Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that rainwater was leaking into the cabin of the vehicle from the passenger's and driver's side third-row roof seat belts anchors to the seat belts, and onto the floor of the rear of the vehicle. The contact placed a blanket on the folded third-row seats and the trunk floor; upon returning to the vehicle, the blanket was soaking wet. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the second-row driver's side seat belt had malfunctioned and would not safely secure the passenger. The contact indicated that the seat belt buckle mechanism had failed and could not be latched. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were both notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 76,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver side seatbelt unexpectedly unlatched. The dealer was contacted; however, it was diagnosed of repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 150,000.
The check charging system light came on and the power steering locked up, once it locks it stays mostly down. I was going around a curb at about 55mph when this happened with my two children. If that is not a safety issue I do not know what is. I could have wrecked and we could have been seriously injured or worse. Now my check brake system light is also on, check engine light, and it has a leak in the driver's side third row seatbelt. Now I know that it's said to have the battery and alternator tested and that has been done. I feel like I wasted a lot of money that I honestly did not have to buy a decent vehicle for me and my kids. This part is not under recall for my vehicle, however I have done my research and there are numerous recalls, investigations, and complaints. I need this issue fixed.
Fail emissions dealership not complying refuse fix a car that shouldn't be finances to me seatbelt don't work got car 5/14/2024 the heat resistance wasn't replaced correctly and they won't trade or give my money back or fix it I emissions test reports as well what wrong what need be fix car stop yesterday I'm paying out pocket for repair that wasn't cause by me and car not of 458.81 plus 17 dollars charged with it they want keep paying cash but I won't so they said they wouldn't accept it if not in cash.
The rear reverse camera malfunctions and glitches. Often the screen turning green when reversing, sometimes screen is black or no color view and most times the camera if reversing to left or appear as to the right or vise versa and sometimes it's normal but rarely. The control buttons for windows has a malfunction where it sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. The seatbelts are not clicking and I have kids in the rear seats.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 40 MPH, the contact crashed into another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to retract. The contact sustained serious injuries to the chest that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or an independent mechanic to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
The passenger side seat belt in the second row refused to latch while the vehicle was stationary or in motion. The dealership stated that it was not covered under our warranty. The sun/moon roof has leaked on several occasions causing me to pay out of pocket for repairs. The repair shop indicated that we should blow air into the tubes to keep them clear even though we always park in the garage and at work there are no trees around the parking lot to have anything be able to get into the drain tubes. I have owned several vehicles with sun roofs and never had them leak or need to be blown out even when they were stored 100%v outside. Again not covered by warranty even though we had less than 40K miles and a Ford certified pre-owned warranty. This is a bad design and should be a recall. The sun roof was stuck open on 3 occasions. …
Purchased my 2013 Ford Explorer limited with 50 miles on it in November 2012.during 2015 had a strong mold smell,upon investigation found approximately 3'' of water in my spare tire storage area, 3rd row seat shoulder belt wet and carpet under 3rd row seat passenger side soaked.took to Ford dealership while under warranty on 4-27-2015 / 32,002 miles,had 17 days.took in under warranty 6-25-2015 with 34,460 miles,had 4 days.took in 3-11-16 with 44,501 miles,dealership sent vehicle to their bodyshop for 4 days.took to dealership 2-14-18 they sent it off sight to jr's automotive to repair water leak.took to dealership 1-20-19 for exact same issue that I have had for approximately 5 years, found water in vehicle same area 2 days later.in the approximately last 5 years I have had 2 cases opened with "Ford customer relations center"as described in the manual that came with the vehicle plus …
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear second row passenger side seat belt failed to un-latch when occupied. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred whenever the other two rear seats were not in a fully reclined position. The downward positioning of the two seats covered the seat belt release button. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who was unable to provide assistance. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 1,200. Updated 10/26/12
Seat Belt complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 2013 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the seat belts of the 2013 Ford Explorer, 1% of the model year's 2,237 complaints. The component named most often is rear/other › anchorage (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Ford Explorer seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 2013 Ford Explorer, though it has 11 recalls 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 2013 Ford Explorer seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 1 injury to seat belts 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.