4th generation · U251 · 1,480 complaints, 1,260 with mileage
Owners filed 1,480 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006–2010 Ford Explorer, and 1,260 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 37,000 and 93,765 miles. The median is 64,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are the transmission and driveline (28.9% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles), the engine and its cooling system (12.6% of complaints, typically around 46,000 miles), the engine (8.4% of complaints, typically around 81,728 miles).
1 recall campaign cover this generation.
| System | Complaints | Share | Typical mileage | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 427 | 28.9% | 65,000 | 40,000–93,765 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 187 | 12.6% | 46,000 | 37,000–67,875 |
| Engine | 125 | 8.4% | 81,728 | 63,000–110,000 |
| Electrical System | 117 | 7.9% | 63,757 | 40,000–101,000 |
| Seats | 86 | 5.8% | 65,965 | 12,000–93,000 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 67 | 4.5% | 36,500 | 8,000–73,000 |
| Unknown Or Other | 50 | 3.4% | 108,405 | 80,000–158,000 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 40 | 2.7% | 40,000 | 15,000–69,000 |
| Steering | 37 | 2.5% | 81,728 | 42,000–105,000 |
| Service Brakes | 34 | 2.3% | 98,000 | 72,800–129,872 |
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 788 | 679 |
| 2007 | 271 | 237 |
| 2008 | 217 | 186 |
| 2009 | 49 | 37 |
| 2010 | 155 | 121 |
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 64,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 28.9% of complaints (427 reports, 366 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 65,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,000 and 93,765 miles.
A single system taking 28.9% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 12.6% of complaints (187 reports, 174 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 46,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 37,000 and 67,875 miles.
The engine accounts for 8.4% of complaints (125 reports, 106 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 81,728 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 63,000 and 110,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 7.9% of complaints (117 reports, 98 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 63,757 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,000 and 101,000 miles.
Seats account for 5.8% of complaints (86 reports, 73 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 65,965 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 12,000 and 93,000 miles.
Throttle and speed control accounts for 4.5% of complaints (67 reports, 57 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 36,500 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 8,000 and 73,000 miles.
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2006 model year drew the most — 788 complaints — while 2009 drew the fewest at 49. The median year sits at 217.
That makes 2006 an outlier: roughly 3.6 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
NHTSA records 1 recall campaign covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Of the 1,480 complaints filed against this generation, 61 reported a crash; 18 reported a fire; 60 reported an injury; 54 reported a fatality. Crash-involved reports represent 4.1% of the total.
These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 37,000 and 93,765 miles, with a median of 64,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the transmission and driveline and the engine and its cooling system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine and its cooling system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 46,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
4.6L 3-valve Modular V8 variable cam timing (VCT) phaser rattle and cam-phaser-related ticking; also difficult-to-remove two-piece spark plugs that can seize and break in the head.
4.0L SOHC V6 timing chain cassette failure (same rear-cassette design as prior generations).
5R55S solenoid pack and servo bore wear continuing from the third generation.
| Campaign | Date | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 10V161000 | 2010-05-03 | Seats:Front Assembly:Recliner |