FaultScore

Ford F-150 vs Ford Explorer

Both cars' complete complaint records, side by side.

Read the totals carefully. NHTSA publishes no sales figures, so the car that sold more collects more complaints regardless of quality. The rows worth weighing are the proportions — the share of complaints that involved harm, and which part dominates.

Measure Ford F-150 Ford Explorer
Complaints on file 47,801 43,182
Model years covered 1984–2026 1977–2026
Worst model year 1997 1998
Best model year 1993 2008
Crashes reported 2,179 2,346
Fires reported 2,300 987
Injuries reported 1,424 1,945
Deaths reported 56 182
Most complained-about part Transmission & Drivetrain Transmission & Drivetrain
Share of complaints involving harm 12.5% 12.6%

Ford F-150 by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Ford Explorer by year

Complaints filed with NHTSA, by model year. Bar colour is the FaultScore grade: A B C D F ungraded

What breaks

Body & Structure 5,304 12.3%
Engine & Cooling 4,189 9.7%
Tires 4,187 9.7%
Steering 4,173 9.7%
Other & Unspecified 3,096 7.2%
Electrical System 2,300 5.3%
Brakes 2,221 5.1%