Owners filed 7 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the unknown or other. It has been recalled 1 time.
What fails
Component
Reports
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Unknown or Other
1
0
0
1
Steering
1
1
0
0
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
1
0
0
0
Power Train
1
1
0
1
Fuel/Propulsion System
1
0
0
0
Electrical System
1
0
0
0
Air Bags
1
1
0
1
1 safety recall
Part 573 reports
Power Train › Axle Assembly22V255000
Filed Apr 14, 2022252,936 vehiclesFord Motor Company
Defect. Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer Police FHEV, Explorer Police 3.3L, and 2020-2022 Explorer 2.3L RWD, 3.0L PHEV, 3.3L FHEV, and 3.0L ST GAS vehicles. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
Risk. A disconnected driveshaft can result in vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in 'Park' without the parking brake applied, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy. Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the bushing and axle cover, or update the electronic parking brake software. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022, and March 10, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S27.
What owners reported
Newest filings
Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Sep 10, 2026OK
I am filing this complaint to report an unreasonable and hazardous delay by the manufacturer regarding NHTSA Campaign 25V455000 (Ford Recall 25S75) for a low-pressure fuel pump defect. As the original owner of a 2021 Ford Explorer Platinum Hybrid, I received notice of this critical safety recall 14 months ago. The defect causes a sudden, unpredictable engine stall while driving, creating an immediate highway collision hazard. Despite the passage of well over a year, Ford has failed to provide a remedy, engineer a fix, or make replacement parts available to dealerships. I am being forced to drive an inherently dangerous vehicle daily without a resolution timeline. Ford has failed to execute this warranty and safety repair within a legally reasonable timeframe to mitigate the ongoing risk to my family.
Unknown or Other1 injured
Filed Sep 2, 2026KY
While taking groceries out of the back of the SUV, the hatchback closed without a sound warning and hit the top of my head causing a concussion and neck injury.
Air BagsCrash1 injured
Filed Aug 2, 2026MO
On July 8, 2026, I was traveling westbound on Highway 7 when another vehicle pulled right out in front of me from southbound Orchard Road, attempting to cross the highway. We collided and I struck the other vehicle at a 45° angle. My seatbelt was buckled. The impact caused me to be thrown forward into the windshield which I broke with my skull. I suffered a broken neck. The seatbelt did not operate properly to keep me secure in the seat. There's no way I should've struck the windshield if the seatbelt would've worked. Not only did the shoulder belt not work, but the lap belt did not work either because I came up and out of the seat. Also, the airbag did not prevent me from striking the windshield. There is something wrong with the seatbelt operation as well as the airbag. I have contacted Ford to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by the Harrisonville Missouri Police Department.
Electrical System
Filed Nov 24, 202396,147 milesTX
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, there was a burning odor present. The message "Pull Over Possible Powertrain Damage" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the high voltage junction box had overheated and was burned. The high voltage junction box and high voltage junction box wiring harness were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and indicated that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V626000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 96,147.
Power TrainCrash1 injured
Filed Nov 20, 2023CA
A Police Officer's Ford Explorer Interceptor Hybrid SUV while driving had a vehicle malfunction where the rear wheels began to wobble/vibrate and while driving in a straight line with front wheels facing straight caused the vehicle to fishtail out of the control (loss of control to the rear wheels) and slam into a tree at approximately 50mph injuring the officer. Officer's injuries were broken left leg and two knee fractures. Upon further research, this incident may have been caused by the "rear bolt" fracture issue Ford is having with these specific Ford Explorers. This specific vehicle is under recall per the VIN. The Officer's safety was put at risk because the vehicle was most likely not recalled and fixed per the recall. The vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer or any qualified/certified individual. No other issues or symptoms were present prior to this incident. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request with the BART Police Department in Oakland, CA.
SteeringCrash
Filed Mar 24, 2023CA
I was making a slow speed u-turn to stop a speeding motorist. As I came out of the u-turn, the wheel did not come back to center and I continued the turn going up a curb and striking a chain link fence. When I realized what was occurring, I manually began to turn the steering wheel to the right to get back on the roadway. There is patrol car dash cam footage of this collision. Police report# 23-688.
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Jan 12, 202322,000 milesCA
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the electronic "lift gate ajar" warning was activated; however, the liftgate was not open. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who adjusted the liftgate striker, and the failure was remedied; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, while driving at speeds between 5 - 20 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and vibrating with the RPM’s extremely elevated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not identified. The dealer indicated that the jerking and vibration were normal for a hybrid vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,000.
No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.
Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.
Most recent recall on file: Apr 14, 2022. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.