Problems · NHTSA complaints

2022 Ford Explorer problems

Owners filed 271 complaints about the 2022 Ford Explorer with NHTSA between Apr 2022 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is power train (61).

Complaints
271
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
17
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
23
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train61
  2. Electrical system39
  3. Engine30
  4. Back over prevention23
  5. Fuel/propulsion system22
  6. Visibility/wiper21
  7. Fuel system, gasoline15
  8. Suspension13
  9. Forward collision avoidance12
  10. Structure11
  11. Visibility10
  12. Steering9
  13. Service brakes9
  14. Vehicle speed control7

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
202231
202369
202430
202568
202673

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

61 reports2 crashes5 related recalls
“Rear CV axel splines are causing an audible sound when shifting from park to reverse or park to drive. It also occurs when the car goes from accelerating to coasting and then back to accelerating. The sound has gotten louder and is more frequent within the last 2 months. Ford is stating this noise is otherwise not harming the CV Axel or the splines therein.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 20, 2026Power trainODI 11765658

Electrical system

39 reports1 crash1 fire1 related recall
“#1st- The AC goes on and off and now the AC no longer works it only blows out hot air ,earlier but it turns on and off by itself #2- the lights flicker #3- the seats move by themselves and just today Sunday [XXX] the seat having to see what all the way back by yourself thinning my [XXX] son's legs against his car seat thank [XXX] my fiance was in the passenger seat when it happened and had to lift it up and then it clicked and started moving back up by itself the dealership Jim Hudson dealership did 10 different service calls for electrical issues and did not report it to me once we plan on going in there and figuring out because I do not want this truck that's dangerous for my life as well as my [XXX] and my [XXX] turn the process of selling me the vehicle that did not tell me person that this vehicle has had electrical issues from day one with only 8000 miles on it was the first report of the electrical issue I had to look it up on the Ford app and found out that it's been serious 10 different times what's the dealership did not tell me in person first issue with this truck as nf electrical was”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 6, 2026Electrical system, Exterior lighting, SeatsODI 11762502

Engine

30 reports1 crash1 fire1 related recall
“The check engine light was on. A Ford dealership diagnosed the issue as a coolant intrusion manufacturer defect. There are a number of safety concerns associated with this issue. The primary danger of the coolant intrusion defect is catastrophic engine failure. Severe overheating, internal damage, misfires, fire hazard and oil contamination. There are no active recalls\campaigns\TSB for 2022 Ford Explorer XLT 2.3L EcoBoost engine. The car is available for inspection. Although, the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police or insurance agent, the issue was presented to Ford and a claim was submitted to the insurance company that services my Mechanical Breakdown Insurance. So far the insurance company is not authorizing the work without an engine breakdown. They are not excepting the P0300 and P0316 code or the results of a barascope and other test. The Ford corporation will not provide a written statement that confirms the dealerships diagnosis is accurate. Some doctrine that states the engine long block had to be replaced to fix the coolant intrusion defect. Ford has recalled coolant intrusion issues on other engine models. I requested a formal…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2026EngineODI 11762952

Back over prevention

23 reports3 crashes6 related recalls
“The contact owns a 2022 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in reverse, the rearview camera displayed a blank blue screen. The contact received notification of NTHSA Campaign Number: 26V123000 (BACK OVER PREVENTION); which was associated with the failure. However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 6,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 15, 2026Back over preventionODI 11750674

Fuel/propulsion system

22 reports
“My mom was helping me strap my 3 year old and baby in the car seats of my 2022 ford explorer and said my car smelled like raw gas. I didn’t realize it because I was so used to it. As soon as she said something I did smell it. I had been getting headaches while driving but didn’t think much about it. I took it to the ford dealership and it needed a new purge valve and was causing the fuel in the cab. It could’ve ended up way worse if my mom hadn’t smelled the fuel and was there to help me strap the kids in.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 12, 2026Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11770518

Visibility/wiper

21 reports
“2022 Explorer ST. Panaramic sun shade does not retract if sun roof is opened nor stay up at the ceiling when sun roof is closed. Sun shade sags down touching my head and just flops around if driving with a window open rendering the rear view mirror useless. Can't see out the rear window.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 5, 2026Structure, Visibility/wiperODI 11769018
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.