2020–2022 Ford Explorer Recall: Rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft…

NHTSA campaign 23V675000 · Power Train · filed Oct 6, 2023 · verified Jul 30, 2026

Units reported

238K

Manufacturer

Ford Motor Company

Risk

Crash / injury

Owner letters

Mailing began Jan 19, 2024

The defect

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Explorer vehicles. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.

The risk

A disconnected driveshaft can result in a loss of drive power or a vehicle rollaway if the parking brake is not applied. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

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 →

The fix — what to do

Dealers will replace the subframe bushing and rear axle bolt. They will also inspect the rear axle cover for damage near the bolt hole location and replace with a new cover if any damage is found. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 19, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S55.

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Affected vehicles

Make	Model	Model years
Ford	Explorer	2020, 2021, 2022

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Source: NHTSA recall database, campaign 23V675000 (manufacturer number 23S55). Data last verified Jul 30, 2026.