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1 safety recall. 814 owner complaints. We mapped every trouble spot before you sign the papers.
Average for the segment. Some recurring trouble spots worth knowing about.
The contact owns a 2012 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…
AFTER A RECALL FREE FIXED, THE CAR ITS SHOWING THE SAMETHING PROBLEM, BUT THE DEALERSHI SAY NOW I SHOULD TO PAY BECAUSE 4 YEARS AGO WAS FIX IT....
THERE IS A STRONG SMELL OF CARBON MONOXIDE WHEN THE ENGINE IS REVED OVER 3000 -3500 RPM THIS HAPPENS EVERY SINGLE TIME. IT SEEMS TO BE ON PAR WITH THE OTHER COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE WITH THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. I NOTICED THIS ISSUE SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM THE USED CAR…
THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE - AIR BAGS COULD MALFUNCTION AT ANYTIME DUE TO MISCOMMUNICATION WITHIN THE SYSTEM. AIR BAGS CAN DEPLOY AT ANYTIME OR CAN FAIL TO DEPLOY WHEN NECESSARY. AIR BAG LIGHT TURNS ON AND STAYS ON. ACCORDING TO FORD DEALER THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE BUT HAS NOT YET…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
The inability to steer the vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
It's got known weak points. With a reliability score of 6.6 out of 10 based on 814 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2012 Ford Explorer has a higher-than-average rate of reported issues. The areas to watch are listed above. Whether it's worth owning depends on price, condition, and how much repair exposure you can absorb.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is steering, with 354 complaints filed. Average repair cost runs about $700 at an independent shop.
The steering is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $700 at an independent shop. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 814 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $700, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans aren't always better value.