NHTSA Safety Recalls
2002 Ford Explorer Recalls
The 2002 Ford Explorer has 10 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on October 13, 2009.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2002 Ford Explorer. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 10
- Owner complaints
- 3,295
- Crashes reported
- 144
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
57 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2002 Ford Explorer, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
10 recalls on the 2002 Ford Explorer
Vehicle speed control
- Campaign
- 09V399000
- Reported
- October 13, 2009
- Vehicles affected
- up to 4,500,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001 Explorer, 10 other models
Structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: hinge and attachments
- Campaign
- 04V442000
- Reported
- September 13, 2004
- Vehicles affected
- up to 955,732
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Same campaign
- also 2003 Explorer, 1 other model
Structure
- Campaign
- 03V094000
- Reported
- March 7, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 3,674
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003 Explorer, 9 other models
Tires: sidewall
- Campaign
- 01V171000
- Reported
- May 24, 2001
- Vehicles affected
- up to 52,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Visibility: glass, side/rear
- Campaign
- 01I010000
- Same campaign
- also 1 other model
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E026000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003–2005 Explorer, 42 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E049000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001, 2003–2006 Explorer, 23 other models
Visibility: glass, side/rear
- Campaign
- 07E104000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2003–2008 Explorer, 9 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 09E012000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003 Explorer, 57 other models
Exterior lighting: headlights
- Campaign
- 09E025000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2001, 2003–2004 Explorer, 46 other models
2002 Ford Explorer complaints by year
NHTSA has received 3,295 owner complaints about the 2002 Ford Explorer, the newest on September 9, 2026. Of these, 144 describe a crash (4%) and 57 a fire; owners reported 187 injuries and 5 deaths.
In complaints about the 2002 Ford Explorer, the component group named most often is the power train (46%), followed by the structure (15%) and the suspension (13%).
2 of the 2002 Ford Explorer's 10 recalls also concern the structure.
Where 2002 Ford Explorer owners gave the mileage (2,529 complaints), the median was 79,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Power Train1,502
- Structure486
- Suspension422
- Engine And Engine Cooling163
- Air Bags162
- Steering155
Complaints received, by year
| 2001 | 36 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 134 | |
| 2003 | 165 | |
| 2004 | 240 | |
| 2005 | 340 | |
| 2006 | 280 | |
| 2007 | 308 | |
| 2008 | 493 | |
| 2009 | 320 | |
| 2010 | 377 | |
| 2011 | 181 | |
| 2012 | 100 | |
| 2013 | 66 | |
| 2014 | 80 | |
| 2015 | 57 | |
| 2016 | 51 | |
| 2017 | 23 | |
| 2018 | 13 | |
| 2019 | 10 | |
| 2020 | 9 | |
| 2021 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 1 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 | |
| 2026 | 2 |
Complaints about the 2002 Ford Explorer peaked in 2008, when NHTSA received 493. 28% arrived between 2001 and 2005, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2002 vehicles, the 2002 Ford Explorer drew 3.0× the complaints of the median Ford Explorer year in the same window: 2nd highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2002 one of the Ford Explorer years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 3,295 complaints about the 2002 Ford Explorer are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Ford Explorer by model year
Other 2002 Ford models
Newest record on this page: September 9, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted