2010 Ford Explorer recalls and problems

The 2010 Ford Explorer has 1 recall and 115 owner complaints on file with NHTSA; the most reported problem area is power train.

2010 Ford Explorer
Photo: 2010 Ford Explorer by SsmIntrigue, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
How the 2010 compares
Fewest complaintsMost complaints

Low complaint count among 27 Explorer model years — 22nd most.

1recalls
115complaints
8crashes
0fires
13injuries
40,707median miles

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, not verified and not adjusted for sales. Ranking compares this model's own years only.

Does your car have an open recall?
Recalls apply to specific vehicles. Only a VIN lookup on NHTSA's official site shows whether yours is affected and still unrepaired.
Check your VIN →

1 recall

Seats

Apr 20, 2010 · NHTSA campaign 10V161000 · 33,256 vehicles

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.

Original NHTSA wording

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.

Original NHTSA wording

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE SEATBACK AND HEAD RESTRAINT MAY MOVE REARWARD, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY.

Remedy & notes

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.

Owners May also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to <a href=http://www.safercar.gov>http://www.safercar.gov</a> .

Recall text as published by NHTSA and the manufacturer.

What owners complain about

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA; one complaint can name several areas. Not verified by NHTSA.

Complaints by year filed

2009: 2 complaints20092010: 20 complaints202011: 18 complaints20112012: 6 complaints2013: 3 complaints20132014: 15 complaints2015: 7 complaints20152016: 9 complaints2017: 7 complaints20172018: 8 complaints2019: 3 complaints20192020: 2 complaints2021: 4 complaints20212022: 4 complaints2023: 1 complaints20232024: 1 complaints2025: 2 complaints20252026: 3 complaints20263

NHTSA investigations

Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit

AQ10001 · opened Nov 18, 2010 · closed Dec 28, 2015
Summary

On November 18, 2010, NHTSA's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any futu…

2010 vs. other Ford Explorer years

Owner complaints by model year; the darker bar is the 2010. Click a bar to switch year.

Questions

Does the 2010 Ford Explorer have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign covering the 2010 Ford Explorer, the latest from Apr 20, 2010 (seats). A recall applies to specific vehicles: enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours is affected and still open.

What are the most common problems with the 2010 Ford Explorer?

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA most often mention power train (28), seats (20), engine (17). Complaints are consumer reports and are not verified by NHTSA.