Your vehicle report
2010 Ford Explorer
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 115
- Received Dec 2009 to Feb 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Seat belt fails to latch or retract20 complaints · 17% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Unintended acceleration despite braking13 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates10 complaints · 8.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #10V161000Ford 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 8 crashes, 0 fires, 13 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 12 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2009 | 2 |
| 2010 | 20 |
| 2011 | 18 |
| 2012 | 6 |
| 2013 | 3 |
| 2014 | 15 |
| 2015 | 7 |
| 2016 | 9 |
| 2017 | 7 |
| 2018 | 8 |
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 3 |
| Total | 115 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 20 | 17% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 13 | 11% | – | |
| Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates | 10 | 8.7% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 5 | 4.3% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 5 | 4.3% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 5 | 4.3% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 4 | 3.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 3 | 2.6% | – | |
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 3 | 2.6% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #10V161000April 20, 201033,256 vehicles affected
seats: front assembly: recliner
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.
In the event of a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy
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.
Other model years
- 1991 609
- 1992 633
- 1993 939
- 1994 1,207
- 1995 843
- 1996 1,450
- 1997 1,731
- 1998 1,959
- 1999 1,348
- 2000 952
- 2001 375
- 2002 3,295
- 2003 1,131
- 2004 1,304
- 2005 497
- 2006 630
- 2007 208
- 2008 148
- 2009 33
- 2010
- 2011 1,197
- 2012 830
- 2013 2,237
- 2014 1,684
- 2015 1,813
- 2016 2,465
- 2017 1,704
- 2018 734
- 2019 300
- 2020 1,249
- 2021 451
- 2022 271
- 2023 113
- 2025 107
- 2026 42
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2010 Ford Explorer.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN