2025 Ford Explorer: owner complaints and recalls

Owners have filed 87 complaints about the 2025 Ford Explorer and NHTSA has issued 19 recall campaigns. The most-reported system is electrical system, named in 17 of them.

87
Complaints
19
Recalls
6
Crash reports
0
Fire reports
3
Injuries
55.2
Severity index

Severity index 55.2 - Medium. It weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints, so a vehicle attracting serious reports scores above one attracting many trivial ones (how this is calculated).

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 55.2p25 35p75 96cleanestworst
Where the 2025 Ford Explorer sits against the quartiles of every vehicle we track.

Among the 42 2025 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2025 Ford Explorer ranks 23 of 42 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 45% of its model-year peers. See the full 2025 ranking.

What actually fails

Electrical SystemElectrical System: 17 complaints (19.5%)17 20%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 15 complaints (17.2%)15 17%Power TrainPower Train: 15 complaints (17.2%)15 17%Service BrakesService Brakes: 13 complaints (14.9%)13 15%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 12 complaints (13.8%)12 14%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 9 complaints (10.3%)9 10%SteeringSteering: 8 complaints (9.2%)8 9%EngineEngine: 7 complaints (8.0%)7 8%
Systems named in complaints. One complaint can name several, so shares overlap.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1719.5%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1517.2%
POWER TRAIN1517.2%
SERVICE BRAKES1314.9%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE1213.8%
VISIBILITY/WIPER910.3%
STEERING89.2%
ENGINE78.0%

Complaints filed per year

026532024: 52025: 532026: 29 (partial year)24255326
Complaints filed per calendar year, not model year. The hatched bar is the current year and is still incomplete.
YearComplaints
20245
202553
2026 (year to date)29

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
24V63400023/08/2024FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM:INJECTORSFord 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.
24V80100025/10/2024BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWAREFord 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
24V85200008/11/2024EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELSFord 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
25V02000017/01/2025POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONFord 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.
25V16400014/03/2025POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:VALVES/VALVE BODYFord 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
25V23900011/04/2025POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWAREFord 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.
25V31600009/05/2025STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERSFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. A mounting bolt for the front subframe may have been tightened improperly.
25V34400013/06/2025ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICALFord 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.
25V37100003/06/2025SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPERFord 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.
25V39300013/06/2025SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLYFord 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.
25V54300022/08/2025EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TAIL LIGHTSFord 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
25V68700010/10/2025TRAILER HITCHESFord Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Explorer and 2024-2026 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The trailer hitch assembly bolts may be loose.
25V73000024/10/2025VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELDFord 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
26V12100003/03/2026EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTSFord 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
26V12200003/03/2026ENGINE 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.
26V15900017/03/2026SEAT BELTSFord 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.
26V16500019/03/2026BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWAREFord 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
26V34300027/05/2026ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:HARD PARTS INTERNAL/MECHANICALFord 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.
26V45100014/07/2026SEATS:MID/REAR ASSEMBLYFord 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.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.