Reliable Auto DB

2014 Ford Explorer reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2014 Ford Explorer has 1,677 complaints with NHTSA after 13 years, or 76 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Explorer years here — over the median of the other years, which is 49. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Roof and pillars, Rear, and Axle shaft.

Ford Explorer, 2012–2015 body
Photo by Mr.choppers, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0
Complaints

1,677

Per year

76

Recalls

7

Years on the road

13

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (497 of 1,677), then Structure (276) and Engine (196). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 66,500 miles, and the middle half falls between 36,000 and 104,000 miles. Those filings include 32 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, 29 that report an injury, and 2 that report a death.

Next to 2013 and 2015

The 2013 Explorer has 2,234 complaints, 77 per year, and the 2015 has 1,788 complaints, 148 per year. The 2014 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2014 Ford Explorer. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (7)

Recall structure, body, roof and pillars 2024-01-19 · NHTSA campaign 24V031000
Summary 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 Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.
Vehicles affected 1,889,110
Recall suspension, rear 2021-07-15 · NHTSA campaign 21V537000
Summary 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 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.
Vehicles affected 631,176
Recall suspension, rear 2021-03-12 · NHTSA campaign 20V675000
Summary 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 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.
Vehicles affected 454,941
Recall powertrain, axle assembly, axle shaft 2020-11-10 · NHTSA campaign 20V692000
Summary 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 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.
Vehicles affected 15,587
Recall suspension, rear 2019-06-10 · NHTSA campaign 19V435000
Summary 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 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.
Vehicles affected 1,194,173
Recall wheels, hub 2017-08-28 · NHTSA campaign 17E048000
Summary 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 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.
Vehicles affected 630
Recall suspension, rear 2016-04-26 · NHTSA campaign 16V245000
Summary 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 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.
Vehicles affected 75,364

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (1677 total)

Steering
497
Structure
276
Engine
196
Suspension
103
Electrical system
100
Powertrain
79
Engine and engine cooling
67
Fuel and propulsion system
62
Air bags
47
Back-over prevention
29
Speed control
29
Seat belts
27
Visibility
27
Visibility and wipers
26
Wheels
26
Exterior lighting
25
Service brakes
25
Electronic stability control (ESC)
14
Forward collision avoidance
9
Fuel system, gasoline
9
Seats
7
Lane departure
5
Traction control
5
Tires
4
Latches, locks, and linkages
3
Hydraulic brakes
2
Equipment
1
Fire-related
1
Show 20 more Show less
Crash-flagged

32

Fire-flagged

6

Injury reports

29

Death reports

2

Of the 1,021 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 66,500 miles. The middle half fall between 36,000 and 104,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

620136520144220151162016259201711820181482019103202010220211382022155202317020242002025552026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "2 incomplete recalls"
    Suspension, Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-19
  • "Steering simply shutoff and locked up while driving. I seen there's a recall on 2013 Ford exploers but not for 2014 even though its the same problem. Now im without a vehicle and it will be a expensive repair."
    Steering · filed 2026-09-17
  • "I own a 2014 Ford Explorer, VIN [XXX]. In approximately 2020, I reported damaged exterior A-pillar appliqué trim clip(s) to a Ford dealer and requested repair. I was told the needed part was on backorder. The condition…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-13
  • "Recall issued and notified via mail by Ford for faulty A-pillarsin 2024. A-pillars can fall off vehicle while driving and can cause safety issue. Vehicle was taken to dealer for inspection in March of 2025 to verify…"
    Structure · filed 2026-08-26
  • "The contact owns a 2014 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 contact stated that while…"
    Structure · filed 2026-08-12

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2014 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2014 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Explorer two-wheel drive flex-fuel 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 17 24 20 MPG $3250
Explorer all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 17 23 19 MPG $3400
Explorer all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 16 22 18 MPG $3600
Explorer all-wheel drive flex-fuel 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 17 23 19 MPG $3400
Explorer front-wheel drive 2L, 4-cyl Automatic 6-speed Front-wheel drive 20 28 23 MPG $2800
Explorer front-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 17 24 20 MPG $3250

Specs and fitment

5th generation, 2011–2019
Body styles SUV
Oil 5W-30 synthetic (EcoBoost engines); 5W-20 synthetic (3.5L Ti-VCT V6) , 6 qt capacity
Tire size 245/65R17 (XLT) to 255/50R20 (Limited/Sport)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA complaints filed on 2011-2019 Explorers most often name the structure and the steering. Recall 19V-435 covers certain 2011-2017 Explorers: the rear suspension toe links may fracture from stress on the rear suspension, which can cause a sudden change in handling. Dealers replace the toe links and inspect the rear toe-link ball joints, replacing the wheel knuckle if needed. Recall 21V-537 expands that campaign for certain 2013-2017 Explorers originally sold or ever registered in salt-belt states, where road salt can corrode and seize the cross-axis ball joint and fracture the outboard section of the toe link. Recall 24V-031 covers certain 2011-2019 Explorers whose A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, so the trim can detach. Recall 21V-316 covers certain 2016-2019 Explorers whose roof-rail cover retention pins can loosen and let the cover detach.

Compare

Previous year 2013 Ford Explorer Next year 2015 Ford Explorer See every Ford Explorer model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2014 Ford Explorer reliable?

The 2014 Ford Explorer has 1,677 complaints with NHTSA after 13 years, or 76 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Explorer years here — over the median of the other years, which is 49. NHTSA has 7 recalls on file, including Roof and pillars, Rear, and Axle shaft.

What are common problems with a 2014 Ford Explorer?

The complaints owners file most often name Steering (497 of 1,677), then Structure (276) and Engine (196). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 66,500 miles, and the middle half falls between 36,000 and 104,000 miles. Those filings include 32 that report a crash, 6 that report a fire, 29 that report an injury, and 2 that report a death.

Is the 2014 Ford Explorer more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Explorer has 2,234 complaints, 77 per year, and the 2015 has 1,788 complaints, 148 per year. The 2014 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2013. The 2014 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015.

Has the 2014 Ford Explorer been recalled?

The 2014 Ford Explorer has 7 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2014 Ford Explorer?

Owners have filed 1677 complaints about the 2014 Ford Explorer with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2014 Ford Explorer get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2014 Ford Explorer is 19.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is my Ford Explorer?

2011-2019 is the 5th generation, built on a unibody platform, and 2020-onward is the 6th generation, which switched to a rear-wheel-drive-based platform shared with the Police Interceptor Utility.

Are there rear axle problems on the 6th-generation Explorer?

Yes. 2020-2022 Explorer vehicles were covered by recalls 22V-255, 23V-199, and 23V-675 for a rear axle horizontal mounting bolt that may fracture and disconnect the driveshaft, risking a loss of drive power or a rollaway.