Ford Explorer Seats Problems
Owners have filed 598 complaints with NHTSA about seats problems on the Ford Explorer across 32 model years. The 1998 model year has the most (70). The words owners use most often: “driver seat” (22% of reports).
- 598seats complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 38mention a crash
- 63mention an injury
- 12related recalls
- $430typical repair cost reported by owners
- 39%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.
- Driver seat: mentioned in 129 of 598 complaints (22%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical seats repair on the Ford Explorer at $430, and half of them between $190 and $1,000.
Based on 15 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2000–2026), 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 seats problems happen?
Based on 283 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 598 complaints, 38 mention a crash, 11 a fire, 63 an injury.
Ford Explorer seats complaints by model year
| Model year | Seats complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 7 | 17% | 2,600 |
| 2025 Explorer | 3 | 3% | — |
| 2024 Explorer | 2 | 10% | — |
| 2023 Explorer | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2022 Explorer | 5 | 2% | — |
| 2021 Explorer | 17 | 4% | 77,000 |
| 2020 Explorer | 40 | 3% | 35,000 |
| 2019 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 13,000 |
| 2018 Explorer | 7 | 1% | 5,600 |
| 2017 Explorer | 16 | 1% | 40,311 |
| 2016 Explorer | 32 | 1% | 45,000 |
| 2015 Explorer | 16 | 1% | 49,451 |
| 2014 Explorer | 7 | 0% | 62,670 |
| 2013 Explorer | 10 | 0% | 50,500 |
| 2012 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 40,000 |
| 2011 Explorer | 7 | 1% | 20,236 |
| 2010 Explorer | 20 | 17% | 2,500 |
| 2009 Explorer | 3 | 9% | 70,030 |
| 2008 Explorer | 27 | 18% | 71,000 |
| 2007 Explorer | 24 | 12% | 77,500 |
| 2006 Explorer | 11 | 2% | 22,549 |
| 2005 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 36,000 |
| 2004 Explorer | 6 | 0% | 15,500 |
| 2003 Explorer | 12 | 1% | 51,677 |
| 2002 Explorer | 30 | 1% | 53,400 |
| 2001 Explorer | 24 | 6% | 81,500 |
| 2000 Explorer | 39 | 4% | 60,535 |
| 1999 Explorer | 68 | 5% | 70,000 |
| 1998 Explorer | 70 | 4% | 85,056 |
| 1997 Explorer | 38 | 2% | 95,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 29 | 2% | 130,000 |
| 1995 Explorer | 19 | 2% | 137,315 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (12)
Seats:front assembly:power adjust
Model years: 2025, 2026, 2027
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2025-2027 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. An unoccupied driver's seat may recline unintentionally during certain scenarios, such as remote unlock or remote start.
Risk: Unexpected movement of the driverâs seat back may trap a second-row occupant, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will disable the driver seat module (DSM) feature until parts are available. Once available, the motor will be replaced. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 3, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S53.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Model years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2027 Aviator and 2020-2026 Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, tipping, or sliding unexpectedly.
Risk: A seat that moves unexpectedly may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the bezel around the switch as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model and model years. Interim letters explaining the safety risk were mailed August 19, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Lincoln Aviator owner notification letters were mailed August 21, 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S52. This recall expands Recall 25V393. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Model years: 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2025 Aviator, and Explorer vehicles. The switch for the easy-entry second-row outer seats may bind or stick, resulting in the seats unlatching, folding, or sliding unexpectedly while driving.
Risk: A seat that moves unexpectedly may not properly restrain an occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the second-row seat switch, and replace the bezel around the switch as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S67.
Air bags:critical fasteners; seats; air bags:side/window
Model years: 2020
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer and 2020 Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The side air bag and/or seat back module attachments may not have been properly tightened in the front seat backs.
Risk: If the side air bag or seat back fasteners were not properly tightened, the side air bag deployment could be affected, increasing the risk of injury during a crash.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will remove front seat back panels from one or both front seats (VIN-specific) and verify that the fasteners have been properly tightened, free of charge. The recall began September 10, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S48.
Seats
Model years: 2017
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with power front seats. The seat frames may have sharp edges.
Risk: Occupants my contact the sharp edges when reaching between the power front seat and center console, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective tape on the exposed inside edge and tab of the power seat frames, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S29.
Seats:front assembly:recliner; seats:mid/rear assembly
Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2020 F-150 and 2019-2020 F-250, F-350, F-450, and F-550 Super Duty pickup trucks, and 2018-2019 Ford Explorer, 2019-2020 Expedition, and 2020 Escape vehicles equipped with driver and/or passenger's manual front seat back recliner mechanisms. Also included are certain 2020 Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with rear outboard seats and manual seat back recliner mechanisms. The recliner mechanisms may be missing the third pawl required for seat back strength, resulting in a loose seat back. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk: A seat back with an improperly assembled recliner mechanism may have reduced strength and may not adequately restrain an occupant in a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and Ford and Lincoln dealers will inspect the seat structure and replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began October 21, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C07.
Seats
Model years: 2016
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016 F-150 and Explorer vehicles. Loose power seat adjuster pivot bolts may cause the front seat cushions to detach and not properly restrain the seat occupant in the event of a crash.
Risk: In the event of a crash, a seat occupant that is not properly restrained has an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the tightness of the power seat track upper pivot link bolt, either applying threadlocker or replacing the lift link and hardware, free of charge. Interim letters are expected to go out January 15, 2018. Owners will receive a second notice when the remedy becomes available. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17S40.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Model years: 2017
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 vehicles equipped with a manual driver's seat back recliner mechanism. In the event of a crash, the seat back frame may not restrain the occupant due to having inadequate welds. As such, these vehicles may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202a, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk: If the occupant is not adequately restrained in the event of a crash, they have an increased risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat back frame, free of charge. The recall began on June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C08.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Model years: 2016
Problem: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2016 Ford Explorer and F-150 vehicles equipped with a manual recline driver's seat. The seat back frame may have insufficient welds which may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."
Risk: The seat back may not adequately restrain the occupant during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat back frame, free of charge. The recall begin on August 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673. Ford's number for this recall is 16C11.
Seats
Model years: 2011
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2011 explorer vehicles manufactured from july 15, 2010, through december 13, 2010, equipped with second row 60% seats with manual recliner mechanisms that may have components that are out of dimensional specification. These seats fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 207, "seating systems."
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seat back may not provide the required strength, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Ford will notify owners and dealers will repair the seats free of charge. The safety recall began on february 15, 2011. Owners may contact ford motor company customer relationship center at 1-866-436-7332.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Model years: 2010
Problem: Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, explorer, explorer sport trac, and mercury milan and mountaineer vehicles manufactured between december 15, 2009 through february 3, 2010 equipped with front seat manual recliners. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 202, "head restraint." the recliner gear plate teeth may be out of dimension specification which could result in limited pawl to gear plate tooth engagement.
Risk: In the event of a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the manual recliners for both power and manual seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before april 30, 2010. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Model years: 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001
Problem: On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with high back seats, the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat, that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, could fracture. If the bolt fractures and does not jam in the seat back frame, the seat back may recline until it makes contact with an object behind the seat, such as the second row seat cushion.
Risk: The driver could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the driver seat upper bolt with a metal spacer and bolt. In addition, seats with tubular back frames will have the fully threaded lower recliner bolt replaced with a partially threaded bolt. Owner notification began on august 29, 2003. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notifications of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 26V117000 (Visibility), 26V402000 (Power Train), and 26V451000 (Seats); however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a…
- Driver seat back reclines by itself when vehicle is approached by key fob. As acknowledged by Ford, this situation could result in harm to a passenger sitting behind the driver. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. - This issue was demonstrated to several dealer service personnel…
Both headrests in the third row have broken. Neither headrest will stay up in the locking position.
About 3 months ago, every time I started the vehicle, I heard a whining noise coming from the 2nd row passenger seat that my [XXX] sits in with her car seat that We could not figure it out for awhile. I then took her car seat out of the car 2 weeks ago to clean underneath it and the seat…
I was sold and delivered a car with an active safety recall for 2nd row seat easy entry. At the time of sale I was told the recall had been done. 2 days later the dealer called and said the recall had not been done and that the car had a do not sell or demonstrate destination. They wanted me to…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Ford Explorers have seats problems?
No. NHTSA has 598 owner complaints about seats 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 seats?
Yes: 12 safety recalls list seats. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix seats problems on the Ford Explorer?
Owners report a typical cost of $430 (half paid between $190 and $1,000), from 15 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about seats problems on the Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “driver seat”, in 129 of 598 complaints.
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.