2025 Ford Explorer problems
The 2025 Ford Explorer has 167 complaints on file with NHTSA. The largest share (14%) concerns electrical system. Next are brakes (11%) and forward collision avoidance (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 167 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 13 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 4,000 miles 21 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 | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 5 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 0 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 0 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 0 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 0 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 21 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 4,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 16 complaints mention a crash; 13 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2025 ranks 29th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Ford Explorer with enough data (167 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 20 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.
On October 24, 2024, my 2025 Ford Explorer ST experienced a sudden steering column lock and complete loss of braking while I was driving, leading to a crash and injuries. The vehicle had approximately 800 miles and was a warranty replacement provided weeks earlier. Prior to delivery, the dealer referenced a Quality Assurance hold of about two months on this vehicle, which was not disclosed to me in any detail.
Automatic Return To Park safety feature failed to stop vehicle from forward rolling causing vehicle to crash into open garage. The drivers door hit side of garage frame, closing onto my left leg causing calf muscle pain and bruising.
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle crashed into the driver's side of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact was transported to the local medical center for medical attention. The contact sustained bruises and contusions during the crash. The contact sustained a continuous headache after the crash.
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds on several occasions with the cruise control activated, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated to 70 MPH. The contact stated that the unintended acceleration had occurred on Highway 70, even though the Speed Limit was 25 MPH. The contact stated that the incorrect Speed Limit was displayed on the instrument cluster. The contact became afraid of driving the vehicle because the failure could be potentially harmful.