2017 Ford Explorer Power Train Problems
Owners have filed 123 complaints with NHTSA about power train problems on the 2017 Ford Explorer, 7% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 55,425 miles. The words owners use most often: “torque converter” (21% of reports).
- 123power train complaints
- 55,425median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $7,350typical repair cost reported by owners
- 49%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.
- Torque converter: mentioned in 26 of 123 complaints (21%)
- Water pump: mentioned in 12 of 123 complaints (10%)
- Satisfaction program: mentioned in 9 of 123 complaints (7%)
- Depressing accelerator pedal: mentioned in 7 of 123 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical power train repair on the 2017 Ford Explorer at $7,350, and half of them between $4,900 and $7,400.
Based on 5 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2021–2025), 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 power train problems happen?
Based on 66 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 123 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Ford Explorer power train complaints by model year
| Model year | Power Train complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2025 Explorer | 15 | 15% | 8,967 |
| 2024 Explorer | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2023 Explorer | 12 | 11% | 10,600 |
| 2022 Explorer | 61 | 23% | 22,000 |
| 2021 Explorer | 126 | 29% | 46,000 |
| 2020 Explorer | 495 | 40% | 42,000 |
| 2019 Explorer | 35 | 12% | 82,500 |
| 2018 Explorer | 50 | 7% | 86,000 |
| 2017 Explorer | 123 | 7% | 55,425 |
| 2016 Explorer | 215 | 9% | 47,075 |
| 2015 Explorer | 86 | 5% | 50,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 79 | 5% | 75,207 |
| 2013 Explorer | 119 | 5% | 60,000 |
| 2012 Explorer | 55 | 7% | 46,740 |
| 2011 Explorer | 64 | 5% | 50,500 |
| 2010 Explorer | 28 | 24% | 80,500 |
| 2009 Explorer | 3 | 9% | 78,000 |
| 2008 Explorer | 36 | 24% | 84,325 |
| 2007 Explorer | 57 | 27% | 69,000 |
| 2006 Explorer | 296 | 47% | 60,460 |
| 2005 Explorer | 99 | 20% | 75,000 |
| 2004 Explorer | 460 | 35% | 50,000 |
| 2003 Explorer | 335 | 30% | 77,000 |
| 2002 Explorer | 1,502 | 46% | 80,173 |
| 2001 Explorer | 42 | 11% | 108,700 |
| 2000 Explorer | 133 | 14% | 77,500 |
| 1999 Explorer | 115 | 9% | 91,000 |
| 1998 Explorer | 103 | 5% | 102,157 |
| 1997 Explorer | 104 | 6% | 95,594 |
| 1996 Explorer | 120 | 8% | 138,579 |
| 1995 Explorer | 119 | 14% | 103,310 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists power train for the 2017 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.
Begin with cliff, I was not wanting to lock or locked or start the vehicle as I was driving. I stopped at the light vehicle started shaking, and as I drove through the light to pull over power steering assist failure, terrain, failure, and control failure.
Transmission torque converter attempts to lockup when vehicle is in gear, at idle and brakes applied. This causes the engine rpm to drop or stall. This causes an unexpected delay and hesitation when accelerating from a stop followed by an unexpected acceleration surge. This issue has been confirmed…
This has happened several times where the transmission will not go into drive and makes an electronic noise while trying to shift into drive. If you turn the car off, open the driver's door, wait for complete power down then restart the vehicle, it will then go into drive. Sometimes it just takes…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2017 Ford Explorers have power train problems?
No. NHTSA has 123 owner complaints about power train for the 2017 Ford Explorer (7% of the 1,699 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 2017 Ford Explorer power train?
No recall currently lists power train for this vehicle.
At what mileage do power train problems start?
The median reported mileage is 55,425 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix power train problems on the 2017 Ford Explorer?
Owners report a typical cost of $7,350 (half paid between $4,900 and $7,400), from 5 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about power train problems on the 2017 Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “torque converter”, in 26 of 123 complaints, followed by “water pump” (12).
Other 2017 Ford Explorer problems
- Structure problems (657)
- Engine problems (241)
- Electrical System problems (93)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (77)
- Steering problems (76)
- Wheels problems (60)
- Suspension problems (57)
See all 2017 Ford Explorer problems or power train problems across all Explorer years.