Ford · Explorer · 2015
9
Recalls
1,715
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2015 Ford Explorer has 9 recalls and 1,715 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: structure (303 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
16.9% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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 York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin that were previously repaired under a prior recall numbers 16V-245 or 19V-435. The outboard section of a rear suspension toe link may fracture.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle attached to the rear suspension toe link and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S62.
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.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the link shaft bracket, free of charge. Parts are not currently available. Owners received an interim notification detailing safety risk December 8, 2020. A second letter will be mailed when parts become available in January 2021. The recall began February 2, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S63.
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.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, and inspect both rear toe link ball joints, replacing the rear wheel knuckle(s), if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S17.
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.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S18.
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. The affected vehicles have a parking brake that may not fully engage when applied. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Remedy Status
Ford will notify owners, and dealers will test the operation of the parking brake system, and if necessary, replace the parking brake control assembly, free of charge. The recall began on September 4, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 15C07.
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 Island, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. Exposure to road salt can cause the cross-axis ball joint to corrode and seize, resulting in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link.
Remedy Status
Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle, and replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall numbers 16V-245, 19V-435, and 20V-675. Certain vehicles previously repaired will need to return for the new remedy. An interim notification letter notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on September 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2022. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S32.
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 resulting in the separation of the wheel or wheel end.
Remedy Status
Ford will notify the distributors of the hubs specifying that they are to only be used on drive axles. It is believed that none of the hubs were purchased from Ford dealers for the incorrect application. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
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.
Remedy Status
Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on July 18, 2024. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.
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 the vehicle is in reverse.
Remedy Status
Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 2, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA9. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 14, 2025.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable. The rearview camera intermittently operated and turned on and off. Occasionally, the screen was blank. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or replaced. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recalls repairs were not yet available. An unknown dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the parts were not yet available for the recall repairs. Additionally, the contact stated that the parts had been unavailable for more than a year. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
My backup camera stoped working out of no where. They have a recall for it that was put out in october and it is now April. That is 6 months ago. I called ford for a update and they refuse to help me. They said they are only servicing mustangs right now. That’s ridiculous.
Insignias on motor vehicle labeled as "POLICE" facilitates false impersonation of a police officer and/ perception of false pretenses. Seller has actual knowledge and can be punished under color of law upon a purchase agreement.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Since 2024 I have been trying to fix recall 24S02/ 24V031 - EXTERIOR A-PILLAR TRIM but the dealer always has the same answer. We don't have the parts available, we will call you, but they never call back and show no signs of progress. Explorer 2015 [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to reverse(R), the rear-view camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rear-view camera failed to function properly and intermittently operated as needed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention) and 24V031000 (Structure); however, parts for the recall repairs were not yet available. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired, and the dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there were exhaust fumes inside the vehicle while accelerating. There were no warning lights illuminated. Upon research, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Action Number: EA17002 (Structure, Engine and Engine Cooling). The local dealer was contacted and informed that there was a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the A-pillar had detached. The camera image occasionally failed to display, or the screen was distorted or blank. The contact attempted to clean the screen, but the failure persisted. An unknown camera message was displayed. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts to repair the vehicle were on backorder. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 99,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where black tape was used to secure the A-pillar trims. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure.
ENGINE LIGHT ACTIVATION code: P0430 Catalyst system efficiency below threshold Bank 2
This weekend the seatbelt on the Driver seat gave out and now I am unable to buckle my seatbelt at all. I called Larry H Miller Ford in Lakewood CO and they informed me that a diagnostic for the seat belt is 230$ which is out of my budget. The women I spoke with then stated that just the other day she had an Explorer (same make and model as my vehicle) came in with the same issues and the repair was about 1,200$ which is definitely not in my budget. Not only is it illegal to drive without a seat belt in Colorado, it is extremely dangerous and posses an immediate risk to my safety. Like I stated I can’t afford Fords diagnostic however if I need to take it to insurance or police for inspection I will do that. There was no warning signals or indication this would happen. I would like further investigation if this has already happened to at least 2 of us in the Denver area there has to be more and this is extremely dangerous and up to Ford to fix the problem.
The specific component or system has not fully failed. However, my vehicle is currently experiencing an intermittent check engine light condition, turning off and on, which was diagnosed at a Retailer producing code P0018 then at the dealership and produced code P0017. The codes relate to the engine control module (ECM) detects that the camshaft on is out of sync with the crankshaft resulting in misaligned engine timing. I have requested that the dealership further review and escalate the diagnosis to determine whether the issue aligns with any known concerns, Technical Service Bulletins, or manufacturer-supported programs. The vehicle and any related components are available for inspection upon request. At this time, the vehicle experiences reduced engine performance, including stalling, and inability to accelerator as needed, which pose a safety risk while driving, particularly in traffic or at highway speeds. The vehicle has been inspected and confirmed by the dealership. I have also contacted the manufacturer, who advised me to work directly with the dealership to have the issue reviewed and potentially escalated. I have since requested that they further evaluate the condition and determine whether it corresponds to any known issues or manufacturer-supported repair programs. At this time, the vehicle has not been inspected by police, insurance representatives, or other third parties. This check engine light and fluctuating RPM directly impacting the vehicles acceleration was the primary indicator of the issue. The manufacturer previously issued two Customer Satisfaction Program notices to address this issue for other model year vehicles. I have attached both notices to this complaint. This demonstrates a manufacturer defect which is a safety hazard for drivers.
Power lift gate working sporadically
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the driver’s side A-pillar windshield trim began to detach from the vehicle. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rearview camera became inoperable, and the rearview image appeared blurry. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 81,000.
I was on the highway when the passenger side Exterior A-Pillar Applique Trim had detached from the SUV. There was a car behind me, not close at all, and the thing almost hit that car. No one got hurt but the driver and myself both were visibly upset. No police or emergency services were needed. As stated in my previous complaint, I have horrible anxiety issues. When that happened, I had an anxiety attack. I thought consumers were supposed to feel protected and safe in there vehicles. I am in the process of retaining legal counsel to address this safety defect and its impact that its had, twice now, on other drivers as well as myself. Kind regards, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the back over prevention camera was inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V031000 (Structure) and 25V695000 (Back Over Prevention). The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer informed the contact that parts were on back order. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that on several occasions, while starting the vehicle and while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the engine compartment. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the long block assembly had failed, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Both of the inflatable seat belts in the back seat fail to latch. Have been checked for debris.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2015 Ford Explorer has 9 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 1,715 owner-reported complaints for the 2015 Ford Explorer.
The 2015 Ford Explorer received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2015 Ford Explorer are structure (303 reports), unknown or other (286 reports), steering (276 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 9 recalls on record for the 2015 Ford Explorer. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Look up recalls and complaints for any year, make, and model.
This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.