Vehicle Data Hub

2023 Ford Explorer problems

The 2023 Ford Explorer has 159 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (9%) concerns electrical system. Next are suspension (9%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).

At a glance

Complaints
159 filed with NHTSA
Most reported
Electrical system 9% of complaints
Crashes and fires
12 and 4
Injuries and deaths
12 and 0
Typical mileage
10,000 miles 31 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%.

  • Electrical system 9%
  • Suspension 9%
  • Drivetrain & axles 8%
  • Steering 8%
  • Engine 7%
  • Wipers, windshield & visibility 7%
  • Body & structure 6%
  • Backover prevention 5%
  • Forward collision avoidance 5%
  • Lane departure 5%

When problems show up

Complaints by mileage, 2023 Ford Explorer Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 10,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 20 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 6 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 3 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 2 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 0 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 0 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 10,000 miles
Based on 31 complaints that include mileage. 94% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles20
20k to 40k miles6
40k to 60k miles3
60k to 80k miles2
80k to 100k miles0
100k to 120k miles0
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 31 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 10,000 miles.

Safety-related details: 12 complaints mention a crash; 4 complaints mention a fire; 12 injuries reported.

Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2023 ranks 30th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford Explorer with enough data (159 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 15 safety recall campaigns.

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.

I rented a 2023 Ford Explorer. I had many issues with the added safety features while renting it, ultimately resulting in an accident. Firstly, the lane keeping assist did not function properly. In construction zones, back roads, and during rainy weather, the vehicle would jerk very hard to one side of the other. Even after trying to shut off the lane keeping assist feature, it it would automatically turn back on. Luckily, most of those incidents would happen in low traffic areas.

April 2023 CrashInjury

Side seat airbag has exhaust port facing inwards, instead of outward, towards the door of the vehicle, that caused the hot chemical from the airbag to push out all the gas at the left side of my body, melting my clothes and causing chemical burns to my side when it deployed upon a wreck.

December 2023 CrashInjury

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, she heard an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated she was able to park on the side of the road and noticed that the sunroof had shattered independently. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and was informed that the sunroof needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,500.

Reported at 2,500 miles, April 2023

The contact owns a 2023 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, road debris was kicked up by the vehicle ahead and cracked the windshield. The contact stated that the windshield was replaced by a glass repair shop. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving on the highway, road debris was again kicked up onto the windshield, and the windshield cracked.

Reported at 21,000 miles, July 2024

Other model years of the Explorer

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