2025 Ford Explorer
This year had at least 30% fewer complaints than this model's typical year.
This verdict reflects complaint volume compared to this model's typical year. Recalls and safety issues below apply regardless of the verdict — always check them.
COMPLAINTS PER YEAR
View as data table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1984 | 1 |
| 1985 | 1 |
| 1986 | 3 |
| 1987 | 3 |
| 1988 | 4 |
| 1989 | 1 |
| 1990 | 12 |
| 1991 | 609 |
| 1992 | 633 |
| 1993 | 939 |
| 1994 | 1207 |
| 1995 | 843 |
| 1996 | 1450 |
| 1997 | 1731 |
| 1998 | 1959 |
| 1999 | 1348 |
| 2000 | 952 |
| 2001 | 375 |
| 2002 | 3293 |
| 2003 | 1131 |
| 2004 | 1304 |
| 2005 | 497 |
| 2006 | 630 |
| 2007 | 208 |
| 2008 | 147 |
| 2009 | 33 |
| 2010 | 115 |
| 2011 | 1192 |
| 2012 | 820 |
| 2013 | 2222 |
| 2014 | 1669 |
| 2015 | 1748 |
| 2016 | 2424 |
| 2017 | 1656 |
| 2018 | 706 |
| 2019 | 281 |
| 2020 | 1155 |
| 2021 | 393 |
| 2022 | 242 |
| 2023 | 99 |
| 2024 | 19 |
| 2025 | 87 |
| 2026 | 16 |
KNOWN PROBLEM AREAS
18% of complaints: electrical system — 16 distinct reports on file.
17% of complaints: power train — 15 distinct reports on file.
CRASH INJURY15% of complaints: service brakes — 13 distinct reports on file.
CRASH INJURYShow complaint excerpts
Put car in park. sUV rolled back & damaged my garage door. Also damaged my trunk of SUV.
NHTSA ODI report, 20250302
10% of complaints: visibility/wiper — 9 distinct reports on file.
9% of complaints: steering — 8 distinct reports on file.
CRASH INJURYSAFETY TIMELINE
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.
Remedy: Dealers will install new fuel injector O-rings and O-ring support discs, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on October 7, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S54.
Campaign 24V634000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Ford will mail owners the warning labels, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 19, 2024. Owners may call Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24C39.
Campaign 24V852000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission cross member bolts as necessary, free of charge. If the cross member bolts are missing, dealers will replace the cross member and install new bolts, free of charge.
Campaign 25V020000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: The accessory protocol interface module (APIM) software will be updated through an over-the-air (OTA) update or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 28, 2025.
Campaign 24V801000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2025 F-150, Bronco, 2024 Ranger, 2025 Mustang, Explorer, and Aviator vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the transmission main control valve body, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 11, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S19.
Campaign 25V164000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Explorer and Aviator vehicles. A mounting bolt for the front subframe may have been tightened improperly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the subframe bolts as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Owner notification letters were mailed May 21, 2025. Ford's number for this recall is 25S43.
Campaign 25V316000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 6, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S35.
Campaign 25V239000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the bolts as necessary. If bolts are missing, the brake caliper and pads will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 19, 2025.
Campaign 25V371000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the second-row seat switch, and replace the bezel around the switch as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Campaign 25V393000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the connecting rods and replace the engine long block assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 15, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Campaign 25V344000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the body control module C on vehicles with less than 9,000 miles. For vehicles over 9,000 miles, dealers will perform a functional check on the body control module C and replace it as necessary.
Campaign 25V543000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Explorer and 2024-2026 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The trailer hitch assembly bolts may be loose.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and tighten the trailer hitch bolts, or replace them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 29, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Campaign 25V687000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the windshield as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 6, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25C60.
Campaign 25V730000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: The headlight control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 23, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Campaign 26V121000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the second-row outer seat belt lower anchor bolts and replace or repair them as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 30, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Campaign 26V159000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2025 Lincoln Navigator, 2024-2025 Lincoln Nautilus, 2025 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer vehicles.
Remedy: The Image Processing Module A software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge. This is a Phased campaign. Phase 1 will include 2025 Aviator, 2025 Explorer, 2025 Nautilus notified owners on 4/13/2026.
Campaign 26V165000 — check if this car was fixed
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.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the engine long block, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 5, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in November 2026.
Campaign 26V343000 — check if this car was fixed
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025 Ranger, Lincoln Nautilus, Mustang, Maverick, Explorer, Escape, Lincoln Corsair, Bronco Sport, and Bronco vehicles.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the EGR valves, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed March 20, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in September 2026.
Campaign 26V122000 — check if this car was fixed
BUY-SMART CHECKLIST
2025 Ford Explorer — pre-purchase inspection
- Test/inspect for electrical system issues (16 reports on file for this year).
- Test/inspect for power train issues (15 reports on file for this year).
- Test/inspect for service brakes issues (13 reports on file for this year).
- Verify recall 26V343000 (engine and engine cooling) has been completed.
- Verify recall 26V122000 (engine and engine cooling) has been completed.
- Verify recall 24V634000 (fuel system, gasoline) has been completed.
- Verify recall 24V852000 (equipment) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V020000 (power train, structure) has been completed.
- Verify recall 24V801000 (back over prevention) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V164000 (power train) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V316000 (structure) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V239000 (power train) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V371000 (service brakes, hydraulic) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V393000 (seats) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V344000 (engine and engine cooling) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V543000 (exterior lighting) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V687000 (trailer hitches) has been completed.
- Verify recall 25V730000 (visibility) has been completed.
- Verify recall 26V121000 (exterior lighting) has been completed.
- Verify recall 26V159000 (seat belts) has been completed.
- Verify recall 26V165000 (back over prevention, electrical system) has been completed.
OTHER YEARS OF THIS MODEL
BEST YEARS
WORST YEARS
FAQ
Is the 2025 Ford Explorer reliable?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume compared to this model's typical year, the 2025 Ford Explorer is rated "better than typical".
What are the most common problems with the 2025 Ford Explorer?
The most-reported component is electrical system, accounting for 18% of complaints on file.
How many recalls does the 2025 Ford Explorer have?
18 recalls on file for this model year.
Data updated 2026-07-11 · Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA, not independently verified defects. Methodology.