There are 34 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 2012 Ford Explorer in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 34 of 34 matching reports. The list controls page through the loaded reports only.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)My vehicles power steering alert came on suddenly while driving home. My cars steering wheel completely locked up while I had my children in my vehicle. It was very scary knowing we could have been in a wreck due to this issue. It’s. Not under recall but under the customer satisfaction program but I do not have funds to cover this. No dealership near me is able to tow and a tow would be a lot for me. I had a family friend tow us when my steering went out in town but was still charged an arm. I need this looked at because there’s been recalls for this before. My families lives were put at risk and that’s completely unacceptable.
Back-up camera will display images backward and poses a collision hazard as driver won’t know which direction cars or pedestrians are coming from.
There is a recall on the trim. There are no replacement parts and now there is a tiny leak, The leak is hitting the center console. I have to have a plastic bag over it at all times. it at one point leaked into the hazards lights and I woke up multiple days in a row to find my hazards on and then I had to manually dry it and eventually they'd go back on . Other buttons on the display have stopped working. The fan for the heater will not turn off at all ever.
Hello I’m a concerned citizen and I have a question about the Ford recall on the back up cameras, I have 2012 Explorer and my camera has been acting up for a while the same way that ford has mentioned, so I was wondering why isn’t the Explorer not included in this recall.
See attached document for complaint
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after receiving a map update on the main control panel, the display screen immediately blacked out. The contact stated that when updating the ATI system map, the main control panel screen completely blacked out. The contact was unable to use any of the electrical systems including the Back Over Prevention camera. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was diagnosed that the ATI system had failed due to the map update. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.
Sometimes putting it in reverse the rear camera doesn’t come on. Have to wait sometimes a minute before camera will come on. It doesn’t happen all the time. I read that ford is having problems and has a recall on some vehicles but my year doesn’t show up.
The part that is needed for the suv to work called the body module chip is not made by Ford anymore and I am still paying on this vehicle
The contact owns a 2012 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undetermined speed, the warning indicator lights illuminated. The service power steering, traction control, anti-lock brakes became inoperable. The turn signal handle failed to remain down. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who cleared the codes. The contact called the local dealer who referred her to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted who informed her she failed to meet the requirements for the customer satisfaction program and referred her to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000 The consumer stated the local mechanic completed the job and the power steering, traction control, anti lock brakes, and turn signal have been working properly ever since..
The contact's wife owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving, on at least three occasions, the steering wheel became very stiff. The contact's wife was not able to turn the steering wheel, so the vehicle was stopped and restarted each time. The contact stated that an unknown message was displayed, and the power steering assist warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where DTC: U3000 was retrieved, and the tech was asked to check for bad connections. The failure was not duplicated, and the vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a second dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the ground wire had corrosion around the grounding bolts and that the bolts needed to be cleaned a reinstalled. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 111,000.
ABS Trac light came on while driving Car was taken to the dealership twice to fix the problem but Ford wasn't able to find the problem. I know there is a problem with the Ford Focus ABS Module due to recalls and I think on the Ford Explore but Ford isn't saying anything about this problem with the ABS module.
MY TRUCK BURST INTO FLAMES 🔥 AND BURN TO THE GROUND WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVE WAY. *TR
WHEN ENGINE IS STARTED, THE AIRBAG LIGHTS GO OFF BUT COME BACK ON AND STAYS ON. THIS STARTED A MONTH AGO AND THE WARNING LIGHT STILL SWITCHES ON WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED
WATER IS LEAKING FROM THE ROOF THAT CAUSES ELECTRICAL ISSUES. BAD DESIGN BY FORD IN WHICH SEAL SEAMS NOT PROPERLY INSTALLED, WHICH CAUSE LEAKS INSIDE VEHICLE.
LOST COMMUNICATION WITH THE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM. THE WINDOWS LOCK UP, AND THE CAR BLOWS CONSTANT HEAT THROUGH DEFROST. NO HAZARDS CAN BE USED AS THE ENTIRE CONTROL PANEL IS OUT. VERY UNSAFE WITHOUT HAZARDS, LET ALONE FULL BLOWN HEAT WHEN ITS ALREADY . 105 OUTSIDE WITH THE HEAT INDEX.
FRONT PASSENGER SEAT PRETENSIONER HAS FAILED CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO COME ON. A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN HAS BEEN CREATED ON FORD'S END BLAMING THE CONNECT. SEE TSB 12-5-11. IT TELLS THE MECHANIC TO INJECT DIELECTRIC GREASE AS A FIX.
THE CONTROL PANEL THAT SHOWS THE REAR BACKING AND THEN SWITCHES TO CONTROLLING TEMPERATURE, RADIO, SEATS, ETC HAS FAILED. THERE IS NO BACKING ASSIST OR ANY CONTROLS FOR INTERIOR FUNCTIONS. THE FEATURE STOPPED WHEN IN MOTION AND HASN'T COME BACK ON SINCE.
THE CAR HAS WATER LEAKS, I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ELECTRICAL FUNCTION AND FEAR OF FIRE OR CONTACT IN MY CAR .
THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE - AIR BAGS COULD MALFUNCTION AT ANYTIME DUE TO MISCOMMUNICATION WITHIN THE SYSTEM. AIR BAGS CAN DEPLOY AT ANYTIME OR CAN FAIL TO DEPLOY WHEN NECESSARY. AIR BAG LIGHT TURNS ON AND STAYS ON. ACCORDING TO FORD DEALER THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BUT HAS NOT YET BEEN RECALLED. SEAT BELT BUCKLE REPLACED, AIR BAG DIAGNOSTIC MODULE REPLACED, PROGRAM CONTROL MODULE AIR BAG REPROGRAMED. LIGHT CONTINUES TO TURN ON. HAS A WIRE HARNESS ISSUE L/F DOOR MODULE SRS - WIRING LOOM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.
MY AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON AND WON'T TURN. WHAT I HAVE READ IS ONCE IT ON THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY I'M CASE OF AN ACCIDENT. FORD KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND IS NOT TRYING TO FIX THIS IS VERY UNACCEPTABLE FOR SUCH AN EXPENSIVE VEHICLE.
Showing 1-20 of 34 loaded complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: May 4, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.