Reliable Auto DB

2017 Ford Explorer reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2017 Ford Explorer has 1,700 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 136 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 14 recalls on file, including Structure, body, Rear, and Engine block heater.

2016 Ford Explorer
Photo by Bull-Doser, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons Public domain
Complaints

1,700

Per year

136

Recalls

14

Years on the road

10

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (660 of 1,700), then Engine (237) and Powertrain (123). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 50,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 15,000 and 86,500 miles. Those filings include 34 that report a crash, 11 that report a fire, and 36 that report an injury.

Next to 2016 and 2018

The 2016 Explorer has 2,450 complaints, 220 per year, and the 2018 has 728 complaints, 39 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

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 2017 Ford Explorer. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (14)

Recall structure, body 2026-07-14 · NHTSA campaign 26V448000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.
Remedy Dealers will inspect the roof rail covers and as necessary, repair or replace the push-pins, rail clips, or roof rail covers, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 28, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S54. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 21V316. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.
Vehicles affected 288,314
Recall suspension, rear 2026-02-20 · NHTSA campaign 26V101000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture.
Remedy Dealers will replace the toe links, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S08. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall number 21V537. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning February 25, 2026.
Vehicles affected 412,774
Recall equipment, electrical, engine block heater 2025-10-10 · NHTSA campaign 25V685000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Lincoln MKC, 2016-2023 Explorer, 2019-2020 Fusion, 2019-2024 Ranger, 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair, Escape, 2021-2024 Bronco, Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.
Remedy Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed December 3, 2025. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on October 15, 2025.
Vehicles affected 59,006
Recall structure, body 2025-05-23 · NHTSA campaign 25V347000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Explorer vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.
Remedy Dealers will repair the B-pillar trim, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 5, 2025. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated November 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S53.
Vehicles affected 492,145
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 structure, body 2021-05-05 · NHTSA campaign 21V316000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The retention pins could loosen and allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.
Remedy Dealers will install push-pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers, as necessary, free of charge. The interim owner notification letter was mailed on June 22, 2021. Owner notification letters (remedy available) were mailed on October 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S22.
Vehicles affected 616,967
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 Seats 2019-09-11 · NHTSA campaign 19V651000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with power front seats. The seat frames may have sharp edges.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective tape on the exposed inside edge and tab of the power seat frames, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S29.
Vehicles affected 311,907
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 Steering 2017-08-28 · NHTSA campaign 17V530000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Explorer, Taurus and Police Interceptor Utility and Sedan vehicles. The steering gear heat shield fasteners may corrode, allowing the heat shield to detach.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers to inspect and replace the heat shield fasteners as needed, free of charge. The recall began on September 13, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S23.
Vehicles affected 253
Recall seats, front assembly, recliner 2017-05-22 · NHTSA campaign 17V332000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 vehicles equipped with a manual driver's seat back recliner mechanism. In the event of a crash, the seat back frame may not restrain the occupant due to having inadequate welds. As such, these vehicles may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202a, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat back frame, free of charge. The recall began on June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C08.
Vehicles affected 2,204
Recall engine and cooling, engine, gasoline, turbocharger 2016-12-22 · NHTSA campaign 16V925000
Summary Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Taurus, 2016-2017 Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, 2017 Ford Explorer and Ford Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles equipped with 3.5L GTDI engines. Improperly brazed turbocharger oil supply tubes may leak oil on engine components.
Remedy Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect, and if necessary, replace the turbocharger oil supply tubes, free of charge. The recall began on January 31, 2017. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S46.
Vehicles affected 1,163

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

Complaints by component (1700 total)

Structure
660
Engine
237
Powertrain
123
Electrical system
93
Engine and engine cooling
77
Steering
76
Wheels
60
Suspension
57
Fuel and propulsion system
44
Visibility and wipers
44
Air bags
34
Visibility
32
Seat belts
23
Tires
22
Service brakes
21
Speed control
21
Seats
16
Exterior lighting
12
Forward collision avoidance
9
Back-over prevention
7
Fuel system, gasoline
5
Latches, locks, and linkages
5
Electronic stability control (ESC)
4
Lane departure
4
Equipment
3
Air brakes
1
Tether and lower anchor
1
Show 19 more Show less
Crash-flagged

34

Fire-flagged

11

Injury reports

36

Death reports

0

Of the 859 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 50,000 miles. The middle half fall between 15,000 and 86,500 miles.

Complaints filed per year

1020161432017122201813420196420209720219620222532023229202439120251612026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V347000 (Structure); however, the part to perform the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the…"
    Structure · filed 2026-09-16
  • "See attached document for complaint."
    Suspension, Structure · filed 2026-09-15
  • "The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH on the interstate, the engine light illuminated and the vehicle stopped in the middle lane. The contact was able to maneuver and…"
    Engine and engine cooling, Engine · filed 2026-09-11
  • "Ford diagnosed the A-Pillar recall (Ford Recall Notice 24S02) condition on January 13, 2026, confirmed that the vehicle requires the recall repair, and placed the vehicle in the repair queue. The obstacle preventing…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-09
  • "The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving, the driver's side B-Pillar trim detached and was hanging off the vehicle with the wiring exposed. The contact used a bungee cord to secure…"
    Structure · filed 2026-09-09

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2017 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV AWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2017 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 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 18 25 21 MPG $3100
Explorer all-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) All-wheel drive 16 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 16 23 19 MPG $3400
Explorer front-wheel drive 3.5L, 6-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 17 24 20 MPG $3250
Explorer front-wheel drive 2.3L, 4-cyl Automatic (6-speed) Front-wheel drive 19 27 22 MPG $2950

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 2016 Ford Explorer Next year 2018 Ford Explorer See every Ford Explorer model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2017 Ford Explorer reliable?

The 2017 Ford Explorer has 1,700 complaints with NHTSA after 10 years, or 136 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 14 recalls on file, including Structure, body, Rear, and Engine block heater.

What are common problems with a 2017 Ford Explorer?

The complaints owners file most often name Structure (660 of 1,700), then Engine (237) and Powertrain (123). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 50,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 15,000 and 86,500 miles. Those filings include 34 that report a crash, 11 that report a fire, and 36 that report an injury.

Is the 2017 Ford Explorer more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2016 Explorer has 2,450 complaints, 220 per year, and the 2018 has 728 complaints, 39 per year. The 2017 has fewer complaints per year than the 2016. The 2017 has more complaints per year than the 2018.

Has the 2017 Ford Explorer been recalled?

The 2017 Ford Explorer has 14 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 2017 Ford Explorer?

Owners have filed 1700 complaints about the 2017 Ford Explorer with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2017 Ford Explorer get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2017 Ford Explorer is 19.9 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.