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Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2019 Ford Explorer

Verified August 31, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
6
on record
MPG
27
combined

Open recalls on record

6 safety recalls. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer — check the VIN before you buy.

Vehicle Summary

2019 Ford Explorer

6 recalls
287 complaints
27 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

Confirm all 6 recalls were repaired — a dealer checks by VIN, free
Read the 2 complaints reporting a crash
Review the 287 owner complaints on record
Get a pre-purchase inspection
Check vehicle history report
Verify title is clean

Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
6
Owner complaints
287
Complaints citing a crash
2

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalized by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

6 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

6 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 21V316000high

    Body/structure issue

    STRUCTURE:BODY

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The retention pins could loosen and allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.

    Consequence

    A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will install push-pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers, as necessary, free of charge. The interim owner notification letter was mailed on June 22, 2021. Owner notification letters (remedy available) were mailed on October 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S22.

    Full campaign record
  • 19V633000high

    Safety restraint issue

    SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

    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."

    Consequence

    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.

    Remedy

    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.

    Full campaign record
  • 24V031000high

    Body/structure issue

    STRUCTURE:BODY:ROOF AND PILLARS

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.

    Consequence

    A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.

    Full campaign record
  • 26V012000high

    Engine issue

    EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:ENGINE BLOCK HEATER

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Focus, 2019 Explorer, and 2024 Explorer vehicles. The engine block heater may crack and develop a coolant leak, causing it to short circuit when the block heater is plugged in.

    Consequence

    An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

    Remedy

    Owners are advised not to plug in their block heater until the vehicle is remedied. Dealers will replace the block heater, free of charge. Owners will also have a alternative option to replace engine block heater element with a threaded blanking plug, and remove the block heater electrical cord. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed February 13, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated in October 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25SA4. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 16, 2026. This recall expands previous recall number 25V685.

    Full campaign record
  • 26V101000high

    Suspension issue

    SUSPENSION:REAR

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture.

    Consequence

    A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the toe links, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2026. Owners may contact Ford Customer Service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S08. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall number 21V537. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning February 25, 2026.

    Full campaign record
  • 26V448000high

    Body/structure issue

    STRUCTURE:BODY

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.

    Consequence

    A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will inspect the roof rail covers and as necessary, repair or replace the push-pins, rail clips, or roof rail covers, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed August 24, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in September 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S54. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 21V316. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.

    Full campaign record

NHTSA crash-test ratings

NCAP star ratings and the underlying test breakdown for the 2019 Ford Explorer.

  • Frontal crash

    Driver
    4 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
  • Side crash

    Driver
    5 / 5
    Passenger
    5 / 5
    Side pole
    5 / 5
  • Rollover

    Rollover risk
    16.4%
    Dynamic tip
    No Tip

Driver-assistance technologies

Electronic stability control
Standard
Forward collision warning
Optional
Lane departure warning
Optional

What the ratings mean

NHTSA gives the 2019 Ford Explorer 5 out of 5 stars overall. NHTSA does not publish enough comparable results for this class and year to rank it against peers.

NHTSA published results for every NCAP test in this program, so the overall star rating rests on a complete set of crash and rollover results.

NHTSA's dynamic test put this vehicle's rollover probability at 16.4% in a single-vehicle crash — the figure behind the rollover star rating, published here because the star alone hides how wide each band is.

NHTSA crash tests

2019 Ford Explorer Frontal crash crash test
Frontal crash Video
2019 Ford Explorer Side crash crash test
Side crash Video
2019 Ford Explorer Side pole crash test
Side pole Video

Fuel economy & emissions

EPA figures for the 2019 Ford Explorer, with tailpipe CO₂ and class context.

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual fuel cost
$1,944
Tailpipe CO₂
329 g/mi

How this compares

The EPA holds too few vehicles in this class and model year to rank the 2019 Ford Explorer against its peers.

Tailpipe CO₂ is 329 grams per mile — about 4.9 metric tons over 15,000 miles of driving.

Consumer complaints

287 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

287
Total
2
Crashes
0
Fires
6
Injuries

Most reported components

  • STRUCTURE141
  • ENGINE56
  • OTHER33
  • ELECTRICAL16
  • FUEL SYSTEM9

Notable Issues

287 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 6 reports involve injuries. 2 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

body/structure issues (rust, door problems, trim)141
engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)56
miscellaneous issues33

Safety timeline

Every dated recall and NHTSA investigation for the 2019 Ford Explorer, newest first.

  1. Recall

    Recall 26V448000

    A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

  2. Recall

    Recall 26V101000

    A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

  3. Recall

    Recall 26V012000

    An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

  4. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE23001

    Windshield trim molding Item detachment

  5. Recall

    Recall 24V031000

    A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

  6. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation PE23001

    Windshield trim molding Item detachment

  7. Recall

    Recall 21V316000

    A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

  8. Recall

    Recall 19V633000

    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.

Dates are the NHTSA report-received date for recalls and the ODI open/close date for investigations. Crash-test ratings are not shown here because the source does not provide a reliable publication date for them.

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
Drive type
FWD
Engine
2.5L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Regular Gasoline
Transmission
Automatic
Seats
5

Fuel economy

22

City

34

Hwy

27

Comb

Annual cost
$1,944
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Explore related

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Recall

    Recall 26V448000

    A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

  2. Recall

    Recall 26V101000

    A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.

  3. Recall

    Recall 26V012000

    An electrical short circuit can increase the risk of a fire.

  4. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation PE23001

    Windshield trim molding Item detachment

  5. Recall

    Recall 24V031000

    A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.