Sell your Ford Explorer in Tulsa

Ford Explorer problems: steering, loose trim and the 2020 drivetrain

The complaint file is public: owners report problems to NHTSA, the U.S. road-safety agency, and it posts them. Treat each as a single owner's account rather than a proven defect; one report may tag several systems. Read in September 2026, the Explorer files for 2012 through 2025 show three patterns.

• 2012 to 2014: the steering. Steering is the top complaint heading in all three years: 358 of 827 complaints for 2012, 835 of 2,234 for 2013 and 498 of 1,678 for 2014. Owners describe the power assist dropping out, often with a warning on the dash, and a wheel that suddenly turns heavy or locks. A few say it recurred after a new steering rack.
• 2015 to 2019: trim coming off. Structure is the top heading in each of these years. 2016 is the busiest Explorer year in the file, with 2,450 complaints, 585 of them under structure and 529 under steering. Owners report plastic trim beside the windshield, on the door pillars and over the roof rails working loose or blowing off at highway speed, and many say the recall part wasn't available when they went in.
• 2020: the drivetrain. 2020 has 1,220 complaints, counting the hybrid, and 489 name the power train: hard downshifts, jerks from a stop, slowing down on its own, and a few that dropped into Park while moving.

Later years have far fewer: 433 for 2021, 268 for 2022 and 110 for 2023, though a newer Explorer has been driven for fewer years.

Source: NHTSA complaint file, Explorer 2012; 2013; 2014; 2015; 2016; 2017; 2018; 2019; 2020; 2020 hybrid; 2021; 2022; 2023.

Explorer recall campaigns, grouped by what they fix

Recalls are different: Ford has reported a safety defect and set a dealer repair, for certain Explorers rather than whole model years:

• Steering, 2011 to 2013 (14V286). It covers Explorers built May 17, 2010 through February 28, 2012. The dealer updates the steering software and replaces the rack if the module shows the fault already happened. Without assist, the recall warns, the Explorer "will require extra steering effort at lower speeds".
• Rear toe links, 2011 to 2019. 19V435 replaces the rear toe links on 2011 to 2017 models, and 26V101, a 2026 expansion, covers toe links on 2017 to 2019 models. Three follow-ups cover only Explorers tied to a named list of states, and one, 21V537, names the cause: "Exposure to road salt can cause the cross-axis ball joint to corrode and seize." Oklahoma isn't on that list; see the FAQ if yours came from out of state.
• Exterior trim, 2011 to 2019. 24V031 covers the A-pillar trim beside the windshield. 25V347 covers B-pillar door trim on 2016 and 2017 models, final repair expected November 2026. 21V316 and 26V448 cover roof rail covers on 2016 to 2019 models; the newer one's remedy is expected January 2027.
• Rear axle bolt, 2020 to 2022. Campaign 23V675 states: "The rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect." 23V199 and 25V166 add software fixes.
• Park system, 2020 to 2022. 23V069 covers park system damage on 2.3L models after a control module reset. 26V402, Ford's 26S48, covers a park pawl on 2020 and 2021 models that may engage while moving; its remedy is expected in April 2027.
• 3.0L engine, 2021 and 2022 (24V635). Intake valves can break; the dealer tests the engine and replaces it where needed.

The free repair is a legal duty under 49 U.S.C. 30120, but it has an age cutoff: it doesn't apply if more than 15 calendar years passed between the first buyer's purchase and the recall notice. A 2012 Explorer first sold in 2011 crosses that line during 2026, so a new recall on the oldest years may not be free. NHTSA's recall lookup shows, by VIN, which campaigns are still open on yours.

Source: NHTSA recall list, Explorer 2012; 2013; 2016; 2017; 2020; 2021; Cornell LII: federal recall remedy law and its age limit.

Steering trouble with no recall behind it: repair or sell?

Get any open recall done before the sale. The FTC's used-car advice points shoppers to NHTSA's VIN search for open recalls, so assume a buyer will run yours.

The expensive problem is the one no recall touches. The steering campaign stops at Explorers built through February 28, 2012, and no recall NHTSA lists for the 2014, 2015 or 2016 Explorer covers the power steering, though steering is the first or second complaint heading for 2014 and 2016. If yours has lost its assist, the repair is on you; several complaints describe a new steering rack. Get a written estimate, then set the repaired value, minus that bill, against an offer for it unrepaired. The repair-or-sell worksheet does that math with you.

A 2020 or 2021 with transmission damage is a harder call: the 26V402 remedy includes replacing damaged transmission parts, but it isn't expected until April 2027. Wait for it, or sell now and pass the buyer Ford's letter with the campaign number. Bad transmission covers selling with that fault, and engine problems covers a 3.0L whose engine has failed.

Source: FTC used-car advice on open recalls; NHTSA recall list, Explorer 2014; 2015; 2016; 2020.

What an Explorer buyer weighs

No official source prints a dollar figure for your Explorer, so we don't either. What shifts an offer:

• Year and engine. Recalls on 2020 and later Explorers split by engine: 2.3L, 3.0L, 3.3L and the hybrids.
• Recall paperwork. Repair orders for the toe links, trim or axle bolt answer a buyer's first question.
• How it drives. Whether it starts, steers and shifts normally.
• Miles and body. The exact odometer reading, missing trim, hail dents and the tires.
• The title. The easy case is a clean title in your own name. A loan still on it, a branded salvage title, or no title in hand narrows who can buy; title problems and salvage title cover each.

Source: NHTSA recall list, Explorer 2020; 2021.

Two offers for a Tulsa Explorer, and the state paperwork

Our offer. Ring (539) 271-2021, or send its year, engine, miles, open recalls and where it sits through the sell-it-to-us form. We cover all of Tulsa and buy some Explorers ourselves, paying by check. Missing the title or the keys? We look at those Explorers too, though some we can't buy, and we'll say so plainly.

The partner's offer. When it isn't one for us, Peddle, our partner, gives a free online offer, and nothing obliges you to accept it. Peddle books the pickup and pays for the tow, and its page puts payment at the pickup itself: "Peddle issues payment immediately by check." Its list of documents begins with your title and registration, plus a driver's license or other ID. We earn a referral fee when a sale closes through Peddle.

Either way, Service Oklahoma expects the title to be signed over properly and notarized, with a release for any lien still on record. Our paperwork guide walks through the state steps, and cash for cars sets our offer beside the partner's. We aren't part of Ford Motor Company or its dealer network, and neither one sponsors this page.

Source: Peddle's sell-my-car page (offer, tow, check, documents); Service Oklahoma, Vehicle Titles: what an Oklahoma transfer needs.

Get the Explorer sold

Have the VIN and odometer reading handy, then phone (539) 271-2021 or use the form. When we buy the Explorer ourselves, you get our offer and our check. When we don't, request the partner's online offer at no cost, and decline it if the number doesn't suit you.