GarageCalc What the data says
Structure accounts for about 21% of this year's Ford Explorer complaints. Complaints are spread across several areas, which reads more like normal ownership noise than a single defect.
The 2020 model year contributes 148 complaints (15%). No single model year dominates, so this looks like a line-wide pattern rather than one bad year.
Complaints are down year over year, 1,720 to 1,006 (-42%), while the market overall rose about 2%. Year-over-year movement is the most useful signal here: a model's sales are roughly stable from one year to the next, so a sharp rise means the per-vehicle complaint rate genuinely moved, not just that the model is popular.
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%). Complaints are spread across several areas, which reads more like normal ownership noise than a single defect.
Which Ford Explorer model year has the most complaints?
The 2020 model year, with 148 of this year's 1,006 complaints (about 15%). No single model year dominates, so this looks like a line-wide pattern rather than one bad year.
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.