Ford Explorer maintenance costs. Full year-by-year breakdown, common problems, and which years to buy or avoid.
Last verified June 2026
$732
Annual maint.
7/10
Reliability
14%
Major repair risk (5yr)
$2,461
Avg. insurance / yr
Better than segment average
Worse than segment average
// RELIABILITY BY YEAR
Which year Explorer should you buy?
Tap any year to see what to expect. Green is safe, red means known issues.
Recommended
Neutral
Avoid
Not Enough Data
N/A
2010 Ford Explorer
Recommended
Low complaint volume relative to the model's own average. High NHTSA safety score.
NHTSA recall 10V161000, 10E043000 issued.
2 recalls on record. Affected systems:
Seats
Equipment
// COMMON PROBLEMS
What breaks on the Explorer
Top issues ranked by share of total NHTSA complaints.
Steering, fuel system, gasoline, electrical system
Common
Years affected: 2010–2025
Engine
Moderate
Years affected: 2010–2025
Electrical system
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2023, 2025
Vehicle speed control, service brakes
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2025
Visibility
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2025
Fuel/propulsion system
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2023, 2025
Air bags
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2025
Suspension, power train, electrical system
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2025
Service brakes, fuel/propulsion system
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2023, 2025
Wheels
Rare
Years affected: 2010–2022, 2025
// EXTENDED WARRANTY
Is a Explorer extended warranty worth it?
Worth considering. The Ford Explorer has an above-average major repair probability for the segment — a warranty is worth pricing before you buy, especially on higher-mileage examples. If you want to minimise risk, stick to the 2010, 2023, and 2024. Pay particular attention to 2011, 2013, and 2014 model years.
// NEW VS USED
Buy new or save on a used Explorer?
The Explorer holds 73% of its value after 3 years — in line with the three-row SUV average.
73%
Value retained · 3 yr
50%
Value retained · 5 yr
40%
Value retained · 7 yr
Better than segment average
Worse than segment average
New Explorer
$41,300
MSRP including destination charge for base trim
Used Explorer
$21,400
KBB Fair Purchase Price, 2023, national average, good condition, ~36k miles
The Explorer costs $732/year to maintain — $159 above the three-row segment average of $573. Repair frequency of 24% is well below the class average of 40% — the lowest in the three-row segment. Reliability score of 7 matches the segment average, and major repair probability of 14% is slightly above the 13% norm. Well above-average cost, but notably fewer unscheduled shop visits than class rivals.
How we calculated this. Maintenance costs and reliability scores from RepairPal. Complaints and recalls from NHTSA. Fuel economy from the EPA. Insurance averages from CarEdge. Pricing from KBB. Depreciation from iSeeCars. Full methodology →