2026 Ford Explorer problems & reliability
34 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2026 Ford Explorer, alongside 14 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 22, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 9 | 26% |
| Unknown / Other | 9 | 26% |
| Engine | 6 | 18% |
| Seats | 5 | 15% |
| Visibility/wiper | 4 | 12% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 3 | 9% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 3 | 9% |
| Lane Departure | 3 | 9% |
| Power Train | 3 | 9% |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 6% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 16 reported components →What owners report
“Ford has issued a recall related to the driver seat recline memory feature. It is recall 26V470. The remedy (software-based) disables the driver seat recline memory feature altogether. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE. Instead of correcting the issue with the recline memory feature, Ford has chosen to disable the feature…”
Seats · filed Sep 8, 2026
“On several occasions when trying to drive from a stopped position I press the gas and the car will move slowly but not shift into gear and then after turning off it struggles to restart. The check engine light is solid but goes away by the next day. This has happened after sitting idling in a parking lot most often…”
Engine · filed Sep 8, 2026
“Seal around the panoramic sunroof is failing and has caused loud wind noises and lack of proper weather seal. Vehicle has 7000 miles and this has randomly started. Loud wind whistle noise occurs now 100% of the time when speed reaches 35mph and stays present at higher speeds.”
Visibility/wiper · filed Sep 5, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
51 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2026 Ford Explorer. The 10 most recent:
Some 2025-2026 Aviator/Explorer/Expedition/F-150/Mustang Mach-E/Nautilus/Navigator vehicles may exhibit the hands-free BlueCruise feature intermittently/consistently unavailable when BlueCruise is active and when…
SSM 55131 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 27, 2026
Quality improvements include: -Rear Gate latch calibration update to permit unlatching via the release button when the system has lost position memory and is stuck in a middle-latch position
RGTM-26.AF Expl&Aviator · Over The Air · issued Aug 27, 2026
Some of the following vehicles: * 2025-2026 Expedition/Navigator built on or after 02-Feb-2025 * 2025-2026 F-Super Duty built on or after 02-Feb-2025 * 2025-2026 Explorer/Aviator built on or after 02-Feb-2025 *…
SSM 55116 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 25, 2026
For Various Ford and Lincoln vehicles, if diagnostics lead to the replacement of the front seat cushion cover J-clips, lower-level service parts are now available. Use service part W709919-S901 if the J-clip is…
SSM 55100 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 22, 2026
Quality improvements include: -Android system update
PHX-26.2.0.8 Expl&Aviator · Over The Air · issued Aug 10, 2026
Some 2025-2026 Aviator/Explorer/Expedition/F-150/Mustang Mach-E/Navigator vehicles may exhibit the hands-free BlueCruise feature intermittently/consistently unavailable when BlueCruise is active and when traveling in a…
SSM 55071 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 5, 2026
Some 2024-2026 Explorer vehicles built on or before 27-Feb-2026 and equipped with the panoramic glass roof may exhibit an uneven gap at the front edge of the roof opening panel shield when fully closed. The gap is an…
SSM 55060 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 4, 2026
Some 2021-2023 F-150 vehicles equipped with a 3.5L PowerBoost engine, 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 3.3L hybrid engine, and 2020-2023 Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with a 3.0L EcoBoost hybrid engine…
SSM55059 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 3, 2026
Some 2021-2026 Ford/Lincoln vehicles may exhibit various symptoms including but not limited to the auto start/stop system not operating as intended with a "Check Charging System" message in the instrument panel cluster…
SSM 55031 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 23, 2026
Some of the vehicles listed in the Model statement above may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) P0300 and/or P0316 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM)…
TSB 26-2269 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 8, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2026 Ford Explorer has 14 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2026 Ford Explorer?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.