Most common 2013 Ford Explorer problems
Share of the 2,237 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Explorer complaints by model year
Best Explorer years: 2024, 2023, 2019. Years to avoid: 2016, 2017, 2020, 2013, 2015. Compare all years →
2013 Ford Explorer recalls (11)
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.
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.
Suspension › Rear
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode…
Remedy: Dealer will inspect for the presence of a CABJ. If a CABJ of any design is found, the dealer will inspect the tightness of the CABJ, and replace the CABJ, knuckle, and/or toe link as necessary, free of charge.
Suspension › Rear
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia,…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace as necessary, the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle, and replace the rear suspension toe links, free of charge.
Suspension › Rear
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2013-2017 Explorer vehicles originally sold, or currently registered in Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the cross-axis ball joint (CABJ) knuckle attached to the rear suspension toe link and replace it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began November 27, 2020.
Suspension › Rear
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Explorer vehicles. The rear suspension toe links may fracture due to stress on the rear suspension.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the rear suspension toe links, and inspect both rear toe link ball joints, replacing the rear wheel knuckle(s), if necessary, free of charge.
Fuel system, gasoline
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Explorer Police Utility, Taurus, Taurus Police Interceptor, Flex, Lincoln MKS, and Lincoln MKT vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the fuel delivery module may crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on December 21, 2015. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332.
Show 5 more recalls
Structure › Body › Door
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Explorer vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the interior door handle return spring may unseat, resulting in interior door handle that does not return to the fully stowed position after actuation.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect all four of the interior door handles and either repair or replace them, free of charge. The recall began on July 23, 2015.
Steering › Electric power assist system
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Ford Explorer vehicles manufactured May 17, 2010, through February 28, 2012. The affected vehicles may experience an intermittent connection in the electric power steering gear, which can cause a loss of the motor position sensor signal resulting in a shut down…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will update the Power Steering Control Module (PSCM) software, free of charge. If a vehicle shows a history of a loss of motor position sensor signal when the vehicle is brought in…
Latches/locks/linkages
Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain model year 2013 Ford Explorer, Taurus, and Lincoln MKS vehicles manufactured November 29, 2012, through December 12, 2012. In the affected vehicles, with sufficient door openings and closings, the child safety locks may change from an activated position to a deactivated position…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will test the safety locks. If necessary, the locks will be replaced free of charge. The recall began on August 2, 2013. Ford's recall number is 13S07.
Fuel system, gasoline
Ford is recalling certain model year 2013 Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Fusion, Police Interceptor Sedan and Police Interceptor Utility vehicles; and certain model year 2013 Lincoln MKS, MKT, and MKZ vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the fuel delivery module may develop a crack, allowing fuel to leak.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel delivery module, free of charge. The recall began on July 20, 2013. Owners may contact Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Ford is recalling certain model year 2012 Taurus, Lincoln MKS, and model year 2013 Explorer vehicles manufactured July 19, 2011, through March 15, 2012. In the affected vehicles, the fuel tanks may have a marginally sealed seam in the side of the tank.
Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the fuel tanks and replace them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 9, 2013. Ford's recall campaign number is 13S03.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 6 possible defects involving the 2013 Ford Explorer:
Windshield trim molding Item detachment
On January 27, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE23-001 to investigate allegations of A-pillar trim panel detachment on model year (MY) 2011-2019 Ford Explorer vehicles. At the time of opening, the office had received 164 Vehicle Owner Questionnaires (VOQs) reporting this failure. ODI has received 671 VOQs regarding this failure, including 1 alleged crash and 2 alleged injuries.
Ford Explorer Exhaust Odor
During the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration?s (NHTSA?s) investigation into the Ford carbon monoxide allegations, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) identified additional Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports with similar exhaust odor claims.Presently, ODI has identified 791 VOQs for Model Year 2011-2017 Ford Explorers pertaining to exhaust odor claims.ODI has identified three crashes and 41…
Front brake hose failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE14-027 based on a report of 13 front brake hose (jounce hose) failures in 11 vehicles in the District of Columbia Metropolitan Police Department (DCMPD) fleet of 46 model year (MY) 2013 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor (PI) vehicles (VOQ 10621634).The DCMPD fleet provided Ford with 71 jounce hoses for analysis, including 4 of the 13 failed hoses.Inspection of each…
Electric power steering failure
On May 27, 2014 and amended June 2, 2014, Ford Motor Company (Ford) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect that may result in a sudden loss of power steering assist in approximately 179,027 model year (MY) 2011 through 2013 Ford Explorer vehicles equipped with electric power assisted steering (EPAS), including 82,328 MY 2011 Explorersthat are the subject of PE12-017.Ford has…
Exhaust Odor in Passenger Cab
During the EA17-002 investigation, the agency reviewed and analyzed reports of exhaust odors in the passenger cabins of Model Year 2011 to 2017 Ford Explorers. This investigation required an approach that incorporated knowledge and expertise from the automotive, medical, environmental health, and occupational safety fields.
Front Brake Hose Failure
On April 29, 2015, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE15-017 to investigate a report alleging incidents of front brake hose failure in model year (MY) 2015 Ford Explorer Police Interceptor vehicles used by the Sacramento Police Department in its pursuit driving training program (VOQ 10705832).On September 28, 2015, ODI upgraded the investigation to an Engineering Analysis (EA15-005) to assess maximum…
What 2013 Ford Explorer owners say
Steering all 836 →
I own a 2013 Ford Explorer. While driving in the rain exiting the freeway at approximate speed of 25 MPH the steering wheel seemed to lock up and then was extremely difficult to steer, making it impossible to maneuver the vehicle causing me to hydroplane across several lanes until I crashed into a mature bush. Causing damage to my radiator. I have not taken it to the dealer and have only shopped around for independent mechanics. I am not sure of the extent of other damage. I just became aware that this is a similar problem for other owners. The car is currently undrivable and is going to cost me a large amount of money - now the registration has lapsed (cannot smog) and I have DMV fees to. This was a solo car accident and no other people were in my vehicle at the time. I saw the recall notice (recently) on NHTSA but my VIN number is not included. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH with her three-year-old in the vehicle, the power steering assist fault warning light illuminated and the steering wheel became difficult to turn, causing the vehicle to strike a street pole sign. The contact stated that she was unable to turn the steering wheel. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained neck injuries but did not receive medical attention. A Police report was not filed. The contact was concerned for her safety and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with an electrical power steering assist failure. The contact was informed that the electrical power steering assist needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. …
Body & structure all 439 →
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had experienced a failure. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH the driver's side A-Pillar trim was blown off of the vehicle by the slipstream. The contact stated that the trim piece crashed into a vehicle that was following behind the contact's vehicle. The contact stated that both vehicles had stopped and that the driver of the second vehicle indicated that a small chip was made by the piece of trim that had struck at approximately mid-windshield on the driver's side. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while having the windshield replaced, the A-pillars on both sides of the windshield were cracked. The contact paid out of pocket for the A-pillar replacements. The contact stated that after a while one of the A-pillar trim detached and flew off while driving and the other A-pillar trim was cracked. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where both A-pillar trims were replaced again out of pocket. The contact then received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V031000 (Structure) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact called another dealer a year later and was informed that parts were available and that the part was being held to have the recall repair performed. …
Engine & cooling all 290 →
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated they had taken their vehicle to a local dealer for a crack in the water pump which the dealer repaired, After the repair, the contact noticed a burning abnormal odor when turning on their heat from their a/c unit, which caused the contact and his passenger to become light-headed and dizzy. The contact drove to a local hospital where it was confirmed that the reason for the symptoms was due to high level of carbon monoxide levels. The contact called the local dealer about the abnormal odor but the dealer informed the contact they would not be able to fix the issue and inform the contact to reach out to the manufacturer for the failure. The contact decided to take the vehicle's independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as small oil leaks around the engine that contribute to the odor coming into the interior of the vehicle. …
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked unattended and turned off for a few hours, it caught fire. There were no warning lights illuminated prior to the failure. The fire department extinguished the fire. There were no reported injuries airbag deployment or crash. The vehicle was towed to a police tow lot. A police report was filed. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who assisted with a claim. The failure mileage was approximately 250,000.
2013 Ford Explorer engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl turbo | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 27 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | FWD | 17 / 24 / 20 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 17 / 23 / 19 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl turbo | 6-speed automatic | AWD | 16 / 22 / 18 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2013 Ford Explorer a good car?
Based on 2,237 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2013 Explorer rates use caution: 1.8× as many complaints as a typical year of the Explorer at the same age. It is one of the Explorer years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2013 Ford Explorer?
The steering — 836 complaints, 37% of all complaints for this model year, most often about electric power assist system. Next are the body & structure (439) and engine & cooling (290).
How many recalls does the 2013 Ford Explorer have?
There are 11 recalls for the 2013 Ford Explorer, the most recent from January 19, 2024 (roof and pillars). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Explorer?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2024, 2023 and 2019. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2016, 2017, 2020, 2013 and 2015. See the full Ford Explorer years comparison.
At what mileage do 2013 Ford Explorer problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 76,000 miles; 27% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.