NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Ford Explorer Recalls
The 2012 Ford Explorer has 7 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on January 19, 2024.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 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
- 829
- Crashes reported
- 10
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
6 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 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 2012 Ford Explorer
Structure: body: roof and pillars
- Campaign
- 24V031000
- Reported
- January 19, 2024
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,889,110
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2019 Explorer
Suspension: rear
- Campaign
- 21V746000
- Reported
- September 22, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 150,723
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013 Explorer
Suspension: rear
- Campaign
- 19V435000
- Reported
- June 10, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 1,194,173
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2017 Explorer
Structure: body: door
- Campaign
- 15V171000
- Reported
- March 24, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 194,484
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013 Explorer
Steering: electric power assist system
- Campaign
- 14V286000
- Reported
- May 29, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 179,027
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013 Explorer
Steering
- Campaign
- 14E001000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011 Explorer
Wheels: hub
- Campaign
- 17E048000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2017 Explorer
2012 Ford Explorer complaints by year
NHTSA has received 829 owner complaints about the 2012 Ford Explorer, the newest on September 30, 2026. Of these, 10 describe a crash (1%) and 6 a fire; owners reported 13 injuries.
In complaints about the 2012 Ford Explorer, the component group named most often is the steering (43%), followed by the structure (17%) and the engine (10%).
2 of the 2012 Ford Explorer's 7 recalls also concern the steering.
Where 2012 Ford Explorer owners gave the mileage (569 complaints), the median was 70,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Steering360
- Structure144
- Unknown Or Other105
- Engine79
- Electrical System63
- Power Train55
Complaints received, by year
| 2011 | 7 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 48 | |
| 2013 | 33 | |
| 2014 | 50 | |
| 2015 | 52 | |
| 2016 | 72 | |
| 2017 | 74 | |
| 2018 | 50 | |
| 2019 | 70 | |
| 2020 | 37 | |
| 2021 | 37 | |
| 2022 | 53 | |
| 2023 | 66 | |
| 2024 | 71 | |
| 2025 | 83 | |
| 2026 | 26 |
Complaints about the 2012 Ford Explorer peaked in 2025, when NHTSA received 83. 23% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Ford Explorer drew 0.8× the complaints of the median Ford Explorer year in the same window: 14th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 829 complaints about the 2012 Ford Explorer are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
2012 Ford Explorer crash tests and safety technology
NHTSA rated 2 versions of the 2012 Ford Explorer: 4 DR SUV AWD and 4 DR SUV FWD.
For the 2012 Ford Explorer, NHTSA lists electronic stability control as standard, forward collision warning as an option and no lane departure warning. Forward collision warning became standard on the Explorer with the 2020 model year, 8 years after this one.
NHTSA puts the chance that the 2012 Ford Explorer rolls over in a single-vehicle crash at 16.9% (4 stars); the 4 DR SUV AWD is higher, 17.4%. Of the 21 Explorer years NHTSA rated from 2004 on, 10 had a lower risk, the 2020 the lowest at 14.7%. Of 41 other 2012 SUVs with NHTSA ratings on this site, 16 (39%) had a lower rollover risk; their median was 17.4%.
Photos: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, NHTSA test vehicle 6708, shown from static.nhtsa.gov. Ratings, rollover risk and technology of the 2012 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 2012 Ford models
Newest record on this page: September 30, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted