Complaint volume
382 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
2021 Ford Explorer Complaints
382 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Ford Explorer, grouped by component category.
382 Total complaints
13 Crash reports
5 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 power train, unknown or other, back over prevention. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 13 crash reports, 5 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 92 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 43,068 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to power train, unknown or other, back over prevention?
- 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 2021 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.
2021 Ford Explorer
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Ford Explorer complaints?
13 Crash
5 Fire
12 Injury
0 Fatality
24 Towed
8 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Ford Explorer complaint categories?
POWER TRAIN 74
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 52
BACK OVER PREVENTION 23
ENGINE 20
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 17
STRUCTURE 14
VISIBILITY/WIPER 14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 9
SEATS 9
VISIBILITY 9
382 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2023 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, there was a rattling sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle started shaking and vibrating before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 69,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 69,000 |
| Jul 2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) 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 stated that on several occasions the rear-view camera failed to show an image. The failure mileage was 30,839. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,839 |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | Every 6 months, the rear cameras, cross traffic sensors and blind spot warning go out and completely stop functioning. I take it to the dealer tland they keep it for 1-2 weeks and eventually replace a fuse and send it home. This has happened four times. No one will actually correct the root cause ti the issue. It's going on its third week in the shop this time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The fuse box got wet after a routine car wash. The hood was not opened at any point prior to the car wash, nor directly afterwards until the incident occurred. A few hours after the car wash, the horn went off on its own continuously for 5-10 minutes and had to be shut off manually via disconnecting the battery. The car was not running or turned on in any way at this point. Prior to disconnecting the battery, the car was turned on to try and deactivate the horn. The horn was still blaring and the car would not shut off. Upon inspection, there was smoke coming from the fuse box. Multiple vehicle alerts went off on the dash including Hill start assist warning, Powertrain malfunction/reduced power and pre-collision assist warning lights. The car was taken to the dealership for repairs. The following "story" was conducted at the dealership: Unhooked battery. Removed front cowl battery junction box. Removed battery junction box. Battery junction box is burnt up and engine bay harness is melted. Engine bay harness needs replaced. Have to remove engine assembly to gain access to harness. Removed engine transmission and subframe assembly. Removed inner plastic firewall. Removed harness and replaced. Reinstalled drive train assembly replaced all one time use fasteners. Reassembled car. Found horn is INOP. Diagnosed and found horn is burned up from being stuck on from melted harness. Removed front bumper cover. Replaced Horn and reassembled. Horn works now. Cleared all DTCs. No DTCs returned. Test drove car. Everything is working properly now and no codes returned. Total repairs are $3,300. I did not feel safe in any regards while driving it to the dealership. Through casual conversation with a friend who works at the dealership, they witnessed something similar happen with a Ford F-150. I don't believe that this has been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance representatives. There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms prior to the incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I am very disappointed in Ford. I cannot believe that I have a 2021 Ford Explorer and the back up camera will go out for no reason. Also, the GPS is not working. What is the company thinking, when I am told when I call the dealer to have this issue corrected that, "Ford had put a hold on the recall due to they have not made a decision on how to handle it." Let me make a suggestion that WILL WORK. Put NEW CAMERAS in all the vehicles that has the issue that I described above. If this issue is not corrected soon, I will be trading for another model vehicle. The back up camera could cause a very serious incident. People have grown used to the back up camera since they have been installed in vehicles for so many years. This could cause a pedestrian to be backed over and seriously injured or killed. Does your company want that on your conscious!!??? Also, I have an issue when I turn my vehicle in to the dealer, I am always told they do not have a loaner vehicle. What the heck!! It is your issue and you should provide a loaner for everyone that schedules a service on the recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | POWER TRAIN | This vehicle has a major defect and is unsafe to operate. The rear differential has only 1 rear bolt and is completely inadequate for the performance and duty of the car. It can break and cause gerat injury or death if it fails. It puts anyone operating and in the car at great risk of injury or death if the only remaining rear bolt breaks, dislogding the drive shaft and half shafts in catastrophic failure. I have had the vehicle inspected and compared to the 2020 Ex ST which has 2 rear bolts and my 2021 only has 1 rear differential bolt. This is a major defect and major safety concern. Lets not wait for someone to get injured or die. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. That contact stated that the silver plastic strip on the driver's side power window switch had started peeling away, creating the potential for her to lacerate her finger. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to Customer Satisfaction Program: 22B37, but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | I have taken my Explorer in twice to have the infotainment system repaired. It will randomly shut down and go blank. Nothing will work to include the camera/backup assists. Sometimes an ignition cycle will clear it, but there have been times it will not. Both local dealers claim they could not duplicate despite bringing in and showing the service advisor during an event. Ford has also performed a "recall" for this 4 times, with the 3rd being canceled because it was not actually fixing the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The camera system keeps going blue and will not work about 80 percent of the time since the repair has been completed. This has gotten progressively worse it seems. At times the whole radio screen will remain blue and can not use it until you turn the whole car off and wait for some time. The radio system also has lost all Bluetooth additions have added to it multiple times. There is a second recall for the blue screen but it appears they have put it on hold. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | I had a reputable after market brake system installed on my 2021 Ford Explorer ST at Holman Ford in Turnersville,NJ a couple years back. Since this time I have taken back the vehicle for my brakes being too spongy. I explained to the dealership that the brakes needed to be bleed again. The technician did not and adjusted the actuator on the brakes. Last year around the same time I had almost complete brake failure. This was do to the brakes having air in the lines and leaking from a fitting. The same concern I had from the beginning. The dealership fixed the problem and also added the parking brake software due to my vehicle only having one rear bolt in the subframe. Since this time, I have received numerous parking brake fault codes on my instrument cluster. The parking brake also disengages violently to the point where my vehicle lunges forward. It wasn’t until several days ago that my 2021 Explorer went back to the dealership for the parking brake issue and then saying my parking brake actuator broke apart. I have had nothing but issues with my brakes installed by the dealer and now I’m experiencing an issue caused from the software update. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | I have filled claims with Ford Motor Company as well as the BBB regarding my vehicle and not shifting and lunging into gear. Ford has replaced my transmission 3 times and denied my claim for a buy back under the Lemon Law and Magnuson Moss Warranty claim. Now I am reading Ford is recalling many 2021 Ford Explorers for the same issue that I had reported struggled and continue to struggle with for over a year now. Is there anything NHTSA can do to require Ford to purchase my vehicle back for at least what I paid for? I can provide claim numbers, if needed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | Numerous times over the recent 2 months, I have experienced different issues with my 2021 Ford Explorer. The vehicle was purchased used in 2022 with less than 10,000 miles on it. It currently has 36k miles. When the vehicle is stopped but in drive and then accelerated to merge into traffic, the vehicle stalls and will not engage. The accelerator has to be pressed repeatedly to get the vehicle to begin moving again. This can take anywhere from 2-3 presses and 10-20 seconds. This creates a hazard for moving traffic and a safety issue. This occurs repeatedly with no warning beforehand. The vehicle has no lights to reflect an issue. Additionally, while the vehicle has been parked and shut-off, the electronics will turn on. On two separate occasions, the lights have turned on on their own and the radio has done the same; there was nobody in the car either. Over the past weekend, while driving down the road, no rain or water on windshield, and the wipes started. The vehicle persistently has a blue screen during backup. There is a concern for the electronics as a whole with all of the issues occurring. When accelerating on the highway/interstate, often times, an odd smell can be sensed, as if the EcoBoost is not functioning appropriately. The recall for rear axle bolt was repaired by Ford in Yukon, OK, and was informed that is the only recall currently with a repair available. The vehicle is available for inspection, as necessary. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN | The recall that was previously issued for this issue was removed by the dealer because of 'many complaints from owners about the software fix'. The dealer told me that Ford was working on it and they would update later. However, you, on this website, will list this vehicle as 'recall completed'. Not sure why the disconnect. Also, for this vehicle, the rear subframe bushing failed last fall and was replaced under warranty. This bushing has failed again and I have an upcoming appt to have it fixed. This issue MUST be addressed by NHTSA as this is a severe safety issue that you are NOT pushing Ford hard enough to address. For 2023, Ford is producing 'some' Explorer ST models with the two bolt system (that is not under this recall), however, some are still being produced with the one bolt. The 2021-2022 models were, mostly, all made with the one bolt setup. The Fix is to simply use the correct rear subframe (Ford is doing this for owners that complain/push this issue, which I'll be doing now that this has happened twice). Please call me if you need details. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | POWER TRAIN | I had my suv service recall done on 6/04/22 for rear axle bolt fractures. When I got to driving my suv the transmission was acting funny, it was shifting up and down different than it was. So I took it back , and they said it had to get use to my driving. So it seemed ok in a couple of days. Then all of a sudden I was at a stop light one day and it wouldn’t shift out of first gear.so we pulled over to a parking lot, we went in and had lunch, after lunch we tried driving it and it seemed fine. And it was ok until about 3/08/23 when we were almost got home from a shopping trip when all of a sudden it just started making noise and acted different shifting. So I took it to my ford dealer,I asked them to look at it and tell me what they wanted to drive it or not.they said not drive it, so they gave me a loaner car. So I checked with them a couple of times and they had not looked at it. So after not looking at my suv for 30 days I got mad and traded in . So I don’t know for sure what happened to my suv I think it was in transmission or driveline.there was no warning lights or codes they told me when I dropped it off | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I had my 2021 in the shop for NHSTA Recall 22V255 in June of 2022. They reprogrammed my parking break to auto-engage when the car is put in Park. The DID NOT replace the rear axle mounting bolt. The Ford letter to dealers describes the dangers of driving with a defective rear axle bolt. Why weren't these bolts replaced? I was told (by [XXX]) that no bolts were available. He agreed with me that the proper repair could not be completed without changing the bolt(s) in question. So does Ford only repair broken rear axle bolts? INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V735000 (Back Over Prevention) 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. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | I am reporting countless incidences of my backup camera screen going to black or blue when the Gear Shift is selected to REVERSE. This has happened multiple times a day, week, month, etc. and is extremely frustrating. I am reporting in hopes to do anything I can to get the software fix expedited because it has been occurring for too long without a fix. t=The only "FIX" (if you can even call it that) for this problem is to stop what you are doing, put your car in PARK, turn the car OFF, open the driver's door to "reset", and then turn your car back on AGAIN in HOPES that the backup camera / 360 view is back to functioning within normal limits. That is unacceptable!!! It is not safe and anyone experiencing this issue should not have to stop their car, open a door, and restart it just to get the backup camera to work. I have contacted my dealership, Ford Corporate Offices, and now you guys in hopes to get this process going and the software to be fixed. Thank you - please contact for any questions or more information. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | LANE DEPARTURE,BACK OVER PREVENTION | The back up camera fails basically 1 out of 5 times it's engaged between skipping or just straight blue/black screen. The screen is out and causes blind spots while backing up. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | This vehicle has had multiple recalls for the same issue. Current recall is 23V022. This is a recurring issue with the sync screens. Now the entire screen is failing at all times rendering it impossible to drive hands free. Meaning navigation does not work, operating a phone through the car does not work, at times the reverse emergency brake does not work. All of these features are there to improve not only the safety of the vehicle occupants, but the safety of other motorists. It is unfortunate that the government has allowed a vehicle manufacturer to make its own rules when it comes to the safety of this nations motorists. All of the photos attached were taken on different days over the last couple of months and I would be happy to verify this upon request. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Recall on REAR CAMERA BLUE OR BLANK SCREEN | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) 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 contact stated that his vehicle rental company owns a fleet of 105 2021 Ford Explorers, and the VINs were all included in the recall. The contact stated that 35% of the 105 vehicles had experienced a loss of rearview camera image. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicles were not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES, AIR | The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and attempting to slow down, the vehicle failed to properly respond. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact activated the parking brake, and the vehicle was able to stop. The contact was able to drive back to the residence. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 20,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 20,000 |
| Apr 2023 | POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Car rolled down driveway while in park three separate times. Could have killed someone. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES | After receiving a Ford issued recall for a potential rear axle bolt fracture, the dealer reprogrammed the PCM per Ford's reported repair solution. After this PCM update, the vehicle would randomly slam to a complete stop while driving. It happened several times with 3 different drivers (myself, my wife, and my son), each happening at 30-35 mph or less. It was usually preceeded by an audible clicking sound, but not always. We took the vehicle to the dealership several times, but they said they were not able to reproduce the issue, and continually returned the vehicle to us despite our grave concern for high risk of crash and injury. We even contacted Ford's customer service and legal departments several times, who ultimately refused to allow us to continue using a loaner vehicle and demanded that we return the loaner and retake possession of our Explorer because they said they had not received any other similar complaints, and their field engineer could not reproduce the issue and cleared the vehicle as safe, although Ford was never able to supply us with service records proving the repairs they purported despite our repeated inquiries. Ultimately, the issue happened again, and slammed while driving down a hill at about 40-50 mph, but this time the slamming was immediately followed by seemingly disengaging the drivetrain and causing the vehicle to roll downhill with no ability to accelerate, ultimately causing me to roll into a utility pole. Ford has since repurchased the vehicle, but given the severe safety risk associated with this issue and Ford's poor handling of our situation, I wanted others and the NHTSA to be aware in case other similar issues are reported in a effort to protect others from potential injury, especially in light of the increasing number if PCM-related issues and recalls reported against Ford...one of which was a PCM recall pertaining to our reported issue, but was not issued until after our repurchase was complete. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE | Last month out of the blue, my 2021 Ford Explorer ST with 15,500 miles would not start. Attempts to jump it were futile. I then had it towed in to the local Ford dealer. At first, they were thinking the starter. A few days later, I got a call saying they could not hand crank the motor as it seized up. In addition to that, they found pieces of metal from the piston in the oil pan. The dealer took apart the intake manifold and found that the valve keeper failed thus dropping the intake valve into the #5 cylinder. This necessitated replacement of the engine, both turbos and even the flywheel and torque converter. This is a known issue with the 2021 Broncos and is even being investigated by the NHTSA. I just wanted to bring awareness that this can happen to the 2021 Explorer with the 3.0 Ecoboost as it was built in the same factory as the Bronco 2.7 and is a similar engine. I can provide the repair invoice upon request. I couldn't get it to upload. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,500 |