YearToAvoid

2017 Ford Explorer Structure & Body Problems

NHTSA lists 675 Structure & Body complaints for the 2017 Ford Explorer, 40% of all complaints filed for the year. These involve 7 crashes, 2 fires, and 8 injuries, with a median failure mileage of 76,000. Six related recalls cover seat frames, trim pieces, and roof rail covers.

Structure & Body complaints
675
40% of 1,691
Crashes reported
7
Fires reported
2
Injuries reported
8
Median mileage
76,000 mi
Related recalls
6

Typical body and structure symptoms owners report

  • Owners describe exhaust or carbon monoxide odor entering the cabin during hard acceleration, sometimes requiring windows to be rolled down.
  • Some report seat back frames collapsing backward in rear-impact crashes, causing occupants to strike each other.
  • Others noticed melted or warped pillars near the engine bay, in some cases followed by an engine fire.
  • Windshield molding has detached while driving at highway speed, and a rear quarter panel window has shattered spontaneously while parked.
  • A few owners report vehicles rolling on their own after being left in park with the engine idling.

When 2017 Ford Explorer body and structure complaints were filed

First complaint Nov 6, 2016, latest Sep 16, 2026.

2017 Ford Explorer structure & body complaints: complaints filed per quarter822016 Q42018 Q22019 Q32020 Q42022 Q12023 Q22024 Q32025 Q4
675 complaints filed with NHTSA from 2016 Q4 to 2026 Q3; peak 2025 Q2 (82).

Structure & Body recalls for the 2017 Ford Explorer

  1. NHTSA 26V448000Jul 14, 2026Structure & Body288,314 vehicles

    Structure:body

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The roof rail covers may come loose and detach from the vehicle.

    Risk: A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect the roof rail covers and as necessary, repair or replace the push-pins, rail clips, or roof rail covers, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed August 28, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in January 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S54. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 21V316. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on July 16, 2026.

  2. NHTSA 25V347000May 23, 2025Structure & Body492,145 vehicles

    Structure:body

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2017 Explorer vehicles. The driver and front passenger B-Pillar door trim may detach while driving.

    Risk: Door trim that detaches while driving can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will repair the B-pillar trim, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed June 5, 2025. A second notice will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated November 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S53.

  3. NHTSA 24V031000Jan 19, 2024Structure & Body1,889,110 vehicles

    Structure:body:roof and pillars

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2019 Explorer vehicles. The A-pillar trim retention clips may not be properly engaged, allowing the trim to detach.

    Risk: A detached trim piece can fall off the vehicle, becoming a road hazard and increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the A-pillar trim as necessary, free of charge. This will be a phased campaign, with the remedy becoming available in different phases based on model years. Owner notification letters were mailed between July 18, 2024 and December 16, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 24S02.

  4. NHTSA 21V316000May 5, 2021Structure & Body616,967 vehicles

    Structure:body

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2016-2019 Explorer vehicles. The retention pins could loosen and allow the roof rail covers to detach from the vehicle.

    Risk: A detached roof rail cover can create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will install push-pins and replace any damaged rail clips and roof rail covers, as necessary, free of charge. The interim owner notification letter was mailed on June 22, 2021. Owner notification letters (remedy available) were mailed on October 1, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S22.

  5. NHTSA 19V651000Sep 11, 2019Structure & Body311,907 vehicles

    Seats

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with power front seats. The seat frames may have sharp edges.

    Risk: Occupants my contact the sharp edges when reaching between the power front seat and center console, increasing their risk of injury.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will install protective tape on the exposed inside edge and tab of the power seat frames, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19S29.

  6. NHTSA 17V332000May 22, 2017Structure & Body2,204 vehicles

    Seats:front assembly:recliner

    Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2017 Ford Explorer, F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 vehicles equipped with a manual driver's seat back recliner mechanism. In the event of a crash, the seat back frame may not restrain the occupant due to having inadequate welds. As such, these vehicles may not meet the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 202a, "Head Restraints" and 207, "Seating Systems."

    Risk: If the occupant is not adequately restrained in the event of a crash, they have an increased risk of injury.

    Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the seat back frame, free of charge. The recall began on June 7, 2017. Owners may contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 17C08.

Structure & Body complaints by Explorer model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 201019 (17%)
  2. 2011116 (10%)
  3. 2012146 (18%)
  4. 2013455 (20%)
  5. 2014286 (17%)
  6. 2015425 (24%)
  7. 2016618 (25%)
  8. 2017675 (40%)
  9. 2018296 (40%)
  10. 2019154 (52%)
  11. 202089 (7%)
  12. 202138 (9%)
  13. 202217 (6%)
  14. 202312 (11%)
  15. 20243 (14%)
  16. 202510 (10%)

Frequently asked questions

How common are Structure & Body complaints on the 2017 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA lists 675 Structure & Body complaints for the 2017 Explorer, which is 40% of all 1,691 complaints filed for that model year.
Is there a recall for the 2017 Ford Explorer related to structure or body issues?
Yes. NHTSA lists six Structure & Body recalls covering the 2017 Explorer, including seat back frame issues, A-pillar and B-pillar trim detachment, and roof rail covers that can come loose.
At what mileage do these structure and body problems typically show up?
NHTSA data shows a median mileage of 76,000 at the time these complaints were filed.
Have these structure and body issues caused crashes or injuries?
NHTSA records 7 crashes, 2 fires, and 8 injuries tied to Structure & Body complaints on the 2017 Explorer.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.