Ford Explorer Safety Rating by Year
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Ford Explorer in 14 model years from 2012 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. Check a specific Explorer’s crash and title history below.
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Ford Explorer— By the Numbers
- Model years rated, 2012–2025
- 14
- 2025 overall rating
- 5★
- Highest overall on record
- 5★
- Lowest rollover risk shown (2020–2025)
- 15.1%
- Recall campaigns, 2025 record
- 20
Model years rated, 2012–2025
2025 overall rating
Highest overall on record
Lowest rollover risk shown (2020–2025)
Recall campaigns, 2025 record
Quick Answer
- What is the Ford Explorer safety rating?
- NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Ford Explorer in 14 model years from 2012 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
- Which Ford Explorer years have the highest safety rating?
- The 2013–2021, 2023–2025 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record. Years without an overall score are left out of that comparison.
- Did NHTSA rate every Ford Explorer model year?
- No. Every model year from 2012 to 2025 has a rating on record; the 2022 has no overall score because a result is missing. NHTSA lists the Explorer for 2011, but we found no crash-test rating for that year.
Ford Explorer safety ratings, year by year
The Explorer's side and rollover ratings never change from 2012 to 2025; the 2012 overall score sits below every later scored year, and 2022 has no frontal or overall result.
| Model year | Overall | Frontal | Side | Side pole | Rollover | Rollover risk | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.1% | |
| 2024 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.1% | |
| 2023 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.1% | |
| 2022 | — | — | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.1% | |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.1% | |
| 2020 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 15.1% | |
| 2019 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.4% | |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.4% | Full 2018 ratings |
| 2017 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2016 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2015 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2014 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 16.9% | Full 2014 ratings |
| 2013 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% | |
| 2012 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 17.4% |
Buying a used Explorer: which year's rating applies
A rating belongs to one model year and one version. Before relying on any figure on this page, match it to the Explorer in front of you.
The Explorer's record splits at 2020, and a 2019 and a 2020 land on opposite sides of it, so match the car's exact model year to its row rather than borrowing figures from the year next to it.
A 2022 shows blank frontal and overall cells because NHTSA published no frontal result for the 2022 version shown here. That is a gap in the record, not a low score, and its side and rollover figures are the same as the 2021 and 2023.
NHTSA rated separate Explorer versions in every year, and the drivetrain behind the figures shown here is not constant: through 2019 it switches between all-wheel and front-wheel drive, and from 2020 it is different again. Decode the car's drivetrain from its VIN, find the matching version in NHTSA's listing for that year, and put the same VIN through NHTSA's recall lookup.
The ratings describe the ExplorerNHTSA crashed. Check the one you’re buying.
Salvage and rebuilt brands, reported accidents and odometer records follow the VIN.
What changed across Ford Explorer model years
The Explorer's record splits at 2020. From that year on, any year with a frontal result shows a higher driver's frontal result than each year from 2012 through 2019, and each year from 2020 on also shows a lower rollover risk estimate than all of those earlier years, while the rollover rating itself does not move.
The overall score reaches its highest, 5 stars, in 2013–2021, 2023–2025.
Recalls and complaints by model year
NHTSA files these beside each year's crash-test results. They describe what owners and the agency reported afterwards, not how the vehicle was built to perform in a crash.
| Model year | Recall campaigns | Owner complaints | Investigations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 20 | 96 | 0 |
| 2024 | 10 | 19 | 0 |
| 2023 | 15 | 107 | 0 |
| 2022 | 24 | 262 | 2 |
| 2021 | 26 | 416 | 2 |
| 2020 | 32 | 1203 | 3 |
| 2019 | 6 | 294 | 1 |
| 2018 | 7 | 727 | 2 |
| 2017 | 15 | 1696 | 2 |
| 2016 | 15 | 2446 | 2 |
| 2015 | 9 | 1777 | 5 |
| 2014 | 7 | 1674 | 4 |
| 2013 | 12 | 2232 | 6 |
| 2012 | 7 | 826 | 4 |
Whether a recall was repaired on a particular car is in the manufacturer’s records for that VIN; a dealer or NHTSA’s VIN lookup can confirm it. The Ford recall check by VIN lists the campaigns filed for a model and year.
How NHTSA's ratings work
NHTSA announced new NCAP crash tests and rating criteria in July 2008, including a new overall rating that combines the frontal, side and rollover results. It then postponed the change by a year: the new criteria apply to vehicles tested beginning with model year 2011, not 2010 as first announced.
In NHTSA's own words, its rollover resistance ratings “estimate the risk of rollover if a vehicle is involved in a single-vehicle crash.”
One limit applies to every vehicle here. NHTSA notes that the frontal crash rating “depends on vehicle mass, and cannot be compared across vehicle weight classes” — a full-size truck's frontal stars and a compact car's are not the same measure.
- Federal Register, 73 FR 79206 (Dec. 24, 2008) — new NCAP criteria begin with model year 2011
- Federal Register, 73 FR 40016 (July 11, 2008) — NCAP testing and rating changes, including the overall rating
- Federal Register, 68 FR 59250 (Oct. 14, 2003) — NCAP rollover resistance ratings
- NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings
Year pages and related models
Every version NHTSA rated in a given year, plus rating histories for other models.
Every rated version of the 2018, with inspection notes.
Every rated version of the 2014, with inspection notes.
14 rated model years, 2011–2024.
14 rated model years, 2012–2025.
14 rated model years, 2011–2024.
12 rated model years, 2011–2022.
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Ford Explorer Safety FAQ
What NHTSA’s record shows across model years, and what it cannot tell you about one car.
What is the Ford Explorer safety rating?+
NHTSA has published crash-test ratings for the Ford Explorer in 14 model years from 2012 to 2025; the 2025 earned 5 out of 5 stars overall. A rating applies to one model year and one body style or drivetrain, so check the year you are actually buying.
Which Ford Explorer years have the highest safety rating?+
The 2013–2021, 2023–2025 model years earned 5 stars overall, the highest score on record. Years without an overall score are left out of that comparison.
Did NHTSA rate every Ford Explorer model year?+
No. Every model year from 2012 to 2025 has a rating on record; the 2022 has no overall score because a result is missing. NHTSA lists the Explorer for 2011, but we found no crash-test rating for that year.
Are Ford Explorer ratings from before 2011 comparable?+
Not like for like. NHTSA changed its crash tests and rating criteria starting with model year 2011, so this page lists 2011 and later only. Earlier ratings came from different tests.
Does the rating apply to a used Explorer?+
It applies to the Explorer as built. A used one that has been in a serious crash, rebuilt from salvage or had airbags replaced is no longer the vehicle NHTSA tested. NHTSA's 2025 record lists 20 recall campaigns; a VIN check shows that car's title brands and reported accidents, plus the recall campaigns filed for its model and year.
Every year’s rating is for the model. The VIN is for the car.
A crash rating can’t see a salvage or rebuilt title, reported accidents or an odometer rollback. The VIN record can.
Or get the full VIN history reportPassende VIN-Abfragen
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