2012 Ford Explorer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1013 complaints
1013
Total Complaints
62,000mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
14
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

37,000 25th Percentile
62,000 Median Mileage
118,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
340
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
102
ENGINE
79
STRUCTURE
75
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
60
STRUCTURE:BODY
59
POWER TRAIN
55
AIR BAGS
27
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
27
SUSPENSION
22

Severity Assessment

14
Crashes
12
Fires
15
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE WAS ABLE TO SHUT THE IGNITION OFF WITH THE ELECTRONIC START BUTTON WITHOUT PLACING THE VEHICLE IN PARK OR DEPRESSING THE BRAKES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNO..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THE SPEEDOMETER DESIGN DOES NOT SHOW YOU THE LOWER RANGE WHILE DRIVING AND THAT CAUSED THE CONTACT TO EXCEED THE SPEED LIMIT. THE HIGHER NUMBERS WERE ON THE TOP OF THE SPEEDOMETER WHICH WERE SHAPED LIKE A "C" AND THE NUMBERS SHOULD BE AT..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THE SPEEDOMETER DESIGN DOES NOT SHOW YOU THE LOWER RANGE WHILE DRIVING AND THAT CAUSED THE CONTACT TO EXCEED THE SPEED LIMIT. THE HIGHER NUMBERS WERE ON THE TOP OF THE SPEEDOMETER WHICH WERE SHAPED LIKE A "C" AND THE NUMBERS SHOULD BE AT..."

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