2010 Ford EXPLORER - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2010 Ford Explorer 4-DR. w/SAB has excellent safety ratings in both front and side crashes, receiving a score of 5 in all relevant categories. However, the rollover rating is 3, indicating a moderate risk of rollover accidents. On the positive side, this car is equipped with standard electronic stability control, which enhances its safety features. Unfortunately, it does not have forward collision warning or lane departure warning systems.

In terms of complaints and recalls, there have been 109 complaints reported and 2 recalls issued for this vehicle. It's essential for owners to address these recalls promptly to ensure the safety and performance of their Ford Explorer.

auto generated summary, may be inaccurate.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

109

Recall Count

2

Investigation Count

1

Safety Rating

Not Rated

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Safety Features

2010 Ford Explorer 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2010 Ford Explorer 4-DR. w/SAB

Electronic Stability Control (ESC)

ESC is an advanced safety feature in vehicles designed to help drivers maintain control during challenging driving conditions. By continuously monitoring various factors such as steering angle, vehicle speed, and individual wheel speeds, ESC can detect and reduce the risk of skidding or loss of control. It achieves this by automatically applying brakes to specific wheels to stabilize the vehicle.

Standard
Forward Collision Warning (FCW)

Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is a safety feature in vehicles that helps prevent frontal collisions by alerting the driver of an imminent collision with a vehicle or obstacle ahead. Using sensors such as radar or cameras, FCW monitors the distance and speed of vehicles in front, and if it detects a potential collision, it provides visual and/or auditory warnings to prompt the driver to take evasive action.

No
Lane Departure Warning (LDW)

Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is a safety feature in vehicles that alerts drivers when their vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without signaling. Utilizing cameras or sensors to monitor lane markings on the road, LDW detects when the vehicle crosses these lines and triggers visual, auditory, or haptic alerts to notify the driver of potential lane departure.

No

2010 Ford Explorer 4-DR. w/SAB Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2010 Ford Explorer 4-DR. w/SAB Where possible we've included the ratings for the oldest and latest models of this car so you can compare how the safety ratings have changed over time.

Frontal Crash Ratings

Combines Driver and Passenger star ratings into a single frontal rating. The frontal barrier test simulates a head-on collision between two similar vehicles, each moving at 35 mph.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 Not Rated

Side Crash Ratings

Combines Side Barrier and Side Pole Star Ratings into a single side rating.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5
Side Crash Drivers Side Rating 5 5 5
Side Crash Passenger Side Rating 5 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Front Not Rated Not Rated 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated Not Rated 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Rollover Ratings

The Rollover Resistance test measures the risk of rollover in a single-vehicle, loss-of-control scenario.

Test 2005 Score 2010 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 3 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated Not Rated 5

Complaints for the 2010 Ford EXPLORER

This chart show the number of complaints for each car component. A Higher number of complaints could indicate that this car might have a common fault. Something to look out for when purchasing one.

Component Complaints

Choose a component to see what complaints people have made about them.

Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford explorer. the contact stated that the front driver side seat failed to re-adjust forward. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 84,000."
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2015-01-06
Complaint:
"tl* the contact owns a 2010 ford explorer. the contact stated the design of the driver and front passenger seat head restraints pushed the occupants head forward in an uncomfortable position. she turned the head restraints around in order to assume a comfortable position while traveling. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 45,000."
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2013-12-05
Complaint:
"the headrest on my just purchased 2010 ford explorer tilt so far forward that it is uncomfortable to drive. after researching this it seems to be a common problem. sounds like to me there should be a safety recall to replace the headrests with adjustable ones. with so many complaints out there why hasn't something been done? *tt"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2014-03-01
Complaint:
"if ford ever decides to recall these forward leaning headrests please put me at the top of the list with all of these other complaints. for my safety??? they hurt! they are so uncomfortable no matter how i adjust the back of my seat. please ford send out more comfortable headrests or at least make them available for purchase at a reasonable cost. thank you! *tr"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2011-08-07
Complaint:
"the active head restraint system in the 2010 ford explorer pushes my head forward when i sit straight in the seat. i cannot find a comfortable position where the "active restraint" is not actively pushing my head forward. i understand the necessity of minimizing space between the head and restraint when in a rear-end collision, but car manufacturers have overcompensated, causing severe neck pain for those who sit straight in their seats. this is a problem not only because it's uncomfortable and potentially causes neck pain but also because drivers have no other safe option. the options are: 1) remove the head restraint, 2) turn the head restraint backwards, or 3) bend the bars so the restraint is not angled forward as dramatically. please offer a solution to this problem. otherwise, the restraint guidelines will create more safety issues than they were meant to remedy. *tr"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2011-05-04
Complaint:
"i have a 2010 ford explorer. the front passenger seat headrests are pitched excessively forward causing extreme head and neck discomfort. the only way to alleviate this stress is to recline the seat to the point where your head doesn't contact the headrest. this puts stress on your neck muscles causing stiffness and headaches. this is a defective design that must be corrected. when i brought the vehicle in for servicing at 4000 miles i informed the service manager who told me he gets lots of complaints about the head restraint and there was nothing he could do about it. perhaps ford can proactively cite a replacement headrest from one of its other models. i am now taking muscle relaxants every night to relieve the stress on my neck. *tr"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2012-03-02
Complaint:
"tl*the contact owns a 2010 ford explorer. the contact stated that the head rest on the drivers side caused him extreme back pain and discomfort. he stated that it was a safety issue. the dealer was contacted and agreed with the concern and was trying to find a replacement for the head rest. the manufacturer was contacted and was also looking for a resolution. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 4,400. updated 3/11/11 *cn updated 04/29/11"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2011-03-12
Complaint:
"the headrests lean so far forward that i have to either lean the back of the seat way back or pull the headrest out as it is so uncomfortable i get a neck ache. i have never had this problem with any other vehicle i have owned. *tr"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2012-03-12
Complaint:
"the 2010 ford explorer headrest pitches your head uncomfortably forward. forget about wearing a pony tail, your chin will touch your chest! please get ford to replace the headrest! this is not a comfort complaint, this is a safety issue! *tr"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2011-05-08
Complaint:
"i rented a 2010 ford explorer yesterday (1-sept-2010) while my car was being repaired--i immediately noticed that the front headrests are designed so they lean forward way too far, hitting the back of my head and preventing me from sitting in a comfortable driving position. totally ridiculous! glad i only will have it for a day or two; i would never buy such a vehicle, it hurts my back and neck. *tr"
Components Involved: SEATS
Date of incident: 2010-01-09

Recalls for the 2010 Ford EXPLORER

Component Recalls

Choose a component to see what recalls people have made about them.

Recall:
"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."
Consequence:
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.

Component(s) Involved: SEATS > FRONT ASSEMBLY > RECLINER
Date of incident: 2010-04-20

FORD Overall Complaint Ranking

This table shows the ranking of car manufacturers when it comes to most complaints and recalls. The manufacturer with the most complaints is at the top. However this doesn't necassarily mean they should be avoided. Some manufacturers might just have more popular or affordable cars which a lot of people have bought. Which means there's more scope for a complaint to be made. Use the ranking table below as a part your wider research into buying a car.

FORD ranks 1 out of 44 in the complaints ranking table.

Manufacturer Complaint Count Recall Count Ranking
FORD 208,358 3,259 1
CHEVROLET 111,306 2,082 2
TOYOTA 81,019 1,852 3
HONDA 61,937 1,268 4
NISSAN 56,226 930 5
DODGE 45,756 827 6
HYUNDAI 44,150 649 7
GMC 34,441 1,410 8
KIA 29,832 501 9
CHRYSLER 27,698 254 10
TESLA 26,230 730 11
BMW 24,890 1,877 12
VOLKSWAGEN 23,125 829 13
MERCEDES-BENZ 19,066 2,925 14
SUBARU 18,513 703 15
MAZDA 10,599 364 16
PONTIAC 10,430 138 17
CADILLAC 9,434 444 18
AUDI 7,865 1,093 19
BUICK 7,851 279 20
SATURN 7,672 84 21
MERCURY 7,374 135 22
LEXUS 6,373 408 23
LINCOLN 5,897 423 24
ACURA 5,722 382 25
MINI 5,585 366 26
INFINITI 4,000 187 27
MITSUBISHI 3,912 397 28
VOLVO 3,875 727 29
PORSCHE 2,646 1,231 30
SUZUKI 2,272 123 31
FIAT 2,205 80 32
SAAB 1,536 76 33
JAGUAR 1,195 198 34
SMART 528 17 35
GENESIS 436 42 36
ISUZU 249 37 37
ALFA ROMEO 161 37 38
MASERATI 76 46 39
BENTLEY 46 159 40
POLESTAR 42 2 41
LUCID 14 6 42
CODA 4 2 43
MAYBACH 0 0 44

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