IllustrationTHE UNIT HAS ISSUES WITH THE SEAT BELTS. I CALLED THE DEALER BUT THEY SAID THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RECALL CAMPAIGN REGARDING THIS ISSUE, AND NO GUARANTY CAN BE APPLY.
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
Seat Belts complaints
6 reportsTAKATA RECALL-2ND ROW PASSENGER SEAT BELT IS LOCKED UP. MY GRANDKIDS RIDE IN THIS AREA AND I DESPERATELY NEED TO GET THIS REPAIRED AND WANTED TO KNOW IF THIS IS AN ISSUE WITH ANYONE ELSE
I HAVE A 2006 FORD EXPLORER BOUGHT FOR THE AMOUNT OF SEATS. AFTER PURCHASED REALIZED ONE SEAT BUCKLE WAS BROKEN AND JUST TODAY ANOTHER BROKE. I BUCKLED MY CHILD'S CAR SEAT, GOT ON THE ROAD AND IT WAS UNBUCKLED. TRIED TO REBUCKLE IT AND THE BUCKLE WOULD NOT HOLD. TOTAL SAFETY ISSUE!! *TR
MY DAUGHTER GOT TANGLED IN THE SEATBELT. NORMALLY THAT WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM BUT SHE HAD PULLED THE SEAT BELT ALL THE WAY OUT AND ACTIVATED THE LOCKING MECHANISM. IT WAS VERY TIGHT AROUND HER WAIST AND I COULD NOT GET HER FREE FROM THE SEAT BELT. I HAD TO CUT IT IN ORDER TO FREE HER. I HAVE HAD TO TAKE HER TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE…
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MY DAUGHTER GOT TANGLED IN THE SEATBELT. NORMALLY THAT WOULD NOT BE A PROBLEM BUT SHE HAD PULLED THE SEAT BELT ALL THE WAY OUT AND ACTIVATED THE LOCKING MECHANISM. IT WAS VERY TIGHT AROUND HER WAIST AND I COULD NOT GET HER FREE FROM THE SEAT BELT. I HAD TO CUT IT IN ORDER TO FREE HER. I HAVE HAD TO TAKE HER TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE OF SOME INJURY TO HER. I FEEL THERE SHOULD BE SOME KIND OF RELEASE ON THE SEATBELT LOCK. I AM SO THANKFUL SHE WAS NOT HURT ANY WORSE THAN SHE WAS. I CANNOT BELIEVE IT IS GOING TO COST ME SO MUCH TO REPLACE A SEAT BELT THAT I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CUT. I HOPE TO SEE SOMETHING DONE ABOUT SEATBELTS SO NO ONE HAS TO GO THROUGH THIS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE REAR SEAT BELT BUCKLE LOOSENED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CHILD SITTING IN THE BOOSTER SEAT SLAMMED HIS FACE AGAINST THE SEAT IN FRONT OF HIM, LEAVING A SLIGHT BURN ON HIS NOSE. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND …
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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE REAR SEAT BELT BUCKLE LOOSENED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CHILD SITTING IN THE BOOSTER SEAT SLAMMED HIS FACE AGAINST THE SEAT IN FRONT OF HIM, LEAVING A SLIGHT BURN ON HIS NOSE. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE DRY. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN TO A REPAIR SHOP. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 18,200.
THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT LAP AND SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLY LOCKS UP FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHENEVER A PERSON SITS IN THIS SEAT.
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.