GarageCalc What the data says
Structure accounts for about 21% of this year's Ford Explorer complaints. This is a share of submitted complaints, not the percentage of vehicles affected. A component category alone cannot establish a defect or its cause.
The 2020 model year contributes 148 complaints (15%). Model-year totals are not adjusted for vehicles on the road, mileage or age. Check the specific vehicle's recall record and complaint narratives before drawing a reliability conclusion.
Complaints are down year over year, 1,720 to 1,006 (-42%), while all complaints rose about 2%. This compares reports received in the same date window, not failures per vehicle. Changes in fleet size, vehicle age, reporting behavior and model naming can affect the trend. Without an exposure denominator, a rise cannot establish a higher failure rate.
How to read this
Raw complaint totals track how many Ford Explorers are on the road as much as they track quality, so a high count on a best-seller is partly a volume story. Complaints are also self-reported: they capture what owners chose to file, not a controlled survey. Use these numbers to know where to look during a pre-purchase inspection and which recalls to check, not as a verdict on their own. Compare any car instantly in the Car Complaint Checker, or read the full 2026 study for the market-wide picture and methodology.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Ford Explorer reliable?
Complaint counts alone cannot answer that, because they track how many are on the road as much as build quality. What the 2026 data shows: 1,006 NHTSA complaints so far (rank 5 of 765 models), -42% year over year, with structure the most-cited area. Treat it as a starting point and cross-check recalls and a pre-purchase inspection for the specific vehicle.
What is the most common Ford Explorer complaint?
Structure: 213 of the 1,006 complaints filed in 2026 cite it (about 21%). This is a share of submitted complaints, not the percentage of vehicles affected. A component category alone cannot establish a defect or its cause.
Which Ford Explorer model year has the most complaints?
The 2020 model year, with 148 of this year's 1,006 complaints (about 15%). Model-year totals are not adjusted for vehicles on the road, mileage or age. Check the specific vehicle's recall record and complaint narratives before drawing a reliability conclusion.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, complaints received 2026-01-01..2026-08-24, compared with 2025-01-01..2025-08-24 (same window). Counted once per complaint ID, vehicles only. Aggregated data is available under CC BY 4.0 with a link to GarageCalc.