"How reliable is the 2021 Ford Explorer?"

"Based on 492 NHTSA complaints, the 2021 Ford Explorer has a median complaint mileage of 38400 miles. The most common issue is Power Train."

"What are common problems with the 2021 Ford Explorer?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2021 Ford Explorer is Power Train, accounting for a significant portion of the 492 total complaints filed."

2021 Ford Explorer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 492 complaints

492

Total Complaints

38,400mi

Median Mileage

Power Train

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

18,950 25th Percentile

38,400 Median Mileage

60,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Power Train

Unknown Or Other

Engine

Electrical System

Visibility/Wiper

Back Over Prevention

Service Brakes

Suspension

Body

Vehicle Speed Control

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE WHEEL WELLS OF THE VEHICLE COLLECT LARGE AMOUNTS OF SNOW AND ICE. THIS BUILD UP CONSTRICTS THE WHEELS OF THE VEHICLE CONTACTING THE TIRES RESTRICTING ROTATION AND STEERING. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS POTENTIALLY DEADLY SITUATION. WE HAVE CONTACTED FORD MOTOR COMPANY AND THE DEALERSHIP. NO RE..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Power Train 99 complaints

25th: 11,100 mi Median: 37,000 mi 75th: 50,000 mi

Engine 41 complaints

25th: 54,500 mi Median: 69,000 mi 75th: 80,000 mi

Electrical System 34 complaints

25th: 4,326 mi Median: 24,300 mi 75th: 31,101 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

TX: 47 FL: 45 CA: 35 VA: 29 GA: 27 NY: 22 MD: 21 OH: 19 MI: 19 PA: 19

Who Files Complaints?

0.2%

Original Owners

99.8%

Second+ Owners

Ford Explorer — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1991	764	113,804	Tread/Belt	70
1992	848	125,000	Tread/Belt	54
1993	1151	107,248	Tread/Belt	98
1994	1531	97,541	Tread/Belt	124
1995	1048	125,000	Tread/Belt	107
1996	1818	127,000	Tread/Belt	248
1997	2149	100,000	Tread/Belt	180
1998	2374	100,000	Tread/Belt	219
1999	1737	80,000	Tires	143
2000	1203	77,938	Tires	115
2001	500	90,500	Tires	82
2002	4095	79,000	Automatic Transmission	178
2003	1368	74,000	Automatic Transmission	70
2004	1647	65,000	Automatic Transmission	69
2005	604	70,000	Body	30
2006	788	60,000	Power Train	18
2007	271	69,000	Power Train	14
2008	215	78,000	Electrical System	8
2009	49	67,000	Vehicle Speed Control	8
2010	155	48,000	Power Train	13
2011	1481	65,000	Steering	48
2012	1013	62,000	Steering	14
2013	2757	74,000	Steering	61
2014	2011	64,000	Steering	48
2015	2138	54,600	Unknown Or Other	52
2016	2940	45,647	Steering	56
2017	1927	45,000	Structure	53
2018	819	42,000	Structure	23
2019	306	50,000	Structure	2
2020	1544	12,600	Power Train	50
2022	308	28,000	Power Train	25
2023	126	8,500	Unknown Or Other	11
2024	21	5,080	Unknown Or Other	0
2025	111	2,289	Electrical System	11

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