NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Ford Explorer Recalls
The 2003 Ford Explorer has 7 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on September 13, 2004.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Ford Explorer. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 7
- Owner complaints
- 1,131
- Crashes reported
- 60
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
10 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Ford Explorer, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
7 recalls on the 2003 Ford Explorer
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 2002 Explorer, 1 other model
Structure
- Campaign
- 03V094000
- Reported
- March 7, 2003
- Vehicles affected
- up to 3,674
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Explorer, 9 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E026000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004–2005 Explorer, 42 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E049000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2002, 2004–2006 Explorer, 23 other models
Visibility: glass, side/rear
- Campaign
- 07E104000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2002, 2004–2008 Explorer, 9 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 09E012000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002 Explorer, 57 other models
Exterior lighting: headlights
- Campaign
- 09E025000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2002, 2004 Explorer, 46 other models
2003 Ford Explorer complaints by year
NHTSA has received 1,131 owner complaints about the 2003 Ford Explorer, the newest on September 17, 2025. Of these, 60 describe a crash (5%) and 10 a fire; owners reported 57 injuries and 2 deaths.
In complaints about the 2003 Ford Explorer, the component group named most often is the structure (31%), followed by the power train (30%) and the engine and engine cooling (6%).
2 of the 2003 Ford Explorer's 7 recalls also concern the structure.
Where 2003 Ford Explorer owners gave the mileage (916 complaints), the median was 73,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Structure354
- Power Train335
- Engine And Engine Cooling69
- Suspension63
- Visibility57
- Wheels56
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 63 | |
| 2004 | 107 | |
| 2005 | 74 | |
| 2006 | 81 | |
| 2007 | 99 | |
| 2008 | 130 | |
| 2009 | 92 | |
| 2010 | 103 | |
| 2011 | 97 | |
| 2012 | 68 | |
| 2013 | 54 | |
| 2014 | 66 | |
| 2015 | 41 | |
| 2016 | 20 | |
| 2017 | 16 | |
| 2018 | 10 | |
| 2019 | 4 | |
| 2021 | 3 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Ford Explorer peaked in 2008, when NHTSA received 130. 29% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Ford Explorer drew 1.3× the complaints of the median Ford Explorer year in the same window: 11th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 1,131 complaints about the 2003 Ford Explorer are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Ford Explorer by model year
Other 2003 Ford models
Newest record on this page: September 17, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted