Ford Explorer Forward Collision Avoidance Problems
Owners have filed 173 complaints with NHTSA about forward collision avoidance problems on the Ford Explorer across 15 model years. The 2020 model year has the most (70). The words owners use most often: “pre collision” (17% of reports).
- 173forward collision avoidance complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 15mention a crash
- 7mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 46%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.
- Pre collision: mentioned in 29 of 173 complaints (17%)
- Cruise control: mentioned in 23 of 173 complaints (13%)
- Emergency braking: mentioned in 11 of 173 complaints (6%)
- Hill start: mentioned in 9 of 173 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do forward collision avoidance problems happen?
Based on 36 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 173 complaints, 15 mention a crash, 2 a fire, 7 an injury.
Ford Explorer forward collision avoidance complaints by model year
| Model year | Forward Collision Avoidance complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 4 | 10% | — |
| 2025 Explorer | 13 | 13% | 11 |
| 2024 Explorer | 3 | 14% | — |
| 2023 Explorer | 6 | 5% | 14,350 |
| 2022 Explorer | 11 | 4% | 7,700 |
| 2021 Explorer | 19 | 4% | 11,000 |
| 2020 Explorer | 70 | 6% | 11,500 |
| 2019 Explorer | 2 | 1% | 52,283 |
| 2018 Explorer | 5 | 1% | 22,000 |
| 2017 Explorer | 9 | 1% | 35,760 |
| 2016 Explorer | 8 | 0% | 100,463 |
| 2015 Explorer | 6 | 0% | 114,667 |
| 2014 Explorer | 9 | 1% | 135,000 |
| 2013 Explorer | 5 | 0% | 123,500 |
| 2011 Explorer | 3 | 0% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists forward collision avoidance for the 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.
Traveling of the freeway at 80 mph, pull left to pass Semi, upon getting halfway past the truck the adaptive cruise Control activates and brings the vehicle to under 65 mph extremely fast. After a few seconds the vehicle rapidly accelerates back to 80 mph. This has happened at least four times…
I was making a left hand turn with incoming traffic. I had pleanty of time to make the turn. Next thing I know my forward pre collision alarm goes off, locks up breaks, alarms started going off. It only lasted a couple seconds, but thatâs all it takes to killed.
While driving, vehicle made a grinding sound, and all systems related to cruise, 4wd, decent control all illuminated on dash. Vehicle was taken to dealer, metro ford. Metro ford stated the transfer case has failed internally, and being replaced under powertrain. A week later, I received a callback…
I own a 2020 Ford Explorer XLT AWD, VIN [redacted]. While driving, my vehicle displayed â4WD Fault â Service Requiredâ along with the powertrain wrench warning. I then became unable to select/change drive modes. Pre-Collision Assist became unavailable, I experienced Lane Keeping/Lane Assist…
Benoit Nissan in DeRidder, LA, was contracted to perform a critical safety repair/recall on my vehicle's airbag system. The dealership charged for the completed repair, but explicitly aborted the physical installation, leaving the vehicle's Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) incomplete…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Explorers have forward collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA has 173 owner complaints about forward collision avoidance for the Ford Explorer. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Ford Explorer forward collision avoidance?
No recall currently lists forward collision avoidance for this vehicle.
What do owners say about forward collision avoidance problems on the Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “pre collision”, in 29 of 173 complaints, followed by “cruise control” (23).
Other Ford Explorer problems
- Power Train problems (5,091)
- Structure problems (4,912)
- Steering problems (4,059)
- Tires problems (2,965)
- Engine problems (2,057)
- Electrical System problems (2,036)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (1,752)
- Suspension problems (1,690)
See all Ford Explorer problems.