Problems · by component
2013 Ford Explorer electrical system problems
163 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2013 Ford Explorer cite electrical system, 7% of all 2,237 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
163
7% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
What owners say about the electrical system
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“This is a 2013 Ford Explorer experiencing the exact catastrophic power steering failure described in Recall 14S06 / 15S18. The rack has failed twice, creating an immediate crash hazard. The current recall parameters are inadequate as they exclude my VIN despite identical component failure. Not only is this an immediate crash hazard, it is difficult to find any mechanic or dealership to remedy this problem because it is a major part with heavy labor. I have been sidelined and quoted high repair fees for a repair that should be covered as Ford admitted to the design flaws in the electrical steering, however restricting who actually gets protection from it. I feel this is reckless and greedy of Ford to do this. The failure to the electric steering went out while I was driving and I was unable to turn or control my steering, it is deeply frustrating this is a known issue that I was completely unaware of. I feel that Ford is not a good company to purchase from and their products are not safe for drivers. I'm posting this so others are warned that safety is not a priority with Ford and to shop with a brand that cares about safety and integrity for their consumers and families.”
“Backup camera only works sometimes which is a safety risk when backing up. Other year models have had a recall for this same reason. It has been doing it for at least 6 months now.”
“The rearview camera reverses and inverts the image and the guiding lines disappear. I am unable to use the camera when reversing. There is a recall on other Ford Explorers (2020-2024) just not my year (2013). It is not right that I drive a car that has the same issue becuse this is a known issue for the company.”
“The sync touch responsive interface for climate control fails. This failure causes the system to repeatedly respond without prompt continually causing the driver to continually attempt to disengage the system causing a significant safety hazard. The chip in the system for the effected buttons is the component that fails. There is no solution. Replacement or upgraded interfaces are not available and disconnection of the panels renders the climate control, radio/entertainment, navigation and all other systems relayed thru the touch screen completely inoperable which is unreasonable. This occurs at random while operating the vehicle with the error often occurring continuously or at very high frequency. Ford discontinued the sync touch panel control due to issues but has provided no solution for the safety hazard it has created.”
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2013 Ford Explorer. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 136,000; at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 251,393. The contact also reported the odometer fraud to the local authorities.”
“The rear reverse camera malfunctions and glitches. Often the screen turning green when reversing, sometimes screen is black or no color view and most times the camera if reversing to left or appear as to the right or vise versa and sometimes it’s normal but rarely. The control buttons for windows has a malfunction where it sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t. The seatbelts are not clicking and I have kids in the rear seats.”
Showing 6 of 163 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.