1996 Model Year

Ford Explorer

NHTSA Complaints & Reliability Data

Compare
Complaints
1,450
Recalls
2
Crashes
198
Severe
453

Active Recalls

Manufacturer safety recalls

97V137000 Aug 1997

Other

No consequence data available

96V070000 Apr 1996

Other

No consequence data available

Recent Complaints

Latest owner reports

Seat Belts
Sep 2020

WHILE STATIONARY AND PREPARING TO SAFELY OPERATE THE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RECEPTACLE DOES NOT RETAIN THE SEAT BELT. IT MAY HOLD FOR A...

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SEATS
Feb 2020

WHILE DRIVING IN "D" IN FIRST TO SECOND IT HAS HAD A PROBLEM SHIFTING BETWEEN THE 1ST AND 2ND GEARS WHEN ACCELERATING AND WILL REV HIGH RPMS AND SOMET...

WHEELS
Jul 2019

THE RIMS ON THIS 1996 FORD EXPLORER-EDDIE BAUER EDITION ARE SHOWING FRACTURES THROUGHOUT THE FACE. THIS HAS WEAKENED THE STABILITY OF THE RIMS.

Electrical System
Aug 2018

ALL FOUR WINDOWS INTERMITTENTLY STOP WORKING. CANNOT GO UP OR DOWN. DOESNT HAVE A PREFERENCE AS TO WHEN, HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS OFF OR ON.

Seat Belts
May 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WAS JAMMED AND WOULD NOT UNLATCH. AS A RESULT, THE CON...

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
Dec 2017

SAFETY RECALL 09S09 - SCDS (SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH) ON FORD MODELS MADE AFTER 95 WITH A TEXAS MADE DEACTIVATION SWITCH THAT WAS MADE POORLY...

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Nov 2017

I PURCHASED THIS EXPLORER THE FIRST YEAR THAT THE V-8 WAS AVAILABLE. THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD FRACTURED 4 TIMES DURING THE 12 YEARS THAT I HAD THE VEHICL...

AIR BAGS,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER Crash
Sep 2017

I WAS DRIVING MY FORD EXPLORER AND MY TIRE ON THE DRIVER FRONTSIDE WENT OUT AND MY STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP ON ME AND THEN MY VEHICLE HIT THE CURVE AN...

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES
Mar 2016

SEARCHING BY VIN: [XXX] NUMBER OF OPEN RECALLS: 0 BUT SEARCHING BY MAKE, MODEL, AND MODEL YEAR I FOUND THIS RECALL: HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV...

Structure
Feb 2016

SUDDEN UNINTENTIONAL ACCELERATION: ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, FROM YEARS 1998-2015. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED IN TOWN, 1998. I HAD TO APPLY TH...

VS

Vehicle Safety Research Team

Automotive Data Analysts

Independent researchers analyzing NHTSA data to help consumers make informed vehicle decisions.

Data updated: March 4, 2026

Summary

The 1996 Ford Explorer has 1450 complaints and 2 recalls on record. The most commonly reported issue is Tires. 198 crash-related incidents have been reported.

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