2018 Ford Explorer
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Structure is the leading concern among 730 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 13th highest complaint count among 26 Explorer model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 15 involved a crash and 7 involved a fire. 12 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, 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
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
Seats, front assembly, reclinerAug 28, 2019
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.
Campaign 19V633000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasolineNov 14, 2018
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with 2.3L or 3.5L GTDI engine. Due to an assembly error, the fuel pressure sensor may leak fuel.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line assembly, free of charge. The recall began December 7, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S35.
Campaign 18V807000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: structure
288 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Air bags, Structure, Nov 25, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that water was leaking in on both sides of the windshield. The contact stated that due to the failure, rainwater was leaking onto instrument panel, causing the instrument panel to become inoperable. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was also illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer confirmed the failure. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 138,000.
Structure, Nov 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side roof rank top cover detached and flew off into traffic. The dealer provided a mobile service and the vehicle was diagnosed with failed roof rank push pins. The contact was informed that the rooftop push pins needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed of an unknown recall that had a similar failure description, however, the contact's VIN was not associated with the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
Structure, Nov 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 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. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Oct 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on both sides of the 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. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made not aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 83,276. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Oct 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the contact became aware that the driver’s side keypad had detached from the door, causing the trunk to not release or open. The door ajar warning light illuminated; however, all the doors were properly closed. The contact stated that the failure was temporarily repaired with tape. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Structure, Oct 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 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 had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Visibility, Structure, Oct 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); the roof racks started to detach from the vehicle, almost causing the sunroof to fracture. The contact stated that the side view mirrors seized without warning. The contact had to shift to park and turn off and restart the vehicle for the side view mirrors to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,000.
Structure, Oct 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the bottom section of the front windshield rubber trim seal had deteriorated and became unsecured. While driving at various speeds, the unsecured trim was blown into the field of view of the driver, creating a visibility hazard. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Structure, Sep 18, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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, Sep 12, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 approximately 60 MPH, the passenger’s side A-pillar trim detached. The contact stated that water was leaking into the vehicle during car washes due to the failure. Additionally, the driver side A-pillar trim had become loosened. 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 failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,030. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Sep 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 99,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Sep 3, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the A-Pillar trim on the driver's side loosened and was blown off the vehicle. The contact was unable to recover the trim from the highway. The contact stated that later, the passenger’s side A-Pillar trim also blew off the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the trim pieces needed to be replaced; however, parts were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,920.
Structure, Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the A-pillar trim on both sides of the windshields 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 time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 driver's side and the passenger's side windshield exterior A-pillar trims had separated, causing water entry into the vehicle. The local dealer was contacted; however, 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 made aware of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 23, 2024
See attached document for complaint.
Structure, Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver's side trim had detached from the windshield. There were no warning lights illuminated. 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 made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 12, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Structure, Aug 12, 2024
Cowl is rotting and pieces are coming off. Car has less than 50k miles. Also causing windshield to rattle.
Structure, Aug 9, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front driver's side window B-pillar trim, where the keypad entry was mounted was detaching. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that there was no recall related to the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. Additionally, 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 both the driver's side and the passenger's side windshield exterior A-Pillar trims were detaching. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that only the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim would be replaced under the recall. 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 made aware of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Aug 7, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Structure, Aug 6, 2024
See attached document for complaint
Structure, Jul 31, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after his wife had driven and parked the vehicle, he noticed that the front driver's side window pillar trim, where the digital keypad was mounted had detached. The contact stated that he applied tape to the trim, but the tape could not secure the trim. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the front driver's side window pillar trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
Structure, Jul 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 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 contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the passenger’s side A Pillar. The contact stated that the trim panel had blown off the vehicle by the vehicle slipstream. The contact had not taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic or dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Jul 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front A-pillar trim located at the bottom of the windshield had started to crack and was making an abnormal buzzing sound while driving. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the contact was informed that the part was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 60,698.
Structure, Jul 17, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver’s side B-pillar trim detached from the vehicle and flew off. Additionally, the passenger's side B-trim pillar was dangling. The contact stated that because of the failure, several wires were exposed, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact also stated that the tailgate ajar warning light was illuminated with the tailgate properly closed. The contact disconnected the battery because of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.