2001 Model Year

Ford Explorer

NHTSA Complaints & Reliability Data

Compare
Complaints
730
Recalls
3
Crashes
97
Severe
215

Active Recalls

Manufacturer safety recalls

03V280000 Aug 2003

Other

No consequence data available

03V281000 Aug 2003

Other

No consequence data available

00V313000 Oct 2000

Other

No consequence data available

Recent Complaints

Latest owner reports

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Aug 2023

I was driving and the lights on the vehicle went out I thought it was the bulbs but no lights were working I adjusted steering wheel to look to see fu...

Seats
May 2021

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 03V281000 (SEATS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER...

Steering
Jan 2021

SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING... CAN FEEL A CHANGE IN ENGINE WHILE DRIVING, FEELS LIKE A ROUGH RIDE, AND OVERDRIVE STARTS TO FLASH.

POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Aug 2019

TRANSMISSION NOT WORKING

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,ENGINE Fire
Aug 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING, A BURNING ODOR WAS PRESENT AND THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING OR AN IMPACT. THERE WER...

POWER TRAIN,STRUCTURE,ENGINE Fire
Mar 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE LEAKED ANTI-FREEZE AND TRANSMISSION FLUID. THERE WAS ALSO RUST UNDERNEA...

POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
May 2018

CAR TAKES ABOUT 3 TO 5 TRIES TO START. I REPLACED GAS PUMP, PLUGS, CABLES, TEMP SENSOR, STILL TAKES LONG TO START.O/D OFF LIGHT STARTED FLASHING, AND...

SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER Crash
Apr 2018

THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER ON ITS SIDE ON DRY PAVEMENT ON THE FWY AT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT IN GOOD WEATHER CONDITIONS. NO OTHER VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED, TH...

Power Train
Feb 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STALLED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED W...

Structure
Jan 2018

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, THE CHILD SAFETY LOCKS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING ON THE REAR DOORS COULD NOT BE...

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 2001 Ford Explorer has 730 complaints and 3 recalls on record. The most commonly reported issue is Power Train. 97 crash-related incidents have been reported.

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