2017 Ford Explorer
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Structure is the leading concern among 1,700 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 5th highest complaint count among 26 Explorer model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 34 involved a crash and 11 involved a fire. 51 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Structure, bodyJul 14, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.
A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect the roof rail covers and as necessary, repair or replace the push-pins, rail clips, or roof rail covers, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 28, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S54. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 21V316. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V448000 on NHTSA.gov
Suspension, rearFeb 20, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture.
A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the toe links, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S08. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall number 21V537. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning February 25, 2026.
Campaign 26V101000 on NHTSA.gov
Equipment, electrical, engine block heaterOct 10, 2025
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
Campaign 25V685000 on NHTSA.gov
Structure, bodyMay 23, 2025
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Explorer vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.
Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will repair the B-pillar trim, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 5, 2025. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated November 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S53.
Campaign 25V347000 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
Structure, bodyMay 5, 2021
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The retention pins could loosen and allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.
A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will install push-pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers, as necessary, free of charge. The interim owner notification letter was mailed on June 22, 2021. Owner notification letters (remedy available) were mailed on October 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S22.
Campaign 21V316000 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
SeatsSep 11, 2019
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with power front seats. The seat frames may have sharp edges.
Occupants my contact the sharp edges when reaching between the power front seat and center console, increasing their risk of injury.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective tape on the exposed inside edge and tab of the power seat frames, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S29.
Campaign 19V651000 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
SteeringAug 28, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Explorer, Taurus and Police Interceptor Utility and Sedan vehicles. The steering gear heat shield fasteners may corrode, allowing the heat shield to detach.
If the heat shield detaches, the steering gear may overheat, increasing the steering effort required by the driver, especially at lower speeds, and increasing the risk of a crash.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers to inspect and replace the heat shield fasteners as needed, free of charge. The recall began on September 13, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S23.
Campaign 17V530000 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
Seats, front assembly, reclinerMay 22, 2017
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 vehicles equipped with a manual driver's seat back recliner mechanism. In the event of a crash, the seat back frame may not restrain the occupant due to having inadequate welds. As such, these vehicles may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202a, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
If the occupant is not adequately restrained in the event of a crash, they have an increased risk of injury.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat back frame, free of charge. The recall began on June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C08.
Campaign 17V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, gasoline, turbo/superchargerDec 22, 2016
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Taurus, 2016-2017 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, 2017 Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. Improperly brazed turbocharger oil supply tubes may leak oil on engine components.
An oil leak, in the presence of an ignition source, increases the risk of a fire.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the turbocharger oil supply tubes, free of charge. The recall began on January 31, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S46.
Campaign 16V925000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: structure
660 reports, newest first. Show all
Structure, Sep 27, 2024
The black trim piece that is by the door and window (where the keyless entry pad is) flew off while driving. While getting the recall for the other piece, it was observed the other piece on the opposite door is lose as well. When I received the recall, I assumed the piece that flew off was the recall in question. Since the part flew off and the other is lose, I believe it is a safety hazard and apart of the same assembly problem like the piece of trim by the windshield.
Structure, Sep 20, 2024
Front windshield cowl is made or substandard materials and is cracking. You do a google search or YouTube search and you will see that many are having this exact issue. It is a safety hazard. If the cowl breaks it can surprise or cover the windshield of the driver that can result in injury or death.
Structure, Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 60 MPH, he heard an abnormal clicking or tapping sound coming from the A-pillar trim on the driver's side. The contact observed that the A-pillar trim had blown off the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer because the contact called and was informed that the parts were not yet available. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Sep 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the front passenger's side windshield trim clips detached and flew off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the parts were not available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 121,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the roof of the vehicle. The contact pulled over and became aware that the roof rails were separating from the roof of the vehicle. The contact was able to tape the roof rails down. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V316000 (Structure). The contact called a local dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Structure, Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim separated and flew off. The local dealer was contacted, and an appointment was scheduled for the vehicle inspection. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Aug 27, 2024
In addition to the details involving NHTSA Safety Recall 24V031, any trim at the top of the windshield has either deteriorated or fallen completely off, while the material below the windshield is rotting away. This all makes me worry that the windshield could potentially shatter or come off on the road. I am not sure when the problem occurred or started to occur and I just became aware of it.
Structure, Aug 23, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the black plastic strip was missing from the passenger’s side window. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 105,000.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Aug 23, 2024
The exterior "door entry keypad pillar molding trim" became detached from the vehicle and sent debris into the roadway while traveling on the highway. This component is the door access keypad found on the drivers side door of many Ford vehicles.
Structure, Aug 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front passenger's side windshield trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a detached windshield trim. The contact was informed that the windshield trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact paid out of pocket for the repair. In addition, the contact stated that the driver's side windshield trim had detached. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the contact was informed that the part to repair the vehicle was not yet available. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 85,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 14, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) 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 manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH, there was an abnormal sound like air rushing into the driver's side of the vehicle from the A Pillar. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim was raised up by the vehicle slip stream and was blown backwards away from the vehicle. The contact stated that later the passenger’s side trim on the A-pillar trim had started to become loosened. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); 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 her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger’s side A-pillar trim retention clip detached striking the front passenger side tire, causing the tire to go flat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the trim was peeling and cracking. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The dealer informed the contact that there was a limited amount of parts being received per week. 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 failure mileage was approximately 55,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on the passenger’s side windshield started to detach. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and the dealer stated that parts were 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 failure mileage was not available. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the roof rail cover detached and flew off the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
Structure, Jul 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact observed dry rot and cracks in the rubber seal around the perimeter of the windshield. Additionally, there were big chunks of the seal missing. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed. The contact believed that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.
Structure, Jul 29, 2024
There's an open recall, I am not sure this is part of it. This part is falling off LH Door Entry Keypad Pillar and the RH Door Entry fell off while driving and I had to get it replaced. The paint of the hood is also bubbling up and chipping. I thought it was just wear. My step father has a 2016 version and he hardly dives it and it is happening to his too.
Structure, Jul 24, 2024
The winshield side moulding is coming off. I got a letter and went to the dealer. They said they couldn’t do anything about it. The left side molding is almost coming off.
Structure, Jul 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the keypad and trim detached while driving at approximately 70 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V44000 (Structure); 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. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jul 21, 2024
The illuminated B Pillar molding strip is coming off on the driver’s side. It’s half out. The B Pillar molding on the passenger side has started to come loose. These strips could detach on the highway and cause an accident. They should be included in recall 21532 and NHTSA RECALL 21V537
Structure, Jul 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the passenger’s side A-Pillar trim detached and flew onto the roadway. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) 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 not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Jul 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) 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 while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front windshield trim detached and flew off the vehicle. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Jul 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH and coming to a complete stop, the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim separated from the vehicle. The local 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 not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,679. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Jul 13, 2024
Happen Feb.28/2024.windsheild part flew off my suv/hitting side my suv panel on door also loose. Could have hit another car. HWY 321 South 2 lane Hwy. Have called 3 times. Have been to dealership 3 times. C Ford. Keep telling me they have not received parts to fix. 5 mons. Still driving / With exposed around windsheild/ door panel doing same.