NHTSA Safety Recalls
2006 Ford Explorer Recalls
The 2006 Ford Explorer has 4 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on November 9, 2005.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2006 Ford Explorer. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 630
- Crashes reported
- 13
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
7 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2006 Ford Explorer, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
4 recalls on the 2006 Ford Explorer
Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
- Campaign
- 05V520000
- Reported
- November 9, 2005
- Vehicles affected
- up to 199,942
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 12 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E049000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2005 Explorer, 23 other models
Visibility: glass, side/rear
- Campaign
- 07E104000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2002–2005, 2007–2008 Explorer, 9 other models
Equipment
- Campaign
- 10E043000
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury
- Same campaign
- also 2007–2010 Explorer, 10 other models
2006 Ford Explorer complaints by year
NHTSA has received 630 owner complaints about the 2006 Ford Explorer, the newest on May 27, 2025. Of these, 13 describe a crash (2%) and 7 a fire; owners reported 12 injuries.
In complaints about the 2006 Ford Explorer, the component group named most often is the power train (47%), followed by the engine and engine cooling (26%) and the engine (9%).
None of the 2006 Ford Explorer's 4 recalls concerns the power train.
Where 2006 Ford Explorer owners gave the mileage (547 complaints), the median was 55,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Power Train296
- Engine And Engine Cooling164
- Engine58
- Electrical System39
- Vehicle Speed Control28
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic23
Complaints received, by year
| 2005 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 31 | |
| 2007 | 50 | |
| 2008 | 42 | |
| 2009 | 79 | |
| 2010 | 99 | |
| 2011 | 71 | |
| 2012 | 54 | |
| 2013 | 54 | |
| 2014 | 47 | |
| 2015 | 31 | |
| 2016 | 31 | |
| 2017 | 14 | |
| 2018 | 12 | |
| 2019 | 2 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 1 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2006 Ford Explorer peaked in 2010, when NHTSA received 99. 32% arrived between 2005 and 2009, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2006 vehicles, the 2006 Ford Explorer drew 1.0× the complaints of the median Ford Explorer year in the same window: 13th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 630 complaints about the 2006 Ford Explorer are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
2006 Ford Explorer crash tests and safety technology
For the 2006 Ford Explorer, NHTSA lists electronic stability control as standard and no forward collision warning or lane departure warning. Forward collision warning became standard on the Explorer with the 2020 model year, 14 years after this one.
NHTSA puts the chance that the 2006 Ford Explorer rolls over in a single-vehicle crash at 22.8% (3 stars). Of the 21 Explorer years NHTSA rated from 2004 on, 14 had a lower risk, the 2020 the lowest at 14.7%. Of 29 other 2006 SUVs with NHTSA ratings on this site, 25 (86%) had a lower rollover risk; their median was 19.8%.
Photos: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, NHTSA test vehicle 1885, shown from static.nhtsa.gov. Ratings, rollover risk and technology of the 2006 Ford Explorer: NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings API, retrieved October 28, 2026; NHTSA terms of use. How the tests work
Ford Explorer by model year
Other 2006 Ford models
Newest record on this page: May 27, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted