2008 Ford Explorer Problems, Recalls & Reliability
217 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Ford Explorer, alongside 3 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 5/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 70,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2008 Ford Explorer has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2008 sits among all Explorer years
What owners report
“While driving the vehicle, the ignition switch will activate the memory seat function causing interior lights to activate and the driver seat to move backward leaving the driver unable to reach pedals or steering wheel while vehicle is in motion. Occurs on both city streets and highways. Unseen…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Explorer
“Transmission on my ford explorer v8 4.6 limited not changing into last gear. When coming to a complete stop transmission jerks slightly. At 61000 miles now ..... I didn't expect transmission problems. Front wheel bearings are humming..... I had this wheel bearing problem before on my other 2008…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Explorer
“Transmission failure, front driver seat will not adjust before going out would move on its own and cause interior lights to come on. Previous owner took vehicle in after purchase for hard shifting of transmission and no repairs were done. Transmission problem was not disclosed to me at time of…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Explorer
“Engine light and traction control light and wrench light all came on and car went to idle and would not rev up like it was stuck om idle--this happened while driving 60 miles per hour in heavy traffic and i was almost rearended over it.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Explorer
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 182 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 78,500 miles. Half of those reports fall between 56,000 and 103,500 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (3)
MARATHON IS RECALLING CERTAIN SEAT COVERS, BRAND SUPERHIDES WITH PART NUMBERS 593, 594, 578, 960, 228, 228-09, 267-08, 333, 625, AND 630, SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE SEAT COVERS ARE MADE OF HEAVIER THREAD AND…
Fix: MARATHON WILL NOTIFY OWNERS OF RECORD AND REPLACE THE SEAT COVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 14, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT MARATHON AT 1-800-735-2769.
CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 4.6L ENGINE AND 6R TRANSMISSION, THE BOLT SECURING THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE FITTINGS AT THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TORQUED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND HAVE THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINE ATTACHMENT BOLT TIGHTENED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.
Federal defect investigations
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2008 Ford Explorer reliable?
The 2008 Ford Explorer drew 217 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 5/100, scored against the model's worst year (2002).
What are the most common 2008 Ford Explorer problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Ford Explorer are electrical (54 complaints), transmission & drivetrain (36), and seats & interior (27).
At what mileage do 2008 Ford Explorer problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Ford Explorer problems around 78,500 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 56,000 and 103,500 miles.
Does the 2008 Ford Explorer have recalls?
3 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 Ford Explorer. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.