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CarComplaints.com Notes: The previous generation of Explorer was so awful that the redesign in 2006 was greeted with much optimism. That didn't last long.

The transmission continues to be the Explorer's worst reliability problem. Owners report shifting hard & lunging, typically starting as low as 40k miles with a $1,600 average repair bill. On top of that, the radiator is prone to failure around 60k miles. Repairs for the radiator run $500 to $1,000 & many owners report they've had to replace the radiator multiple times for leaks, indicating a possible design defect in the OEM replacement parts.

Ford did make some significant changes to improve handling and safety. Electronic stability control was added in addition to side impact air bags, but beyond that this is a vehicle that should be avoided at all costs.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
0 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Ford Explorer steering problems

steering problem

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2006 Ford Explorer Owner Comments

problem #1

May 252007

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought a Ford Explorer hybrid last year and it has about 2,000 miles on it. Anyways, I was driving it yesterday to work and I was in the passing lane moving to the right turn lane, and as I was doing so the steering wheel locked like it did it when the key was out. I slammed on the brakes just before I headed straight into the local cvs. I took the car to the dealer, and they performed the computer diagnostic, but nothing came up. I knew steering wheels were supposed to lock up when driving, so before anyone died because of this, I decided to bring it to your attention.

- White Lake, MI, USA

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