Since its unveiling back in January of last year, the Ford Explorer has struggled with various reliability issues, which in turn has led to multiple recalls.
Among those issues we count problems with the transmission, chassis, suspension and even the air conditioning system, while some models were reportedly shipped with missing emblems, trim pieces, or the wrong wheels, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Even so, the Explorer continues to sell incredibly well for Ford (especially in ST spec), and law enforcement entities still love the blue oval’s mid-size crossover.
Read: Ford Has The Police Vehicle Market Cornered – And This Is Why
Speaking of good news, Ford has just announced that the 2020 Explorer has earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick+ rating for vehicles built after May 2020, this being the IIHS’s top mark.
“Explorer is America’s all-time best-selling SUV and with that our customers expect it to take their family on adventures everywhere – from school to our national parks,” said Ford exec Lee Newcombe. “This honor from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reaffirms the obsession of our entire team who work tirelessly toward the goal of helping our customers arrive at these places and everywhere else in between.”
The Explorer scored high in both vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-pedestrian tests, acing all of the institute’s crashworthiness tests, while also being recognized for the lighting capabilities of its headlights.
The 2020 Ford Explorer comes with a full suit of Ford Co-Pilot360 driver-assist features, such as Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking, Pedestrian Detection, Forward Collision Warning, Dynamic Braking System, Blind Spot Information System, Rearview Camera, Cross-Traffic Alert, Lane-Keeping System and Auto High-Beam Headlights.
Pricing starts from $32,765, which will land you the entry-level 2.3L EcoBoost model.