Ford Explorer Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
42,507 NHTSA complaints (1984–2026).Complaint rate: 106.0 per 10,000 vehicles sold in the US.
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Should I buy a Ford Explorer?
Quick answer from 42,507 NHTSA complaints · 1984–2026
Ford Explorer reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is steering defects. Pick the right year and this Explorer can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2023 Ford Explorer· 6.8/10K sold
- 2022 Ford Explorer· 15.2/10K sold
- 2019 Ford Explorer· 17.1/10K sold
- 2013 Ford Explorer· 143.6/10K sold
- 2016 Ford Explorer· 119.2/10K sold
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- steering defects — 3,622 complaints (2.7% involved a crash)
- transmission / drivetrain — 2,281 complaints (2.7% involved a crash)
- tires:tread/belt — 2,064 complaints (10.9% involved a crash)
- automatic transmission — 2,061 complaints (2.5% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 1,994 complaints (1.4% involved a crash)
What Happened to 205,416 Ford Explorers On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 205,416 Ford Explorer VINs built 1991–2026 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Ford Explorer averages 22.9% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2013 — 38.5% of 4,745 VINs on record show accident history, above the 22.9% model average. The complaint spike is backed by real damage records.
- 2016 — 37.5% of 11,548 VINs on record show accident history, above the 22.9% model average. The complaint spike is backed by real damage records.
Typical Ford Explorer on record: 1.5 owners on average, 58,873 average miles.
Ford Explorer Generations
Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.
| Generation | Years | Complaints | Crashes | US Sold | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 1991–1994 | 4,294 | 346 | — | Show years | |||
| Gen 2 | 1995–2001 | 10,833 | 1,094 | — | Show years | |||
| Gen 3 | 2002–2005 | 7,716 | 347 | 239,788 | Show years | |||
| Gen 4 | 2006–2010 | 1,478 | 61 | 508,362 | Show years | |||
| Gen 5 | 2011–2019 | 15,508 | 358 | 1,930,263 | Hide years | |||
| 2011 | 1,483 | 48 | 135,704 | View 2011View→ | ||||
| 2012 | 1,016 | 15 | 174,647 | View 2012View→ | ||||
| 2013 | 2,762 | 61 | 192,397 | View 2013View→ | ||||
| 2014 | 2,020 | 48 | 209,994 | View 2014View→ | ||||
| 2015 | 2,147 | 52 | 249,251 | View 2015View→ | ||||
| 2016 | 2,963 | 56 | 248,507 | View 2016View→ | ||||
| 2017 | 1,964 | 53 | 271,131 | View 2017View→ | ||||
| 2018 | 834 | 23 | 261,571 | View 2018View→ | ||||
| 2019 | 319 | 2 | 187,061 | View 2019View→ | ||||
| Gen 6 | 2020–present | 2,650 | 118 | 1,331,692 | Show years |
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold — normalized for production volume so low-sales years aren't falsely rated "good".
Bottom line: Avoid the 1991–2004 Ford Explorer (1,757 crash-related complaints). The 2009 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Steering.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaint Rate per 10,000 Vehicles Sold
Normalized by US annual sales volume — higher = more complaints relative to sales
Show raw complaint counts
Common Ford Explorer Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Steering Defects | 3,622 | 2.7% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 2,281 | 2.7% |
| Tires:Tread/Belt | 2,064 | 10.9% |
| Automatic Transmission | 2,061 | 2.5% |
| Engine Problems | 1,994 | 1.4% |
| Structural Problems | 1,989 | 0.9% |
| Tire Defects | 1,909 | 12.8% |
| Body Structure | 1,804 | 1.7% |
| Electrical Faults | 1,576 | 1.9% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 1,234 | 13.2% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Rate | US Sales | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986NO DATA | — | 3 | — | — | 0 | — | View → |
| 1987NO DATA | — | 3 | — | — | 0 | — | View → |
| 1988NO DATA | — | 7 | — | — | 0 | — | View → |
| 1990NO DATA | — | 12 | — | — | 2 | 1 | View → |
| 1991NO DATA | Gen 1 | 764 | — | — | 70 | 73 | View → |
| 1992NO DATA | Gen 1 | 848 | — | — | 54 | 84 | View → |
| 1993NO DATA | Gen 1 | 1,151 | — | — | 98 | 53 | View → |
| 1994NO DATA | Gen 1 | 1,531 | — | — | 124 | 93 | View → |
| 1995NO DATA | Gen 2 | 1,048 | — | — | 107 | 39 | View → |
| 1996NO DATA | Gen 2 | 1,818 | — | — | 248 | 46 | View → |
| 1997NO DATA | Gen 2 | 2,150 | — | — | 180 | 58 | View → |
| 1998NO DATA | Gen 2 | 2,374 | — | — | 219 | 124 | View → |
| 1999NO DATA | Gen 2 | 1,737 | — | — | 143 | 54 | View → |
| 2000NO DATA | Gen 2 | 1,203 | — | — | 115 | 84 | View → |
| 2001NO DATA | Gen 2 | 503 | — | — | 82 | 30 | View → |
| 2002NO DATA | Gen 3 | 4,096 | — | — | 178 | 71 | View → |
| 2003NO DATA | Gen 3 | 1,369 | — | — | 70 | 10 | View → |
| 2004NO DATA | Gen 3 | 1,647 | — | — | 69 | 21 | View → |
| 2005 | Gen 3 | 604 | 25.2 | 239,788 | 30 | 8 | View → |
| 2006 | Gen 4 | 788 | 44.0 | 179,229 | 18 | 8 | View → |
| 2007 | Gen 4 | 271 | 19.7 | 137,817 | 14 | 6 | View → |
| 2008 | Gen 4 | 215 | 27.4 | 78,439 | 8 | 4 | View → |
| 2009GOOD | Gen 4 | 49 | 9.4 | 52,190 | 8 | — | View → |
| 2010 | Gen 4 | 155 | 25.5 | 60,687 | 13 | — | View → |
| 2011AVOID | Gen 5 | 1,483 | 109.3 | 135,704 | 48 | 4 | View → |
| 2012AVOID | Gen 5 | 1,016 | 58.2 | 174,647 | 15 | 12 | View → |
| 2013AVOID | Gen 5 | 2,762 | 143.6 | 192,397 | 61 | 15 | View → |
| 2014AVOID | Gen 5 | 2,020 | 96.2 | 209,994 | 48 | 8 | View → |
| 2015AVOID | Gen 5 | 2,147 | 86.1 | 249,251 | 52 | 1 | View → |
| 2016AVOID | Gen 5 | 2,963 | 119.2 | 248,507 | 56 | 21 | View → |
| 2017AVOID | Gen 5 | 1,964 | 72.4 | 271,131 | 53 | 15 | View → |
| 2018 | Gen 5 | 834 | 31.9 | 261,571 | 23 | 9 | View → |
| 2019GOOD | Gen 5 | 319 | 17.1 | 187,061 | 2 | — | View → |
| 2020AVOID | Gen 6 | 1,563 | 69.1 | 226,215 | 50 | 16 | View → |
| 2021 | Gen 6 | 504 | 22.9 | 219,871 | 21 | 7 | View → |
| 2022GOOD | Gen 6 | 315 | 15.2 | 207,763 | 25 | 3 | View → |
| 2023GOOD | Gen 6 | 128 | 6.8 | 186,769 | 11 | 3 | View → |
| 2024TOO NEW | Gen 6 | 22 | 1.1 | 206,981 | 0 | 1 | View → |
| 2025TOO NEW | Gen 6 | 115 | 5.2 | 222,706 | 11 | — | View → |
| 2026TOO NEW | Gen 6 | 3 | 0.5 | 61,387 | 0 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (42,507 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: US annual vehicle sales from goodcarbadcar. Coverage: 55% of model years have sales data. Total US sales: 4,010,105.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 205,416 Ford Explorer VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint rate. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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