2016 Ford Explorer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 2940 complaints
2940
Total Complaints
45,647mi
Median Mileage
STEERING
Top Issue
56
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

14,254 25th Percentile
45,647 Median Mileage
80,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STEERING
498
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
410
ENGINE
375
STRUCTURE
348
POWER TRAIN
195
STRUCTURE:BODY
189
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
115
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
103
AIR BAGS
97
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
73

Severity Assessment

56
Crashes
21
Fires
81
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SEPT 31ST - WITH 358 MILES AND LESS THAN OWNED FOR 24 HOURS ALL ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT FAILED, FLASHING ABS FAILURE LOSS OF SPEED CONTROL. OCT 1ST CAR TAKEN TO JCLEWIS FORD IN SAVANAH,GA, WAS CALLED BY THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS LATER AND WAS TOLD TO PICK THE CAR AND THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS TO REAL..."
"SEPT 31ST - WITH 358 MILES AND LESS THAN OWNED FOR 24 HOURS ALL ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT FAILED, FLASHING ABS FAILURE LOSS OF SPEED CONTROL. OCT 1ST CAR TAKEN TO JCLEWIS FORD IN SAVANAH,GA, WAS CALLED BY THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS LATER AND WAS TOLD TO PICK THE CAR AND THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS TO REAL..."
"SEPT 31ST - WITH 358 MILES AND LESS THAN OWNED FOR 24 HOURS ALL ADAPTIVE EQUIPMENT FAILED, FLASHING ABS FAILURE LOSS OF SPEED CONTROL. OCT 1ST CAR TAKEN TO JCLEWIS FORD IN SAVANAH,GA, WAS CALLED BY THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY 3 HOURS LATER AND WAS TOLD TO PICK THE CAR AND THE ONLY PROBLEM WAS TO REAL..."

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