Lemon Law · Model-year problems
2021 Ford Explorer
What owners of this model year report to the federal safety regulator, the repair attempts that make a California lemon-law claim, and what a buyback covers.
Federal safety record
On file for 2021 Ford Explorer
Public defect-investigation and recall notices on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. If any of these describe your vehicle and the manufacturer's repair has not fixed it, Song-Beverly may apply.
Federal safety record for the 2021 Ford Explorer: 26 recall campaigns and 452 owner complaints on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Components named in owner complaints include: Power train, Engine, Electrical system, Back over prevention, Visibility/wiper.
Recall campaigns on record for this model year:
- Seats: mid/rear assembly
NHTSA campaign 26V451000 - Power train: automatic transmission
NHTSA campaign 26V402000 - Seat belts
NHTSA campaign 26V159000 - Back over prevention: software
NHTSA campaign 26V123000 - Visibility: windshield wiper/washer: motor
NHTSA campaign 26V117000 - Equipment: electrical: engine block heater
NHTSA campaign 25V685000 - Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
NHTSA campaign 25V455000 - Back over prevention: software
NHTSA campaign 25V442000 - Seats: mid/rear assembly
NHTSA campaign 25V393000 - Back over prevention: software
NHTSA campaign 25V159000 - Power train: driveline: driveshaft
NHTSA campaign 25V166000 - Seat belts
NHTSA campaign 25V093000 - Equipment: other: labels
NHTSA campaign 24V852000 - Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
NHTSA campaign 24V635000 - Engine
NHTSA campaign 24V598000 - Power train: driveline: driveshaft
NHTSA campaign 23V675000 - Electrical system: propulsion system: traction battery
NHTSA campaign 23V626000 - Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
NHTSA campaign 23V342000 - Back over prevention: display function
NHTSA campaign 23V305000 - Power train: automatic transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
NHTSA campaign 23V199000 - Power train: automatic transmission: control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
NHTSA campaign 23V069000 - Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
NHTSA campaign 23V022000 - Suspension: rear
NHTSA campaign 21V870000 - Back over prevention: software
NHTSA campaign 21V735000 - Air bags: side/window: curtain
NHTSA campaign 21V652000 - Engine
NHTSA campaign 20V788000
A campaign listed here may not cover every vehicle of this model year, and a covered vehicle may already have been repaired. Check your vehicle's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Figures read from the NHTSA public record on 2 November 2026. Owner complaints are reports submitted to NHTSA; a complaint is not a finding by NHTSA that a defect exists. Nothing on this page is legal advice about a specific vehicle.
The statute
When a warranty problem becomes a lemon
These are the presumptions in the Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act and the Tanner Consumer Protection Act (Cal. Civ. Code § 1793.22). Each applies when the defect is first reported, and the vehicle is still under the manufacturer's warranty, within 18 months of delivery or 18,000 miles — whichever comes first.
- Two or more repair attempts for a defect likely to cause death or serious bodily injury
- Four or more repair attempts for the same non-safety defect
- The vehicle out of service for 30 or more cumulative days for repair
Have an attorney read your 2021 Ford Explorer repair orders.
Attorney Advertising disclaimer: Prior results do not predict or indicate a similar outcome in any future matter. The information on this page is general information about California law, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you have questions about a specific situation, speak with a licensed California attorney.