What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Ford Explorer problems by year
Owners have filed 23,681 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Explorer across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2002 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 1998 for tires complaints and 1997 for tires complaints. The quietest years are 1990, 2009 and 2010.
- Years to check closely: 2002, 1998, 1997
- Fewest complaints: 1990, 2009, 2010
- Complaints on file
- 236811990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20023266 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 1617733 fires · 2038 injuries · 199 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 63kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 247Across 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) | |
| 608 | 56 | 11 | Brakes (hydraulic) (118) | |
| 633 | 47 | 7 | Tires (128) | |
| 936 | 85 | 9 | Tires (243) | |
| 1206 | 109 | 7 | Tires (331) | |
| 841 | 86 | 12 | Tires (204) | |
| 1447 | 198 | 11 | Tires (570) | |
| 1729 | 156 | 12 | Tires (669) | |
| 1955 | 179 | 14 | Tires (696) | |
| 1340 | 114 | 15 | Tires (370) | |
| 936 | 98 | 15 | Tires (217) | |
| 373 | 64 | 12 | Tires (62) | |
| 3266 | 142 | 10 | Powertrain and transmission (1497) | |
| 1124 | 60 | 7 | Body and structure (353) | |
| 1285 | 57 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (458) | |
| 487 | 22 | 3 | Body and structure (150) | |
| 616 | 12 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (290) | |
| 200 | 10 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (54) | |
| 133 | 5 | 3 | Electrical system (34) | |
| 30 | 4 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (5) | |
| 97 | 6 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (21) | |
| 657 | 19 | 8 | Steering (394) | |
| 410 | 6 | 7 | Steering (147) | |
| 984 | 26 | 12 | Steering (272) | |
| 660 | 14 | 7 | Unknown or other (216) | |
| 635 | 16 | 9 | Unknown or other (254) | |
| 717 | 13 | 15 | Unknown or other (231) | |
| 316 | 11 | 14 | Unknown or other (145) | |
| 52 | 0 | 7 | Unknown or other (21) | |
| 1 | 0 | 6 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 2002 Ford Explorer
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 46% |
1497 | 25 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 15% |
482 | 4 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 13% |
419 | 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% |
156 | 59 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 5% |
153 | 11 | Shop steering parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 5% |
150 | 32 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2002 Ford Explorer |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
141 | 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.
-
Transmissions going out it started all of a sudden with a vibration in transmission after driving it for a awhile in the higher gears the od light came on an flashed for awhile can u help me
-
Gas pedal bracket welding broke while driving and gas pedal is now just dangling - checked on internet and there are a large amount of complaints about same thing - should be a recall
-
When i drive my vehicle, i press the gas pedal and it feels heavier than normal. Then when i press the brakes to slow down it has a clocking sound. And it pulls back when i press the gas pedal to go faster.
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 30, 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, 1998, 1997 carry the most filings on the Ford Explorer. The 2002 alone has 3266 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 1497 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 63,000 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.