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Chart based on 109 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
Driver door panel warped . The panel was repaired in. November get but not correctly . They reset the panel .the panel is still warped . Service has to get approval from ford to replace full panel . Been a month haven’t heard anything . The door panel issue is a recall and will be fixed if owner reports it .
wires for moon roof switch to close moon roof were crimped and not connected properly. Moon roof would not close with close switch for either tilt or slide. Dealer removed switch, uncrimped the wire, reinsytalled switch and all was fine.
41540 mi
C $750
The driver's side interior door panel arm rest vinyl was splitting at the seam, The vehicle was at 70,000 kms and just out of warranty. Ford refused to cover the panel under warranty although it had clearly started to split before expiry
85250 mi
C $153
Repaired passenger side door panel under TSB notification for free. Paid for driver door panel seam at armreast which split to be repaired at the same time.
12700 mi
There were 2 areas on roof (not seen at time of purchase) that had one large and several small dark gray spots / blobs underneath the clear coat...on a White Platinum car!
27000 mi
Both Driver and Front Passenger door trim (entire inside panels) were replaced for FREE due to defect...the top "skin" was pulling away from the door interior where the window slides up / down...known defect (supposedly). Car model was < 3 years old at the time with <36,000 miles on it.
Rattle noise from passenger A pillar on highway in windy conditions. Minor rattle noise from driver's side rear door.
22000 mi
Passenger a-pillar trim was loose. Replaced under warranty.
36000 mi
Experiencing buzzing vibration intermittently with crosswind at freeway speeds. Had loose trim piece replaced in roof above wind screen. Noise issue unresolved.
38000 mi
Windscreen trim parts and bracket underneath wipers
34700 mi
Loose driver A pillar trim and driver side passenger window trim replaced.
39500 mi
US $15
Found water in the spare tire well. the seam sealer cracked by the top of the hatch and the roof. It looks like they put bondo on er the seam sealer and painted it. the bondo dried up and cracked. the insulation under the spare and the spare tire cover both had mold so they will have to be replaced.
5000 mi
Drivers Door Window Wind Noise at Highway Speeds. Still having the issue.
13000 mi
Drives side window still has wind noise at highway speeds.
Internal window seals were bad and caused significant drag on the vertical operation of the power windows. Dealer replaced the seals and the windows operate appropriately.
23700 mi
The coat hanger on the driver side snapped off. Ford refuses to repair under warranty. They say it's due to misuse of the hook??? This is why, even though my wife love the Explorer, I will purchase a Mercedes, BMW or Cadillac when I buy.
30000 mi
Coat hanger never fixed.
21700 mi
moon roof cover would make a lot of noise when opened or closed. It took two trips to get cover repaired. Now, wind noise has become a lot worse.
15000 mi
Excessive wind noise coming from moon roof, worse at highway speeds.
16300 mi
Rear hatch was not aligned correctly at time of manufacture therefore there was a large gap on the left side whereas the right side sat flush when closed. Repair was completed by the body shop to re-align the hatch correctly
34000 mi
driver's door arm rest is splitting. Interior door panel part on order.
There was a consistent rattle in drivers side of the trunk, behind the penal. I pushed some foam behind the panel and the sound stopped The plastic cover at the bottom of the passenger and driver front doors was misaligned with the covers on the back-doors. I pushed a plastic thing under it to move it more outside. Its OK now
Both A-Pilar covers on the outside were loose. Both covers were replaced
Front passenger interior door panel started to peel and separate along the top where it meets the glass. Removed door panel and attempted to re-glue. Repair only partially successful as only the center is adhering.
51000 mi
US $131
Had interior door panel that was separating professionally repaired (glued & stapled) since previous home repair attempt was not successful.
Door panel covering is curling up where door panel meets window on drivers side. Door panel was replaced. Dealer done at no charge under "customer satisfaction"
32000 mi
A-pillar trim panels replaced after becoming loose and making noise at highway speeds
55000 mi
Paint was chipped and bubbled at front edge of hood. Dealer sanded and repainted hood.
40000 mi
Paint was bubbling on both rear door edges and on the rear hatch under some trim. The dealer repainted those portions of the vehicle under warranty.
14000 mi
Windshield trim broke off while driving. Dealer replaced both sides even though only one side broke off.
35340 mi
C $300
Rust in both rear doors inside.. like orange peel.. was not covered by warranty after 3 days past the end of the 3 years 60k warranty
9500 mi
Replaced seat rack, seat motor and cross bar support.
18700 mi
paint was wearing on bottom edge of door. Repainted door.
30000 mi
Replace door seal
41000 mi
Paint on hood bubbling due to corrosion of the alum.
Moon roof stopped working 1 month after warranty expired.Replaced 1 of the motors and switch. The shade had still worked. Labor was $430. Job took less than 3 hours.
30000 mi
Moonroof again stopped working, but dealer fixed at no cost because previous repair on moonroof had 2 year warranty.
All the doorhandles broke off
20000 mi
Headliner rattle Clip loose in passenger door - removed and replaced Rubber door seals worn through. Rattle above the third row rear speaker.
Third row seatback cracked right through. Leather separated from one third row headrest. Driver's side door panel replaced (2cm crack on leather). All covered under warranty.
30000 mi
Buzzing behind the dash
36500 mi
Mirror door wasn't closing completely
5000 mi
replaced clip in glove box. did not fix. then said plastic on fender well rubbing. claimed to fix it. still rattles
Lost a piece of outside windshield trim. Changed windshield earlier, and pins get broken when this is done. Need to replace trim when replace windshield.
27240 mi
C $120
Lost the other side windshield trim after a windshield change... Dealer said when you change your windshield, its better to change for new trim...
33480 mi
driver door, stich of leather elbow support opened and you could see the foam
43400 mi
Rust at bottom of driver door (inside). Dealer told us than sometime sand and dirt are stuck between inside bottom door and plastic trim... With vibration the paint his remove....So wash the inside door regularly
84940 mi
C $50
All 4 doors where squeaking...Dealer said sand was in the rockers...We did just one trip in a sand area with the truck!!
1020 mi
At 140 km/h a vibrating noise was generated by the windshield. after consulting with the dealer, he indicated that was a not frequent but known outside side frame issue. What they do is detach and reattach for a firmer fit. Took 4 hours.
Plastic A pillars and gaskets replaced per Ford TSB
5000 mi
Plastic A pillar on passenger side blew off going down the Freeway.
Dealer replaced both plastic A pillars
4000 mi
The A-pillar trim piece was slightly faded when I took delivery of the car, so this service was scheduled to replace it at no charge.
25000 mi
This is the second time that the seat belt buckles have broken. The buckle does not break but the plastic casing around the buckle falls off making it hard for the kids to buckle themselves. Ordered a part.
window post applique on passenger side - rattle noise on highway
50220 mi
right side A pillar molding had spider cracks, probably because installed incorrectly during earlier repair. Replaced under policy warranty with partial relief
18000 mi
Roaring noise was corrected by replacing plastic piece at bottom of windshield
both LED's on side view mirrors replaced due to condensation build up in them
3000 mi
Performed tsb on the a-pillars for the rattling noise. tsb resolved the noise.
9200 mi
A-pillars making whistling noise since last repair. A-pillars removed and more sealant added. Seems to have fixed it. I found out Ford has redesigned the windshield trim but no one can get it since its on national back order.
5200 mi
Side mirror led on passenger side filled with water again. Mirror replaced again, for the third time.
10000 mi
A-pillar trim making noise again. Replaced with revised parts--Ford TSB. New designed parts are supposed to fix the problem--so far so good.
10000 mi
Exterior black trim piece on the inside top edge of the tailgate came loose at one end. Piece was double sticky taped back in place (that is how it was originally installed--no fasteners).
12000 mi
A-pillar trim fastening tab broken somehow. Trim replaced.
3000 mi
Water present in the right mirror turn signal indicator light. The exterior trim piece on the A-Pillar was buzzing at high speed. Attempted to pickup vehicle three times in 4 days but immediately returned with the problem. A rental was provided.
15000 mi
A trim piece on the outside of the A-pillar was buzzing at speed. A new redesigned trim piece has been made available to fix the problem.
Windshield noise, dealer unable to verify.
95000 mi
Found that the body seam cracked. Carpet is soaked, temporarily sealed with RTV. Will facilitate a more permanent repair as soon as time permits. The crack is in the top corner near the hatch..not easy to spot for those looking.
170000 mi
The water leak returned, and the seam sealer in the rear was still closed up from my previous repair. This time, I was actually able to catch the leak while it was happening, which made identifying the cause much easier. The behavior of this leak was a little different than last time, and the fix was easier.
The latest leak was due to a clogged valve on the driver front sunroof drain. Some sand/dirt had gotten up above the wheel liner, and plugged the check valve, preventing the trey around the sunroof from draining completely. Unlike the previous leak, this one manifested by flowing down the drivers side A-pillar and onto the floor. The fix was very simple. Just cut the wheel hard to the right (for a drivers side repair), remove the fender liner push pins, pull the liner back about 6", reach up and run your finger across the check valve to clear it of debris. Ours was undoubtedly due to years of driving on the 4x4 beach at the Outer Banks N.C, and will now be something I check as part of my routine maintenance when we get back from that trip.
101000 mi
US $100
Replaced trim panels on either side of windshield when the driver's side trim piece blew off. New panels snapped into place after pulling off old pieces.
102000 mi
US $170
Driver's side exterior a-pillar cover came off on a road trip. Second time this has been replaced. This time I replaced the upper and lower pieces together. Feels more solid this time. Common problem with this model from what I read. Got parts off ebay for $170 total.
13000 mi
Condensation on mirror indicator lights.
15800 mi
Left turn signal lamp condensation.
36000 mi
Sunroof has leaked twice; water dripping from map lights in front of sunroof.
116000 mi
US $40
Severe water leak from all 6 main posts and also coming out of overhead console lights. We sealed all main seals on roof as well as sealed all around the roof rack rails with silicone. That fixed SOME of it but 2 weeks later we had to completely seal the sunroof shut! But now we havent had a single leak since.
71000 mi
US $10
The small splash guard/wind deflector in front of the rear wheel repeatedly loosens and rattles. The piece is held in place by one screw and 2 plastic expansion plugs. The expansion plugs do not have sufficient material to remain locked in.
292-horsepower 4.6L V8 6-speed automatic 4WD w/low range
17000 mi
Water in rear tail lights and in right front fog lamp.
21000 mi
Passenger leather seat base had "stress cracks" on the upper portion between legs. Dealership had it repaired. The repair failed 1 year later. The dealer then decided to replace the cover. Part still on back order (2 weeks).
21000 mi
Seat base cover was replaced by the dealer who sold the vehicle.
25000 mi
Driver door creeks/pops when closing. Service department lubricated twice (first time with penitrating oil, second time with White lithium grease). Waiting to see if returns. Problem with lower hinge.
Factory Warranty repair: Rear left passenger door out of alignment and hitting the trim of the step rail. Door was removed and re-installed. Trim had to be buffed, painted, re-glazed where door was hitting it.
210-horsepower 4.0L V6 5-speed automatic 4WD w/low range
42160 mi
C $300
Had the rear hatch repainted due to a rust bubble forming just above the center trim piece with the Ford emblem, another factory issue in my opinion.
90700 mi
C $450
For a second time, lift gate needs to be refinished for rust located along the chrome trim piece above the license plate. Also noticed rocker panels rusting but are not visible due to running boards therefore will leave as is.
210-horsepower 4.0L V6 5-speed automatic 4WD w/low range
58000 mi
US $150
Sunroof mounting bracket was improperly isolated. Caused loud rattle from metal hitting metal. Shop had to drop the headliner and put some foam rubber between the sunroof support bracket and the roof. 3 hour repair, $150 cost.
70000 mi
Driver's seat adjustment handles broke off (2, each cheap plastic).
239-horsepower 4.6L V8 5-speed automatic 4WD w/low range
52000 mi
Broken duct vent in dash.
83000 mi
US $1500
Paint on hood was bubbling due to iron contamination in aluminum hood (see TSB 06-25-15 ALUMINUM BODY PANELS - CORROSION). Aluminum hood replaced with steel hood & repainted. Vehicle was beyond paint warranty time frame.
101300 mi
US $424
Paint on roof directly above driver began to peel. Top coat of white paint only, primer underneath was still intact. Ford refused to even consider a repair based on poor paint quality.
54111 mi
Replace glovebox light assembly. Blew out blocked moonroof drains
210-horsepower 4.0L V6 5-speed automatic 4WD w/low range
89300 mi
US $200
Cracked rear hatch trim below the lift up glass. Plastic body color trim piece cracking vertically. Mine cracked in 2 places over the period of 2 years, upon second crack, I replaced. bought part online, had painted professionally, I applied.
Back molding on door broke when closing in the cold, was told it's very common for the 02 model
89000 mi
US $350
Rear panel on back tail gate broke for the 4th time since we purchased this vehicle new. I ordered the part and replaced it myself. I am sure It will break again. These things have more problems than I care to mention.
4000 mi
US $28500
Moonroof trim partially came off
2860 mi
Drivers seatbelt didn't roll back in holster properly
210-horsepower 4.0L V6 5-speed automatic 4WD w/low range
5000 mi
defective tailgate panel replaced under warranty.
151000 mi
US $500
rear hatch window exploded from going over train tracks
156000 mi
rusted floorboards to the point vehicle would not pass state inspection and liquids or gasses could enter pasenger compartment
173000 mi
US $250
Explorer developed an accelerated rust-out rate. Last year there were no bodywork holes discovered during safety inspection. Now there is so much rust, car will not pass inspection.
Driver door handle broke on one side, plastic connector broke on back side of door handle which opens door and so made entry not possible. Used Superglue epoxy broken hinge together.
See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how
frequently Ford Explorer problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.
