Every Explorer model year from 2004 to 2025, scored on reported failures weighted against how many were sold — and ranked against every other Mid-Size SUV of the same year.
Across 22 scored model years the Explorer needs fixing less often than its class, and repairs cost about what you would expect. The spread between years is what matters: 2024 is its strongest, 2016 its weakest.
Longer bar is better. Rank is against every Mid-Size SUV sold that same model year.
| Year | Relative standing | Class rank | Pctl | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | #17 /26 | 36th | ||
| 2005 | #11 /27 | 62th | ||
| 2006 | #12 /28 | 59th | ||
| 2007 | #9 /36 | 77th | ||
| 2008 | #10 /38 | 76th | ||
| 2009 | #4 /39 | 92th | ||
| 2010 | #17 /40 | 59th | ||
| 2011 | #34 /39 | 13th | ||
| 2012 | #30 /39 | 24th | ||
| 2013 | #32 /37 | 14th | ||
| 2014 | #31 /37 | 17th | ||
| 2015 | #39 /40 | 3th | ||
| 2016 | #36 /38 | 5th | Avoid | |
| 2017 | #31 /37 | 17th | ||
| 2018 | #24 /42 | 44th | ||
| 2019 | #12 /45 | 75th | ||
| 2020 | #47 /49 | 4th | ||
| 2021 | #36 /53 | 33th | ||
| 2022 | #33 /59 | 45th | ||
| 2023 | #18 /67 | 74th | ||
| 2024 | #2 /72 | 99th | Best year | |
| 2025 | #26 /66 | 62th |
The line has moved around across 22 model years, with its weakest stretch in 2011–2017. The recent trend is upward. This 2025 car falls in a strong stretch.
All 12 systems, measured against the class average for each model year.
Every Explorer model year is scored across 12 separate systems — engine, transmission, brakes, electrical, steering and suspension, structure, interior, and five more. Each system is compared against how often that same system fails on the average Mid-Size SUV of the same year, so a common failure is judged against how common it is everywhere else.
Across the last three model years (2023–2025), no single system stands out. All measured systems draw issue reports less often than the same systems on the average Mid-Size SUV of their year — a cleaner sheet than most of this class manages.
All 66 Mid-Size SUVs from 2025, plotted by how often they need fixes and what those fixes cost.
2024 is the strongest Explorer model year on record, ranking #2 of 72 Mid-Size SUVs that year.
2016 is the weakest year in the model's history, ranking #36 of 38.
The 2025 Explorer ranks #26 of 66 Mid-Size SUVs — the upper half of its class.
Failure reports filed with NHTSA — submitted by vehicle owners and repair shops alike — weighted against US sales volumes so a high-volume model is not penalised for selling well, then benchmarked within segment and model year.
All 12 systems scored, the whole class plotted, and a downloadable Full Model Report for any year — 6,000+ vehicles in the dashboard.
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