The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lists 7 official safety recall campaigns for the 2018 Ford Explorer in AutoUtility's current federal dataset. The primary affected vehicle systems include Body & Structure, Electrical System, Engine & Cooling.
Key Recall Findings
- • Official Recall Campaigns: 7 campaigns on file with NHTSA
- • Primary Affected Subsystems: Body & Structure, Electrical System, Engine & Cooling
- • Official Remedy: Detailed per campaign in official NHTSA records below
- • Most Recent NHTSA Report: July 14, 2026
VIN-Specific Notice: Safety recall campaigns apply to specific production date ranges and vehicle identification numbers (VINs). A campaign listing on this model-year page does not establish that every vehicle or trim is affected. Check your 17-digit VIN at NHTSA.gov or with an authorized dealer to verify whether a safety repair is needed.
Vehicle Subsystem 4 campaigns
Body & Structure
NHTSA records also contain 287 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Electrical System
NHTSA records also contain 57 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Engine & Cooling
NHTSA records also contain 113 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Fuel & Propulsion System
NHTSA records also contain 23 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Seats & Interior
NHTSA records also contain 4 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Vehicle Subsystem 1 campaign
Suspension
NHTSA records also contain 22 consumer complaint filings involving this same system.
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Domain Mapping Methodology: A single NHTSA recall campaign may involve more than one vehicle subsystem (such as electrical wiring affecting fuel delivery), so domain totals can exceed the total number of unique recall campaigns. Complaint and recall counts are grouped by broad vehicle system; component co-occurrence does not establish that an individual owner complaint is related to a specific recall campaign.
NHTSA Campaign #26V448000 Body & Structure
Affected Component: STRUCTURE:BODY
NHTSA Report Date: July 14, 2026
Safety Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.
Safety Risk / Consequence: A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: Dealers will inspect the roof rail covers and as necessary, repair or replace the push-pins, rail clips, or roof rail covers, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed August 24, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S54. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 21V316. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.
NHTSA Campaign #26V101000 Suspension
Affected Component: SUSPENSION:REAR
NHTSA Report Date: February 20, 2026
Safety Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture.
Safety Risk / Consequence: A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: Dealers will replace the toe links, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S08. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall number 21V537. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning February 25, 2026.
NHTSA Campaign #25V685000 Body & StructureElectrical SystemEngine & Cooling
Affected Component: EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER
NHTSA Report Date: October 10, 2025
Safety Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Safety Risk / Consequence: An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
NHTSA Campaign #24V031000 Body & Structure
Affected Component: STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS
NHTSA Report Date: January 19, 2024
Safety Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.
Safety Risk / Consequence: A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #21V316000 Body & Structure
Affected Component: STRUCTURE:BODY
NHTSA Report Date: May 5, 2021
Safety Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The retention pins could loosen and allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.
Safety Risk / Consequence: A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: Dealers will install push-pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers, as necessary, free of charge. The interim owner notification letter was mailed on June 22, 2021. Owner notification letters (remedy available) were mailed on October 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S22.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #19V633000 Seats & Interior
Affected Component: SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
NHTSA Report Date: August 28, 2019
Safety Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Safety Risk / Consequence: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov.
NHTSA Campaign #18V807000 Fuel & Propulsion System
Affected Component: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
NHTSA Report Date: November 14, 2018
Safety Defect Summary: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with 2.3L or 3.5L GTDI engine. Due to an assembly error, the fuel pressure sensor may leak fuel.
Safety Risk / Consequence: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Authorized Remedy Instructions: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel line assembly, free of charge. The recall began December 7, 2018. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 18S35.
Manufacturer & NHTSA Notes: Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.safercar.gov
Source Data Notice: Campaign summaries, safety consequences, and remedy descriptions are direct text extracts published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation.
Historical Reporting Note: Recall campaign counts are shown by model year and should not be interpreted as a vehicle reliability score. Campaigns may cover multiple model years, and newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time for new safety campaigns to be issued.
Safety recall campaigns on this page are associated with this make, model, and model year in NHTSA federal records. A campaign may apply only to certain vehicles based on production date, equipment, manufacturing details, or other campaign-specific criteria.
AutoUtility cannot determine whether a particular VIN is affected or whether a recall remedy has already been completed.
For vehicle-specific recall status, check the 17-digit VIN using NHTSA's official recall lookup or contact an authorized dealer. Campaign-specific remedy information shown above is reproduced from official NHTSA recall records.
Official NHTSA Safety Resources:
NHTSA Vehicle Safety Hotline: 1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 711)