CarTold

2016 vs. 2017 Ford Explorer: What Changed

EPA lists the same engines, transmissions and drive types for the 2016 and the 2017 Ford Explorer. Check the individual trims for equipment and production changes these records do not cover.

Nine campaigns cover both years. Six campaigns (engine and engine cooling, fuel system, parking brake and others) cover the 2016 and not the 2017, while five campaigns (engine and engine cooling, seats, steering and others) cover the 2017 and not the 2016.

Fewer campaigns do not establish better reliability. Confirm each car's coverage and repair status by VIN.

The campaigns that separate them

Imported NHTSA recall campaigns that name one of these two model years but not the other, with their component labels. Campaigns covering both years are left out of this list.

Only the 2016

  • 15V464000 parking brake
  • 15V605000 fuel system
  • 16V183000 engine and engine cooling
  • 16V475000 seats
  • 17V767000 seats
  • 20V692000 power train

Only the 2017

  • 16V925000 engine and engine cooling
  • 17V332000 seats
  • 17V530000 steering
  • 19V651000 seats
  • 26V101000 suspension
A campaign may cover only part of a model year's production. Use the campaign number to ask an authorized dealer whether the car's VIN is included and what work remains. Our recall tool finds model-year campaigns; this guide explains the vehicle-specific check.

Side by side

2016 2017
Engines listed 2.3L 4-cyl, 3.5L V6 2.3L 4-cyl, 3.5L V6
Drive types Front-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive Front-Wheel Drive, All-Wheel Drive
Fuel types Regular Gasoline Regular Gasoline
Combined MPG 18–22 18–22
Recall campaigns 15 14
Complaints on file 2447 1688
Investigations 2 2
Complaint totals reflect different time on the road, sales and reporting. They cannot rank these years for reliability. The categories below identify symptoms to read about, not failure odds. How reporting time affects the comparison.

What owners reported, by system

2016

Other 1056 (43%)
Steering 528 (22%)
Engine 404 (17%)

2017

Other 1042 (62%)
Engine 252 (15%)
Drivetrain 114 (7%)

Full reports

Open each year's report to read the recall, investigation, manufacturer communication and EPA variant records on file:

2016 Explorer full report 2017 Explorer full report Every Explorer year compared

Sources and methodology