Ford Explorer

7,715 complaints across 12 scored model years and 95 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Ford Explorer Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2016 vs model median 2.1×

Model median3× median

Steering 238

Engine 231

Drivetrain 94

Avoid

2016 · 2020

Best

2010 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Ford Explorer
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.10×	68	A
2011	0.92×	520	C
2012	0.53×	311	B
2013	1.23×	794	D
2014	1.08×	733	C
2015	1.45×	904	D
2016	2.09×	1,303	F
2017	1.10×	683	C
2018	0.39×	237	B
2019	0.16×	107	B
2020	1.57×	952	D
2021	0.73×	428	C
2022 P	0.61×	360	C
2023 P	0.30×	150	B
2024 P	0.04×	26	B
2025 P	0.23×	139	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	21
City / Highway	18 / 25
Engine	3L, 6 cyl
Drive	Part-time 4-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$2,950

Recalls

95 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
24V031000	STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS	2011–2019	1,889,110
25V695000	BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA	2015	1,448,655
19V435000	SUSPENSION:REAR	2011–2017	1,194,173
26V123000	BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE	2020–2024	889,950
25V455000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2021–2023	850,318
26V402000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	2020, 2021	741,195
19V633000	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	2018–2020	639,137
21V537000	SUSPENSION:REAR	2013–2017	631,176

+ 87 further campaigns

Others in Midsize SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura MDX	20162020	C
Audi Q7	20172021	C
Audi Q8	2019	C
BMW X5	20112021	D
BMW X6	none flagged	C
Chevrolet Traverse	20102011	C
Dodge Durango	20112012	C
Dodge Journey	20142015	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2016 Explorer

Complaints in window: 1,303
Severity-weighted: 1,724.5
Model median (weighted): 824
vs model median: 2.09×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 15
Open investigations: 0

Score 32.7 F