Ford Explorer: which years to buy, and what breaks on them
Best and worst years of the Ford Explorer
Of the 31 model years of the Ford Explorer that carry enough owner reports to score, 1999 comes out best at 63 out of 100 and 2026 worst at 83. The scores rank each year against other cars of the same model year, so an older one is not penalised for having had longer to break.
37,886 owner reports across 32 model years, 19,378 of them carrying an odometer reading. 31 years carry enough reports to score.
The year to buy, and the year to avoid
Both figures are ranks against other vehicles of the same model year, so the two are comparable even when the years are a decade apart. Each links to that year's full report.
1999 Ford Explorer
Best of 32 years on 1,737 owner reports, its own worst problem being other wheel or tire problem. Evidence behind the score: high confidence.
2026 Ford Explorer
Risk 83 of 100 from 49 reports, worst problem seat belt or retractor failure.
Severe Moderate confidence confidence
How much the year actually matters
The gap between the best and worst year is 20 points on a 100-point scale, which is wide enough to be worth acting on when two cars are otherwise comparable.
Across every year of the Ford Explorer, owners have filed 37,886 reports with NHTSA. The 2002 accounts for the largest share at 4,097, which can mean a genuinely troublesome year or simply the year that sold best and has been on the road longest.
What tends to break across the Ford Explorer
Taking the most-reported failure from each model year, the recurring problems on the Ford Explorer are other powertrain problem (worst mode in 9 years), other wheel or tire problem (worst mode in 6 years) and other steering problem (worst mode in 4 years). A fault that heads the list in most years is characteristic of the design; one that heads a single year is usually a batch or a supplier.
Every model year, scored
Shorter is better, and the outlined row is the best year of the line. A year with too few reports to score is shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not the same as no problems.
| Year | Reports | Per 1,000 | Median report | Most reported problem | Recalls | Risk | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 Ford Explorer | 1,818 | 2.5 | 127k | Other wheel or tire problem | 11 | 65 | High confidence |
| 1997 Ford Explorer | 2,150 | 3.0 | 100k | Other wheel or tire problem | 12 | 66 | High confidence |
| 1998 Ford Explorer | 2,374 | 3.3 | 100k | Other wheel or tire problem | 14 | 66 | High confidence |
| 1999 Ford Explorer | 1,737 | 2.4 | 80k | Other wheel or tire problem | 15 | 63 | High confidence |
| 2000 Ford Explorer | 1,203 | 1.7 | 78k | Other wheel or tire problem | 15 | 64 | High confidence |
| 2001 Ford Explorer | 503 | 1.1 | 91k | Other wheel or tire problem | 12 | 65 | High confidence |
| 2002 Ford Explorer | 4,097 | 17.1 | 79k | Other powertrain problem | 10 | 73 | High confidence |
| 2003 Ford Explorer | 1,369 | 5.7 | 74k | Other powertrain problem | 7 | 67 | High confidence |
| 2004 Ford Explorer | 1,647 | 9,520.2 | 65k | Other powertrain problem | 4 | 75 | High confidence |
| 2005 Ford Explorer | 604 | 3,491.3 | 70k | Other powertrain problem | 3 | 71 | High confidence |
| 2006 Ford Explorer | 788 | 55.2 | 60k | Other powertrain problem | 4 | 77 | High confidence |
| 2007 Ford Explorer | 271 | 12,904.8 | 69k | Other powertrain problem | 3 | 76 | High confidence |
| 2008 Ford Explorer | 217 | 434.9 | 78k | Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure | 3 | 70 | High confidence |
| 2009 Ford Explorer | 49 | 7,000.0 | 67k | Seat belt or retractor failure | 1 | 74 | Moderate confidence |
| 2010 Ford Explorer | 155 | 23.3 | 43k | Other speed control problem | 2 | 76 | High confidence |
| 2011 Ford Explorer | 1,501 | 7.2 | 65k | Other steering problem | 8 | 72 | High confidence |
| 2012 Ford Explorer | 1,032 | 4.9 | 62k | Other steering problem | 7 | 68 | High confidence |
| 2013 Ford Explorer | 2,796 | 13.3 | 73k | Other steering problem | 12 | 71 | High confidence |
| 2014 Ford Explorer | 2,045 | 9.7 | 63k | Other steering problem | 7 | 70 | High confidence |
| 2015 Ford Explorer | 2,227 | 10.6 | 52k | Other engine problem | 9 | 72 | High confidence |
| 2016 Ford Explorer | 3,028 | 12.3 | 45k | Other engine problem | 15 | 74 | High confidence |
| 2017 Ford Explorer | 2,047 | 6.6 | 41k | Other body or interior problem | 14 | 72 | High confidence |
| 2018 Ford Explorer | 886 | 4.2 | 39k | Other body or interior problem | 7 | 71 | High confidence |
| 2019 Ford Explorer | 341 | 1.6 | 47k | Other body or interior problem | 6 | 65 | High confidence |
| 2020 Ford Explorer | 1,703 | 21.4 | 16k | Other powertrain problem | 33 | 81 | High confidence |
| 2021 Ford Explorer | 559 | 7.0 | 37k | Other powertrain problem | 26 | 76 | High confidence |
| 2022 Ford Explorer | 363 | 4.6 | 38k | Other powertrain problem | 24 | 76 | High confidence |
| 2023 Ford Explorer | 151 | 2.7 | 10k | Lane keep or steering assist fault | 15 | 77 | High confidence |
| 2024 Ford Explorer | 26 | 0.5 | 5k | Other driver assistance problem | 10 | 75 | Moderate confidence |
| 2025 Ford Explorer | 150 | 1.4 | 23k | Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure | 20 | 74 | High confidence |
| 2026 Ford Explorer | 49 | 1.9 | 7k | Seat belt or retractor failure | 13 | 83 | Moderate confidence |
| 2027 Ford Explorer | 0 | 0.0 | — | — | 1 | not rated | Unrated |
What each column means
Reports counts owner complaints filed with NHTSA against that model year. Filing is voluntary and unverified, so the count is a floor on how often something went wrong, never a census. It also rises with how many cars were sold, which is why the next column exists.
Per 1,000 divides those reports by an estimate of how many of that model year are on the road, so a common car and a rare one can be compared. The estimate comes from the vehicle counts in recall campaigns covering the same model year, which is the only per-model fleet figure published free of charge; where no recall covers a year, this column is blank rather than guessed.
Median report is the odometer reading at the midpoint of that year's reports: half of the readings owners gave were below it. It is a description of when problems get reported, not a prediction of when this car will break, and it needs at least eight readings before it is shown at all.
Risk is a 0–100 score combining how often reports arrive relative to fleet size, how serious they are, and how early they land, ranked against other vehicles of the same model year only. Confidence says how much evidence sits behind it: a low score on thin evidence is a shrug, not a clean bill of health. Both are defined in full on the methodology page.
Generations, and why the boundary matters
The Ford Explorer splits into generations: 1996–2001 (best 1999, worst 1997), 2002–2005 (best 2003, worst 2004), 2006–2010 (best 2008, worst 2006), 2011–2019 (best 2019, worst 2016) and 2020–2027 (best 2025, worst 2026). Comparing years inside one generation is the fair comparison — same body, same engines, usually the same suppliers.
Generation boundaries here are inferred from the pattern of model years in the data rather than taken from manufacturer documentation, so they are occasionally a year out. Where a boundary matters to a purchase, check it against the build date on the car.
| Generation | Years | Best year | Worst year | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-2001 | 1996–2001 | 1999 Ford Explorer 63 | 1997 Ford Explorer 66 | 3 |
| 2002-2005 | 2002–2005 | 2003 Ford Explorer 67 | 2004 Ford Explorer 75 | 8 |
| 2006-2010 | 2006–2010 | 2008 Ford Explorer 70 | 2006 Ford Explorer 77 | 7 |
| 2011-2019 | 2011–2019 | 2019 Ford Explorer 65 | 2016 Ford Explorer 74 | 9 |
| 2020-2027 | 2020–2027 | 2025 Ford Explorer 74 | 2026 Ford Explorer 83 | 9 |
How to use this page
The honest way to read a table like this is worst-first: rule out the years with high scores and heavy complaint volume, then choose among the rest on condition, history and price. A low score is not a promise, and a high one is not a verdict on the specific car in front of you.
Every figure comes from owner complaints filed with NHTSA and from recall records, both voluntary in the sense that nobody audits them for completeness. Counts are floors. The AtWhatMileage methodology page sets out each formula.
Questions this page answers
What is the best year for the Ford Explorer?
Of the model years we can rate, 1999 Ford Explorer scores best at 63 out of 100, based on 1,737 owner reports. 2026 scores worst at 83.
Which years of the Ford Explorer should you avoid?
2026 has the highest risk score in this model line at 83 out of 100. The scores compare each year against other vehicles of the same model year, so they are not affected by age alone.
How the generations are drawn. NHTSA does not publish generation boundaries, so ours are inferred from breaks in the recall and complaint record and from the model's own year range. They are close to the enthusiast consensus but not authoritative — if a boundary looks wrong for a car you know well, tell us and we will fix the table rather than argue with you.
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed