1,053 of the
43,182 complaints filed about the Ford Explorer
are about the airbag system —
2% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2002.
The contact owns a 2025 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 50 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle crashed into the driver's side of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact was transported to the local medical center for medical attention. The contact sustained bruises and contusions during the crash. The contact sustained a continuous headache after the crash. The contact was receiving continuous medical treatment. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was scheduled for an inspection by the insurance company within days. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.
NHTSA complaint #11756160 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The dash board has a little split where the air bag is located. The split is in a line of or a crease of the outline of the air bag. I took it to the dealership and they were clueless. They recommended someone to fix it, but since it was closely related to the airbag I can't find anybody to work on it. This happened about a year ago it just appeared and each year I think it's getting larger.
NHTSA complaint #11753200 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving down the road and my airbag instantly deployed in my face without cause or notice. I became completely disoriented as it hit my hand and face with severe force and was extremely loud and shocking. I thank God that I had just let off the gas and didn't hurt anyone else. If I had panicked or was going through an intersection, experiencing a turn, coming to a stop, or someone in front of me stopped I could have struck another vehicle or object and caused death or injuries. I have not brought the vehicle anywhere to be checked out yet. My insurance refuses to cover it. There were no warning signs of this airbag deployment.
NHTSA complaint #11751609 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Dashboard separation concerned with airbag. Every day driving you run the risk of more damage. Have spoken to Koons Ford who states cannot help due to warranty. No one has looked at it except for pictures. This should not be the owners responsibility since I am not alone with issues of this problem
NHTSA complaint #11744570 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The airbag light shown in the attached photo came on at an unknown period of time. We did not know when this came on that it was not a normal light. This is a safety issue as there are many causes for this light to come on, and with this light being on the airbag may not deploy properly or at all during a collision. We did take the vehicle to the Ford dealership for warranty work and they did not say anything about the light on the dash. Which adds to the reason why we did not know that the light meant there was a problem. There are other airbag lights that come on in the sinners console for the passenger side airbags that are orange as well.
NHTSA complaint #11743561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her boyfriend was driving at 40 MPH, another vehicle did not stop at a stop sign and crashed into the front passenger side of the vehicle. All of the air bags deployed. The contact's boyfriend suffered bruising to the wrist and left upper arm and redness on the right hand. The front passenger-side curtain air bag caused the contact second-degree chemical burn on the right side of the stomach when it burned through two layers of clothing. The contact also suffered from a sprained left foot and left hand and lacerations from the shoulders and elbows from the air bag deployment. The contact and her boyfriend were transported to the hospital via ambulance and received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the tow yard but was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 43,000.
NHTSA complaint #11739351 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Description of Incident: The driver, [XXX] , was idling on a road near Lake Murray when her vehicle was rear-ended. Despite the force of the impact requiring Ms. [XXX] to be rushed to the hospital, the vehicle’s airbags failed to deploy. Post-Accident Concerns: Following the collision, the CEO of RideCare had the vehicle moved immediately to avoid public scrutiny. I have reason to believe the company is intentionally withholding the vehicle from inspection to prevent the XXX Highway Patrol or safety investigators from accessing the "black box" (Event Data Recorder). The vehicle is currently being stored inside the garage at the RideCare facility off [XXX] . Given that this company is responsible for the safe transport of vulnerable mental health patients, the failure of critical safety equipment and the subsequent attempt to hide evidence is a matter of urgent public safety. I request a formal investigation into the maintenance standards of this fleet and the specific safety failure INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11738165 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I have an airbag light on as well as the 2nd row inflatable seatbelt has stopped working. I took it into the dealership and they said it was generating codes B141B and B141C. Ford issued a Customer satisfaction program 21B11 specifically to fix this problem in 2022 but it expired less than a year later. Now my air bag and my seatbelt don't work. Ford knows about the safety defect and their dealers are charging people to fix it ($2400 in this case) rather than stand behind the safety of their product and do the right thing. This is clearly a safety issue that Ford should be addressing yet they are trying to slide by and get their customers to pay for it. The car only has 49,000 miles on it.
NHTSA complaint #11733430 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On my 2020 Explorer ST, the plastic backing on the front seats is popping off and exposing the seats airbags. My dealer said ONE replacement backing would be $1400 to replace. In a facebook group I am in, multiple people have complained on the 2020 ST that theirs has done the same thing.
NHTSA complaint #11731319 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Horn stopped working. Airbag indicator will not reset. Took to local dealership but their service department doesn’t seem to find an active recall for this, even though I can see them listed, just not for my particular VIN number
NHTSA complaint #11723952 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Front and side curtain air bags failed. Was side swiped and hit a guard rail head on at 60-70 mph. I was going on the far left lane on the interstate 85. When a lady in the center lane hit the side of my car not paying attention that I was in my lane.
NHTSA complaint #11706328 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Dashboard not attached to frame. Clips intended to attach dashboard to frame are defective (cracked in half). Air bags may be affected (either won't deploy or will deploy on their own). Service Dept. at Ford dealership says this is the first case they've seen and repairing it would cost $$$. This vehicle has been regularly maintained and has 0 history of accidents. It is unknown if this defect has existed from the date the car was purchase(or earlier).
NHTSA complaint #11700341 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The dash board is warped and literally peeling off. I took it to a dealer to get it looked at to see if Ford could help. They won't. My concern is that if the airbag had to deploy, they won't operate properly. I don't know what to do.
NHTSA complaint #11694974 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the contact struck a deer with the front of the vehicle. There was no property damage reported. The vehicle came to a stop shortly afterwards. The contact stated that the air bags had not deployed. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not destroyed. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 40,000.
NHTSA complaint #11691606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at 15 MPH traveling southbound, the occupant of a Chevrolet Impala driving at approximately 55 MPH allegedly fell asleep, veered into her lane, and crashed into the driver's front end. There were no warning lights illuminated. The steering wheel was bent three inches toward the dashboard. The transmission was fractured during impact. The contact mentioned that the airbag deployed late and may have been too powerful. The impact forced the vehicle back about 40 feet. The driver sustained injuries resulting in broken rib bones, a broken sternum bone, and four herniated discs, and medical attention was provided. A police report was filed. There was no reported fire. The vehicle was towed to the auction lot. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage is approximately 135,000. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11691164 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Constant fail of O2 sensor and ABS causing check engine and ABS lights to come on. After diagnosis, did research and it is a common problem on Ford Explorers
NHTSA complaint #11687050 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2017 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the wiring harness located on the passenger’s side of the vehicle had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 57,737.
NHTSA complaint #11685789 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver's side impact airbag burst open when it deployed. This deposited unreacted airbag propellant on my skin, causing a severe chemical burn. The airbag is with the vehicle and currently in the yard of a local body shop, but which will soon turned over to my insurance company. To my knowledge, no investigation has yet been conducted regarding this equipment failure. There were no warning lamp or lights lit which would indicate that there was an issue with the associated Supplement Restraint Systems. I was the driver in a collision where the side impact airbags were deployed. I was wearing my seat belt. There was no intrusion of any foreign object into the cabin of the vehicle. I was not hit on the driver's side of the vehicle. When the side impact airbag deployed it tore open the left side of the t-shirt I was wearing and deposited unreacted airbag propellants on my skin. The unreacted airbag chemicals left me with a what looked to be a minor injury but which soon developed into a very painful chemical burn the size of my fist. Over the course of the next several days, this painful burn proceeded to eat through my skin.
NHTSA complaint #11685505 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.