IllustrationDEFECTIVE RADIATORS IN 2006-2007 FORD EXPLORERS. HOLE IN RADIATOR FROM WEAR FROM LACK OF RADIATOR SUPPORT. ALSO GASKET SEAL BETWEEN PLASTIC IN RADIATOR AND ALUMINUM. I CAN'T GET A REPLACEMENT RADIATOR BECAUSE THERE ARE NONE AVAILABLE-3/17/08. SO IT'S OBVIOUS THERE IS A PROBLEM. *TR
2006 Ford Explorer
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2006 Ford Explorer do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 609.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Explorer years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
960–25K
13925–50K
13950–75K
8575–100K
67100–150K
21150K+
547 reports with mileage · 83 unknown
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 296 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 164 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 58 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
13 crash reports7 fire reports10 injury reports
Engine And Engine Cooling complaints
164 reportsTL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. AFTERWARDS, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS FLASHED ONE TIME. THE CONTACT ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COAST TO A STOP AND THEN RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DROVE TO THE DEALER AND THEY FOUND NO FAILURES. A DI…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF. AFTERWARDS, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS FLASHED ONE TIME. THE CONTACT ALLOWED THE VEHICLE TO COAST TO A STOP AND THEN RESTARTED THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DROVE TO THE DEALER AND THEY FOUND NO FAILURES. A DIAGNOSTIC WAS PERFORMED IN AN ATTEMPT TO FIND AN ERROR CODE FOR THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 61,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,700. UPDATED 4/16/08 *CN UPDATED
HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS STARTING WITH A LIFTER STUCK IN MOTOR AT 296 MILES, TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 15,700 MILES. BRAKES HAVE SQUEAKED SINCE IT WAS NEW, OVERHEAD CONSOLE HAS FALLEN OFF TWICE, SATELLITE RADIO WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TO. DOOR RUBBED ON RUNNING BOARD, NOW GAS MILEAGE HAS DROPPED UNDER 10 MILES PER GALLON. 14 TRIP…
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HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS STARTING WITH A LIFTER STUCK IN MOTOR AT 296 MILES, TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 15,700 MILES. BRAKES HAVE SQUEAKED SINCE IT WAS NEW, OVERHEAD CONSOLE HAS FALLEN OFF TWICE, SATELLITE RADIO WORKS WHEN IT WANTS TO. DOOR RUBBED ON RUNNING BOARD, NOW GAS MILEAGE HAS DROPPED UNDER 10 MILES PER GALLON. 14 TRIPS TO DEALERSHIP SO FAR AND STILL NOT ALL IS FIXED. *TR
WE HAVE TAKEN OUR 2006 FORD EXPLORER WITH JUST OVER 20,000 MILES ON IT INTO THE SHOP 3 TIMES DUE TO INTERMITTENT LOSE OF POWER WHEN STARTING OUT. THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE HAS BEEN RELOADED 2 TIMES. THE LAST TIME I TOOK IT IN I TOLD THE DEALER TO KEEP IT UNTIL IT WAS FIXED. AFTER 2 DAYS THEY SAID THEY COULD FIND ANYTHING WRONG BUT B…
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WE HAVE TAKEN OUR 2006 FORD EXPLORER WITH JUST OVER 20,000 MILES ON IT INTO THE SHOP 3 TIMES DUE TO INTERMITTENT LOSE OF POWER WHEN STARTING OUT. THE COMPUTER SOFTWARE HAS BEEN RELOADED 2 TIMES. THE LAST TIME I TOOK IT IN I TOLD THE DEALER TO KEEP IT UNTIL IT WAS FIXED. AFTER 2 DAYS THEY SAID THEY COULD FIND ANYTHING WRONG BUT BELIEVED THERE WAS A PROBLEM. FORD THEN ASKED US TO DRIVE A UNSAFE CAR TO TROUBLE SHOOT IT FOR THEM WITH A FLIGHT RECORDER HOOKED UP TO THE COMPUTER. FORD CARE AND THE DEALER ARE BOTH NOT WILLING TO CALL BACK AND FIX THE CAR. *TR
ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE STALLS AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT AND AT SPEEDS OF 10 MPH OR GREATER. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY RESET THE COMPUTER. A WEEK LATER, THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY THREE TO FOUR TIMES, BUT THE FAIL…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE STALLS AT ANY GIVEN MOMENT AND AT SPEEDS OF 10 MPH OR GREATER. HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY RESET THE COMPUTER. A WEEK LATER, THE VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY THREE TO FOUR TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE STILL PERSISTS. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 11,900 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE STALLED FIVE TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALLOWS HIS VEHICLE TO RUN FOR A WHILE BEFORE DRIVING IT, IN ORDER TO SEE IF THE VEHICLE WILL STALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 15,242 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,50…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HIS VEHICLE STALLED FIVE TIMES. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALLOWS HIS VEHICLE TO RUN FOR A WHILE BEFORE DRIVING IT, IN ORDER TO SEE IF THE VEHICLE WILL STALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 15,242 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 14,500. UPDATED 02-11-08 *BF ON ONE OCCASION THE VEHICLE WAS SHAKING AND IDLING ROUGH. UPDATED
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE TRAVEL SPEED IS NOT A FACTOR. THE FAILURE OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS, THE POWER STEERING FAILS. THE VEHICLE IS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE FORD DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLI…
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING, WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THE TRAVEL SPEED IS NOT A FACTOR. THE FAILURE OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. WHEN THE ENGINE STALLS, THE POWER STEERING FAILS. THE VEHICLE IS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED. THE FORD DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE STALLING BEGAN ONCE HE STARTED USING THE CRUISE CONTROL. THE PURCHASE DATE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 22,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000. UPDATED 02-01-08. *KB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 15 MPH, THE VEHICLE'S ENGINE SUDDENLY SHUT OFF WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY FIFTEEN TIMES. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 14,000.
I HAVE A 2006 FORD EXPLORER THAT HAS A SEVERE ACCELERATION HESITATION PROBLEM. I'VE TAKEN TO DEALERS AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE IT'S A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN AND I WOULD LIKE FORD TO BE MORE RESPONSIBLE IN FIXING THE PROBLEMS AS IT NOW APPEARS MANY VEHICLES OF SAME MAKE ARE EXPERIENCING SAME PROBL…
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I HAVE A 2006 FORD EXPLORER THAT HAS A SEVERE ACCELERATION HESITATION PROBLEM. I'VE TAKEN TO DEALERS AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. I BELIEVE IT'S A DISASTER WAITING TO HAPPEN AND I WOULD LIKE FORD TO BE MORE RESPONSIBLE IN FIXING THE PROBLEMS AS IT NOW APPEARS MANY VEHICLES OF SAME MAKE ARE EXPERIENCING SAME PROBLEM. THIS HAS BEEN A CONTINUOUS ISSUE SINCE I PURCHASED THE NEW EXPLORER IN FALL OF 2005. NM
Official recalls
105V520000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:motor
Nov 9, 2005
ON CERTAIN TRUCKS, PASSENGER CARS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR MAY HAVE BEEN PRODUCED WITHOUT GREASE BEING APPLIED TO THE OUTPUT SHAFT GEAR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: AFTER A PERIOD OF CONTINUOUS USE ON THE HIGH SPEED SETTING, LACK OF GREASE ON THE OUTPUT SHAFT GEAR MAY CAUSE THE GEAR TO DISTORT OR FRACTURE DURING OPERATION RESULTING IN A LOSS OF WIPER FUNCTION. INOPERATIVE WIPERS UNDER INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS COULD CAUSE A CRASH DUE TO IMPAIRED VISIBILITY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WIPER MOTOR FOR THE PRESENCE OF GREASE AND GREASE THE WIPER MOTOR GEARS IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 22, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673 OR LINCOLN/MERCURY AT 1-800-521-4140.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.