2007 Ford Explorer Seats Problems
19 owner-reported seats complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Owner Complaints (19)
When you hit a bump in the road, your driver's seat suddenly slid all the way back on its own, leaving you unable to reach the pedals. This happened unexpectedly while driving and created an unsafe situation. The seat track or locking mechanism may need inspection and repair to prevent this from happening again.
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Your driver's seat has been moving backward while you're driving, starting in October 2017 and becoming more frequent since then. This happens randomly at speeds between 40-70 mph, making it impossible to reach the brake or gas pedal when it occurs. In an emergency braking situation, this creates a serious safety hazard. The fix will likely involve inspecting and repairing the seat track mechanism or locking mechanism that's allowing the seat to slide.
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WHEN I WOULD TURN MY VEHICLE SEAT WILL ADJUST AND, NOW WHEN I AM DRIVING THE SEAT MOVES BACK BY ITSELF. AND I HAVE TROUBLE REACHING FOR THE BRAKES. IT HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE KEY IGNITION SWITCH.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BACK PORTION OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT FAILED AND COLLAPSED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO ASSISTANCE WAS OFFERED. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.
SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR THE DRIVERS SEAT INADVERTENTLY MOVES FORWARD AND BACK WHILE DRIVING. I CANNOT ASSOCIATE THIS MOVEMENT WITH ANY OTHER SITUATION OR ACTION. I CONSIDER THIS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR
SOMETIMES WHILE DRIVING, DRIVER'S POWERED SEAT MOVES BACK
DRIVER'S SEAT MOVES BACKWARD WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN DRIVER'S INABILITY TO REACH GAS/BREAK PEDALS. OCCURS AT TIMES WHEN HIT BUMPS, WHILE TURNING, AND/OR UNKNOWN REASONS. DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND CAN RESULT IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS/FATALITIES. I CAN MAKE THIS HAPPEN EVEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK BY TAPPING THE KEY. DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. NEVER KNOW WHEN TO EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN WHICH MAKES IT MORE DANGEROUS. SEEMS TO BE DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH.
DRIVER'S SEAT MOVES BACKWARD WHILE DRIVING RESULTING IN DRIVER'S INABILITY TO REACH GAS/BREAK PEDALS. OCCURS AT TIMES WHEN HIT BUMPS, WHILE TURNING, AND/OR UNKNOWN REASONS WHEN DRIVING 70MPH. DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND CAN RESULT IN TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS/FATALITIES. DOES NOT HAPPEN ALL THE TIME. NEVER KNOW WHEN TO EXPECT IT TO HAPPEN WHICH MAKES IT MORE DANGEROUS. STARTED OCCURRING AFTER VEHICLE REACHED 125,000 MILES APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS AGO AND HAS OCCURRED AT LEAST 4X/MONTH SINCE STARTED IN OCTOBER 2015.
WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET I HIT A BUMP AND THE SEAT WENT ALL THE WAY BACK. I COULD NOT REACH THE BRAKE PEDAL AND HAD TO MANUALLY PUT THE SEAT FORWARD. ALSO, THE DOME LIGHTS CAME ON WHEN I BRAKED HARD.
WHILE IN MOTION, THE DRIVER POWER SEAT WILL MAKE UN-COMMANDED MOVEMENT BACKWARDS AND AWAY FROM STEERING WHEEL AND PEDALS. THIS SCENARIO TYPICALLY, BUT NOT ALWAYS, OCCURS DURING A TURN OR ACCELERATION. IT HAS ALSO OCCURRED WHILE AT A STEADY SPEED IN THE CITY AND ON THE HIGHWAY. IT APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE IGNITION LOCATED ON THE STEERING COLUMN. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES OVER THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS AND SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE. SPEEDS AT WHICH THIS OCCURS RANGE BETWEEN INITIAL ACCELERATION UP TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS (70 MPH)
MY 2007 EXPLORER DRIVER SEAT MOVE AT WILL, FORWARD OR BACKWARD EVEN WHILE DRIVING. I AM SHORT AND THE POWER SEAT MOVES BACK TO WHERE MY FEET NO LONGER REACH THE PEDALS. THIS HAPPENS CONSISTENTLY WHEN DRIVING OR JUST STATIONARY WHILE CHANGING GEARS AND HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE. THE CAR HAS ONLY 40,000 MILES. I TOOK IT TO HAVE REPAIRED BUT THE DEALER SAYS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. A NET SEARCH REVEALS I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE DRIVERS SEAT BEGAN TO MOVE BACKWARDS WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MOVE THE SEAT BACK INTO PLACE; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ON TWO OTHER OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 66,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT MOVED BACKWARD AND FORWARD WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE AUTOMATIC DRIVERS SEAT WOULD INDEPENDENTLY MOVE BACKWARD AND FORWARD WITHOUT BEING ENGAGED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. THE CONTACT STATED THAT IT WAS REQUIRED TO HOLD ON TO THE SEAT WHILE DRIVING IN ORDER FOR THE SEAT TO STAY IN PLACE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC DRIVER'S SEAT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY AND INDEPENDENTLY MOVE BACKWARD AND FORWARD WITHOUT BEING ENGAGED. THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR AT VARIOUS SPEEDS WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER, WHO STATED THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BEGAN TO RELEASE INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MOVE HER BODY FORWARD IN ORDER TO DEPRESS THE BRAKES AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE POWER SEAT OPERATED NORMALLY AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED SPORADICALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,965.
FORD EXPLORER 2007 POWER DRIVER SEAT MOVES BACK WITHOUT WARNING. POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE IF THE DRIVE CAN'T REACH GAS OR BRAKE PEDAL. *TR
2007 FORD EXPLORER 2 WHEEL DRIVE V6 AUTOMATIC TRANS WITH AN ELECTRIC AUTOMATIC ADJUSTING DRIVERS SEAT. THE AUTO SET BUTTON HAS TWO (2) SEAT SELECTIONS, ONE FOR EACH OF TWO DIFFERENT DRIVERS. THE UNSAFE PROBLEM IS THAT THE SEAT MOVES BACK AND FORTH, UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN. TWICE TODAY, 8/9/10 THE SEAT MOVED ALL THE WAY BACK WHEN I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE I-20 WEST. WHEN THE SEAT MOVES BACK IT PULLS MY FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. SCARES THE DAYLIGHTS OUT OF ME BECAUSE NOW I CANNOT REACH THE PEDAL AND HAVE NO BRAKE UNTIL I MOVE THE SEAT BACK TOWARDS THE STEERING WHEEL WHERE I CAN REACH THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT IS A GOOD THING I DO NOT TAILGATE. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT WOULD MOVE BACKWARDS AND FORWARD WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THE ISSUE COULD OCCUR 3-4 TIMES PER DAY OR NOT AT ALL. IT WAS AN INTERMITTENT FAILURE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS AND THEY INITIALLY STATED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE IDENTIFIED. THEY LATER INFORMED HER THAT THE DOOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE DEALER REPAIRED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO REMEDY THE FAILURE, TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE, AND THOUGHT THAT THE FAILURE WAS CORRECTED. AFTER THE REMEDY, THE FAILURE RECURRED. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT IT HAD BEEN REPAIRED. WHEN THE CONTACT BEGAN TO DRIVE AGAIN, SHE NOTICED THAT THE ISSUE WAS STILL OCCURRING. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 18,519 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 12,000. UPDATED 09/13/08. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE DEALER FIXED THE SEATS. UPDATED 09/17/08. *JB