Disclaimer: Not affiliated with or endorsed by Ford Motor Company. For informational purposes only. Full Disclaimer

Issues with Ford Explorer STRUCTURE by Years

The Ford Explorer had plenty of problems with various aspects of STRUCTURE as 226 complaints were lodged, most of which revolve around BODY. Models of 2002, 2004, 2003 appear to be the most susceptible to problems with STRUCTURE.

Browse Ford Explorer STRUCTURE problems by years

2018 8 2017 26 2016 39 2015 46 2014 41 2013 159 2012 37 2011 37 2010 1 2009 2 2008 1 2007 11 2006 11 2005 150 2004 425 2003 353 2002 483 2001 29 2000 28 1999 47

Do Ford Explorer models have STRUCTURE problems?

Below you may see the STRUCTURE components and the number of complaints they received.

BODY 948 HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE 287 HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS 283 DOOR 57 TAILGATE 49 FRAME AND MEMBERS 34 SUPPORT DEVICE/STRUT 21 HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS 16 HOOD 16 HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS 12 UNDERBODY SHIELDS 7 ROOF AND PILLARS 6 HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS 5 BUMPERS 5 TRUNK LID 4

Worst Ford Explorer Problems

BODY
2001 Ford Explorer April 16, 2018 Victims: 5 Mileage: 251000 miles

The vehicle rolled over on its side on dry pavement on the fwy at the posted speed limit in good weather conditions. no other vehicle was involved, th...

TAILGATE
2001 Ford Explorer June 21, 2001 Victims: 3

Driver overcorrected veh rocked and flipped. no safety defect listed. *ak

HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS
2002 Ford Explorer August 8, 2001 Victims: 3

The rear window piston shattered the glass in back of suv. my passengers standing by were hit with flying glass. superficial cuts only. the date of th...

Recently reported STRUCTURE problems on Ford Explorer

The STRUCTURE
2013 Ford Explorer

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. while driving at an unknown speed, the windshield molding detached. the vehicle was taken to fritts ford (located at 8000 auto dr, riverside, ca 92504, (951) 687-2121) and was informed that the molding needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

The STRUCTURE
2001 Ford Explorer

Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle leaked anti-freeze and transmission fluid. there was also rust underneath the vehicle and a hole in the running boards, which almost caused them to detach. the contact claimed that the ground could be seen through the hole. the vehicle also produced thick smoke. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the dealer was not contacted. the contact planned to have the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failures and referred the contact to nhtsa. the failure mileage was 170,000.

The STRUCTURE
2017 Ford Explorer

Tl* the contact owns a 2017 ford explorer. while driving approximately 65 mph, the keyless entry pad on the exterior of the driver's door fractured and fell off into traffic. simultaneously, the 'liftgate ajar' message illuminated. the contact stopped at a nearby fuel station and attempted to correct the failure by applying masking tape to re-attach the keyless entry pad to the door. the contact stated that several wires were exposed in the process. supreme ford of slidell (400 east howze beach road, slidell, louisiana 70461, (877) 836-8413) was made aware of the failure and stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle and that the warranty coverage expired at 36,000 miles. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

The STRUCTURE
2012 Ford Explorer

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 ford explorer. while driving 65 mph, the plastic trim between the front windshield and the front passenger door detached and blew away. mullinex ford in mobile, alabama was made aware of the failure and stated that the part was not included in a recall. the dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue and stated that there was no recall or reports of the failure. the failure mileage was 123,317. updated 10/24/17*lj updated 10/26/2017*js

The STRUCTURE
2014 Ford Explorer

2014 ford explorer. attorney representing consumer writes in regards to rust along front edge of vehicle hood. dealership refuses to replace hood or include requests under extended warranty protection. *smd it was finally determined, it was not rust as the consumer believed. the consumer returned to the dealer, where they repaired and repainted the hood. the consumer requested a replacement hood, but the ford representative stated it would not help as the new hood would have the same problem. in other words, the same repair would likely occur again, in the next 30 months. *jb

The STRUCTURE
2002 Ford Explorer

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while parked, the rear hatch window was closed and it shattered. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 91,000. the consumer stated after the window was replaced, she received a recall letter for the exact issue. updated 03/21/16.*jb

The STRUCTURE
2012 Ford Explorer

My 2012 ford explorer leaks from the 3rd row seatbelt. it has ruined the carpet in the back and molded it. it also filled up the spare tire area with water and rusted the rim of the spare tire and the inside where the tire sits. i did not notice this until many months after i bought it because i wasn't using the 3rd row at the time.

The STRUCTURE
2011 Ford Explorer

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 ford explorer. the contact received a manufacturer's recall notification on the replacement of all four interior door handles; however, the part to do the recall remedy was unavailable. the contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. the manufacturer was made aware of the issue. the contact had not experienced a failure. updated 11/18/15*lj the consumer stated the recall was fixed on september 29, 15. *jb

The STRUCTURE
2015 Ford Explorer

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was an abnormal odor in the vehicle while driving approximately 45-65 mph. the failure happened without warning. the failure recurred on multiple occasions. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there were approximately 20 holes that needed to be resealed. prior to the failure, the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the ventilation cabin needed to be resealed. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 1,000. updated 08/30/16*lj; updated 5/9/18*jb *cn

The STRUCTURE
2004 Ford Explorer

Cracked rear hatch. i had heard about this problem and my hatch didn't crack till after this cold winter. but, this is the first winter that this explorer has been kept outside, not garaged. my garaged is under my house and insulated. it never gets below freezing in the garage. i called ford and asked them if they can help financially with the repairs. they said no. *tr