2015 Ford Explorer · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 49owner reports
- 101,000median miles
- $2,100median quote
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Oct 17, 2025 · checked Oct 2, 2026
288 of the 1,791 complaints on this car are about the engine. 49 of those describe overheating.
Tick what matches of 49 reports
Overheating on other Explorer years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the water pump (47 reports) and the coolant hose or reservoir (6 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2015 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Explorer
Loss of motive power. Closed oct 31, 2024, led to recall 24V-635.
Exhaust odor in passenger cab. Closed jan 17, 2023.
Ford explorer exhaust odor. Closed sep 12, 2017.
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head. Closed jan 4, 2006.
Engine cooling fan cracks. Closed aug 31, 1994.
What owners paid
14 of the 49 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,067 to $2,800.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 80,000 and 127,000 miles, from the 32 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“Took vehicle in to see local mechanic due to small drops of antifreeze on ground. Mechanic concluded water pump would need to be replaced. Since water pump is built into the engine for this Ford model, the engine would need to be dismantled to fix. Repairs are going to cost around 3500-4000 to fix just a water pump.....(poor design by Ford) 2015 Ford Explorer Sport has 110,000 miles.”
Filed Mar 5, 2025 · 110,000 miles
“Had the car for about a year. After the last service I brought in car was fine for a few months, but just recently Had a coolant leak start, very slow but not good. Took it to the service department and they said The water pump is bad. Iâve heard several case of this being a known issue but am learning that it has not been issued as a recall. Now expected to drop $5K on replacing the water pump on a known issue.”
Filed Oct 3, 2024
“Premature water pump failure on 2015 Ford Explorer Limited with 51,000 miles. Noticed coolant leak while changing oil. Took it to a mechanic that pressure tested cooling system to discover water pump is leaking.”
Filed Dec 6, 2023 · 51,000 miles
“Water pump died at 80,000 miles. Seems in my research this is a common probably with class action lawsuits”
Filed May 15, 2023 · 80,000 miles
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 49 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Which lights mean pull over now? Warning lights by color and urgency
Other problems on this car
- Trim or a body panel comes off while driving 210 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 204 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 196 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 146 reports
- A/C blows warm or the compressor fails 109 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 84 reports
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 83 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 59 reports
- Steering wheel clicks, clunks or grinds when I turn 54 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 53 reports
- Water leaks into the cabin 35 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 30 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 26 reports