AutoUtility currently tracks 105 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2023 Ford Explorer. Driver Assistance & Safety Tech issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 21 complaints (20% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 8 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 5 report one or more injuries.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
21 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
13 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
13 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
12 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
3 complaint narratives describe this symptom.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"The paint is starting to bubble and flake off from inside the vehichle doors by the seam where corrosion under the paint has started. I have looked at multiple complaints from other explorer owners and this is a common issue that ford does not want to fix. There sheet metal is contaminated with..."
"I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2023 Ford Explorer ST and my inability to obtain the remedy for NHTSA Campaign 26V123 / Ford Recall 26C11, involving a rearview-camera/SYNC display condition that may reduce rear visibility and increase crash risk. RCAK-26V123-1258 2.pdf Kendall Ford of..."
"The light for the right hand mirror blind spot warning came loose within the mirror housing. The light still works and activates when a vehicle is in the blind spot, but the light has fallen to the bottom of the mirror housing and is barely visible (a yellow glow at night)."
"Faint popping and knocking sound coming from front suspension, LOUD clunk coming from rear suspension when going over bumps. Both seem to cause vehicle to be floaty while driving. Also headlights sometime flicker while driving with switch in auto position and sometimes will not shut off after..."
"The contact owns a 2023 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving from Pennsylvania to Ohio through the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the adaptive cruise control system was not functioning. The "Adaptive Cruise Control Is Not Available" warning message was displayed on the instrument panel. No..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Ford Explorer | 1773 | 37 | 9 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Ford Explorer | 2441 | 38 | 15 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Ford Explorer | 1687 | 33 | 14 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Ford Explorer | 720 | 15 | 7 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Ford Explorer | 291 | 2 | 6 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Ford Explorer | 1198 | 35 | 34 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Ford Explorer | 416 | 16 | 27 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Ford Explorer | 257 | 17 | 25 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Ford Explorer Current Page | 105 | 8 | 15 | Current |
| 2024 Ford Explorer | 19 | 1 | 10 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Ford Explorer | 95 | 7 | 19 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Ford Explorer | 0 | 0 | 12 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 45 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 14 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,LANE DEPARTURE | 4 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning NHTSA category: LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| PARKING BRAKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| TETHER, LOWER ANCHOR (ON CAR SEAT OR VEHICLE) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VISIBILITY,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2023 Ford Explorer
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2023 Ford Explorer is Driver Assistance & Safety Tech, appearing in 21 records (20% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Suspension (13) and Electrical System (13).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 105 consumer defect complaints and 15 safety recall campaigns for the 2023 Ford Explorer.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2023 Ford Explorer, 8 filings cite a crash, 2 cite smoke or fire, and 5 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.