IllustrationTHROTTLE BODY ISSUES, INTERMITTENT STAHLS, PEDAL SURING FORWARD WHEN ACCELERATED. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY RISK AND FROM WHAT I HAVE READ A DEFECT IN THE 2009 FORD MODELS. MY TRUCK IS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE REPAIR AND I DO NOT HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND I BELIEVE FORD SHOULD PAY FOR THE EXPENSES OF REPAIRING THIS DEFECT.
2009 Ford Explorer
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 2009 Ford Explorer are lower than the model-year median of 609.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Explorer years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
40–25K
325–50K
550–75K
675–100K
6100–150K
2150K+
26 reports with mileage · 7 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 5 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 4 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 3 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
5 reportsTL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A BRICK WALL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT MULTIPLE PARTS NEEDED TO B…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED AND CRASHED INTO A BRICK WALL. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT MULTIPLE PARTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. A LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE WRENCH WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER WITH NO POWER BRAKE OR STEERING ABILITY. THE CONTACT WAITED FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES AND STARTED THE VEHICLE NORMALLY, BUT THE WARNING INDI…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND THE WRENCH WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT HAD TO COAST TO THE SHOULDER WITH NO POWER BRAKE OR STEERING ABILITY. THE CONTACT WAITED FOR APPROXIMATELY TWO MINUTES AND STARTED THE VEHICLE NORMALLY, BUT THE WARNING INDICATOR WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY FAILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000. ...UPDATED 02/22/17 *BF *TR
I STARTED THE EXPLORER AND WENT ABOUT 300 FEET AND PULLED OVER TO ALLOW AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE TO PASS. THE EXPLORER CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE BUT WAS HELD BACK BY THE BRAKES UNTIL I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. UPON RESTARTING THE EXPLORER RAN FINE UNTIL ANOTHER INCIDENT IN MID OCTOBER. I STARTED THE EXPLORER AND WENT ABOUT 500 FEET TO A S…
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I STARTED THE EXPLORER AND WENT ABOUT 300 FEET AND PULLED OVER TO ALLOW AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE TO PASS. THE EXPLORER CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE BUT WAS HELD BACK BY THE BRAKES UNTIL I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. UPON RESTARTING THE EXPLORER RAN FINE UNTIL ANOTHER INCIDENT IN MID OCTOBER. I STARTED THE EXPLORER AND WENT ABOUT 500 FEET TO A STOP SIGN AND AS I SLOWED DOWN THE EXPLORER WANTED TO KEEP GOING. AS I WAS IN A SHOPPING MALL PARKING LOT AND NO ONE WAS AROUND (ALSO BEING THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED) I PUSHED HARDER ON THE BRAKE AS THE ENGINE SURGED. THIS TIME I HIT THE CRUISE CONTROL OFF BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND THE SURGE STOPPED. NEITHER TIME WAS THE CRUISE CONTROL ON. ALSO EACH TIME THE EXPLORER HAD JUST BEEN STARTED. NO LIGHTS INDICATING A FAILURE ON THE DASH. NO CHANCE I HIT THE CRUISE BUTTON. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK IN THE OPEN THROTTLE POSITION, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE. THE BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP THE ACCELERATION AND THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BECAME STUCK IN THE OPEN THROTTLE POSITION, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ABNORMALLY ACCELERATE. THE BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP THE ACCELERATION AND THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER YET THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED TO INSTALL A VDR IN THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND COULD CAUSE A CRASH IF THE ACCELERATION PROBLEM WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,500. UPDATED 1/21/11 *CN UPDATED 02/14/11
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.