Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2007 Ford Explorer, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Power train57
- Engine28
- Electrical system25
- Seats24
- Tires21
- Vehicle speed control13
- Air bags12
- Structure11
- Engine and engine cooling10
- Wheels10
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 9 injuries and 2 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 46 2007 Explorer vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 16 people died inside them, and 7 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2007 Ford Explorer failed the safety check 2.25% of the time — 7% less often than the average 2007 passenger car (2.42%). Median odometer at inspection: 148,255 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
36 first registered in 2007 are on Dutch roads; 78% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde21
- Stuur- of fuseekogel met slijtage kleiner of gelijk 1,0 mm17
- Slijtage/beschadiging wiellager hoorbaar of voelbaar17
- Stabilisator ondeugdelijk bevestigd, gebroken of gescheurd15
- Fusee(kogel) te veel speling12
- Band onvoldoende profiel12
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen6
- Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)6
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 16.1–16.2 L/100 km (about 15 mpg US), CO₂ 370–373 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explorer 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 18.6 | 12.9 | 16.1 |
| Explorer 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 18.5 | 13.4 | 16.2 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
1 Transport Canada recall for the 2007 Ford Explorer.
| 2007133 27 Apr 2007 | Steering On certain vehicles, the steering gear attaching bolts may have been over-torqued during vehicle assembly, potentially weakening the bolts. If a steering gear … |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE TWO BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY TO THE FRAME MAY HAVE BEEN OVER-TIGHTENED. THIS CONDITION COULD RESULT IN ONE OR BOTH OF THE BOLTS FRACTURING, CAUSING THE STEERING GEAR TO BECOME LOOSE.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Ford told its dealers about the 2007 Ford Explorer: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10243490 | When performing any transmission fluid changes or topoffs involving MERCON SP, MERCON LV has replaced all versions of MERCON SP and can be used going forward. Mixing MERCON LV and MERCON SP in the same transmission is acceptable. After 30-Jun-2023, MERCON SP ATF will no longer be manufactured and will only be available until inventory depletes. |
| 10156863 | 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 |
| 10155551 | 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 |
| 10148819 | This SKU is a front upper ball joint. The Customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for ball studs with excessive rotational friction in the ball joint assembly. Excessive friction in the ball joint assembly may cause a perceptible increase in steering effort. |
| 10143079 | Various vehicles equipped with a 4.6L, 5.4L, 6.8L modular 3 valve engine built on or before 8-Jan-2016 may exhibit symptoms that may include upper end engine noise, rough running, misfire and/or engine damage. If diagnosis leads to only camshaft/camshaft roller follower(s) requiring replacement, replace all of the camshaft roller followers on both banks/cylinder heads with part number 3L3Z-6564-A, not just the faulty roller follower(s). When replacing the camshaft roller followers, refer to Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 303-01. |
| 10109070 | The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate when reading these PIDs and cannot display quickly enough to validate a concern. The PCM automatically monitors these inputs more accurately and will set diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when appropriate. Using these PIDs for diagnostics will lead to inaccurate results and improper ETB replacements. If a concern is intermittent and no DTCs are present, refer |
| 10095858 | SOME 2007-2016 EDGE/MKX/FLEX/MKT/MKZ/MKS/TAURUS/TAURUS POLICE/EXPLORER/EXPLORER POLICE EQUIPPED WITH ALL WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) AND BUILT ON OR BEFORE 30-JUN-2016 MAY EXHIBIT A TICKING AND/OR KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM THE DRIVELINE AREA. TO IDENTIFY THIS NOISE, REFER TO WORKSHOP MANUAL (WSM), SECTION 100-04, AND FOLLOW THE SYMPTOM CHART. IF THE SOURCE OF THE NOISE IS IDENTIFIED AS THE PTU AND/OR INTERNAL TO THE PTU, DISASSEMBLE PTU ASSEMBLY. REFER TO UPDATED WSM, SECTION 308-07. IF THE PTU IS DETERMINED TO BE REPAIRABLE, UTILIZE KIT GB5Z-7P258-A AND THE INCLUDED INSTRUCTION SHEET. FOR CLAIMING, US |
| 10055318 | FORD/MERCURY: TO PREVENT HARNESS DAMAGE, ON SOME VEHICLES, RESULTING IN CONTACT WITH TIRE OR SUSPENSION COMPONENTS, PROPER ROUTING OF WIRING HARNESS FOR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR IS KEY. 2006-2010 EXPLORER, MOUNTAINEER, EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. *PE |
| 10045340 | FORD/LINCOLN/MERCURY: IF BATTERY WAS DISCONNECTED OR DEAD, VEHICLES/TRUCKS MAY EXPERIENCE HARD STARTS AND ENGINE IDLE RPM FLUCTUATION AND EXHIBIT DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTCS) P0505, P0506, P2111 AND P2112. *PE |
| 10039053 | FORD: IF THERE IS AN INTERMITTENT LACK OF POWER, SURGE, OR HESITATION WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKES WILL OVERRIDE ACCELERATION. *RM |
| 10032229 | FORD/MERCURY: SOME VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 6R60 TRANSMISSIONS MAY EXHIBIT VARIOUS TRANSMISSION PERFORMANCE ISSUES. WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER TRANSMISSIONS, SOME OF THE SHIFT CHARACTERISTICS ARE DIFFERENT THAN PREVIOUS MODELS DUE TO THE 100% SYNCHRONOUS DESIGN OF THE 6R60. *PE |
| 10029205 | FORD/MERCURY/LINCOLN: VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS: DRIVE AWAY HESITATION, LOSS OF RPM ON DECELERATION, DIFFICULTY STARTING, AND/OR IDLE RPM LESS THAN DESIRED. THE F53 MOTORHOME CHASSIS IS INCLUDED. *PE |
| 10028736 | FORD: SOME VEHICLES MAY EXHIBIT OIL SEPARATION FROM THE INTERNAL LUBE FOUND IN THE UNITIZED CARTRIDGE SEAL. OIL SEPARATION APPEARS TO BE AND IS OFTEN MISDIAGNOSED, AS AN AXLE LUBE LEAK. *PE |
| 10026385 | FORD/MERCURY: 4.0L/4.6L HARD START/ROUGH RUNNING; AFTER LONG HOT SOAK/DIP IN RPM WHEN COMING TO A STOP; BUILT ON OR BEFORE 4/2/08. MAY EXHIBIT A DIP IN RPM BELOW NORMAL IDLE LEVEL OF 600 RPM ON DECELERATION. *PE |
| 10024695 | MULTIPLE VEHICLE LINES - INTERMITTENT PCM, FUEL PUMP, IGN. COIL, A/C, ABS OR FOG LAMP OPERATION. *NJ |
| 10024323 | IMPROVED BRAKE PEDAL FEEL AND FIRMNESS. *NJ |
| 10023992 | FUEL FILL--SLOW OR EARLY SHUT OFF--BUILT BEFORE 11/28/2007. *NJ |
| 10023295 | MULTIPLE VEHICLE LINES - INTERMITTENT PCM, FUEL PUMP, IGN, COIL, A/C, ABS OR FOG LAMP OPERATION. *NJ |
| 10022296 | LOWER STEERING COLUMN SHAFT POP/CLUNK NOISE. *KB |
| 10022287 | THUMPING/LOUD FLUTTER - BEHIND DASH IN DEFROST MODE - LACK OF AIRFLOW TO FLOOR - MANUAL A/C. *KB |
| 10022284 | FRONT SEAT MANUAL LUMBAR INOPERATIVE. *KB |
| 10021279 | OVERHEAT INDICATION AND SHIFT QUALITY IMPROVEMENTS - CALIBRATION UPDATE RELEASE - 4.6L 3V WITH 6R60 TRANSMISSION EQUIPPED VEHICLES ONLY. *KB |
| 10021052 | MIL ON WITH DTC P0463 OR ERRATIC FUEL GAUGE OPERATION. *KB |
| 10021040 | CALIBRATION UPDATE 4.0L - VARIOUS SYMPTOMS - SURGE, HESITATION, TORQUE CONVERTER CYCLING, NO UP SHIFT AFTER FORCED DOWNSHIFT, AND POOR A/C PERFORMANCE. *KB |
| 10021038 | MIL ON WITH P0463 OR ERRATIC FUEL GAUGE OPERATION. *KB |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
TIRE VALVE CRACKING
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation