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2021 Ford Explorer Backup System Problems

24 owner-reported backup system complaints from NHTSA data

24
Complaints
7
Recalls
Jan 2023Nov 2023
Date Range

Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.

Backup System Recalls (7)

RECALLCampaign #21V735000

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Corsair, and Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with 360-degree cameras. The video output may fail, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying.

Fix: Dealers will update the Image Processing Module (IPMB) software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 16, 2021. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 21S44.

RECALLCampaign #23V022000

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles equipped with a 360-degree camera. The video output may fail, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying.

Fix: Dealers will update the image processing module (IPMB) software, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed April 25, 2023. Owner notification letters were mailed February 13, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S02. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 21V-735. Vehicles previously repaired under 21V-735 will need to have the new remedy performed.

RECALLCampaign #23V305000

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Explorer Police Interceptor Utility vehicles equipped with a 12.1-inch Integrated Computer Screen (ICS). When the Display On/Off Button is used to turn the display to "Off" prior to placing the vehicle in reverse, the backup camera rearview image will not appear on the display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Fix: Dealers will update the ICS software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 27, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23C14.

RECALLCampaign #23V342000

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles equipped with a 360-degree camera. The video output may fail, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying.

Fix: Dealers will replace the 360-degree camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 10, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S23. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall number 23V-022. Vehicles previously repaired under 23V-022 will need to have the new remedy performed.

RECALLCampaign #25V159000

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2020-2022 Lincoln Corsair vehicles previously repaired incorrectly under recall number 23V-342. The video output may fail, preventing the rearview camera image from displaying.

Fix: Dealers will update the Image Processing Module software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S27.

RECALLCampaign #25V442000

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Transit Connect, 2019-2020 MKZ, MKX, Edge, Continental, F-150, Nautilus, Fusion, 2019-2023 Ranger, Mustang, 2020-2021 EcoSport, Expedition, Navigator, 2020-2022 Escape, F-250 SD, Corsair, 2020-2023 Aviator, Transit, 2020-2024 Explorer, 2021-2024 Bronco Sport, and 2022-2024 Maverick vehicles. A software error may cause the rearview camera to display a blank image, or the image may remain on the display after the backing event has ended.

Fix: Dealers will update the rearview camera software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 4, 2025. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 25S72.

RECALLCampaign #26V123000

BACK OVER PREVENTION:SOFTWARE

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Escape, Lincoln Corsair, 2020-2024 Lincoln Aviator, and Explorer vehicles. The image on the center display may flip or invert, resulting in an incorrectly displayed rearview image when the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Fix: The remedy is currently under development. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, are expected to be mailed April 17, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated second quarter of 2026. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26C11. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on March 5, 2026.

Owner Complaints (24)

highBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Feb 2026

Your parking collision sensors (the devices that detect objects behind your car when backing up) keep malfunctioning and have needed replacement 3 or 4 times in the past year. The dealership hasn't identified why they keep failing, just replaced them repeatedly. Since these sensors aren't working reliably, you risk hitting people or objects when backing up because you won't get proper warnings.

Parts you may need:

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NHTSA #: 11718657
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jun 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon shifting into reverse, the rearview camera failed to display an image. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V315000 (Back Over Prevention); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 36,000.

NHTSA #: 11664320
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jul 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the back over prevention camera screen display was inoperable. The contact stated that a blue screen was displayed creating a visibility hazard for the driver. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention). The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 34,600.

NHTSA #: 11600913
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jun 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while attempting to shift into reverse, the contact became aware that the rear-view camera showed a blue screen. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

NHTSA #: 11593738
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Feb 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the camera intermittently failed, causing a visibility hazard for the driver. The failure mileage was 60,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA #: 11571486
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Feb 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the back-over prevention camera intermittently failed to operate as needed while in use. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA #: 11570525
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jan 2024

My complaint relates to: Manufacturer Recall Number: 23S23 NHTSA Recall Number: 23V342 INTERMITTENT EXPERIENCE OF A REAR CAMERA BLUE ON THE SYNC SCREEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN REVERSE and notification that rear parking assistant is disabled. Per January 2024 I received a notification that a remedy is available (replacement of rear camera and software update of SYNC). The dealership was not able to perform the remedy as they told me that the Accessory Protocol Interface Module (APIM) showed error codes and could not be updated. I was told to replace the APIM on my own expenses of ~$1,800. I am not willing to pay for a hardware replacement as I strongly believe that the APIM was defected by two prior updates: 1. prior effort of Ford to solve blue screen issue via software update and 2. a subsequent botched Over-The-Air update to version 22251 which is know to having bugs and causing APIM issues according to various Internet forums: [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] So I have a security relevant recall that won't be fixed unless I pay. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA #: 11569054
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Nov 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while reversing, the rearview camera image was blue. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an unknown software update was performed; however, the failure persisted. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA #: 11557338
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
Filed: Oct 2023

In relation to NHTSA Recall Number: 23V342, Ford has failed to remedy issues around reverse Automatic Emergency Breaking. Whenever the 360° camera screen is blue, the system in place to prevent collisions also fails. There is no pattern of failure. Nearly 60% of the time the vehicle is driven an error related to 23V342 occurs.

NHTSA #: 11552126
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Oct 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the image displayed was distorted whenever shifted into reverse. The failure was intermittent at first but became a constant failure with the screen displaying a blue image while shifted into reverse. The failure mileage was 55,887. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA #: 11550848
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Oct 2023

The contact’s daughter owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while his daughter was reversing, the rear-view camera image was blue and black. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

NHTSA #: 11549371
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Oct 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention). However, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving in reverse mode, the back-over prevention camera displayed a blue screen. The dealer was made aware of the failure but confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13000.

NHTSA #: 11549172
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Sep 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while the vehicle was shifted into reverse, the audible alarm feature failed to alert the contact to an object or another vehicle nearby. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 22,000.

NHTSA #: 11545345
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Sep 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the back over prevention screen was either black or blue. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the software was updated, and the camera was replaced however, the permanent fix was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA #: 11543763
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jul 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V342000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that on several occasions the rear-view camera failed to show an image. The failure mileage was 30,839. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

NHTSA #: 11534316
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jun 2023

I have taken my Explorer in twice to have the infotainment system repaired. It will randomly shut down and go blank. Nothing will work to include the camera/backup assists. Sometimes an ignition cycle will clear it, but there have been times it will not. Both local dealers claim they could not duplicate despite bringing in and showing the service advisor during an event. Ford has also performed a "recall" for this 4 times, with the 3rd being canceled because it was not actually fixing the issue.

NHTSA #: 11529359
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jun 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V735000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA #: 11526264
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: May 2023

The contact owns a 2021 Ford Explorer. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V022000 (Back Over Prevention) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that his vehicle rental company owns a fleet of 105 2021 Ford Explorers, and the VINs were all included in the recall. The contact stated that 35% of the 105 vehicles had experienced a loss of rearview camera image. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicles were not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. VIN tool confirms parts not available.  

NHTSA #: 11520394
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Mar 2023

The rear camera has not worked since the vehicle was purchased in spring of 2021. It has now been "repaired" 3 times based on open recalls. however the issue is a known issue and can not be fixed. We have now been told they will.nees to replace the camera which is on indefinite backorder. This is a huge vehicle safety issue Ford is aware of and yet not one of their alleged recalls actually resolves this serious issue.

NHTSA #: 11510460
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Jan 2023

Back-up camera starts turning blue. Verified that there was an issue during manufacturing that they left a hole open and can cause malfunctioning of the back up camera causing the blue screen. Unable to spot blind spots when backing up and can put others safety in danger if behind vehicle especially children and I am not able to see them when reversing.

NHTSA #: 11502166
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: May 2022

I had the backup camera parts replaced 4/15/2022 and within 10 days of having the vehicle back the backup camera was turning blue again.

NHTSA #: 11462906
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Apr 2022

(1)While reversing into the garage, the rear facing camera system turned blue and disabled the reverse braking system. (2) several instances: while reversing, the reverse braking system disables randomly.

NHTSA #: 11460821
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Oct 2021

I had the safety recall 21V735000 performed on October 12, 2021. Within 2 days the same problem of rear-view backup camera blue screen recurred, just as it did before the recall. The problem happens in about 1/3 of trips. Once the blue screen occurs, it doesn't go away until powering off the vehicle, waiting a few minutes, and then upon powering the vehicle on the rear backup camera might work again for a while, but will usually break again the same day.

NHTSA #: 11437614
mediumBACK OVER PREVENTION
Filed: Sep 2021

When putting the car in reverse it jerks back if the pedal is touched which has almost caused an accident. It takes about a minute or two to adjust backing up and the rear camera does not show until the clutch has adjusted.

NHTSA #: 11432323

Other 2021 Ford Explorer Issues