2010 Ford Explorer problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Seats (17) · Power Train (17) · Vehicle Speed Control (14)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Ford Explorer model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
95 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Equipment 2010-09-03 · campaign 10E043000 · 294 vehicles
Defect: MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND ARE NOT COMPATIBLE WITH SEATS CONTAINING SIDE AIRBAGS. THE HEAVIER SEAT COVER COULD INTERFERE WITH FULL DEPLOYMENT OF THE AIRBAG IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH.
Risk: AN IMPROPERLY DEPLOYED AIRBAG COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY.
Fix: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
Seats:front Assembly:recliner 2010-04-20 · campaign 10V161000 · 33,256 vehicles
Defect: FORD IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 FUSION, EXPLORER, EXPLORER SPORT TRAC, AND MERCURY MILAN AND MOUNTAINEER VEHICLES MANUFACTURED BETWEEN DECEMBER 15, 2009 THROUGH FEBRUARY 3, 2010 EQUIPPED WITH FRONT SEAT MANUAL RECLINERS. THESE VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 202, "HEAD RESTRAINT." THE RECLINER GEAR PLATE TEETH MAY BE OUT OF DIMENSION SPECIFICATION WHICH COULD RESULT IN LIMITED PAWL TO GEAR PLATE TOOTH ENGAGEMENT.
Risk: IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEATBACK AND HEAD RESTRAINT MAY MOVE REARWARD, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE MANUAL RECLINERS FOR BOTH POWER AND MANUAL SEATS FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE APRIL 30, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
Service bulletins (25)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-02-24 · SSM 54601 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
ford and lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless entry keypad systems may or may not come with a wallet card containing the master code. unlike the integrated wired keypad, the accessory wireless keypad master code cannot be retrieved from the
Equipment 2024-04-24 · SSM 52476 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
all accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code. if the accessory keypad was factory installed, this card will be placed in the glove box and should be handed to the vehicle s owner during initial delivery. unlike the integrated (wired) factory keypad,
Visibility:glass, Side/Rear 2019-08-09 · SSM 48130 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched into the surface. this is caused by hydrofluoric acid which is used in some car wash solutions as a cleaning agent. hydrofluoric acid can attack the glass and cause visual distortion and/or disc
Power Train 2019-05-10 · SSM 47976 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
on vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be greased with motorcraft multi-purpose grease spray xl-5-a even if grease was not applied from the factory. also verify that the engine/transmission alignment dowel pins are present as well as the eng
Structure 2019-02-07 · TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2000 and newer ford, lincoln and mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. panel replacement is recommended. follow the service procedure steps to correct the condition
Structure 2019-02-07 · TSB 19-2026 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some 2000 and newer ford, lincoln and mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit corrosion concerns appearing as bubbled and/or peeling paint with or without accompanying white dust. panel replacement is recommended. follow the service procedure steps to correct the condition
Showing the 6 most recent of 25 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-02-23 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 224,283 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2010 ford explorer. the contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. the vehicle was a private sale. at the time of purchase, the mileage was 135,902. the contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced, it was later discovered that the mileage on the title was 224,283. the informatio…”
2026-01-28 · Power Train“thing accelerate by itself while on highway od light blinking at high speeds and then when you come to a complete stop and try to takeoff it goes really slow with the rpms high then it will kick into gear, unsafe on the road. truck willjump in gear then out on takeoff. …”
2026-01-22 · Electrical System:instrument Panel:speedometer/Odometer · 243,000 mi“odometer fraud. the contact purchased a 2010 ford explorer. the contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. the vehicle was a dealer sale. at the time of purchase, the mileage was approximately 150,000. most recently, the contact downloaded the ford app, and when the maintenance history was checked, it was later discovere…”
2025-09-26 · Service Brakes · 💥 crash“3 times this has happened. i brake and it seems like i'm pressing the gas pedal and the brakes feel like they aren't stopping the vehicle. the third time put me in incoming traffic and the vehicle was totaled as it already had a rebuilt salvage title when we bought it. …”
2025-08-28 · Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly · 48,000 mi“the contact owns a 2010 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the anti-theft, roll stability, and fuel filler messages were displayed with an audible alarm before the vehicle suddenly shut off. the contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the residence. however, the failure reoccurred, and the vehicl…”
2023-04-04 · Engine“runs for about 25 minutes then just dies while driving. starts back after sits for about an hr and does same thing.…”
2022-12-30 · Engine“oil leak in both valve gasket covers oil on the crossmember it started slow then it was traced by ford to the gaskets(fire hazard) 120 k on odometer …”
2022-12-05 · Air Bags“the air bag light will not go off. i have checked the the wiring, cleared the area, and checked all fuses. all checked out okay. i'm a new buyer and can't register the car until it passes inspection. my only conclusion is that it possibly has a defect or has been previously been deployed. there is no record of a previous collision as of yet, altho…”
2022-06-28 · Service Brakes · 92,600 mi · 💥 crash“the contact owns a 2010 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph and attempting to stop, the brake pedal extended to the floorboard causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a guard rail. during the crash, no injuries were reported. a police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was to…”
2022-03-26 · Suspension“rsc alarm keeps going sounding alarm and the abs alarm keeps sounding as well. seen a ton of owners having this same error…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.