What breaks most · 1990 to 2026 model years
Ford Explorer problems by year
Owners have filed 34,379 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Explorer across model years 1990 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2002 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2016 for body and structure complaints and 2013 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 2024 and 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2002, 2016, 2013
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 2024, 2009
- Complaints on file
- 343791990 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20023294 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1855794 fires · 2281 injuries · 202 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 388Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 2 | 0 | Engine and cooling (2) | |
| 609 | 57 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (118) | |
| 633 | 47 | 7 | Tires (128) | |
| 939 | 86 | 9 | Tires (243) | |
| 1207 | 109 | 7 | Tires (331) | |
| 842 | 86 | 12 | Tires (204) | |
| 1450 | 198 | 11 | Tires (570) | |
| 1731 | 156 | 12 | Tires (669) | |
| 1959 | 181 | 14 | Tires (696) | |
| 1348 | 115 | 15 | Tires (370) | |
| 952 | 101 | 15 | Tires (217) | |
| 375 | 64 | 12 | Tires (62) | |
| 3294 | 144 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (1502) | |
| 1131 | 60 | 7 | Body and structure (354) | |
| 1304 | 58 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (460) | |
| 497 | 22 | 3 | Body and structure (151) | |
| 630 | 13 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (296) | |
| 208 | 11 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (57) | |
| 148 | 6 | 3 | Electrical system (38) | |
| 33 | 5 | 1 | Unknown or other (5) | |
| 115 | 8 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (28) | |
| 1196 | 30 | 8 | Steering (741) | |
| 826 | 10 | 7 | Steering (358) | |
| 2231 | 44 | 12 | Steering (834) | |
| 1674 | 32 | 7 | Steering (496) | |
| 1774 | 37 | 9 | Body and structure (407) | |
| 2444 | 38 | 15 | Body and structure (582) | |
| 1682 | 34 | 14 | Body and structure (650) | |
| 725 | 16 | 7 | Body and structure (287) | |
| 292 | 2 | 6 | Body and structure (147) | |
| 1203 | 35 | 33 | Powertrain and transmission (476) | |
| 413 | 14 | 26 | Powertrain and transmission (115) | |
| 258 | 17 | 24 | Powertrain and transmission (60) | |
| 106 | 7 | 15 | Unknown or other (23) | |
| 19 | 1 | 10 | Wipers and visibility (3) | |
| 95 | 7 | 20 | Electrical system (21) | |
| 29 | 2 | 13 | Electrical system (8) |
What fails on the 2002 Ford Explorer
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 46% |
1502 | 25 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 15% |
486 | 4 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 13% |
421 | 3 | Shop suspension parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 5% |
163 | 2 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Air bags | 5% |
162 | 61 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
155 | 11 | Shop steering parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
152 | 32 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
148 | 4 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Overdrive light flashes after driving a little bit hard shifting doesn't shift into overdrive 4x4 lights indicate that it's working when the buttons are pushed but doesn't go into 4x4
-
The mold that holds the windshield came off of the side of the windshield in both sides of the window and since then there is a loud noise coming from the windshield as we drive and gets louder the faster you go.
-
I was driving and the steering locked. I could not move steering wheel either way. Towed to ford repair… they replaced steering rack. Four times it was replaced..4 times it locked.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Explorer years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2002, 2016, 2013 carry the most filings on the Ford Explorer. The 2002 alone has 3294 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Ford Explorer problem?
On the 2002 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 1502 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Explorer problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Explorer complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.