2006 Ford Explorer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 788 complaints
788
Total Complaints
60,000mi
Median Mileage
POWER TRAIN
Top Issue
18
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

37,000 25th Percentile
60,000 Median Mileage
87,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN
174
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
114
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
75
ENGINE
58
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
55
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
33
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
27
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
22
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
18
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
18

Severity Assessment

18
Crashes
8
Fires
17
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY FORD EXPLORER XLT 2006 HAD A DELAYED DELIVERY DATE TO ME FOR 2 DAYS DUE TO A "BAD CLUSTER" ON START UP. THE TRUCK WAS REPAIRED AND I PICKED IT UP ON NOVEMBER 1, 2005. THIS VEHICLE IS LEASED. THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS WHICH I HAD REPAIRED ON DECEMBER 8, 2005. ON DECEMBER 9, ..."
"ON 12/10/05, I PURCHASED A NEW 2006 FORD EXPLORER. YESTERDAY, FOR THE FIFTH TIME, THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO START. I BROUGHT IT IN TO FORD ON 01/11/06, THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY AND TOLD ME IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. IT HAPPENED AGAIN LAST NIGHT. *JB"
"UPON RELEASING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE THE CAR ROLLED DOWN THE HILL AND OVER MY LEGS. *JB"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28