Reliable Auto DB

2015 Ford Explorer reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 1,788 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Ford Explorer over 12 years — 148 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 9 recalls on file, including Camera, Roof and pillars, and Rear.

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

1,788

Per year

148

Recalls

9

Years on the road

12

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (408 of 1,788), then Steering (345) and Engine (226). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 57,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 30,000 and 92,000 miles. Those filings include 37 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 57 that report an injury.

Next to 2014 and 2016

The 2014 Explorer has 1,677 complaints, 76 per year, and the 2016 has 2,450 complaints, 220 per year. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

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 2015 Ford Explorer. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (9)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2025-10-13 · NHTSA campaign 25V695000
Summary 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 Dealers will inspect and replace the rearview camera as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on October 25, 2025. Additional letters will be mailed once the final remedy is available on each phase. Mustang 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.
Vehicles affected 1,448,655
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
Recall Parking brake 2015-07-24 · NHTSA campaign 15V464000
Summary 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 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.
Vehicles affected 7,165

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

Complaints by component (1788 total)

Structure
408
Steering
345
Engine
226
Back-over prevention
131
Electrical system
92
Fuel and propulsion system
86
Powertrain
85
Air bags
84
Suspension
83
Engine and engine cooling
66
Seat belts
38
Service brakes
26
Visibility and wipers
25
Visibility
20
Electronic stability control (ESC)
17
Exterior lighting
17
Seats
16
Speed control
16
Wheels
15
Fuel system, gasoline
8
Forward collision avoidance
6
Hydraulic brakes
4
Parking brake
3
Tires
3
Traction control
2
Adaptive and mobility equipment
1
Carry handle, shell, and base
1
Equipment
1
Lane departure
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Other or not sure
1
Show 23 more Show less
Crash-flagged

37

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

57

Death reports

0

Of the 1,149 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 57,000 miles. The middle half fall between 30,000 and 92,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

32014512015119201627020171392018183201912320208920219120221522023181202425020251372026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Oil smell in vehicle cabin, most likely from ptu, based on the oil smell."
    Powertrain · filed 2026-09-20
  • "Driving down road and A pillar trim started to vibrate. Eventually while driving within 2 hour the lower part of the pillar raised up and flopped in wind. It was inspected and rejected for recall replacement in April…"
    Structure · filed 2026-09-20
  • "Failure of replaced toelinks to be properly torque or design flaw. The toelinks continue to slide out of alignment and kick bottomf of both tires out. Causes instability in car, issues with differential and unnecessary…"
    Suspension, Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-20
  • "The rear view camera display has intermittently not worked for over 2+ years. It appears blank or distorted and says contact your dealer. This happens about 80% of the time. I originally contacted the dealer about 18…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-18
  • "The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the rear-view camera became inoperable. The contact stated that the rearview camera image was occasionally blurry or displayed…"
    Back-over prevention · filed 2026-09-18

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2015 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2015 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 27 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 2014 Ford Explorer Next year 2016 Ford Explorer See every Ford Explorer model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2015 Ford Explorer reliable?

Owners have filed 1,788 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Ford Explorer over 12 years — 148 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 9 recalls on file, including Camera, Roof and pillars, and Rear.

What are common problems with a 2015 Ford Explorer?

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (408 of 1,788), then Steering (345) and Engine (226). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 57,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 30,000 and 92,000 miles. Those filings include 37 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 57 that report an injury.

Is the 2015 Ford Explorer more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2014 Explorer has 1,677 complaints, 76 per year, and the 2016 has 2,450 complaints, 220 per year. The 2015 has more complaints per year than the 2014. The 2015 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016.

Has the 2015 Ford Explorer been recalled?

The 2015 Ford Explorer has 9 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 2015 Ford Explorer?

Owners have filed 1788 complaints about the 2015 Ford Explorer with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2015 Ford Explorer get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2015 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.