Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Ford Explorer. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 135,902. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced, it was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was 224,283. The information was from a Carfax Report.
The worst 2010 Ford Explorer problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Transmission28
- Seats20
- Engine17
- Brakes15
- Acceleration14
- Electrical12
- Fuel system9
- Airbags6
- Wheels5
- Steering4
- Suspension4
- Driver assistance3
- Visibility3
- Lights2
- Body1
- Seat belts1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2010 Ford Explorer
Recalls 1
Seats: front assembly: recliner
- What is wrong
- Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, explorer, explorer sport trac, and mercury milan and mountaineer vehicles manufactured between december 15, 2009 through february 3, 2010 equipped with front seat manual recliners. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 202, "head restraint." the recliner gear plate teeth may be out of dimension specification which could result in limited pawl to gear plate tooth engagement.
- Risk
- In the event of a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the manual recliners for both power and manual seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before april 30, 2010. Owners may contact ford at 1‑866‑436‑7332.
Recall number 10V161000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2010 Ford Explorer
Defect investigations
Fleet Vehicle Recall Completion Audit
On November 18, 2010, the federal safety agency's Recall Management Division (RMD) opened an audit query (AQ10-001) to investigate recall remedy completion by rental car companies on safety recall campaigns.It was expected to provide the agency an indication of how completely and how quickly rental car fleets perform necessary recall-related remedies on the vehicles owned and then rented/leased for use on the roadways.RMD queried three (3) major motor vehicle manufacturers (Ford, Chrysler, and General Motors) and requested data regarding completion figures for fifteen (15) discreet safety recalls.Analysis of this data demonstrated that rental car recalls completion was neither complete nor consistent.The rental car companies representing the largest market share in the industry were then queried as to their respective policies for the rental, lease, and sale of vehicles with open recalls.The data and responses from the manufacturers and the rental car companies can be found in the document repository by accessing the ?Associated Documents link above.In December 2015, Congress enacted the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) Act.One section of the Act prohibits rental car companies from renting, leasing, or selling motor vehicles subject to open safety recalls.With the passage of the FAST Act and its prohibition, there is no continuing need for the agency to investigate rental car recall completions.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The agency reserves the right to open any future investigations, including audits of individual recalls, or groups of recalls, or rental car companies, to examine more closely safety recalls performance and completion issues in this area.
AQ10001
Technical service bulletins for the 2010 Ford Explorer 25
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Ford and Lincoln vehicles equipped with wired keyless entry keypad systems and accessory wireless keyless...
- All accessory stick-on keyless entry keypads come with a wallet card containing the master code
- Some 2010-2020 vehicles may exhibit distorted glass with a subtle orange peel pattern or streaking etched...
- On vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission it is imperative that the converter pilot hub be...
- Some 2000 and newer Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles equipped with aluminum body panels may exhibit...
- This SKU is a front upper ball joint
- Various vehicles equipped with a 4.6L, 5.4L, 6.8L modular 3 valve engine built on or before 8-Jan-2016 may...
- Replacing the original equipment SYNC/Navigation system with either an aftermarket SYNC/Navigation kit or...
- 2010-2018 various vehicles equipped with SYNC or SYNC 3 may not function when attempting to find or use...
- The Accessory (Wireless) Keyless Entry Keypad can only be used with vehicles that are factory built with...
2010 Ford Explorer fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.6L 8‑cyl | RWD | 15 | 21 | 17 |
| 4.0L 6‑cyl | RWD | 14 | 20 | 16 |
| 4.6L 8‑cyl | 4WD | 14 | 19 | 16 |
| 4.0L 6‑cyl | 4WD | 13 | 19 | 15 |
What 2010 Ford Explorer owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Thing accelerate by itself while on highway od light blinking at high speeds and then when you come to a complete stop and try to takeoff it goes really slow with the RPMs high then it will kick into gear, unsafe on the road. Truck willjump in gear then out on takeoff.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2010 Ford Explorer. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was approximately 150,000. Most recently, the contact downloaded the Ford App, and when the maintenance history was checked, it was later discovered that the mileage on the Title was approximately 243,000. The contact stated that the date listed on the Ford App was June 2025.
3 times this has happened. I brake and it seems like I'm pressing the gas pedal and the brakes feel like they aren't stopping the vehicle. The third time put me in incoming traffic and the vehicle was totaled as it already had a rebuilt salvage title when we bought it.
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the anti-theft, roll stability, and fuel filler messages were displayed with an audible alarm before the vehicle suddenly shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to the residence. However, the failure reoccurred, and the vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the PCM and ECM had short circuited and failed. The contact was informed that the short circuit was caused by water drainage from the moonroof onto the PCM and ECM computers. The contact stated that the moonroof had previously failed and failed to properly close. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer and manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the ECM and PCM computers were no longer available. The failure mileage was 48,000.
Transmission , Wheel Hub
Runs for about 25 minutes then just dies while driving. Starts back after sits for about an hr and does same thing.
Oil leak in both valve gasket covers oil on the crossmember it started slow then it was traced by Ford to the gaskets(fire hazard) 120 k on odometer
The air bag light will not go off. I have checked the the wiring, cleared the area, and checked all fuses. All checked out okay. I'm a new buyer and can't register the car until it passes inspection. My only conclusion is that it possibly has a defect or has been previously been deployed. There is no record of a previous collision as of yet, although that may not be factual as the car has had a drivers door panel replaced. Can you help with the air bag information? Also, Is there a financial aid grant or some help in obtaining/repairing the problem for low or no income families? Thank you for your time in this matter. Sincerely, Kelly F. [email protected]
The contact owns a 2010 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph and attempting to stop, the brake pedal extended to the floorboard causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a guard rail. During the crash, no injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,600
Compare the 2010 Ford Explorer
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2010 Ford Explorer
Is the 2010 Ford Explorer reliable?
Owners have filed 115 complaints about the 2010 Ford Explorer, fewer than a typical Explorer model year.
What is the 2010 Ford Explorer year score?
The 2010 Ford Explorer scores 84 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Ford Explorer: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2010 Ford Explorer?
Transmission and drivetrain, with 28 complaints, typically around 81,000 miles. Next is seats (20).
How many recalls does the 2010 Ford Explorer have?
1 recall, covering seats.
What gas mileage does the 2010 Ford Explorer get?
Official estimates for the 2010 Ford Explorer range from 15 to 17 mpg combined. The most efficient version (4.6L 8-cyl, RWD) gets 15 city and 21 highway.
VIN decoder
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