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What 821 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Ford Explorer Gas
These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.
3 of 821 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters
Jul 20, 2018Body & structureCrash
AFTER PARKING MY VEHICLE IN MY DRIVE WAY (VEHICLE WAS IN PARK WITH EMERGENCY BRAKE APPLIED) I EXITED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING FORWARDS DOWN MY SLOPPED DRIVEWAY. I ATTEMPTED TO CHASE THE VEHICLE HOPING TO JUMP IN AND APPLY THE BRAKE BUT WAS UNABLE TO. VEHICLE CAME TO A STOP AFTER HITTING MY FENCE, BUSHES, AND A SMALL TREE. THERE WAS BODY DAMAGE TO THE FRONT RIGHT PORTION OF THE VEHICLE.
NHTSA ODI 11112762
Apr 2, 2016Body & structure1 injury
THERE ARE WATER LEAKS ON THE HATCHBACK ON BOTH SIDES AND IT WAS DETERMINED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE IS A WATER LEAK IN THE RIGHT REAR BODY SEAM..OTHER LEAKS COULD BE POSSIBLE.WHEN IT RAINS THE WHEEL WELL HAS 3 INCHES OF WATER IN IT. WE HAD TO REMOVE THE SPARE TIRE AND THE MOLD IS MAKING ME SICK..IT'S A OVERWHELMING SMELL AND IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE WITH NO SPARE
NHTSA ODI 10853055
Jul 7, 2014Body & structureFire
I WAS DRIVING ON RT44 IN MA WHEN I NOTICED ONCOMING DRIVERS YELLING AT ME. I THOUGHT I WAS DOING SOMETHING WRONG AND WHEN I CAME TO A STOP LIGHT, THE DRIVER IN FRONT OF ME GOT OUT OF HIS CAR AND YELLED THAT MY 2012 FORD EXPLORED HAD FLAMES COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE VEHICLE. I IMMEDIATELY EVACUATED THE CAR WITH MY WIFE AND CHILDREN AND MY CAR WAS INDEED ON FIRE. I HAPPENED TO HAVE A FIRE EXTINGUISHER WITH ME AND WAS ABLE TO PUT OUT THE FIRE. I WAS IN FRONT OF A FORD DEALER WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND THEY CAME OUT TO INSPECT THE CAR AND I WAS TOLD THE HEAT SHIELD WAS IGNITED FROM TOUCHING THE EXHAUST. THEY REMOVED THE PLATE AND YOU CAN SEE THE BURNT DAMAGE (I HAVE PICS). THIS SITUATION COULD HAVE TURNED FATAL AND THEY SAID THEY WILL PUT A NEW ONE ON. THIS SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO CATCH FIRE AND IF IT WASN'T FOR OTHER DRIVERS I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS COULD OF ENDED. MY WIFE AND 3 YEAR OLD SON ARE NOW TERRIFIED TO RIDE IN THE EXPLORER. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY. *JS
NHTSA ODI 10608551
Working with the data? Download all 821 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 21, 2026
How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your
pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the
full 2012 Ford Explorer Gas verdict →