2015 Ford Explorer
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Structure is the leading concern among 1,791 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 26 Explorer model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 37 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 98 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraOct 13, 2025
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when the vehicle is in reverse.
A rearview camera that fails to properly display an image can reduce the driver’s view behind the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA9. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 14, 2025.
Campaign 25V695000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, body, roof and pillarsJan 19, 2024
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.
A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.
Campaign 24V031000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearJul 15, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Exposure to road salt can cause the cross-axis ball joint to corrode and seize, resulting in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.
A rear toe-link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle, and replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall numbers 16V-245, 19V-435, and 20V-675. Certain vehicles previously repaired will need to return for the new remedy. An interim notification letter notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on September 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2022. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S32.
Campaign 21V537000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearMar 12, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin that were previously repaired under a prior recall numbers 16V-245 or 19V-435. The outboard section of a rear suspension toe link may fracture.
A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle attached to the rear suspension toe link and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S62.
Campaign 20V675000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, axle assembly, axle shaftNov 10, 2020
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Explorer, 2014-2015 Taurus and 2014 Edge vehicles equipped with 2.0L or 2.3L engines and front wheel drive. The support bracket for the front drive axle halfshaft may fail.
The failed bracket could result in a loss of park function which can cause unintended vehicle movement, and loss of motive power while driving which increases the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the link shaft bracket, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners received an interim notification detailing safety risk December 8, 2020. A second letter will be mailed when parts become available in January 2021. The recall began February 2, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S63.
Campaign 20V692000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearJun 10, 2019
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, and inspect both rear toe link ball joints, replacing the rear wheel knuckle(s), if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S17.
Campaign 19V435000 on NHTSA.gov
Wheels, hubAug 28, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Wheel Hub Bearing assemblies, part number HB5Z-1104-C, incorrectly listed as being for installation on the rear axles of 2011-2017 Ford Explorer 4X2 vehicles. These bearings assemblies were manufactured without a self retention feature, possibly resulting in the separation of the wheel or wheel end.
A loss of the wheel or wheel end can increase the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify the distributors of the hubs specifying that they are to only be used on drive axles. It is believed that none of the hubs were purchased from Ford dealers for the incorrect application. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Campaign 17E048000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearApr 26, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured January 17, 2014 to May 31, 2014. The affected vehicles may have improperly welded rear suspension toe links that may fracture.
A fracture of the rear suspension toe link may result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S18.
Campaign 16V245000 on NHTSA.gov
Parking brakeJul 24, 2015
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to May 23, 2015, Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to May 21, 2015, and 2015-2016 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to May 23, 2015. The affected vehicles have a parking brake that may not fully engage when applied. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
If the parking brake does not fully engage and the transmission is left in a gear other than 'Park' while on a slope, the vehicle may roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will test the operation of the parking brake system, and if necessary, replace the parking brake control assembly, free of charge. The recall began on September 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C07.
Campaign 15V464000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: back over prevention
133 reports, newest first. Show all
Back over prevention, Sep 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the rear-view camera was intermittently inoperable. The message "Rear-view Camera Unavailable - Contact Dealer" was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. A local dealer was contacted and stated that parts were only available for Ford Mustang vehicles. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair.
Back over prevention, Sep 21, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear-view camera displayed incorrectly, causing the screen to go blank or forcing the image to appear reversed, shifted, or upside down. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue.
Back over prevention, Sep 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rear-view camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was occasionally blurry or displayed a reversed image. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the rear-view camera had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 153,304.
Back over prevention, Sep 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to complete the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the remedy to be available. The contact stated that while in reverse, the rearview camera intermittently failed to display an image. The message "See Dealer" was displayed. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the remedy was not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.
Back over prevention, Sep 14, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed an inverted image without guidelines. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer failed to perform the recall repair in a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.
Back over prevention, Sep 11, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing at an undisclosed speed, the message "Contact Service Center" was intermittently displayed on the instrument panel, and the rear-view camera intermittently became dark and the image was distorted. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
Back over prevention, Sep 10, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera image was hazy. The failure mileage was 150,000.
Back over prevention, Sep 8, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the back over prevention camera displayed a black screen and displayed the image at the rear of the vehicle momentarily. Occasionally, the message, "Camera not Available," was displayed. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available. The manufacturer was contacted; however, the contact was unable to speak with a representative. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to complete the recall repair was not available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was black, and the message "Camera Unavailable" was displayed. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the recall remedy was not available, but the vehicle could be repaired at the owner's expense with reimbursement provided later. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 11, 2026
The rear view camera is distorted/and or blank, and can potentially cause an accident. It is available for inspection upon request. By not being able to see correctly with the rear view camera, I am unable to tell which direction a car is coming from, if there are cars passing behind me, or at times I see no image at all, just a blank screen, which can severely impact one’s ability to drive safe and responsibly. The issue has been confirmed by the manufacturer. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by anyone. There was no warning prior to failure, and it seemed to first appear the day I purchased the used vehicle in November of 2025.
Back over prevention, Aug 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera was inoperable or intermittently displayed a blank image. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Aug 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera was inoperable or displayed an inverted image. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 180,000.
Back over prevention, Aug 6, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear-view camera turned on and off unintendedly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that the part for the recall repair was not available. The dealer confirmed that Mustang vehicles were being repaired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.
Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, Back over prevention, Jul 22, 2026
Recall for faulty rearview camera. Still has no remedy. Mine is giving issues. Glitches, freezes, and displays error message to contact dealership. Has almost caused multiple accidents. Have spoken to dealership. With no remedy from ford they want to charge me a fortune to replace and reprogram the camera system.
Back over prevention, Jul 20, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While the contact's wife was reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a blank screen. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with an inoperable rear-view camera. The contact was informed that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that parts were not yet available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Protection); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. Due to the contact's wife's disability, the failure was an inconvenience. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Back over prevention, Jul 17, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera was inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Jul 16, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R) on several occasions, the rear-view camera was inverted at 180 degrees and intermittently went black. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced; however, the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,612.
Back over prevention, Jul 13, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that the rearview camera was inoperable. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Jul 13, 2026
The contact’s daughter owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The owner received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The contact stated that while in reverse(R), the rear-view camera went blank periodically, and after two weeks, the image went completely blank. The contact stated that on several occasions, there were children and people standing in the rear of the vehicle and it could have caused an accident. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the rear-view camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Jul 7, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated while reversing, the rearview camera image was inverted. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Back over prevention, Jun 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NTHSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera occasionally displayed an inverted image or a black and white, distorted image. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Jun 24, 2026, crash
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his son was reversing, the vehicle crashed into a stop sign. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera was inoperable during the crash. There were no warning lights illuminated. There were no reported injuries. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.
Back over prevention, Jun 24, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the rear-view camera displayed a distorted image. In addition, the contact stated that the rear-view camera displayed images with lines and an inverted image. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the failure was confirmed to be consistent with an unrepaired recall repair. In addition, the contact was informed that parts were unavailable to repair the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts were unavailable. The contact stated that the failure was a persistent failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Back over prevention, Jun 23, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while in reverse(R), the rearview camera was inoperable. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was unreachable via the number provided in the recall letter. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
Back over prevention, Jun 18, 2026
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the part was not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera image failed to display as needed and the message “Camera not Detected” was displayed on the screen. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The failure mileage was 100,000.