2017 Ford Explorer

Typical pattern

8.7% of complaints about the 2017 Ford Explorer came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2017 vehicle — around the middle of the 203 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.6 yr in service. The most-reported system is structure (657 complaints), typically at 7.4 yr or about 76,000 miles.

Complaints: 2,060
Median age at failure: 6.6 yr
Median mileage: 46,000 n=1009
Crash / fire / tow: 6.5% of reports
Safety recalls: 10

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Structure

657 reports · 76,000 mi

7.4 yr

1.7%

Other

366 reports · 7,000 mi

4.3 yr

4.4%

Engine

236 reports · 23,350 mi

5.9 yr

10.2%

Power train

126 reports · 59,000 mi

6.5 yr

7.1%

Electrical system

94 reports · 46,500 mi

6.3 yr

11.7%

Engine cooling

78 reports · 90,000 mi

7.1 yr

17.9%

Steering

76 reports · 43,833 mi

5.4 yr

7.9%

Wheels

60 reports · 20,000 mi

2.6 yr

1.7%

Suspension

58 reports · 45,000 mi

6.3 yr

13.8%

Fuel / propulsion

44 reports · 21,000 mi

3.6 yr

6.8%

Visibility / wipers

44 reports · 19,000 mi

7.3 yr

2.3%

Air bags

34 reports · 45,000 mi

6.1 yr

26.5%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

26V448000 2026-07-14

Structure:body

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.

A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

26V101000 2026-02-20

Suspension:rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture.

A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

25V685000 2025-10-10

Equipment:electrical:engine block heater

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

25V347000 2025-05-23

Structure:body

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Explorer vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.

Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

24V031000 2024-01-19

Structure:body:roof and pillars

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.

A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

21V537000 2021-07-15

Suspension:rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Exposure to road salt can cause the cross-axis ball joint to corrode and seize, resulting in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.

A rear toe-link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

21V316000 2021-05-05

Structure:body

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The retention pins could loosen and allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.

A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

20V675000 2021-03-12

Suspension:rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin that were previously repaired under a prior recall numbers 16V-245 or 19V-435. The outboard section of a rear suspension toe link may fracture.

A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

19V651000 2019-09-11

Seats

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with power front seats. The seat frames may have sharp edges.

Occupants my contact the sharp edges when reaching between the power front seat and center console, increasing their risk of injury.

19V435000 2019-06-10

Suspension:rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.

A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Other 400 mi 0 mo in service

FULL ACCESSORY POWER ACTIVE ERROR MESSAGE - RECEIVED THIS MESSAGE WHEN I STARTED THE CAR TO DRIVE OUT MY DRIVEWAY, THE CAR WAS FULLY LOCKED UP HAD TO TURN OFF AND RE-START.

Other 50 mi 0 mo in service

2017 FORD EXPLORER SPORT-WHEN MY CAR IS IN ACCELERATION THERE'S AN EXHAUST SMELL THAT CONSUMES THE CABIN. THIS HAPPENS EVERY TIME .

Other 3,000 mi 4 mo in service

WHEN I DRIVE THE TRUCK LOST POWER AND THE GAS PEDAL DON'T WORK FOR 25 SEC. GO OFF AND ON AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY AND IN CITY STREETS. THIS HAPPENED IN THREE (3) DIFFERENT TIMES. THE DEALER DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. CAR IS BEEN ON THE DEALER IN THREE(3) DIFFERENT TIMES.

Steering mileage not reported 0 mo in service

2017 FORD EXPLORER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE ALERT GAUGE MESSAGE CENTER DISPLAYS FAILURE OF COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM, TRACKING CONTROL SYSTEM AND STEERING SYSTEM. ATTEMPTS TO REPLACE/REPAIR SENSOR AND STEERING COLUMN FAILS. *SMD THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONSUMER A SENSOR WAS REPLACED. TWO DAYS LATER, THE DEALER CALLED THE CONSUMER AND INFORMED HIM THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED AND STEERING COLUMN NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

Other Explorer model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.