2014 Ford Explorer problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (451) · Structure (173) · Engine (120)
🧭 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
1,019 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (7)
Structure:body:roof And Pillars 2024-01-19 · campaign 24V031000 · 1,889,110 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:rear 2021-07-15 · campaign 21V537000 · 631,176 vehicles
Defect: 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 outboa
Risk: A rear toe-link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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
Suspension:rear 2021-03-12 · campaign 20V675000 · 454,941 vehicles
Defect: 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 susp
Risk: A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Power Train:axle Assembly:axle Shaft 2020-11-10 · campaign 20V692000 · 15,587 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: The failed bracket could result in a loss of park function which can cause unintended vehicle movement, and loss of motive power while driving which increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:rear 2019-06-10 · campaign 19V435000 · 1,194,173 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Wheels:hub 2017-08-28 · campaign 17E048000 · 630 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A loss of the wheel or wheel end can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Suspension:rear 2016-04-26 · campaign 16V245000 · 75,364 vehicles
Defect: 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.
Risk: A fracture of the rear suspension toe link may result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Service bulletins (130)
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
Unknown Or Other 2024-10-10 · SSM 53040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
while performing a transmission repair on some 2012-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, a transmission seal kit may be on backorder due to supply chain interruptions.
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,
Structure 2023-04-04 · SSM 51536 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
for 2000-2024 ford and lincoln vehicles, swapping a module from a vehicle for diagnosis purposes is likely to cause errors and is not recommended. it is also not recommended to order a replacement module using a vehicle identification number (vin) from a different vehicle. most modules on these affe
Suspension 2023-02-07 · 22N01 S1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2011-2017 model year explorer vehicles rear wheel knuckle replacement reason for this supplement program terms: added 21r01 and 21r02 reason for providing a no-cost, one-time repair: added 21r01 and 21r02 owner notification mailing schedule: added mailing schedule for 21r01 and 21r02 oa
Unknown Or Other 2022-11-04 · 21R01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain 2011-2017 model year explorer vehicles rear toe link replacement under safety recall 21s32, some of the affected vehicles exposed to a highly corrosive environment where road salt is used extensively during winter months, have experienced a seized toe link ball joint resulting in a fracture
Showing the 6 most recent of 130 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-21 · Steering“my steering wheel suddenly became really loose causing the control of the vehicle to be really difficult and it make a very loose hollow noise.…”
2026-10-21 · Seat Belts“my drivers seat belt will only fasten at the perfect angle about 10% of the time or less. i called form to open a claim but they said it was a “wear and tear” item. i don’t think a seatbell is a negotiable. …”
2026-10-20 · Engine“engineering design flaw. water pump connected to the timing chain, knowing that it would cost thousands of dollars to fix. …”
2026-10-17 · Power Train“vehicle safety hazard report: toxic cabin fumes & engine hazard following improper franchise repair my 2014 ford explorer (vin: [xxx]) was serviced at sawgrass ford in sunrise, fl for an initial internal water pump replacement. immediately following this repair, the vehicle began emitting heavy white exhaust smoke and filling the passenger cabin wi…”
2026-10-15 · Steering“power assist steering fails and becomes very difficult to turn the steering wheel, requiring much force to initiate a turn and requires just as much force to disengage/return the steering to a straight ahead direction. it cuts out unexpectedly and often. dealer has examined and says cannot be repaired without replacing the whole steering shaft, gea…”
2026-10-01 · Unknown Or Other“i was driving down the highway, and i heard what sounded as if something had fallen on vehicle and cracked my window. however, there wasn't anything, so i got out of the car and saw that my b pillar trim had come off and was hanging down by the wires on the driver side of vehicle. this was very frightening as this could have resulted in an accident…”
2026-09-23 · Steering“my 2014 ford explorer experienced a serious electric power steering failure. while driving, the vehicle displayed “power steering assist fault” and the steering became extremely difficult to turn due to loss of steering assistance. i was driving with my child in the vehicle when this occurred. i believe this created a potentially life-threatening s…”
2026-09-17 · Steering“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.…”
2026-09-13 · Unknown Or Other“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 was not permanently repaired. ford later issued safety recall 24s02 / nhtsa recall 24v-031 for certain 2011-2019 ford explorers in…”
2026-08-26 · Structure:body“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 issue and was informed that no parts are available. after several visits to service department and phone calls, still no parts avai…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.