There are 7 owner-reported air bags & restraints complaints for the 2023 Ford Explorerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
On 11-21-24, I was traveling down the interstate going at 60mph when a car began to urgently brake, I proceeded to hit the brakes as well and my car would not stop, at the time of the impact no air bag deployed, driver seat belt did not lock, my driver seat moved, no pre-collision assist came up for this accident. No prior issues or lights on dash.
The seatbelt in the middle seat of the middle row twisted and my 8 years old son got stuck. He struggled to breathe, and we had to cut the seatbelt. This situation was extremely dangerous and needs further explanation.
2nd row seat belt was not Installed at the factory. The bolts were loose. If I was hit in the side and someone was sitting in the seat there would be a high probability of ejection. Has been taken to a dealer and confirmed. No warning lights. Found the problem when body shop was fixing hail damage
The seat belt minder is not working. it works when you are at park and dont put the seat belt and start driving. but if you are buckled, start driving and then while driving take the belts off, no warning sound is provided. this problem is not yet reported to the dealer. no warnings or problems noted prior.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the seat belt warning light failed to illuminate while the seat belt was manually unlatched. The contact stated that the seat belt warning light was only illuminated during the initial start-up of the vehicle and then deactivated after the seat belt was latched. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 5,000.
Side seat airbag has exhaust port facing inwards, instead of outward, towards the door of the vehicle, that caused the hot chemical from the airbag to push out all the gas at the left side of my body, melting my clothes and causing chemical burns to my side when it deployed upon a wreck.
As the passenger, following a passenger side impact, (T bone) I sustained 1st and 2nd degree burns extending from my ribs to my hip. To my knowledge the only airbags that inflated were the curtain air bags. Immediately upon impact I had a burning sensation on my right side that slowly began to spread. Once out of the car it was discovered that something had burned through 3 layers of clothing with the singed edges sticking to my skin. My vehicle was not drivable and was towed to a body shop. I spoke to the insurance company about the incident as I am receiving medical treatment for the burns. No one was interested in investigating the air bag.
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.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026