2025 Ford Explorer problems and recalls
Owners have filed 95 complaints on the 2025 Ford Explorer, and NHTSA has issued 20 recalls. The most cited component is the Electrical System (21 complaints).
95
Complaints
20
Recalls
7
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
4
Injuries
62.0
Severity index
Severity index 62.0 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.
Ranked 19 of 46 by severity index among 2025 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 59% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2025 ranking.
Components cited in complaints
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 21 | 22.1% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 17 | 17.9% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 16 | 16.8% |
| POWER TRAIN | 15 | 15.8% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 12 | 12.6% |
| STEERING | 9 | 9.5% |
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 9 | 9.5% |
| STRUCTURE | 7 | 7.4% |
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 53 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 37 |
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24V634000 | 23/08/2024 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORS | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2023 Lincoln Corsair, 2023-2024 Escape, 2024 Mustang, and 2025 Explorer vehicles. The fuel injectors may have been assembled without O-ring support discs, which can result in a fuel leak. |
| 24V801000 | 25/10/2024 | BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The rearview camera image may fail when the vehicle speed reaches 10 MPH or greater. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard |
| 24V852000 | 08/11/2024 | EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, 2020-2024 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2018-2024 F-150, Expedition and Lincoln Navigator vehicles. The air bag warning label may be missing from the dashboard. As such, these vehicles fail to comply |
| 25V020000 | 17/01/2025 | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The transmission may be improperly secured due to loose cross member bolts. |
| 25V164000 | 14/03/2025 | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:VALVES/VALVE BODY | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, Bronco, 2024 Ranger, 2025 Mustang, Explorer, and Aviator vehicles. The transmission valve body may have been machined incorrectly, which can cause reverse gear failure, or unexpected forward movement in reverse or n |
| 25V239000 | 11/04/2025 | POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer vehicles. The powertrain control module (PCM) may reset while driving, which can damage the park system or cause an engine stall. |
| 25V316000 | 09/05/2025 | STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. A mounting bolt for the front subframe may have been tightened improperly. |
| 25V344000 | 13/06/2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Transit, F-150, and Explorer vehicles. The connecting rod and rod bearing components may have manufacturing defects that can lead to engine damage and engine failure. |
| 25V371000 | 03/06/2025 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer vehicles. The bolts securing the front brake caliper may not be tightened properly, which can result in a loss of front brake function and possible wheel damage. |
| 25V393000 | 13/06/2025 | SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Aviator, and Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, folding, or sliding unexpectedly while driving. |
| 25V543000 | 22/08/2025 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTS | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. When towing a trailer, the tail lights on the trailer may fail to illuminate due to an improperly manufactured body control module. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of F |
| 25V687000 | 10/10/2025 | TRAILER HITCHES | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Explorer and 2024-2026 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The trailer hitch assembly bolts may be loose. |
| 25V730000 | 24/10/2025 | VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Lincoln Corsair, Lincoln Aviator, and Explorer vehicles. The windshield glass may have visible air bubbles, which can obscure the driver's visibility. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal |
| 26V121000 | 03/03/2026 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Explorer vehicles. The Dynamic Bending Light (DBL) system software may cause the passenger-side headlight to turn in the wrong direction when driving through curves in the road. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with t |
| 26V122000 | 03/03/2026 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE) | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ranger, Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang, Maverick, Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport, and Bronco vehicles. The exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve may fail, resulting in an unexpected loss of drive power. |
| 26V159000 | 17/03/2026 | SEAT BELTS | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The seat belt anchor bolts at the second-row outer seating positions may be improperly secured. |
| 26V165000 | 19/03/2026 | BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Lincoln Navigator, 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2025 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer vehicles. The Image Processing Module A (IPMA) may experience multiple unexpected resets, resulting in loss of the rearview camera image and a |
| 26V343000 | 27/05/2026 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICAL | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Explorer, Ranger, and Bronco vehicles. The engine may fail, which can result in a loss of drive power. |
| 26V451000 | 14/07/2026 | SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLY | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2027 Aviator and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, tipping, or sliding unexpectedly. |
| 26V470000 | 21/07/2026 | SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST | Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2027 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. An unoccupied driver's seat may recline unintentionally during certain scenarios, such as remote unlock or remote start. |
Other Ford Explorer model years
Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.
- 2012sev 26.0
- 2013sev 35.6
- 2014sev 34.3
- 2015sev 52.0
- 2016sev 30.2
- 2017sev 37.5
- 2018sev 31.4
- 2019sev 29.8
- 2020sev 43.4
- 2021sev 53.6
- 2022sev 89.1
- 2023sev 84.0
- 2024sev 79.8
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-08-29. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.