Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 2 of 7 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
Power Train. Review the 2 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Air Bags. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 1 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
3 crash reports0 fire reports3 injury reports
What owners actually said
7 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 10, 2026
Fuel/propulsion System
I am filing this complaint to report an unreasonable and hazardous delay by the manufacturer regarding NHTSA Campaign 25V455000 (Ford Recall 25S75) for a low-pressure fuel pump defect. As the original owner of a 2021 Ford Explorer Platinum Hybrid, I received notice of this critical safety recall 14 months ago. The defect causes …
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I am filing this complaint to report an unreasonable and hazardous delay by the manufacturer regarding NHTSA Campaign 25V455000 (Ford Recall 25S75) for a low-pressure fuel pump defect. As the original owner of a 2021 Ford Explorer Platinum Hybrid, I received notice of this critical safety recall 14 months ago. The defect causes a sudden, unpredictable engine stall while driving, creating an immediate highway collision hazard. Despite the passage of well over a year, Ford has failed to provide a remedy, engineer a fix, or make replacement parts available to dealerships. I am being forced to drive an inherently dangerous vehicle daily without a resolution timeline. Ford has failed to execute this warranty and safety repair within a legally reasonable timeframe to mitigate the ongoing risk to my family.
NHTSA ODI #11763480
Mileage unknown · Sep 2, 2026
Unknown Or OtherInjury
While taking groceries out of the back of the SUV, the hatchback closed without a sound warning and hit the top of my head causing a concussion and neck injury.
NHTSA ODI #11761721
Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2026
Air BagsSeat BeltsCrashInjury
On July 8, 2026, I was traveling westbound on Highway 7 when another vehicle pulled right out in front of me from southbound Orchard Road, attempting to cross the highway. We collided and I struck the other vehicle at a 45° angle. My seatbelt was buckled. The impact caused me to be thrown forward into the windshield which I brok…
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On July 8, 2026, I was traveling westbound on Highway 7 when another vehicle pulled right out in front of me from southbound Orchard Road, attempting to cross the highway. We collided and I struck the other vehicle at a 45° angle. My seatbelt was buckled. The impact caused me to be thrown forward into the windshield which I broke with my skull. I suffered a broken neck. The seatbelt did not operate properly to keep me secure in the seat. There's no way I should've struck the windshield if the seatbelt would've worked. Not only did the shoulder belt not work, but the lap belt did not work either because I came up and out of the seat. Also, the airbag did not prevent me from striking the windshield. There is something wrong with the seatbelt operation as well as the airbag. I have contacted Ford to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by the Harrisonville Missouri Police Department.
NHTSA ODI #11754258
96,147 miles · Nov 24, 2023
Electrical System
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, there was a burning odor present. The message "Pull Over Possible Powertrain Damage" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the high voltage junction box had overheated and was burned. The hig…
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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid. The contact stated that after restarting the vehicle, there was a burning odor present. The message "Pull Over Possible Powertrain Damage" was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who determined that the high voltage junction box had overheated and was burned. The high voltage junction box and high voltage junction box wiring harness were replaced, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and indicated that the VIN was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V626000 (Electrical System). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 96,147.
NHTSA ODI #11556636
Mileage unknown · Nov 20, 2023
Power TrainUnknown Or OtherWheelsCrashInjury
A Police Officer's Ford Explorer Interceptor Hybrid SUV while driving had a vehicle malfunction where the rear wheels began to wobble/vibrate and while driving in a straight line with front wheels facing straight caused the vehicle to fishtail out of the control (loss of control to the rear wheels) and slam into a tree at approx…
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A Police Officer's Ford Explorer Interceptor Hybrid SUV while driving had a vehicle malfunction where the rear wheels began to wobble/vibrate and while driving in a straight line with front wheels facing straight caused the vehicle to fishtail out of the control (loss of control to the rear wheels) and slam into a tree at approximately 50mph injuring the officer. Officer's injuries were broken left leg and two knee fractures. Upon further research, this incident may have been caused by the "rear bolt" fracture issue Ford is having with these specific Ford Explorers. This specific vehicle is under recall per the VIN. The Officer's safety was put at risk because the vehicle was most likely not recalled and fixed per the recall. The vehicle has not been inspected by manufacturer or any qualified/certified individual. No other issues or symptoms were present prior to this incident. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request with the BART Police Department in Oakland, CA.
NHTSA ODI #11556088
Mileage unknown · Mar 24, 2023
SteeringCrash
I was making a slow speed u-turn to stop a speeding motorist. As I came out of the u-turn, the wheel did not come back to center and I continued the turn going up a curb and striking a chain link fence. When I realized what was occurring, I manually began to turn the steering wheel to the right to get back on the roadway. There …
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I was making a slow speed u-turn to stop a speeding motorist. As I came out of the u-turn, the wheel did not come back to center and I continued the turn going up a curb and striking a chain link fence. When I realized what was occurring, I manually began to turn the steering wheel to the right to get back on the roadway. There is patrol car dash cam footage of this collision. Police report# 23-688.
NHTSA ODI #11513540
22,000 miles · Jan 12, 2023
Power TrainStructure
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the electronic "lift gate ajar" warning was activated; however, the liftgate was not open. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who adjusted the liftgate striker, and the failure was remedied; however, the failure reoccurr…
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The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the electronic "lift gate ajar" warning was activated; however, the liftgate was not open. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who adjusted the liftgate striker, and the failure was remedied; however, the failure reoccurred. Additionally, while driving at speeds between 5 - 20 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and vibrating with the RPM’s extremely elevated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not identified. The dealer indicated that the jerking and vibration were normal for a hybrid vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 22,000.
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer Police FHEV, Explorer Police 3.3L, and 2020-2022 Explorer 2.3L RWD, 3.0L PHEV, 3.3L FHEV, and 3.0L ST GAS vehicles. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A disconnected driveshaft can result in vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in 'Park' without the parking brake applied, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the bushing and axle cover, or update the electronic parking brake software. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022, and March 10, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S27.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Power Train:axle Assembly
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer Police FHEV, Explorer Police 3.3L, and 2020-2022 Explorer 2.3L RWD, 3.0L PHEV, 3.3L FHEV, and 3.0L ST GAS vehicles. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
Consequence: A disconnected driveshaft can result in vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in 'Park' without the parking brake applied, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the bushing and axle cover, or update the electronic parking brake software. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022, and March 10, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S27.
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer Police FHEV, Explorer Police 3.3L, and 2020-2022 Explorer 2.3L RWD, 3.0L PHEV, 3.3L FHEV, and 3.0L ST GAS vehicles. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
Consequence: A disconnected driveshaft can result in vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in 'Park' without the parking brake applied, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the bushing and axle cover, or update the electronic parking brake software. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022, and March 10, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S27.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1
DP22005 · Pedestrian Alert Sounds
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · Closed Aug 7, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:propulsion System
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.
2021 Ford Explorer Hybrid Problems, Complaints & Recalls | Skip That Year