Lemon Law · Model-year problems
2026 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 2026 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 2026 Ford Explorer: 14 recall campaigns on file with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Recall campaigns on record for this model year:
- Air bags: frontal
NHTSA campaign 26V581000 - Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
NHTSA campaign 26V548000 - Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
NHTSA campaign 26V532000 - Seats: front assembly: power adjust
NHTSA campaign 26V470000 - Seats: mid/rear assembly
NHTSA campaign 26V451000 - Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
NHTSA campaign 26V343000 - Visibility: defroster/defogger/HVAC system: fan/motor
NHTSA campaign 26V202000 - Engine and engine cooling: engine: hard parts internal/mechanical
NHTSA campaign 26V205000 - Seat belts
NHTSA campaign 26V159000 - Exterior lighting: headlights
NHTSA campaign 26V121000 - Visibility: windshield
NHTSA campaign 26V024000 - Engine
NHTSA campaign 25V828000 - Visibility: windshield
NHTSA campaign 25V730000 - Trailer hitches
NHTSA campaign 25V687000
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 2026 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.