemblies were manufactured without a self retention feature, possibly…
Free remedy: Ford will notify the distributors of the hubs specifying that they are to only be used on drive axles. It is believed that none of the hubs were purchased from Ford dealers for the incorrect application.
Structure
In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Free remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2015.
Suspension
The affected vehicles may have improperly welded rear suspension toe links that may fracture.
Free remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit. Take the campaign number to any franchised dealer. How recalls work.
Recall text above is abridged from the NHTSA record. Search the campaign number at nhtsa.gov/recalls for the full notice, affected VIN ranges and dealer instructions.
Source: NHTSA (US Department of Transportation), public domain, retrieved 2026-10-08. Use the year selector above for the current live figures.
How does a SUV or crossover typically fail?
Most modern crossovers are unibody cars underneath, so they inherit car failure patterns rather than truck ones — with two differences. The extra weight over the same platform works the suspension and brakes harder, and all-wheel-drive systems add transfer cases, couplings and driveshafts that a front-wheel-drive car simply does not have. Those extra driveline parts are where the segment-specific complaints concentrate.
What should I check first?
For a SUV or crossover, the systems worth ruling out before anything else are all-wheel-drive driveline noise and uneven tyre wear. Match what the vehicle is actually doing to the guide below — each one opens with a safety verdict, not a parts list.
- Clunk over bumps
- Humming rises with speed
- Grinding when braking
- Transmission slipping
- Shaking at highway speed
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a defect the manufacturer must fix free of charge, forever, with no mileage limit and regardless of how many owners the car has had. A complaint is one owner’s report filed with NHTSA. One complaint is an anecdote; two hundred naming the same component is a pattern, and patterns are what you want before you buy or before you authorise a large repair. Read the complaint list by concentration, never by total — a model that sold three times as many units collects roughly three times as many complaints while being no worse.
What should I check before buying one?
On any all-wheel-drive example, check that all four tyres match in brand, model and tread depth. Mismatched rolling diameters quietly destroy couplings and differentials, and it is the single most common expensive mistake previous owners make on this segment.
Beyond that, the checks that find expensive problems are the same on any vehicle: see it started from stone cold, look under the oil cap, smell the transmission fluid, and scan it for stored and recently-cleared codes. Our used car inspection checklist walks through each one, and why cars fail explains how systemic defects emerge in the first place.
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Does the Ford Explorer have any open recalls?
Open safety recalls for the Ford Explorer are listed on this page, pulled live from NHTSA's public database. Recall repairs are free with no mileage or ownership limit, so an open campaign is money the manufacturer owes you rather than a repair you pay for. Check by VIN for certainty on one specific vehicle.
What are the most common Ford Explorer problems?
The complaint list on this page groups owner reports by component, which is the useful view: one component dominating the list is a pattern, while complaints spread evenly across many systems usually just means the model sold in volume. For this class of vehicle, all-wheel-drive driveline noise and uneven tyre wear are the areas worth checking first.
Is the Ford Explorer expensive to repair?
Cost depends far more on which system fails than on the badge. Each symptom guide linked from this page carries a parts-and-labour range for US independent shops, so you can price the specific fault rather than the car in general.