2021 Ford Explorer drivetrain & axles problems

125 complaints about drivetrain & axles have been filed for the 2021 Ford Explorer, which is 21% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

Complaints: 125 21% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage: 48,000 miles 30 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires: 2 and 0
Injuries and deaths: 1 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When drivetrain & axles problems show up

Based on 30 complaints that include mileage. 53% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.

View the numbers

Mileage	Complaints
0k to 20k miles	7
20k to 40k miles	5
40k to 60k miles	4
60k to 80k miles	7
80k to 100k miles	3
100k to 120k miles	3
120k to 140k miles	0
140k to 160k miles	0
160k to 180k miles	0
180k to 200k miles	0
200k+ miles	1

What the data shows

Of the 30 drivetrain & axles complaints that report mileage, the median is about 48,000 miles, and 53% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 2 crashes, 1 injury.

What owners wrote

I purchased a ford explorer st 2021 in new york from city world ford on boston rd in the bronx on april 22, 2021 at approximately 9:37pm. I took my car home the same same day. The following day (second day) I started experiencing a pre-collision assist not available and powertrain malfunction/reduced power light on my dashboard at 12:49 pm. The car began to jerk and felt like it was on AWD mode. The gas pedal was heavy and difficult to drive while I was on the highway with my children.

Reported at 111 miles, April 2021

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle started to hesitate as if the transmission was slipping. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact drove the vehicle to an unknown dealer where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 11,100.

Reported at 11,100 miles, June 2021

Drivetrain & axles problems in other years

Drivetrain & axles problems across all Ford models