2017 Ford Explorer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1927 complaints
1927
Total Complaints
45,000mi
Median Mileage
STRUCTURE
Top Issue
53
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

15,000 25th Percentile
45,000 Median Mileage
80,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE
348
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
344
STRUCTURE:BODY
242
ENGINE
224
POWER TRAIN
106
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
78
STEERING
70
WHEELS
58
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
53
SUSPENSION
47

Severity Assessment

53
Crashes
15
Fires
66
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I HAVE A 2017 FORD EXPLORER THAT HAS A EXHAUST LEAK THAT I SMELL WHEN I ENTER THE HIGHWAY. I ALSO SMELL THIS ODOR WHEN I TOW MY WAVE RUNNER. THE ODOR IS SO STRONG THAT MY SON VOMITED WHILE IN THE VEHICLE. I TOOK MY 2017 FORD EXPLORER TO THE DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM..."
"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."
"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 REPLAC..."

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