2026 Ford Explorer: Too new to judge

1. Electrical25% · 9 complaints
2. Air bags3% · 1 complaints
3. Engine17% · 6 complaints
4. Driver assistance11% · 4 complaints
5. Brakes6% · 2 complaints
6. Powertrain8% · 3 complaints
7. Seats and belts17% · 6 complaints
8. Visibility14% · 5 complaints
9. Fuel and propulsion8% · 3 complaints
10. Body and structure6% · 2 complaints

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

• NHTSA 26V581000September 20267 vehicles

  Air bags: frontal

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer vehicles. The active vent on the passenger side may not open as intended, preventing the air bag from deploying properly.

  Risk: An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will replace the passenger air bag module, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V548000August 202610,001 vehicles

  Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Bronco, Bronco Sport, Mustang, and Ranger vehicles. The engine piston domes may have been manufactured incorrectly, which can result in piston dome failure and lead to a loss of drive power.

  Risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect the engine pistons and replace the engine long block, if necessary, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V532000August 20266 vehicles

  Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L engine. The engine connecting rod bearings may seize, which can result in engine failure.

  Risk: Engine failure can result in a loss of drive power, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, bearing failure may cause a breach in the engine block, allowing oil to leak, increasing the risk of a fire.

  Fix: Dealers will replace the engine long blocks, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V470000July 202676,748 vehicles

  Seats: front assembly: power adjust

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2027 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. An unoccupied driver's seat may recline unintentionally during certain scenarios, such as remote unlock or remote start.

  Risk: Unexpected movement of the driver’s seat back may trap a second-row occupant, increasing the risk of injury.

  Fix: Dealers will disable the driver seat module (DSM) feature until parts are available.

• NHTSA 26V451000July 2026387,911 vehicles

  Seats: mid/rear assembly

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2027 Aviator and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, tipping, or sliding unexpectedly.

  Risk: A seat that moves unexpectedly may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the bezel around the switch as necessary, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V415000June 202666,383 vehicles

  Forward collision avoidance: warnings: external/pedestrian alert · Back over prevention: warnings: external/pedestrian alert

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2027 Lincoln Nautilus Hybrid and 2025-2027 Explorer Hybrid vehicles. A software error may prevent the vehicle from making the pedestrian warning sound at certain speeds.

  Risk: A vehicle that does not produce a warning sound may fail to alert pedestrians of an approaching vehicle, increasing the risk of injury.

  Fix: Note: This is an expansion of Recall 25V691.

• NHTSA 26V343000May 20261,536 vehicles

  Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Explorer, Ranger, and Bronco vehicles. The engine may fail, which can result in a loss of drive power.

  Risk: A sudden loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will replace the engine long block, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V202000March 202655 vehicles

  Visibility: defroster/defogger/hvac system: fan/motor

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Lincoln Aviator and Explorer vehicles. The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) system may fail, which can cause the defrosting and defogging system to become inoperative.

  Risk: An inoperative windshield defrosting and defogging system may decrease the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect and secure the instrument panel joints as necessary, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V205000March 2026278 vehicles

  Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer and Mustang vehicles. The engine piston circlips may have been incorrectly installed during manufacturing, which can result in piston failure and engine damage, leading to a loss of drive power.

  Risk: An unexpected loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect the engine for missing or mis-installed circlips and replace the engine as necessary, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V159000March 2026561 vehicles

  Seat belts

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2026 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The seat belt anchor bolts at the second-row outer seating positions may be improperly secured.

  Risk: A loose seat belt buckle may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect the second-row outer seat belt lower anchor bolts and replace or repair them as necessary, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V121000March 202635,772 vehicles

  Exterior lighting: headlights

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Explorer vehicles. The Dynamic Bending Light (DBL) system software may cause the passenger-side headlight to turn in the wrong direction when driving through curves in the road. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 108, " Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."

  Risk: A headlight that turns incorrectly can result in increased glare to other road users, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Fix: The headlight control module software will be updated by a dealer, or through an over-the-air (OTA) update, free of charge.

• NHTSA 26V024000January 20268 vehicles

  Visibility: windshield

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 212, "Windshield Mounting."

  Risk: In the event of a crash, windshield detachment can increase the risk of injury.

  Fix: Dealers will remove and replace the windshield, free charge.

• NHTSA 25V828000December 20256 vehicles

  Engine

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2026 Explorer, Mustang, Lincoln Corsair, and 2025 Maverick vehicles. The cylinder head may have been improperly manufactured, which can cause the ball plugs to fail, resulting in an oil leak.

  Risk: An oil leak in the presence of an ignition source such as hot engine or exhaust components increases the risk of a fire. In addition, the loss of oil can result in engine seizure and loss of motive power, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will replace the cylinder head assembly, free of charge.

• NHTSA 25V730000October 202556,841 vehicles

  Visibility: windshield

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Lincoln Corsair, Lincoln Aviator, and Explorer vehicles. The windshield glass may have visible air bubbles, which can obscure the driver's visibility. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 205, "Glazing Materials."

  Risk: Reduced visibility while driving can increase the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the windshield as necessary, free of charge.

• NHTSA 25V687000October 20251,412 vehicles

  Trailer hitches

  Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2024-2026 Explorer and 2024-2026 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The trailer hitch assembly bolts may be loose.

  Risk: While towing a trailer, loose trailer hitch bolts can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, or cause the trailer to detach. Either of these conditions can increase the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Dealers will inspect and tighten the trailer hitch bolts, or replace them as necessary, free of charge.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Ford sent NHTSA 53 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2026 Explorer. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

• RGTM-26.AF Expl&Aviator · August 2026Quality 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
• SSM 55131 · August 2026Some 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…
• SSM 55116 · August 2026Some 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…
• PHX-26.2.0.8 Expl&Aviator · August 2026Quality improvements include: -Android system update
• SSM 55071 · August 2026Some 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…
• SSM 55060 · August 2026Some 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…
• SSM55059 · August 2026Some 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…
• SSM 55031 · July 2026Some 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…

All 2026 Explorer bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2026 Ford Explorer reliable?

The 2026 Ford Explorer has been on the road for 11 months, short of the five years we need to rate it. Owners have filed 36 complaints with NHTSA so far. That's 1.0× the rate other Explorer years drew in their first 11 months, per vehicle sold. Ratings compare Explorer years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.

What are the most common 2026 Explorer problems?

Owners' complaints most often involve the electrical system (25%), the air bags (3%) and the engine (17%). A complaint can name more than one area.

Has the 2026 Ford Explorer been recalled?

Yes. NHTSA lists 15 recall campaigns for the 2026 Ford Explorer, the most recent in September 2026 (air bags). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.