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What 102 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 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.

All (102)Crash / fire / injury (10)Electrical system (13)Suspension (13)Steering (12)Transmission & drivetrain (11)Engine (10)Body & structure (9)Visibility & wipers (9)Backup camera & sensors (7)Lane Departure (6)Brakes (5)

1 of 102 complaints match · Engine · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Sep 10, 2024Electrical systemLightsEngineFire

At a stop light and all of the power in the vehicle went out and Explorer would not start. Hazards would not turn on and doors (besides driver door) would not unlock. Got out of the vehicle to try the fob and white smoke came billowing out from engine. Fire department and police were called. No warning lights or messages were seen on vehicle. Vehicle only has 10K miles on it. Vehicle was taken to dealership for diagnostics.

NHTSA ODI 11613871

Working with the data? Download all 102 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 2023 Ford Explorer Gas verdict →