Ford Explorer 2006–2010
4th generation · U251
NHTSA data through 13 August 20261,480 complaints, 1,260 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 1,260
- Median of reported failures
- 64,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Transmission and driveline (28.9%)
- Recalls
- 1
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 37,000 and 93,765 miles.
Figure 1 · Ford Explorer 2006–2010 · 1,260 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 5,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 84 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 8 complaints (0.6%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 11,000
- 25%
- 37,000
- Median
- 64,000
- 75%
- 93,765
- 90%
- 126,888
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5,000 | 84 | 6.7% |
| 5,000–10,000 | 32 | 2.5% |
| 10,000–15,000 | 36 | 2.9% |
| 15,000–20,000 | 39 | 3.1% |
| 20,000–25,000 | 28 | 2.2% |
| 25,000–30,000 | 30 | 2.4% |
| 30,000–35,000 | 43 | 3.4% |
| 35,000–40,000 | 46 | 3.7% |
| 40,000–45,000 | 77 | 6.1% |
| 45,000–50,000 | 51 | 4.0% |
| 50,000–55,000 | 52 | 4.1% |
| 55,000–60,000 | 46 | 3.7% |
| 60,000–65,000 | 81 | 6.4% |
| 65,000–70,000 | 60 | 4.8% |
| 70,000–75,000 | 70 | 5.6% |
| 75,000–80,000 | 36 | 2.9% |
| 80,000–85,000 | 65 | 5.2% |
| 85,000–90,000 | 46 | 3.7% |
| 90,000–95,000 | 27 | 2.1% |
| 95,000–100,000 | 35 | 2.8% |
| 100,000–105,000 | 52 | 4.1% |
| 105,000–110,000 | 30 | 2.4% |
| 110,000–115,000 | 15 | 1.2% |
| 115,000–120,000 | 15 | 1.2% |
| 120,000–125,000 | 25 | 2.0% |
| 125,000–130,000 | 23 | 1.8% |
| 130,000–135,000 | 12 | 1.0% |
| 135,000–140,000 | 11 | 0.9% |
| 140,000–145,000 | 16 | 1.3% |
| 145,000–150,000 | 10 | 0.8% |
| 150,000–155,000 | 6 | 0.5% |
| 155,000–160,000 | 9 | 0.7% |
| 160,000–165,000 | 8 | 0.6% |
| 165,000–170,000 | 6 | 0.5% |
| 170,000–175,000 | 3 | 0.2% |
| 175,000–180,000 | 5 | 0.4% |
| 180,000–185,000 | 8 | 0.6% |
| 185,000–190,000 | 3 | 0.2% |
| 190,000–195,000 | 6 | 0.5% |
| 195,000–200,000 | 5 | 0.4% |
| 200,000+ | 8 | 0.6% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 1,480 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006–2010 Ford Explorer, and 1,260 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 37,000 and 93,765 miles. The median is 64,000 miles.
The most-reported areas are the transmission and driveline (28.9% of complaints, typically around 65,000 miles), the engine and its cooling system (12.6% of complaints, typically around 46,000 miles), the engine (8.4% of complaints, typically around 82,000 miles).
1 recall campaign cover this generation.
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2006–2010 Ford Explorer last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2006–2010 Ford Explorer were filed by 64,000 miles and 90% by 127,000 miles — figures drawn from 1,260 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
8 reports (0.6%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Explorer reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2006–2010 Explorer: the 3-minute check
Generated from 1,260 mileage-tagged complaints, 1 recall campaign, 3 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 1 campaign cover this generation; an open recall is a free repair you can make the seller's problem.
- Check engine on 2006–2010 cars. 4.6L 3-valve Modular V8 variable cam timing (VCT) phaser rattle and cam-phaser-related ticking; also difficult-to-remove two-piece spark plugs that can seize and break in the head.
- Check engine on 2006–2010 cars. 4.0L SOHC V6 timing chain cassette failure (same rear-cassette design as prior generations).
- Check transmission on 2006–2010 cars. 5R55S solenoid pack and servo bore wear continuing from the third generation.
- Complaint reports are not spread evenly across model years here — see the by-model-year table below before you settle on a year.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 37,000 and 94,000 miles, with a median of 64,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the transmission and driveline and the engine and its cooling system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The engine and its cooling system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 46,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Ford Explorer 2006–2010
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Throttle and speed control67 reports36,0008,000–73,000Throttle and speed control: 67 reports, median 36,000 miles, middle half 8,000 to 73,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system187 reports46,00037,000–68,000Engine and its cooling system: 187 reports, median 46,000 miles, middle half 37,000 to 68,000 miles.
- Electrical system117 reports64,00040,000–101,000Electrical system: 117 reports, median 64,000 miles, middle half 40,000 to 101,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline427 reports65,00040,000–94,000Transmission and driveline: 427 reports, median 65,000 miles, middle half 40,000 to 94,000 miles.
- Seats86 reports66,00012,000–93,000Seats: 86 reports, median 66,000 miles, middle half 12,000 to 93,000 miles.
- Engine125 reports82,00063,000–110,000Engine: 125 reports, median 82,000 miles, middle half 63,000 to 110,000 miles.
- Problems owners could not categorise50 reports108,00080,000–158,000Problems owners could not categorise: 50 reports, median 108,000 miles, middle half 80,000 to 158,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission and driveline | 427 | 28.9% | 65,000 | 40,000–94,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 187 | 12.6% | 46,000 | 37,000–68,000 |
| Engine | 125 | 8.4% | 82,000 | 63,000–110,000 |
| Electrical system | 117 | 7.9% | 64,000 | 40,000–101,000 |
| Seats | 86 | 5.8% | 66,000 | 12,000–93,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 67 | 4.5% | 36,000 | 8,000–73,000 |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 50 | 3.4% | 108,000 | 80,000–158,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 40 | 2.7% | 40,000 | 15,000–69,000 |
| Steering | 37 | 2.5% | 82,000 | 42,000–105,000 |
| Brakes | 34 | 2.3% | 98,000 | 73,000–130,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Ford Explorer 2006–2010 · 1,260 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 45% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 73% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 87% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 99%: the remaining 0.6% of reports (8) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
45% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 40,000–94,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 37,000–68,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 40,000–101,000 mi
- Seats — middle half 12,000–93,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 8,000–73,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Engine — middle half 63,000–110,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 80,000–158,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
73% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Engine and its cooling system — median 46,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 36,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 40,000–94,000 mi
- Engine — middle half 63,000–110,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 40,000–101,000 mi
- Seats — middle half 12,000–93,000 mi
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 80,000–158,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
87% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Transmission and driveline — median 65,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 46,000 mi
- Engine — median 82,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 64,000 mi
- Seats — median 66,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 36,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Problems owners could not categorise — middle half 80,000–158,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 64,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 28.9% of complaints (427 reports, 366 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 65,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,000 and 94,000 miles.
A single system taking 28.9% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 12.6% of complaints (187 reports, 174 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 46,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 37,000 and 68,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 8.4% of complaints (125 reports, 106 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 82,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 63,000 and 110,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 7.9% of complaints (117 reports, 98 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 64,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,000 and 101,000 miles.
Seats account for 5.8% of complaints (86 reports, 73 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 66,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 12,000 and 93,000 miles.
Throttle and speed control accounts for 4.5% of complaints (67 reports, 57 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 36,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 8,000 and 73,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2006 model year drew the most — 788 complaints — while 2009 drew the fewest at 49. The median year sits at 217.
That makes 2006 an outlier: roughly 3.6 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
Recalls and what they cover
NHTSA records 1 recall campaign covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 1,480 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 61 (4.1%)
- Fires
- 18
- Injury reports
- 33
- Fatality reports
- 5
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine 2006–2010
4.6L 3-valve Modular V8 variable cam timing (VCT) phaser rattle and cam-phaser-related ticking; also difficult-to-remove two-piece spark plugs that can seize and break in the head.
Engine 2006–2010
4.0L SOHC V6 timing chain cassette failure (same rear-cassette design as prior generations).
Transmission 2006–2010
5R55S solenoid pack and servo bore wear continuing from the third generation.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 788 | 679 |
| 2007 | 271 | 237 |
| 2008 | 217 | 186 |
| 2009 | 49 | 37 |
| 2010 | 155 | 121 |
Recalls (1) — is your car included?
May 2010 · 2010 · SeatsIn the event of a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury.
The defect. Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, Explorer, Explorer sport trac, and Mercury milan and mountaineer vehicles manufactured between december 15, 2009 through february 3, 2010 equipped with front seat manual recliners. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 202, "Head restraint." The recliner gear plate teeth may be out of dimension specification which could result in limited pawl to gear plate tooth engagement.
What can happen. In the event of a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury.
The free fix. Dealers will replace the manual recliners for both power and manual seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before april 30, 2010. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332.
What owners reported
I own a 2006 Explorer eddie bauer with 3000 miles on it. Here is the problem, just before coming to a complete stop at stop light, stop sign or whatever, the engine revs to 1200-1500 rpms for just a brief second. I am not giving the car any gas to induce this occurrence. I have no idea why the car is doing this and…
2006 · Transmission and driveline
New 2006 Ford explore vibration at 45 & 60 MPH shakes SUV. During test drive dealer thought the problem was a flat spot on a tire from sitting on the lot. After driving the SUV for several days the vibration continued. Returned to dealer for correction. Suv received new drive shaft, and two rear 1/2 shafts. Problem…
2006 · 20 miles · Transmission and driveline
the contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the glare from the dashboard reflects onto the windshield, making it very difficult to see the road. The failure was noticed while driving 55 MPH. The manufacturer acknowledged the failure and stated that the vehicle was designed in that manner. They also…
2006 · 59 miles · Visibility equipment
I purchased a 2006 eddie bauer Explorer in june of last year and have had transmission issues with it since i hit 1000 miles. I have had it into the dealership 4 times and they have adjusted, replaced a computer, did other transmission work and the vehicle still demonstrates the same issue. This problem happens during…
2006 · 100 miles · Transmission and driveline
Built from 1,260 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page