Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My check engine light came on and the car was making a loud acceleration noise when touching the gas. I took it to the dealer and they found that the wiring harness (Part# 7L2Z-12A581-CB) was faulty and needed to be replaced. The dealership told me they are trying to locate the part. This went on for 8 or 9 months when they informed me that the part was on a national backorder. No one had this part in the US or Canada. I also contacted suppliers and dealerships myself to help find the part. On multiple occasions I spoke with my Ford dealer, Ford Parts Department and Customer Resolution Center. They keep telling me that we have to just wait for the part. I explained that it's been 9 months and asked if they can tell me how long it will take. They said they have no ETA. …
I am writing to formally express my concerns regarding a persistent issue with the throttle body system in my Ford Explorer. I have addressed this problem multiple times, having repaired the throttle body system, replaced the sensor, and even substituted the entire assembly on two separate occasions. Despite these efforts, the same diagnostic code continues to appear. Through my research, I have discovered that the throttle body issues in this particular year and model are not uncommon. I find myself at a loss regarding the next steps to take, particularly since I am certainly not the only Ford Explorer owner experiencing this challenge. This ongoing issue poses a significant safety risk, as exemplified by a recent incident where my vehicle ceased accelerating in the middle of a busy street just two days ago, nearly resulting in a collision. …
I was shoveling the driveway and wanted to shovel under my vehicle so I started it to pull it into the garage. The ice was thick on the windshield so I put the defrost on and let it run to warm up. I shoveled the driveway a bit more then after about 90 seconds decided I would just scrape the ice so I could get it in the garage. I opened the driver's side door to grab my ice scraper and saw black smoke coming from the passenger side floor under the dashboard. I grabbed the car keys and ran to the other side of the vehicle. I opened the passenger side door and saw liquid flames dripping to the floor but not catching it on fire yet. I called 911 immediately at 8:56 am and ran across the street to my neighbor's house. At 9:06 am the vehicle (first video) is completely engulfed in flames. The fire department said it was and electrical problem. …
I bought the car from a Ford dealer used 2 years ago. It was a one owner vehicle. This problem started about six months after purchase and has been continuing since and over the last 3 months has been more and more frequent. Car will suddenly display the yellow box and wrench on the status screen in dash board and if cruise is set, the cruise will turn off. It will start lunging, then stop completely. After several tries I can finally get it started. Then it will start running, stop, start and will only rev to low RPM's and move very slowly. The safety issue occurs when it completely stops running suddenly while traveling at 40-70 MPH. The power steering no longer works and the power brakes are very hard to use.
On several occasions while driving during the past several months, the power seat has moved backwards on its own, causing problems in reaching the pedals safely. In several incidents when this occurred, the interior lights also turned on. Two of the times this happened, it was when I had to honk the horn, but has happened on other occasions as well. Tonight, while making a right turn, the interior lights came on and the seat moved backwards, then the vehicle died - all electrical components went dead. I could easily have been rear-ended while trying to get the vehicle re-started and this is a huge safety issue.
2007 Ford Explorer making a loud roaring sound upon acceleration. I finally got it to do it at the dealer. The service manager, lead tech and myself went for a ride. They agreed that the fan clutch was locking up and felt that a simple r&r would fix it. However at the last minute the service manager decided to call Ford engineering and he talked to an engineer who explained that the fan clutch is controlled by the PCM (module) and that replacing the fan would not solve the issue. He explained that for some reason the PCM thinks the engine is overheating and it is trying to increase air flow through the radiator. Makes sense. However there are no codes showing an overheating problem. Hmmmm'' upon further investigation it was found that the trans was throwing of an overheat code! I'm not sure why that was not apparent from the beginning. The laptop showed the trans temp at 270!. No way! …
Ford Explorer 2007 eb. Tire light would come on. Had Ford dealer check. Adjusted air pressure. Continued to occur. Dealer would try to retrain sensors. Never helped. Said they think it might have something to do with an aftermarket charger for the cell phone affecting the computer. They said it is happening in a lot of cars. Problem continued after sensor retrained even if phone had not been plugged in. New tires installed nov. 2012 at sam's. They made a notation on the invoice about sensor showing fault. Went several times to dealer and they would retrain sensors. Never helped. Would start again. Finally in oct 2013 asked dealer to check all four sensors for cracks or damage. They broke down tires, inspected TPMS and no cracks found. Retrained sensors again. Nothing they have tried has stopped the problem. Sometimes now it will say tire sensor fault then change to tire monitor fault. …
Noticed water while raining was coming from the lighting/heating panel at top-roof panel that controls heating, air and lights after entering the vehicle. Water continued to leak into the vehicle until the rain stopped, then lights inside the truck came on while driving at night which caused driver to swerve from lights coming on without warning. As of this date, truck is in body shop for repairs of water leak through the lighting/heating control switches. Light switch had to be set to off until can be fixed or lights now continue to come on randomly when driving and continues to leak whenever it rains. Also, note this started after the heavy rains of hurricane sandy. Have owned other suvs by other makers and never had anything like this to happen!
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the automatic driver's seat would independently move backward and forward without being engaged. The failure recurred four times while the contact was driving at an unknown speed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or a mechanic. The contact called the dealer and was advised that the seat failure was caused by a faulty door lock actuator. The door lock actuator would send faulty signals to the automatic driver's seat, indicating that the door was being opened and causing the driver's seat to move independently. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 123,000 and the current mileage was 125,000. Updated 8/11/14 updated 08/25/2014
On 11/23/2007 my 2007 Ford Explorer with 14,600 miles on it would not start. It was towed to the dealer. They changed the main computer and that did not fix the problem. It took 2 weeks for this part of the repair. They then said it needed a new instrument cluster which they ordered. The new part will not be here until the middle of jan. 2008. So I will be without my Explorer for almost 2 months. After the first 2 weeks they provided me with a car to drive. It just seems like way way to long to have a new car (relatively) to be repaired. Do you have info of this part failing on more Ford explorers.
Electrical complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2007 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the electrical system of the 2007 Ford Explorer, 12% of the model year's 208 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Ford Explorer electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2007 Ford Explorer, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2007 Ford Explorer electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 1 fire and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.