Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2015 Ford Explorer: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 1,811 safety complaints about the 2015 Ford Explorer with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved October 26, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

1,811
Complaints
9
Recalls
5
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 37 crashes, 1 fire, 98 injuries. No deaths have been reported.

Key findings
  1. Body & structure leads the complaint list, cited in 427 of 1,811 complaints, followed by Other / unspecified.
  2. One recall is a do-over. NHTSA records show recall repairs that were previously performed incorrectly — worth a VIN check even if you had recall work done.
  3. 5 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2015 Ford Explorer, here is how reports break down by system.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 1,811 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Body & structure
427
Other / unspecified
409
Steering
347
Engine & cooling
289
Driver assistance
152
Airbags & restraints
108
Fuel & propulsion
94
Electrical
93

"The contact's son owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the A-pillar trim had become loose and unsecured. The cause of the failure was not yet determined, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE)."

Owner complaint filed October 2026 · Structure · NHTSA ODI 11772469

"Driving down road and A pillar trim started to vibrate. Eventually while driving within 2 hour the lower part of the pillar raised up and flopped in wind. It was inspected and rejected for recall replacement in April 2025. Visual inspection by dealer service writer states the a pillar trims definitely meets the requirement for replacement but recall has expired"

Owner complaint filed September 2026 · Structure · NHTSA ODI 11765710

When complaints were filed

Complaint filings for the 2015 Ford Explorer over time:

Complaints filed per year — 2015 Ford Explorer
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
3
51
119
270
139
183
123
89
91
152
181
250
160
14151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through October 26, 2026).

How the 2015 compares with other model years

Across the Ford Explorer model years we track, the 2016 has the most complaints on file (2,462); the 2015 ranks 3 of 9.

Total complaints by model year — Ford Explorer
All complaints on file per model year, as of October 26, 2026
1,196
829
2,237
1,684
2015
1,811
2,462
1,712
733
1,240
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 9 recalls, including a do-over

9 recalls apply to some or all 2015 Ford Explorer vehicles. Note the flagged campaign: it covers vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.

Jul 201515V-464
Parking Brake

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2015 Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to May 23, 2015, Lincoln MKT vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to May 21, 2015, and 2015-2016 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 4, 2015, to May 23, 2015. T…

Apr 201616V-245
Suspension:Rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured January 17, 2014 to May 31, 2014. The affected vehicles may have improperly welded rear suspension toe links that may fracture.

Aug 201717E-048
Wheels:Hub

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain Wheel Hub Bearing assemblies, part number HB5Z-1104-C, incorrectly listed as being for installation on the rear axles of 2011-2017 Ford Explorer 4X2 vehicles. These bearings assemblies were manufactured without a self retention feature, possibly resulti…

Jun 201919V-435
Suspension:Rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.

Nov 202020V-692
Power Train:Axle Assembly:Axle Shaft

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Explorer, 2014-2015 Taurus and 2014 Edge vehicles equipped with 2.0L or 2.3L engines and front wheel drive. The support bracket for the front drive axle halfshaft may fail.

Mar 202120V-675Repair done incorrectly
Suspension:Rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Yor…

Jul 202121V-537
Suspension:Rear

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode I…

Jan 202424V-031
Structure:Body:Roof And Pillars

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.

Oct 202525V-695
Back Over Prevention: Sensing System: Camera

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2015-2019 Flex, 2015 Explorer, Lincoln MKT, Lincoln MKZ, 2015-2016 C-Max, Escape, Taurus, 2016 Fusion, 2018-2019 Taurus, 2019 Lincoln MKT, Fiesta, and 2020 Mustang vehicles. The rearview camera may display a distorted, intermittent, or blank image when …

Does your car have an open recall?

Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →

Crash-test ratings

NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2015 Ford Explorer have?

As of October 26, 2026, owners have filed 1,811 complaints about the 2015 Ford Explorer with NHTSA. The most-reported system is body & structure.

How many recalls does the 2015 Ford Explorer have?

The 2015 Ford Explorer has 9 NHTSA recalls on file. One recall reopens earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2015 Ford Explorer safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2015 Ford Explorer an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.

Methodology & source

All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved October 26, 2026.

Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.

This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.