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.
The 2006 Explorer radiator extends below the car frame several inches. The plastic radiator has no protection from breaking on frozen snow berms or anything else that is high enough to hit it. I'm really surprised reading all the radiator issues that no one mentioned that there's no protection from the radiator being broken other than the rubber flapper, that does nothing to protect the radiator from hard objects. Broke the radiator driving out of my driveway last winter, the state had plowed the road, left a berm of snow in front of my driveway. A few miles later the car was overheating, found out from the mechanic that it was broken.
Now on my third radiator, broke the second radiator on something on a construction site and didn't know it. This third radiator is leaking somewhere now, don't remember hitting anything but tumble weed.
I'm surprised there isn't threads of reports from people putting skid guards on the 2006 Explorer to protect the radiator, and I can't find a skid guard online. Ford doesn't leave much to build a skid guard on to. I'm having a skid guard made by a fabricator.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
The 2006 Explorer radiator extends below the car frame several inches. The plastic radiator has no protection from breaking on frozen snow berms or anything else that is high enough to hit it. I'm really surprised reading all the radiator issues that no one mentioned that there's no protection from the radiator being broken other than the rubber flapper, that does nothing to protect the radiator from hard objects. Broke the radiator driving out of my driveway last winter, the state had plowed the road, left a berm of snow in front of my driveway. A few miles later the car was overheating, found out from the mechanic that it was broken.
Now on my third radiator, broke the second radiator on something on a construction site and didn't know it. This third radiator is leaking somewhere now, don't remember hitting anything but tumble weed.
I'm surprised there isn't threads of reports from people putting skid guards on the 2006 Explorer to protect the radiator, and I can't find a skid guard online. Ford doesn't leave much to build a skid guard on to. I'm having a skid guard made by a fabricator.
nevada, Genoa, NV.
- Perry H., Genoa, US