2008 Ford Explorer problems
The 2008 Ford Explorer has 217 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (18%) concerns electrical system. Next are drivetrain & axles (15%) and seats (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 217 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 18% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 4
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 78,000 miles 186 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 14 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 24 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 46 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 29 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 27 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 10 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 7 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 186 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 78,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 74,000 miles (36 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 33rd most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford Explorer with enough data (86 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford explorer. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a wooded area. The driver and passenger side frontal air bags failed to deploy. The passenger side of the hood caught fire and destroyed the entire vehicle. The insurance company may not investigate because the vehicle only had liability coverage. The manufacturer will be notified. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard.
Tl*the contact rented a 2008 ford explorer from an authorized dealer. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the contact proceeded to park the vehicle in a hotel parking lot. The gear shifter was in the reverse position when there was an unexpected and drastic acceleration. Immediately, pressure was applied to the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to slow down. The warning indicator was illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle crashed inside of a hotel room.
All sensors & bands broke into small pieces which was causing the tires to rip from the inside. If not taken in for new tires, all tires would've blown out & possibly caused injury to me & my toddler. Worst part of all, ford wouldn't cover this dangerous manufacture defect.
Tl*the contact owns a 2008 ford explorer. The contact stated that when driving over a bump, the front drivers side seat was unsecured and was moving from side to side. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the track was offline and that the track needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.