RoadVitals

2007 Ford Explorer Driver assistance Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the driver-assistance system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Driver assistance reportsComplaints 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.
13
Latest Jun 6, 2017
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
6%
of 208 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
1
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2007 Ford Explorer submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.

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

Owner reports naming driver-assistance

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Driver assistance
Filed Jun 6, 2017

DRIVING VEHICLE ON FREEWAY AND IT LOST POWER, RODE ROUGH AND WOULD ONLY MOVE ABOUT 5MPH. WRENCH LIGHT APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD CONSOLE. ALL OTHER FUNCTIONS WERE NORMAL. IT WOULD REVERSE BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE FORWARD. HAD TO TOW TO DEALER. DEALER TURNED ON AND SAID IT WAS FUNCTIONING. WE HAD NO WARNING ABOUT AN ISSUE BEFORE THIS HAPPENED BEFORE. WE ARE CONCERNED THAT IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IT CAN STOP WITHOUT WARNING IN DANGEROUS TRAFFIC SITUATIONS. WE FEEL IT IS THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY AS MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH THEIR FORD VEHICLES.

NHTSA ID
10993383
Incident
Jun 5, 2017
Mileage
110,000 mi
Driver assistanceEngine
Filed Sep 15, 2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LUNGED FORWARD AND STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. IN ADDITION, WHILE DRIVING, THE IGNITION KEY MOVED AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSE POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
10906797
Incident
Sep 14, 2016
Mileage
105,000 mi
Driver assistanceElectricalEngine
Filed May 31, 2016

I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM A FORD DEALER USED 2 YEARS AGO. IT WAS A ONE OWNER VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM STARTED ABOUT SIX MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE AND HAS BEEN CONTINUING SINCE AND OVER THE LAST 3 MONTHS HAS BEEN MORE AND MORE FREQUENT. CAR WILL SUDDENLY DISPLAY THE YELLOW BOX AND WRENCH ON THE STATUS SCREEN IN DASH BOARD AND IF CRUISE IS SET, THE CRUISE WILL TURN OFF. IT WILL START LUNGING, THEN STOP COMPLETELY. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES I CAN FINALLY GET IT STARTED. THEN IT WILL START RUNNING, STOP, START AND WILL ONLY REV TO LOW RPM'S AND MOVE VERY SLOWLY. THE SAFETY ISSUE OCCURS WHEN IT COMPLETELY STOPS RUNNING SUDDENLY WHILE TRAVELING AT 40-70 MPH. THE POWER STEERING NO LONGER WORKS AND THE POWER BRAKES ARE VERY HARD TO USE.

NHTSA ID
10871680
Incident
Aug 3, 2015
Mileage
161,000 mi
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Feb 23, 2015

CONTINUE TO RECEIVE SUDDEN ENGINE SURGES AND STALLS AT LOW SPEEDS AND NOW THE "WRENCH" ENGINE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON BEFORE THE VEHICLE STALLS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10690131
Incident
Dec 10, 2009
Mileage
75,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Sep 30, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS NOT ABLE TO ACCELERATE AND STALLED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE WRENCH AND THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A PRIVATE MECHANIC, WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,200.

NHTSA ID
10640112
Incident
Sep 28, 2014
Mileage
70,200 mi
Driver assistanceEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Feb 12, 2014

VEHICLE STARTED LOOSING COOLANT THEN DEVELOPED CONDITION WHERE IN REVERSE OR DRIVE IT WOULD JUMP LIKE YOU FLOORED IT. CONDITION HAS GOTTEN SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE TO WHERE CAR WILL NOT GO INTO DRIVE, BUT WILL JUST REV UP TO APPROX 4000 RPMS. *TR

NHTSA ID
10564138
Incident
Dec 2, 2013
Mileage
100,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jul 28, 2012

I WAS COASTING UP TO A STOP LIGHT AND BEGAN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE BRAKES DID NOT SEEM TO BE STOPPING THE CAR AND I REALIZED THAT THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING AT 3000 RPMS WHILE MY RIGHT FOOT WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES. SO THE ACCELERATION OCCURRED AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKES. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO A STOP AND PUT IT INTO PARK WITHOUT HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION IMMEDIATELY AFTER STOPPING AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. I WILL NOT HAVE AN ANSWER FROM THEM BEFORE MONDAY. *TR

NHTSA ID
10468108
Incident
Jul 28, 2012
Mileage
125,000 mi
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jun 3, 2012

THIS ISSUE IS ONE WHERE A DANGEROUS SITUATION OCCURS WITHOUT WARNING AND HAS NOT BEEN REPEATABLE ON DEMAND. NORMALLY, THIS OCCURS ON FLAT, DRY, PAVED ROAD AT SPEED OF UNDER 30MPH. THE "TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT ON THE DASH COMES ON, THE BRAKES BEGIN TO HAMMER, MAKING THE PEDAL UNRESPONSIVE, AND THE STEERING BECOMES VERY HARD TO MOVE, PULLING THE VEHICLE TO THE RIGHT. AFTER THE VEHICLE COMES TO A STOP (OF ALMOST TO A STOP)... PRESSING AND HOLDING THE "TRACTION CONTROL" LIGHT/BUTTON RESOLVES THE PROBLEM, AT LEAST UNTIL THE NEXT OCCURRENCE, WHICH COULD BE DAYS, WEEKS OR MONTHS LATER. VISITS TO VARIOUS FORD MOTOR COMPANY DEALERSHIPS HAVE RESULTED IN "NOTHING FOUND" -- THEY ALWAYS SAY THAT THE PROBLEM DIDN'T HAPPEN WHILE THEY HAD THE CAR AND THAT NO CODES WERE FOUND IN ANY OF THE CAR'S SYSTEMS. AS OF TODAY, THE CAR IS AT JOE MYERS FORD, HOUSTON, TX WHERE THIS SAME SCENARIO HAS PLAYED OUT. *TR

NHTSA ID
10460380
Incident
Mar 1, 2010
Mileage
22,000 mi
Driver assistanceInterior & seatsPowertrain (other)
Filed Mar 12, 2012

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE AT ANY SPEED, IF YOU HIT A BUMP, THE SEAT WILL RETRACT (MOVE AWAY FROM) THE CONTROLS. THE SEAT WILL MOVE ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE "EXIT THE VEHICLE" MODE. WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT, IF YOU HIT A BUMP, AND YOUR FOOT IS ON THE BRAKE, THE SEAT WILL RETRACT FROM THE STEERING WHEEL, ALL THE WAY BACK. THE SEAT MOVES BACK AT ABOUT THE SAME RATE YOU ARE APPLYING BRAKING PRESSURE. IF YOU ARE NOT PAYING ATTENTION, YOU COULD EASILY REAR END SOME ONE. WHEN TURNING OFF A STREET, YOU HIT THE CURB DRAIN ALONG SIDE ALL BUSINESS ENTRANCES OF THE ROAD, THE SEAT MAY MOVE BACK AND FORTH SEVERAL SHORT TIMES, CAUSING YOU TO HIT THE THROTTLE FAST WHILE COMING INTO A PARKING LOT OR IT MAY CAUSE TO TAKE YOUR FOOT COMPLETELY OFF THE ACCELERATOR WHILE TURNING. I WAS DRIVING IN A BLIZZARD ON BAD ROADS AND FOR WHATEVER REASON, RIGHT HAND TURNS CAUSED THE SEAT TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE GAS PEDAL. WHICH IS DANGEROUS WHEN YOU HAVE A CAR MOVING UP FROM BEHIND. VERY DANGEROUS. BEEN TO FORD FOR A FIX, IT LASTED ONE MONTH BEFORE IT STARTED BACK UP. MY WARRANTY HAS EXPIRED AND NO FURTHER ATTEMPT TO REPAIR HAS BEEN MADE. FORD IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10451334
Incident
Sep 18, 2011
Mileage
70,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 28, 2010

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS AND APPLIED PRESSURE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, FOLLOWED BY AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE DRIVER EXERTED EXCESSIVE FORCE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POLICE RADAR DETENTION CONTRIBUTED TO THE FAILURE. THE IDENTICAL FAILURES OCCURRED ON EIGHT SEPARATE OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 11/16/10. *LJ UPDATED 12/14/2011 *CN UPDATED 02/23/11

NHTSA ID
10302939
Incident
May 6, 2008
Mileage
12,000 mi
Driver assistance
Filed Nov 3, 2007
Crash reported

WE HAD JUST PURCHASED A NEW 2007 FORD EXPLORER, HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVING IT FOR THREE WEEKS, WE'D HADN'T EVEN MADE OUR FIRST PAYMENT YET. WE WERE AT A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC, WHEN THE EXPLORER TOOK OFF BY ITSELF. BY THIS, I MEAN BOTH OF MY HUSBAND'S FEET WERE FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE EXPLORER STARTED SURGING FORWARD BY ITSELF. TO AVOID COLLIDING WITH THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF US, HE TURNED THE VEHICLE TO GO DOWN BETWEEN THE TWO LANES, AND SCRAPED DOWN THE SIDES OF OTHER CARS. THE VEHICLE ONLY FINALLY STOPPED WHEN MY HUSBAND THREW THE VEHICLE IN THE PARK. THERE WAS VEHICLE DAMAGE TO TWO VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY PERFORMED COMPREHENSIVE DIAGNOSTICS AND TESTING. THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. WE HAD SUPPLIED THEM WITH COPIES OF 30-100 OTHER FORMAL COMPLAINTS FROM CONSUMERS WHO HAD EXPERIENCED SIMILAR SURGING IN THEIR EXPLORERS. THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT BE REPAIRING ANYTHING. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS DEFECT! WE WERE LUCKY NO ONE WAS INJURED AND WE ARE AFRAID TO DRIVE IT IN CASE IT HAPPENS AGAIN. WITH THE NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS, MANY SERVICE BULLETINS TO FORD, YOU WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE A RECALL OR AT LEAST SOME OTHER RECOURSE BESIDES "SORRY, THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, HAVE A NICE DAY." *TR

NHTSA ID
10207851
Incident
Oct 27, 2007
Mileage
5,899 mi
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jun 20, 2007

IN ATTEMPTING TO SLOW DOWN OUR COMPANY'S 2007 FORD EXPLORER I INADVERTENTLY PRESSED BOTH THE BRAKE PEDAL AND GAS PEDAL AT THE SAME TIME WITH THE SAME FOOT, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPEED UP INSTEAD. I HAVE PREVIOUSLY EXPERIENCED THIS IN A RENTAL FORD CROWN VICTORIA. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES, OTHER THAN A BRIEF PANIC ATTACK. MY SOLUTION WAS NOT DRIVE THE COMPANY'S VEHICLE, BUT INSTEAD DRIVE MY OWN CHEVROLET. *AK

NHTSA ID
10193841
Incident
May 15, 2007
Driver assistance
Filed Jan 10, 2007

I WAS APPROACHING A STOP LIGHT INTERSECTION IN MY 2007 FORD EXPLORER. AS I BRAKED TO STOP, ALL OF A SUDDEN THE VEHICLE ON ITS OWN DOWNSHIFTED INTO A LOWER GEAR AND ACCELERATED PUSHING ME INTO THE INTERSECTION. AN ALERT DRIVER ENTERING THE INTERSECTION SAW WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND STOPPED IN TIME AVOIDING WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE ONLY WAY I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY DRIVE THE VEHICLE BACK HOME THAT DAY WAS TO CAREFULLY PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL EACH TIME I WANTED TO SLOW DOWN OR STOP. THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I PURCHASED IT, WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR THE PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID
10178273
Incident
Jan 6, 2007
Mileage
2,500 mi

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.

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Data sources

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