RoadVitals

2021 Ford Explorer Police Intercept

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
+1 complaint in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Apr 14, 2022
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 2021 Ford Explorer Police Intercept, most frequently naming the engine category. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 49 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Engine1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
22V255000

POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY; POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT

Apr 14, 2022
252,936 units potentially affected
The defect: Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer Police FHEV, Explorer Police 3.3L, and 2020-2022 Explorer 2.3L RWD, 3.0L PHEV, 3.3L FHEV, and 3.0L ST GAS vehicles. The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.
The risk: A disconnected driveshaft can result in vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is placed in 'Park' without the parking brake applied, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Depending on the vehicle model, dealers will replace the bushing and axle cover, or update the electronic parking brake software. Repairs will be performed free of charge. Interim owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022, and March 10, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed June 9, 2022. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 22S27.
Ford Motor CompanyManufacturer number 22S27View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Engine
Filed Jul 31, 2026

Catalytic converter and it was confirmed by independent service center my car only has 88k miles There is a catalytic converter recall on year 2020 but Ford refuses to do a recall for the year 2021 and I have another car that have the same catalytic converter problem with only 84k miles and it’s also 2021 and Ford refuses to do any work on that one two I can provide the vin for the other one if requested

NHTSA ID
11754102
Incident
Jul 30, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SSM 54702

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Some 2020-2023 Aviator and 2020-2024 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility hybrid vehicles may exhibit a "Refuel Error See Manual" message in the instrument panel cluster (IPC) after installing a replacement fuel filler door assembly (7827936). This may be due to a concern with the replacement fuel filler door assembly. This condition does not affect vehicle durability and no additional diagnosis or service is required for this condition at this time.

SSM 54655

Some 2020-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility/Aviator vehicles may exhibit a concern of inoperative, rattling, crackling and/or distorted sound from one or more speakers (but not all speakers). This may be due to other components located near the suspect speaker. Workshop Manual (WSM), Section 415-00 > Diagnosis and Testing > Pinpoint Test D (2020-2024 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility, 2025-2026 Aviator) and Pinpoint Test E (2020-2024 Aviator, 2025-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility) have been updated with additional direction when isolating the cause of the condition.

SSM 54516

STRUCTURE:BODY

2020-2026 Police Interceptor Utility vehicles may require level III ballistic panels to be replaced due to broken mounting tabs. Individual level III ballistic panel mounting tab service parts are now available: right-hand (78201B68) and left-hand (78201B69). Replacement of the level III ballistic panel assembly is not required for this condition. Level IV ballistic panels do not have removable mounting tabs and still require complete panel replacement. Level III vs level IV ballistic panels can be identified by a large roman numeral label on the panel or by the vehicle window sticker if equipped.

SSM 54354

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On 2020-2026 Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility vehicles, customers may desire modifications that require access to the driver's door ajar circuit. The vehicle may exhibit a door ajar light on when the driver's door is fully closed. When using pin 13 on the factory 14-way connector to access the driver's door ajar circuit, a 70 mA maximum coil current relay with an integrated clamping diode is required to protect against damage to the door latch. Failure to install this correctly will result in repeat warnings that the driver's door latch/door ajar light will remain on until it is compliant with police modifier's bulletin P-032, which can be found on the Police body builder's site (https://www.fordpro.com/en-us/upfit/publications/).

24N10 S1

ENGINE

Certain 2020-2022 Model Year Explorer Police Interceptor Utility (PIU) Vehicles Engine Block Breaches This program provides a no-cost, one-time repair (if needed) to the engine long-block for 10 years of service or 150,000 miles from the warranty start date of the vehicle, whichever occurs first.

SSM 53982

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Some 2020-2023 Explorer/Aviator, 2020-2025 Police Interceptor Utility, 2020-2022 Escape/Corsair, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles equipped with a hybrid powertrain may exhibit an illuminated malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) with diagnostic trouble code (DTC) P2450:00 stored in the powertrain control module (PCM). This may be due to an evaporative emission system concern or may also be caused by the customer overfilling the fuel tank. If this condition occurs, perform normal diagnosis per Workshop Manual (WSM) Section, 303-13 and repair as necessary. Inform the customer that the condition may have been caused by overfilling of the fuel tank and to not top-off the fuel tank when the fuel pump nozzle automatically shuts off for the first time. Refer the customer to the Fuel and Refueling section of their Owner Manual for additional information.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Ford Explorer Police Intercept by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2023000—
2022000—
2021Viewing110—
2020020—
2019001—
2018301—
2017922—
2016210234.4
2015601—
2014001—
2013001—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.