Selling a worn-out or dead Ford Explorer

NHTSA lists 149 recall campaigns across the Explorer's model years, and a free recall repair can change the math. Run the VIN before you decide.

Six generations, 1991 to now

The first row includes 12 complaints NHTSA files under 1990, a year the Explorer was never sold. A recall spanning two generations counts in both rows.

What went wrong, era by era

1991-2001: tires, Park, and the cruise switch

Tires are the component owners named most on every Explorer from 1992 through 2000; on the 1998 it's 688 of 2,080 complaints. NHTSA opened its probe of Firestone ATX and Wilderness AT tires on May 2, 2000, and many of those tires had come on Explorers from the factory. That recall was the tire maker's, so it is not in the Ford counts here.

The early trucks also had trouble staying parked. Recall 91V189 covered 792,000 1991 Explorers whose park pawl might miss the park gear, so a parked truck could roll. Recall 94V169 followed on 835,791 1993-1994 trucks: the parking brake's self-adjust pawl could slip, and the brake would not hold unless the transmission sat in Park.

Fire is the third thread. The speed control deactivation switch, used on many Fords of the period, can corrode, overheat and ignite. Recall 07V336 covered 3,600,000 vehicles including 1999-2002 Explorers, and a 2006 recall took in the 1998. Recall 97V083 adds a power mirror switch that could short and smoke on 610,000 1992-1994 trucks.

2002-2005: shifting and rollaways

The 2002 has more complaints than any Explorer year: 3,428, and 1,409 of them name the power train. Owners describe hard shifts that land with a clunk, and a truck that put itself into four-wheel drive and stalled. No Ford recall in NHTSA's list matches that spike.

Rollaway returned on this body. NHTSA's engineering analysis EA09-013 studied about 1.5 million 2002-2005 Explorers and Mountaineers that rolled after being shifted to Park. It found 180 incidents with several causes, the transmission's parking system leading at 4.4 per 100,000 trucks, and closed on February 12, 2013 without a recall.

Recall 04V442 covers 955,732 2002-2003 trucks whose liftgate glass strut or hinge can fail and drop the glass.

2006-2010: the quiet stretch

These five model years total 1,134 complaints, about a third of the 2002 alone.

2011-2019: the Chicago crossover

Steering comes first. Recall 14V286 covers 179,027 2011-2013 Explorers whose electric power steering can lose its motor position signal, leaving the wheel heavy at low speed. Dealers update the module software and replace the gear if it has already lost the signal. Steering tops the 2011 (685 complaints) and the 2013 (751). One 2013 owner had the rack replaced four times.

Exhaust smell is second. NHTSA opened PE16-008 in July 2016 on about 638,612 2011-2015 Explorers. When it closed, it counted 791 odor reports on 2011-2017 trucks, with 41 injuries potentially tied to them, mostly nausea, headaches or dizziness. In July 2017 it became EA17-002, covering about 1,333,000 2011-2017 trucks. Ford's bulletin 16-0166 has dealers reprogram the climate module, then seal the body. We did not find how EA17-002 ended.

Six recalls cover rear toe links that can crack and upset the steering:

• 16V245: 75,364 2014-2015 trucks with badly welded links, built January 17 to May 31, 2014
• 19V435: 1,194,173 2011-2017 trucks; new links, a ball joint check, new rear knuckles where needed
• 20V675: 454,941 2013-2017 trucks sold or registered in listed states and D.C.
• 21V537: 631,176 2013-2017 trucks in listed states; some earlier repairs are redone
• 21V746: 150,723 2011-2013 trucks in listed states
• 26V101: 412,774 2017-2019 trucks, filed in February 2026

Structure is the most-named component on every year from 2015 through 2019. Loose trim drives three recalls: A-pillar clips on 1,889,110 2011-2019 trucks (24V031), roof rail covers on 616,967 2016-2019 trucks (21V316) and B-pillar trim on 492,145 2016-2017 trucks (25V347).

2020 on: a long recall list

The 2020 redesign brought rear-wheel drive and a 10-speed automatic. NHTSA lists 35 recall campaigns for the 2020, more than any other Explorer year, and the power train tops its complaints at 416 of 1,233. One ST owner reported a severe downshift on the freeway, after which the transmission would not engage Drive or Reverse.

Three campaigns deal with a parked truck that can roll. A rear axle mounting bolt can break and disconnect the driveshaft on 2020-2022 trucks (22V255, then 23V675). Recall 26V402, filed in June 2026, covers a park pawl that can engage while moving on 741,195 vehicles, 2020-2021 Explorers among them. Recall 25V455 covers 2021-2023 trucks whose low-pressure fuel pump may quit and stall them on the road.

If a 2021-2022 Explorer from the Chicago plant lost its engine to a cracked valve, ask a dealer about Ford program 24N12. For trucks that went through the 24S55 valve inspection, it covers a one-time engine long block replacement, and the bulletin says it runs for "10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first."

Complaints and recalls by model year

Explorer counts as NHTSA's files stood on October 10, 2026. Because one campaign often lists several model years, the same recall can sit on more than one row.

Young trucks have had little time to draw complaints, so short recent counts prove little.

Repair it or sell it?

Price out the repair, then look up asking prices for running Explorers like yours, same year and similar miles. When the two get close, selling it as is usually wins.

1. Run the recalls at NHTSA's VIN lookup. On 2011-2019 trucks look for the toe link campaigns; on 2020-2023 trucks, the axle bolt, park pawl and fuel pump ones.
2. Cracked toe link on a 2017-2019? Recall 26V101 only arrived in 2026, so a dealer may still owe that repair.
3. Shifting trouble? Get a written quote, then read our bad transmission guide on how to weigh it.
4. Dead engine on a 2021-2022? Ask about 24N12 first.

For what moves the number on a non-running truck, see what a junk car is worth.

Selling an Explorer whole

1. Write down the VIN and mileage, plus a line on what's wrong.
2. Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Describe the spot and the truck. Does it roll? Does it steer? A snapped toe link, a broken axle bolt or a flat tire all matter to the driver loading it.
4. Don't strip it. Converters, battery and wheels stay where they are; anything someone took off earlier goes on the list you send us.
5. At pickup, hand over the title and keys and show a photo ID. Plate rules differ by state; after you sell lists them.

No title? Start with selling a junk car without a title. Other Ford SUVs: the Expedition, Escape and Explorer Sport Trac.