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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2014 Ford Explorer — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 1,681 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

1,681
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
32
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
6
Involved Fire
owner-reported
38 / 2
Injuries / Deaths
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Ford Explorer — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

115 complaints

1,196 complaints

829 complaints

2,237 complaints

1,681 complaints

1,808 complaints

2,460 complaints

1,710 complaints

732 complaints

299 complaints

1,233 complaints

445 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 499 reports
Unknown Or Other 337 reports
Structure 276 reports
Engine 197 reports
Suspension 103 reports
Electrical System 100 reports
Power Train 80 reports
Engine And Engine Cooling 67 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Engine ODI 11445729 12/31/2021

Exhaust smell in passenger compartment while driving; similar to sulfur. Feel safety at risk due to smell causing headaches/nausea; concerned about carbon monoxide or other hazardous materials. Vehicle brought to dealer on 12/13/2021 and issue confirmed. Dealer aware of similar complaints across this vehicle type; TSB is available, so Ford is aware, however not catagorize…

Engine And Engine Cooling ODI 10669298 12/31/2014

UPON HARD ACCELERATION MY 2014 FORD EXPLORER HAS EXHAUST FUMES ENTER INTO THE VEHICLE. I TESTED WITH BOTH THE AC ON RECIRC AND RECIRC OFF AND IT HAPPENS EITHER WAY. I HAVE ALREADY HAD THE VEHICLE IN THE FORD SHOP WITH THIS PROBLEM AND A TSB WAS PERFORMED WITH NO IMPROVEMENTS. *JS

Service Brakes ODI 11633014 12/30/2024

ABS module is bad with trouble code U3000-49 ABS MODULE internal problem. ABS system is disabled and also Traction Control Function is disabled. ABS module is on Nationwide back order. This is a safety concern as the ABS system is not functioning

Steering ODI 11292202 12/30/2019

WHEN DRIVING THE 2014 EXPLORER, COKING OVER A HILL AND BEGAN BRAKING. CAR LOST BRAKING CAPABILITY AND BEGAN TO SPEED DOWN THE HILL, AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. ONE MIDDLE OCCUPANT ON 2ND ROW CAME UNBUCKLED AND DIDN'T SURVIVE. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING TRIAL FOR 3 YEARS AND RECENTLY INFORMED THAT NO INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE OTHER THAN THE EDR/CDR. NO POST V…

Visibility/wiper ODI 11632910 12/28/2024

My APillar molding piece flew off the passenger side of my wind shield. I’m scared the other side will do the same thing and I don’t want anyone to get hurt but I have to use my car. I have been waiting 6 months for the parts… Also, whenever it rains my floorboards flood from water leaking through my windshield and could possibly get into my electronics as well.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2014 Ford Explorer, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2014 Ford Explorer reliable?
Owners have filed 1,681 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2014 Ford Explorer, most often about steering. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Ford Explorer years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.