Ford Explorer Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 34,624 consumer complaints across the 37 model years of the Ford Explorer (1990–2026) that have at least 5 complaints. 2002 has the most, with 3,295. Across all years, the part named most often is transmission and drivetrain (5,409 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Explorer years →
All Explorer model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 42 | 2,600 | 14 | 56 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2025 | 107 | 3,000 | 20 | 189 | Too new to compare | Too new |
| 2024 | 21 | 8,832 | 10 | 107 | — | Too new |
| 2023 | 111 | 17,000 | 15 | 163 | 19 · Fewer | Too new |
| 2022 | 271 | 37,000 | 25 | 236 | 39 · Typical | Rising |
| 2021 | 448 | 44,000 | 27 | 297 | 54 · Typical | Rising |
| 2020 | 1,244 | 23,750 | 34 | 365 | 100 · More | Rising |
| 2019 | 300 | 54,000 | 6 | 135 | 2 · Fewer | Rising |
| 2018 | 734 | 50,000 | 7 | 191 | 42 · Typical | Rising |
| 2017 | 1,704 | 50,000 | 13 | 201 | 86 · More | Rising |
| 2016 | 2,463 | 48,850 | 14 | 199 | 100 · More | Rising |
| 2015 | 1,812 | 57,000 | 8 | 124 | 91 · More | Rising |
| 2014 | 1,684 | 66,000 | 6 | 130 | 71 · More | Rising |
| 2013 | 2,237 | 76,439 | 11 | 139 | 73 · More | Rising |
| 2012 | 830 | 70,000 | 5 | 87 | 46 · Typical | Rising |
| 2011 | 1,197 | 70,000 | 6 | 78 | 76 · More | Rising |
| 2010 | 115 | 40,707 | 1 | 25 | 0 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2009 | 33 | 77,000 | 0 | 20 | 0 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2008 | 148 | 77,000 | 1 | 23 | 0 · Fewer | Falling |
| 2007 | 208 | 67,250 | 1 | 25 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2006 | 630 | 55,000 | 1 | 40 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2005 | 497 | 70,000 | 0 | 51 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2004 | 1,304 | 65,000 | 0 | 54 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2003 | 1,131 | 73,000 | 2 | 38 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 3,295 | 79,000 | 4 | 40 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2001 | 375 | 90,000 | 6 | 11 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2000 | 952 | 77,419 | 9 | 10 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1999 | 1,348 | 82,193 | 9 | 7 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1998 | 1,959 | 100,000 | 9 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1997 | 1,731 | 99,500 | 7 | 4 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1996 | 1,450 | 120,208 | 6 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1995 | 843 | 121,585 | 5 | 3 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 1,207 | 99,041 | 4 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1993 | 939 | 117,494 | 6 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1992 | 633 | 108,065 | 4 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 609 | 121,902 | 8 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 1990 | 12 | 58,410 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Transmission and drivetrain5,409 19%
- Body and structure5,253 19%
- Steering4,141 15%
- Tires3,771 13%
- Other or unknown3,219 11%
- Electrical system2,260 8.0%
- Engine2,066 7.3%
- Engine cooling1,999 7.1%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2013: “I started my car after work (this is after a 12 hr sit time) and seen I had a fault on my dashboard, power steering assist and service advance faults. So in short, I do not have power steering, nor do I have my 4wd, and for some reason my turn signal does not work for steady on. The turn signal works for lane changes but not for steady on turning.”
NHTSA complaint #11394597, filed 2021-02, 189,000 miles2017: “The driver's and passenger side windshield pillar moldings are loose and coming off and making a vibration sound while driving at any speed over 30 MPH. I have read multiple complaints of them flying off while driving and potentially causing an accident to other motorists. I have had them checked by the dealer and there is no recall for them.”
NHTSA complaint #11396036, filed 2021-02, 64,000 miles2011: “On sunday april 11 2021 I was driving my Ford Explorer 2011 glendale az and being in motion an alert pop up om my dashboard saying power steering assist fault leaving me with no steering since my steering wheel got really hard. Looking online for any recalls I found one and called Ford and they told me the recall was not valid because the warranty was expired.”
NHTSA complaint #11407799, filed 2021-04, 95,000 milesOther Ford models
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14,106 complaintsFord Expedition
9,385 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology