2019 Ford Explorer
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Structure is the leading concern among 298 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 18th highest complaint count among 26 Explorer model years with reports.
Of the 2019 reports, 2 involved a crash. 6 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 heaterJan 15, 2026
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer 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 February 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in October 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 January 16, 2026. This recall expands previous recall number 25V685.
Campaign 26V012000 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
Representative owner complaints: structure
150 reports, newest first. Show all
Structure, Aug 27, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, after a visual inspection of the exterior of the vehicle, the contact became aware that the shark fin antenna cover had detached, potentially becoming a dangerous road hazard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer determined that the shark fin antenna cover had detached independently. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 32,000.
Structure, Aug 19, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated upon inspection, it was noticed that the B-pillar applique trim was peeling off. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the B-pillar applique trim needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. The VIN was not available.
Structure, Aug 6, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 75 MPH, the driver's side windshield exterior A-pillar trim separated and flew off. The contact stated that the failure caused the passenger's side of the windshield to become fractured. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. No further information was provided. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,532. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Jul 24, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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. Parts distribution disconnect.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jul 22, 2024
EXTERIOR A-PILLAR TRIM PART DETACHED, NOW CAUSED CRACKED WINDSHIELD WHERE TRIM WOULD HAVE BEEN. THE PART HAS BEEN DETACHED FOR MONTHS AND MY LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP HAS NO TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT SOLUTION. MY WINDSHIELD NOW HAS A SPIDERING CRACK WHERE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN PROTECTED .
Structure, May 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, 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 was charged for the vehicle to be diagnosed. 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 and referred the contact to the NHSTA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 56,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, May 20, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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 driving approximately 62 MPH, the front driver’s side door keypad detached and caused a short circuit in the battery causing the battery to fail. The battery was replaced, and the keypad was repaired but shortly afterward the keypad detached and flew off the vehicle on the highway and the battery failed again. The contact referenced the failure to TSB: 19-2150 (Factory Keyless Entry Keypad). The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, May 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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 dealer was not made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, May 7, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the roof rail had detached. The local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed determined that the roof rail needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the roof rail was temporarily fixed with tape. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was made aware NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V316000 (Structure). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.
Structure, May 1, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the passenger's side A-pillar trim detached and made a loud popping sound. The contact stated that the driver's side A-pillar trim was extremely loose. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. 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 of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,250. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Apr 29, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the exterior pillars on both sides of the window had detached. Additionally, the contact stated that while driving on several occasions over 30 MPH, she observed a loud buzzing noise and wind coming through the sides of the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000.
Structure, Apr 26, 2024
The windshield cawl ( bottom piece that goes across windshield) has deteriorated. Making a whistling sound going down the road. I have already in December 2023 had to replace the A pillar trim and clips on driver side. Have talked to other explorer owners having the same issue. Thank you for your time
Structure, Apr 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 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 manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Mar 26, 2024
The B-pillar trim piece has become detached from the vehicle due to broken clips and when driving it appears as if it will fall off. Ford will not address the issue, other then using two sided adhesive tape which needs to be replaced continuously. The clips that hold the trim in place are broken and this is common on many explorers. There are other body trim pieces which have been recalled for and this needs to be added as well. The A-pillar trim was recently a recall item and this is just as much a hazard.
Structure, Mar 15, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was rust on the aluminum hood, which had bubbles and rust. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who stated that the hood needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 18,600.
Structure, Mar 11, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the vehicle. 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 approximate failure mileage was 38,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
Structure, Feb 13, 2024
The contact owns a 2019 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the exterior B-Pillar trim detached. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance because the recall did not include the B-Pillar. The failure mileage was 96,000.
Structure, Jan 27, 2024
The A-pillar passenger side flank flew off while driving.
Structure, Jan 3, 2024
The trim that is on either side of the front windshield has come loose. The one on the driver side came loose while I was on the interstate and struck the vehicle behind me. It caused the driver to lose control and spin out. Fortunately, it did not cause a collision, but it could have caused a loss of life, we were travelling at highway speeds. The trim on the passenger side was still on the vehicle, but it had popped loose and was sticking up at an odd angle. I removed it to prevent the same thing from happening.
Structure, Oct 1, 2023
The driver's side exterior windshield moulding detached from the vehicle traveling at interstate speed (75 mph) and struck the driver's door above the window. The apparent cause of detachment was failure of the retaining clips and adhesive that holds the external piece to the internal rubber moulding.
Structure, Sep 27, 2023
Driver side pillar molding next to the windshield flew off unexpectedly while driving on the highway.
Structure, Jul 20, 2023
Windshield trim piece (passenger side) detached from vehicle while travelling at 40 mph.
Structure, Jun 19, 2023
Passenger side window trim blew off at highway speed without warning. Have not had it to the dealer yet as this appears to be a problem for the Explorer. I am not sure where the piece ended up. There was not a vehicle immediately behind the car so I don’t believe it struck anyone.
Structure, Jun 1, 2023
We were traveling on I90 west of Sioux Falls, SD. 06-01-2023. There is a 14 mile stretch that is under construction and the traffic is head to head in that stretch. We met a semi that created a gust of wind that blew the front window trim off the passenger side of the vehicle. I do not know where the trim went once it exited the vehicle. It was in an area where construction workers were working along side of the road and there was a line of cars behind us.
Structure, May 1, 2023
While driving on highway I-20 at 80 miles per hour, the trim panel around the windshield detached. The panel detached on the drive side but the passenger side is already detaching from the bottom part.