Ford Explorer Added To Consumer Reports’ Recommended List

Recently, Consumer Reports dropped a total of eight models from its recommended list due to various quality issues experienced by owners and members of that organization, and it also added seven more. Ford Motor Company has a presence on both ends of that spectrum, which isn’t terribly surprising given the ever-fluid nature of the automotive market in general. While there were a couple of models that lost their recommended status, the Ford Explorer also gained it this time around, too.

In its latest update, Consumer Reports added the Ford Explorer to its list of recommended vehicles based on a very simple reason – that model improved its reliability ratings from below average to average or better, which also improved its overall score. The Ford Explorer was joined by six other vehicles to post these improvements – the Ford Bronco Sport, Ford Escape, Genesis GV80, Hyundai Kona Electric, Volkswagen Tiguan, and Volvo XC60 PHEV.

This news comes on the heels of Ford CEO Jim Farley’s claim from earlier this year that initial quality has improved across the 2024 lineup, and it’s also worth noting that the pre-refresh 2024 Ford Explorer ranked second among all mid-size SUVs in J.D. Power’s latest U.S. Initial Quality Study (IQS). It’s a big turnaround for the Explorer, which has been plagued with various well-documented issues since its last redesign in 2020.

It isn’t all good news for Ford, however, as the brand didn’t perform too well in Consumer Reports‘ 2024 reliability study, coming in at 13^th out of 22 brands with a score of 44 points. As Ford Authority previously reported, The Blue Oval also had a pair of models lose their recommended status this time around – the Lincoln Corsair and Ford Escape, largely due to issues related to the drive system, body hardware, in-car electronics, various noises and leaks, and 12-volt battery drain in hybrid models, though a technical service bulletin was issued to address that particular problem.