Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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).
In May of 2015 while I was driving, the left rear wheel fell off. Now on April 5, 2016 while my wife was driving, the right front wheel fell off. Two wheels falling off in a period of less than one year. In my mind this is not a coincidence. It is a dangerous situation.
My husband noticed a squeaking noise when driving. It got worse after a road trip and we isolated the noise as coming from the rear passenger side. We investigated further and discovered only one lug nut was holding the tire on, and 2 of the pins had sheared completely off. We immediately had the vehicle towed to the mechanic. We ended up having to replace the entire axle. After chatting about the issue at work I discovered a coworker had the exact same thing happen with his 2005 Explorer but his wheel actually fell off causing $5,000 in damage to his vehicle (no injuries or accident). Is it possible there is some defect?
Tl contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. The contact originally owned a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the better business bureau, under the lemon law, informed Ford to replace the vehicle with the 2007 model. The vehicle has a feature called iron man with 18 inch Michelin tires, however, the spare tire is a smaller 17 inch Goodyear mud and snow tire. The vehicle has the rsc feature which makes the vehicle unstable. Ford stated that they can do as they please. This occurred April 2, 2007. The vehicle arrived straight from the factory and the sticker stated that the vehicle has to have a specific tire, but Ford disagrees. The contact stated that Ford has been unstable since the beginning and needs to be reported. He stated that Ford only installs certain tires on vehicles for emergency situations and he feels that this is an emergency situation. The engine size was unknown. …
Was driving from work to pick up daughter from soccer approx 2 miles away. Started hearing a noise that sounded maybe like something was stuck in hubcap..noise seemed to be more noticeable when vehicle was braking or slowing down. Drove approx. Another 10 miles before parking the vehicle for the night. Next morning(sat) called our local dealer to see if they could get it in to look at it. Service states that the sway bar is loose and that two of the 5 bolts that hold the wheel in place on the driver's side rear were sheared off. Car is at the garage now and they gave me a loaner to use while it iis being repaired. It was in for service about a month ago and the u-joint was replaced and a couple of other issues were fixed all under the extended warranty that was purchased when we purchased the vehicle. …
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. …
Within approximately one week in August, I've had two faulty tire valve stems cause low tire pressure and necessitate a trip to the dealer for repairs. These were on the same side of the car (right front and right rear). I park in a carport and the right side of my car is the more exposed side. The mechanic identified the problem by pressing sideways on the tire stem and hearing the air hiss as it escaped. This seems to be the cracking problem that I've read about in consumer reports magazine. I approached the dealer about fixing the others so that I would not have a crisis later. They pulled up a report based on the VIN and since there were no official recalls, they would not fix them. I called Ford customer relations on September 10, 2008 to file a complaint. I spoke to a representative who identified herself as jamie. …
I have an 2007 Explorer that on three different occassions( fir=st two were not put into computer as being done by Ford dealership and big ten tires and they didn't charge me), last tire that has had valve stem needing to be replaced (total of three different tires on my car) ,replaced at big ten tire and I had told the person how strange it was that three of my four tires had to have valve stem replacements. I want Ford to step up and recall the tires so we can get these replaced for free and get money back for last time I had to get it replaced. No injuries or blow outs but its just a matter of time and I take my 2yr old granddaughter and 10 yr old daughter in this car, I worry about what might happen. How many deaths and crashes from these defective valve stems from china have to cause major damage to families before they do something about them?
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 75 MPH, the steering wheel began shaking and contact was unable to turn wheel. The contact stopped on the emergency lane and the front passenger side wheel fell off. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who stated that the lug nuts came off, and was possibly due to someone not adjusting them appropriately. The failure recurred and the front driver side wheel moved unsteadily, and almost came off. The contact stated that the lug nuts came off again. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle for the recent failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The current mileage was 123,000. The failure mileage was 80,000.
While driving tire went suddenly flat and tire shredded (2nd time one of my Ford explorers went flat or low pressure). Took tire to a dealer was not notified of any recalls or known valve stem problems. Wanted to charge too much for replacement ,so took tire to 3rd party vendor and had it replaced for $204.50. They also did not inform me any stem issues at the 3rd party...............to date 12/03/08 had another low pressure signal went straight to the closest tire shop. It was there they informed me of a known Ford valve problem cracking. Replaced 3 stems which 2 were cracked the 3rd one was not. The forth I left alone due to being replaced already by 3rd party vendor back in September.
Driving 40 MPH when low pressure warning came on. Check tire in one the pressure was 25 psi. This has happen over 7 times on the tires . It has cost me oer $250 to fix all tires. Nobody seems to know why. I bought the fortera triplethread tire seeming there were the best. Now I have 30000 miles on tires and the tire place saus I have about a year on them . To this day I am still having low pressure warnings come up monthly. The tire place where I went said to put extra air in tires an keep doing that till I get new tires.don't know what to do? ..... [redacted]
NHTSA investigations
Tire valve cracking
On October 14, 2008, odi opened pe08-060 to investigate allegations of cracked and leaking snap-in tire valves in model year (my) 2007 vehicles manufactured by Ford motor company.the valves were supplied to Ford by topseal auto-parts, a subsidiary of the shanghai baolong automotive corporation in china.valves made by topseal for aftermarket sale were the subject of two recent safety recalls by tech international…
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2007 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2007 Ford Explorer, 13% of the model year's 208 complaints. The component named most often is pressure monitoring and regulating systems (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Ford Explorer wheel & tire problems?
No. NHTSA lists no wheels & tires 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 wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 43,000 miles, and 33% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to wheels & tires 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.