2015 Ford EXPLORER - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

The 2015 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV FWD has an impressive overall safety rating of 5 out of 5, indicating excellent crashworthiness and crash avoidance features. The vehicle scored well in front crash, side crash, and rollover tests. Additionally, it is equipped with standard electronic stability control which enhances the vehicle's stability and helps prevent skidding or loss of control in hazardous situations.

For additional safety features, the Ford Explorer offers optional forward collision warning and lane departure warning systems, providing drivers with advanced alerts to potential dangers on the road. In terms of complaints and recalls, the vehicle has accumulated a total of 1221 complaints and 7 recalls. Despite these numbers, the Ford Explorer's top safety ratings and advanced safety technologies make it a solid choice for consumers looking for a safe and reliable SUV option.

Top stats at a glance

Complaint Count

1,221

Recall Count

7

Investigation Count

5

Safety Rating

5/5

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Safety Features

2015 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV FWD Safety Features

Here are the safety features that come as standard on the 2015 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV FWD

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.

Optional
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.

Optional

2015 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV FWD Safety Ratings

Here we have the crash and rollover ratings for the 2015 Ford Explorer 4 DR SUV FWD 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 2015 Score 2022 Score
Overall Front Crash Rating Not Rated 5 Not Rated
Front Crash Driver Side Rating 4 4 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 2015 Score 2022 Score
Overall Side Crash Rating Not Rated 5 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 5 5
Combined Side Barrier Pole Rating - Rear Not Rated 5 5
Overall Side Barrier Rating Not Rated 5 5

Rollover Ratings

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

Test 2005 Score 2015 Score 2022 Score
Rollover Rating Not Rated 4 4
Rollover Possibility % 0% 0% 0%
Dynamic Tip Result No Tip No Tip
Side Pole Crash Rating Not Rated 5 5

Complaints for the 2015 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:
"i have had to have this trim piece replaced twice by mcmahon ford in norwalk ct. first time [xxx] and the second time [xxx]. both times i have had to pay out of pocket. therefore i do not understand why my vin number is not included here. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)"
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2023-08-06

Complaint:
"for over a year our 2015 ford explorer rear backup camera malfunctions frequently. either the image is reversed, streaky, or completely blank and makes backing up difficult and dangerous. a year ago the local ford dealership was trying to tell us the camera is faulty, but many times the image is clear. they tried to sell us a $1,000 camera replacement, but no cameras were in stock for many months. later, we discovered there are similar issues with many other ford vehicles. currently there is a nhtsa campaign #23v598 targeting fords and lincolns. we feel this needs to be broadened to cover the many other ford models, such as the explorer. we do not think this is a camera issue, but rather a software issue. please look into this and include other years and models of fords in this recall. thank you very much for your consideration."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2023-05-11

Complaint:
"while driving the trim by my windshield flew off after hitting my windsheild, which made me swerve and almost crash into car next to me. then the weatherstripping started to detach from windsheild and come loose. pulled over to see what had happened. saw the missing part. now the other side came off while driving! i've used duct tape in its place because ford wants way too much money to replace. thank god my family and other families were not injured by my vehicle."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2024-02-07

Complaint:
"backup camera - the backup camera stopped working at approximately 86k miles."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2023-01-05

Complaint:
"throttle body not working properly. the vehicle has left me stranded, mid driving- just loses power & i have to coast to the nearest location and re start vehicle. it is an incredibly dangerous situation. signals to me "terrain management system failure"."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2024-10-06

Complaint:
"driver's side windshield molding flew off while traveling on the pa turnpike at approximately 70mph. this not only startled myself (the driver) but caused the vehicle behind me to swerve. no accident was caused as there were no vehicles in the left lane of traffic at that time."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2024-09-02

Complaint:
"front window trim fell off while traveling on highway, the noise startled me and i was going 70 mph, did not see the part fall off and this is the second incident. the shop i took vehicle to the first time said it was a poor design and this happens often. trim replacement part is 67.00. i bought a used vehicle, had 126,000 miles on it at purchase. i feel the poor design needs to be remedied at the manufacturers expense. please make a decisive recommendation for consumers. this is unacceptable."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2024-10-05

Complaint:
"the front door trim panels on both driver and passenger side doors are bowing. the problem is noted by ford under recalls or a service bulletin for my vin number. the problem was reported to ford by me in 2022. ford will not pay to correct the problem, even though the company lists the door problem for my car. i am the original owner of the car and the door panels are original to the car."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2023-07-10

Complaint:
"windshield panels pulling away from the window."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2023-03-03

Complaint:
"coolant leaked because of failed water pumps which is a known problem by many ford explorer owners."
Components Involved: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Date of incident: 2023-07-07

Recalls for the 2015 Ford EXPLORER

Component Recalls

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

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2011-2017 explorer vehicles. the rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension."
Consequence:
A fractured rear toe link will cause a sudden change in vehicle handling and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, and inspect both rear toe link ball joints, replacing the rear wheel knuckle(s), if necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 26, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S17.

Component(s) Involved: SUSPENSION > REAR
Date of incident: 2019-06-10

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain model year 2014-2015 ford explorer vehicles manufactured january 17, 2014 to may 31, 2014. the affected vehicles may have improperly welded rear suspension toe links that may fracture."
Consequence:
A fracture of the rear suspension toe link may result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. The recall began on November 18, 2016. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 16S18.

Component(s) Involved: SUSPENSION > REAR
Date of incident: 2016-04-26

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. exposure to road salt can cause the cross-axis ball joint to corrode and seize, resulting in a fracture of the outboard section of the rear suspension toe link."
Consequence:
A rear toe-link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle, and replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge. This recall is an expansion of previous NHTSA recall numbers 16V-245, 19V-435, and 20V-675. Certain vehicles previously repaired will need to return for the new remedy. An interim notification letter notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed on September 10, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed on March 16, 2022. Owners may contact Ford's customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S32.

Component(s) Involved: SUSPENSION > REAR
Date of incident: 2021-07-15

Recall:
"ford motor company (ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, kentucky, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, virginia, west virginia, and wisconsin that were previously repaired under a prior recall numbers 16v-245 or 19v-435. the outboard section of a rear suspension toe link may fracture."
Consequence:
A rear toe link fracture can result in a loss of steering control, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy:

Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle attached to the rear suspension toe link and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 27, 2020. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 20S62.

Component(s) Involved: SUSPENSION > REAR
Date of incident: 2020-10-30

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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