2002 Ford Explorer Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 162 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer, 5% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 73,650 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (36% of reports).
- 162air bags complaints
- 73,650median miles at failure
- 61mention a crash
- 46mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $640typical repair cost reported by owners
- 25%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 59 of 162 complaints (36%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 22 of 162 complaints (14%)
- Upon impact: mentioned in 14 of 162 complaints (9%)
- Airbag deployed: mentioned in 9 of 162 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the 2002 Ford Explorer at $640, and half of them between $520 and $750.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2003–2008), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 106 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 162 complaints, 61 mention a crash, 5 a fire, 46 an injury.
Ford Explorer air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 1 | 2% | — |
| 2025 Explorer | 5 | 5% | 23,977 |
| 2024 Explorer | 2 | 10% | 40,000 |
| 2023 Explorer | 4 | 4% | 43,000 |
| 2022 Explorer | 7 | 3% | 36,000 |
| 2021 Explorer | 6 | 1% | 6,500 |
| 2020 Explorer | 5 | 0% | — |
| 2019 Explorer | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2018 Explorer | 11 | 2% | 1,200 |
| 2017 Explorer | 34 | 2% | 45,000 |
| 2016 Explorer | 99 | 4% | 51,500 |
| 2015 Explorer | 84 | 5% | 65,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 47 | 3% | 65,000 |
| 2013 Explorer | 18 | 1% | 46,000 |
| 2012 Explorer | 27 | 3% | 60,000 |
| 2011 Explorer | 44 | 4% | 66,500 |
| 2010 Explorer | 6 | 5% | 32,800 |
| 2009 Explorer | 2 | 6% | 50,000 |
| 2008 Explorer | 4 | 3% | 118,000 |
| 2007 Explorer | 12 | 6% | 81,000 |
| 2006 Explorer | 8 | 1% | 101,500 |
| 2005 Explorer | 15 | 3% | 63,500 |
| 2004 Explorer | 39 | 3% | 109,000 |
| 2003 Explorer | 50 | 4% | 102,517 |
| 2002 Explorer | 162 | 5% | 73,650 |
| 2001 Explorer | 28 | 7% | 58,740 |
| 2000 Explorer | 62 | 7% | 58,000 |
| 1999 Explorer | 97 | 7% | 70,000 |
| 1998 Explorer | 40 | 2% | 87,087 |
| 1997 Explorer | 27 | 2% | 105,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 41 | 3% | 139,928 |
| 1995 Explorer | 27 | 3% | 115,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists air bags for the 2002 Ford Explorer. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I was driving down the road and my airbag instantly deployed in my face without cause or notice. I became completely disoriented as it hit my hand and face with severe force and was extremely loud and shocking. I thank God that I had just let off the gas and didn't hurt anyone else. If I had…
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her fiancé was driving 45 MPH, the driverâs side and passengerâs side air bags inadvertently deployed without an impact or a crash, causing the contactâs fiancé to swerve and drive down into a ditch. No warning lights were…
The light form air bad juts got on when I was driving
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Ford Explorers have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 162 owner complaints about air bags for the 2002 Ford Explorer (5% of the 3,295 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Ford Explorer air bags?
No recall currently lists air bags for this vehicle.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 73,650 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer?
Owners report a typical cost of $640 (half paid between $520 and $750), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 59 of 162 complaints, followed by “bags deploy” (22).
Other 2002 Ford Explorer problems
- Power Train problems (1,502)
- Structure problems (486)
- Suspension problems (422)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (163)
- Steering problems (155)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (152)
- Electrical System problems (148)
- Visibility problems (129)
See all 2002 Ford Explorer problems or air bags problems across all Explorer years.