Complaint volume
694 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Ford Explorer Complaints
694 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Ford Explorer, grouped by component category.
694 Total complaints
12 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
12 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are structure, unknown or other, engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 12 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 12 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 281 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 53,203 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to structure, unknown or other, engine?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Ford Explorer?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Ford Explorer
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Ford Explorer complaints?
12 Crash
7 Fire
12 Injury
0 Fatality
29 Towed
5 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Ford Explorer complaint categories?
STRUCTURE 248
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 113
ENGINE 55
POWER TRAIN 25
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 20
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18
SUSPENSION 14
BACK OVER PREVENTION 12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 11
STEERING 10
694 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE | We took the car in for the recall 24V031 which is not able to be fixed at this time due to lack of parts. The Ford dealership explained to us that there were 2 other recalls on this vehicle that had not been addressed. They asked us if we wanted them fixed. We agreed to have them fixed. One being the luggage rack clips the other being high speed fan motor relay switch. The luggage rack was completed. The dealership replaced the fan not the relay switch as the recall indicated. When we brought the vehile home, the fan was super loud and would come on when ever it wanted too, whether the vehicle was running or shut off. It would also runn continuously even though it was not hot out nor had the car been running. We took the car back to the dealership. They looked into it. Ordered apart that never came. They had our car for 3 weeks and finally after arguing amongst themselves determined the relay switch should be replaced. Once we brought the car home, again the fan is super loud and runs randomly. The dealership has washed their hands of this situation. Telling us we are welcome to take it to another dealership as they believe the fan is running properly. We never had any indication that the fan was running improperly to begin with. My car was quiet and ran wonderfully. Now it is loud and actually embarrassing. Our friend was walking by and heard a loud noise like an airplane. He turned the corner and said wow that's your fan in the explorer, that isn't right. This sucks. I love my explorer but because of this I really don't. I believe it is not fixed and maybe never needed to be fixed. We followed all of the channels thru Ford to have this remedied. Now I am putting it in your hands. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon his mother attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the high-speed cooling fan motor relay. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to Customer Satisfaction Program: 21N01. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 90,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 90,000 |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 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 the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 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 while driving 65-70 MPH, the driver's side windshield exterior A-Pillar trim detached. The contact later applied tape to secure the trim. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was inspected; however, the dealer confirmed that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 140,000 |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine overheated. The contact stated that the vehicle was losing coolant, but there was no indication of a coolant leak. There were no warning lights illuminated. There was cool air coming from the heater vents. The contact called an independent mechanic for orange coolant, who informed the contact that the coolant was on backorder. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for a routine oil change and diagnosed that the water pump was leaking and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was approximately 95,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 95,000 |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The A-pillar appliqué trim has cracked and is pulling away from body of vehicle. There is a safety recall notice that was issued in February 2024. I have been calling regarding remedy of this issue and I have been told parts are still not available. It has almost been one year. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | The vehicle experienced multiple defects, including: Overheating due to a malfunctioning cooling fan motor relay. Exterior A-pillar trim detachment. Persistent starting issues, even after replacing the battery. The vehicle is no longer in my possession due to repossession, so inspection may not be possible. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The overheating issue posed a risk of engine failure while driving. The detached A-pillar trim could have caused a road hazard for other drivers if it fell off while in motion. The starting issues left me stranded on multiple occasions, which could have been dangerous in certain environments. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the dealership confirmed the issues but stated the vehicle needed to meet specific conditions (e.g., 100 miles for certain repairs) and required costly repairs that I couldn’t afford. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle was inspected by the dealership, but Ford Motor Company has not performed any direct inspections to my knowledge. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? For the overheating issue, the engine temperature warning light appeared intermittently. For the starting issue, there were no warning lights; the vehicle simply failed to start on multiple occasions. The A-pillar trim issue was visibly apparent, but no specific warning messages were displayed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | While driving down the interstate, parts on both sides of my windsheild came flying off, leaving the sides of my windshield exposed and debris flying behind me into oncoming traffic. I got notice of the recall, called FORD, they indicated it would be fine, its not dangerous, and parts were on back order until February. This happened, I called FORD again, and now the parts are not available until MARCH. Meanwhile I'm drivng around with missing pieces on either side of my windwhield, a whistling wind noise in the interior of my car and possibly damaged someone behind me on the interstate. this is unacceptable on behalf of ford. please advise. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal cracking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that the remedy parts were not available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | This will be another submission as I am getting frustrated. My Explorer has had constant issues like clock work every 6/7 months. I have gone through 6 batteries in a two year time span. I have had the battery control module replaced because I thought that would be the fix. However it is not. While operating my vehicle yesterday on [XXX] after barely even starting the battery died and my car said multiple systems were failing almost causing someone to rear ended me. This is a safety issue like no other. When will I receive feedback for these matters I keep submitting? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver’s side A-pillar trim had raised up. The contact stated that there was a 1-inch gap from top to bottom of the windshield. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure). The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to another dealer, Biener Ford (661 Northern Blvd, Great Neck, NY 11021); and the contact was informed that the recall was closed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 103,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 103,500 |
| Dec 2024 | STRUCTURE | While traveling on [XXX] eastbound in the St. Louis, MO area I heard a pop and noticed my passenger side A-frame trim body piece was free from the top mooring point. This caused me to have to exit the freeway earlier than expected. Fortunately, the trim piece did not come completely dislodged and cause further danger on the freeway. I still need to drive this vehicle with a trim piece that is only partially connected to the vehicle. This is related to an unresolved recall and could cause further safety concerns on an ongoing recall. Please help me contact Ford to ensure a quick resolution to this recall that is supposed to be resolved "late 2024". INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 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 local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE | Failed water pump and coolant leak. Numerous vehicles are failed for the same reason at each local shop and Ford dealer we’ve contacted for a quote. Repair costs are expected between $5,000 and $6,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (STRUCTURER); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced the failure. The VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ENGINE | Unknown Multiple owners of 2018 Ford Explorers are reporting oil leaks from bad seals. The oil leaks can cause fires, so we are in the process of having our Ford repaired at a mechanic and will know more at a later date. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | intermittent wipers would not turn off. Took car to dealership and they charged $629.38 to fix a FORD quality issue. Wipers scratch the windshield and cause unnecessary distraction during dry conditions as they would not turn off. This issue (wipers not turning off) occurred after the A-Pillar flew off my vehicle and hit another car. The other driver did not stop. FORD needs to cover the cost of the wiper switch and also compensate owners for lack of part availability to fix the A-Pillar issue for a year now. No alerts, warning messages provided. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | SEATS | Driver's side heated seat coil burnt out. Many complaints about this. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | STRUCTURE | The contact owns a 2018 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V0310000 (Structure); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while driving at approximately 65 MPH, the driver’s side A-pillar trim detached. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 67,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 67,000 |
| Dec 2024 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Body control module has went out in the vehicle multiple times. Which causes the battery to die and the vehicle not to start. Part has been replaced multiple times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | Radio and back up screen stop working 1 month after purchase. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |