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Ford Explorer

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

192 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

7,492 Complaints owner reports, all years

B Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2019 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 Explorer →Which years to avoid Compare it

Ford Explorer — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Ford Explorer · Photo: Kevauto · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Every Ford Explorer model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Gas	B	2	0	—	23 mpg
2026	Gas	F	15	42	★★★★★	24 mpg
2025	Gas	F	22	109	★★★★★	24 mpg
2024	Gas	F	10	21	★★★★★	24 mpg
2023	Hybrid Gas	F	15	113	★★★★★	27 mpg
2022	Hybrid Gas	F	25	273	—	27 mpg
2021	Hybrid Gas	F	27	455	★★★★★	27 mpg
2020	Hybrid Gas	F	35	1,247	★★★★★	28 mpg
2019	Gas	D	6	299	★★★★★	22 mpg
2018	Gas	F	7	737	★★★★★	22 mpg
2017	Gas	F	14	1,712	★★★★★	22 mpg
2016	Gas	F	14	2,484	★★★★★	22 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2019

On the filed record so far, the 2019 is the cleanest Explorer year we hold, and the 2020 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2019	D	0.9	43	1 critical
2018	F	0.9	92	1 critical
2017	F	1.6	190	3 critical
2023	F	5	38	3 critical
2021	F	5.4	91	3 critical
2016	F	1.4	248	4 critical
2022	F	6.2	68	4 critical
2020	F	5.8	208	5 critical

Which Ford Explorer years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2016 engine complaints at 0.45× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 28,000 miles). Latest: 2020 steering at 4.25× (17,000 miles).

Year	Structure	Engine	Power Train	Steering	Electrical System	Back Over Prevention
2022	—	—	0.91×	—	—	—
2021	—	1.2×	0.94×	—	—	1.03×
2020	—	0.6×	1.07×	4.25×	1.21×	0.59×
2019	3.72×	1.19×	—	—	—	—
2018	3.37×	1.36×	2.49×	—	1.91×	—
2017	1.97×	0.93×	1.48×	1.46×	1.33×	—
2016	1.84×	0.45×	0.94×	1.21×	0.93×	—

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Ford Explorer, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2027: best combined mpg 24 → 23; 6 → 8 EPA configurations
2025: 8 → 6 EPA configurations
2024: dropped hybrid; best combined mpg 27 → 24; 17 → 8 EPA configurations
2023: 15 → 17 EPA configurations
2022: 10 → 15 EPA configurations
2021: best combined mpg 28 → 27; 6 → 10 EPA configurations
2020: added hybrid; best combined mpg 22 → 28; 7 → 6 EPA configurations

Compare

All Explorer head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 Explorer vs Jeep Grand Cherokee · Large SUV	Explorer +9.7
2027 Explorer vs Kia Telluride · Large SUV	Telluride +11.8
2027 Explorer vs Hyundai Palisade · Large SUV	Palisade +17.6
2027 Explorer vs Chevrolet Traverse · Large SUV	Explorer +9.4
2027 Explorer vs Chevrolet Tahoe · Large SUV	Explorer +24.2
2027 Explorer vs Chevrolet Suburban · Large SUV	Explorer +26.2
2026 Explorer vs Toyota Highlander · Large SUV	Highlander +16.3
2026 Explorer vs Toyota 4Runner · Large SUV	Explorer +7.8
2026 Explorer vs Toyota Sequoia · Large SUV	Sequoia +11.4
2026 Explorer vs Toyota Grand Highlander · Large SUV	Toss-up
2026 Explorer vs Jeep Wagoneer · Large SUV	Wagoneer +49.2

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 66 of 79 1.82× the mileage of same-age vehicles Ford Explorer owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 41,000 miles across 2018–2022 (fleet 23,512), later than vehicles of the same model year. 965 readings.

Common questions about the Ford Explorer

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Ford Explorer year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2019 Explorer comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade D (60/100), 6 recalls and 299 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Ford Explorer years should I avoid?

2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 have the weakest recall records in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Explorer model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Ford Explorer have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 192 recall campaigns for the Ford Explorer. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.