Ford Explorer Towing Capacity [2000-2021]

The Ford Explorer has, since its production, been a fan-favorite SUV, owing to its rugged look and family-friendly versatility. Above all that, the Ford Explorer has a substantial towing capacity, a feature that’s often overlooked by many.

Yes. Did you know that your Ford Explorer could tow around a formidable amount of weight for your camping? If you did, then did you know the exact weight your SUV could handle?

If you seek to know the towing capacity of your 2000-2021 Ford Explorer, then here’s the information you need.

Ford Explorer Overview

The Ford Explorer SUV was first introduced in 1990 for the 1991 model year. Since then, it has had pretty decent towing capacity, but of course, nowhere compared to models like the Ford F-series. However, the newer models from 2000 seem to have better pulling capacities than the 90’s models, obviously because of an improvement in manufacturing techniques. 

The Ford Explorer models between 2000 and 2021 had numerous four, six, and eight-cylinder engine choices. 8-cylinder engines give the highest towing capacities, owing to their superior strength over the other two variants. However, 6-cylinder models came in with respectable numbers and were the most popular throughout the years. With that being said, the engine types were the biggest causes of variation in towing capacities within these years.

Again, these SUVs had different axle ratios and configurations, which worked to bring out minor differences in towing capacities. Each Ford Explorer also comes with its trim level for a well-rounded towing capability. Other factors come into play, but it’s essential to know that you’ll need towing packages to achieve maximum towing figures. 

Let’s look into the 2000-2021 Ford Explorer towing capacity. Shall we?

2020 – 2021 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

We have four different engines for the 2000-2001 Ford Explorer. These are the;

• 2.3L EcoBoost l4
• 3.0L EcoBoost V6
• 3.3L Ti-VCT V6
• 3.3L HEV V6

The overall maximum towing capacity was around 3,000-5,600 pounds. We also have different axle ratios for some engines but bring about no difference in towing capacities. The 2.3L engine came with both the 4WD and RWD models, but their overall towing capacity remained constant for both. The other engine models came with either of the two drive trains.

2017 – 2019 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

We had three engines on the Ford Explorers between 2017 and 2019. They were;

• 2.3L EcoBoost l4
• 3.5L V6
• 3.5L EcoBoost V6

These Ford Explorers had an average towing capacity of 2,000-5,000 pounds. The V6 engines recorded the highest towing capacity. 

2016 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

The year 2016 was slightly different from the successive years in the engine configurations of the Ford Explorer. It was the last time we had a 2.0L l4 EcoBoost engine in the Ford Explorer. Apart from that, we also had two more engines, the 3.5L V6, and 3.5L V6 EcoBoost. Within that year, we had a maximum towing average of 2,000-5,000lbs. Moreover, we had both FWD and 4WD models, but that didn’t bring out any differences in towing capacities.

2013 – 2015 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

The Ford Explorer models made between 2013 and 2015 were similar to 2016 in terms of engine configuration. We only had three engines, namely;

• 2.0L l4 EcoBoost
• 3.5L V6
• 3.5L V6 EcoBoost

The maximum towing capacities of the Ford Explorer models between these years were approximately 2,000-5,000 pounds and nothing in between that. There were slight variations in the GCWR and drive ratios, which brought about some notable changes in the towing capacities.

2012 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

We had two engine configurations in the 2012 Ford Explorer SUV, the 2.0L l4 and 3.5L V6. Their maximum towing capacities ranged between 2,000 and 5,000 pounds. Again, unlike most years, we didn’t have anything between the 2,000 and 5,000lb mark.

The smaller 2.0L engine had a lower towing capacity of 2000 pounds. On the other hand, the larger 3.5L came with either 2,000 or 5,000 pounds of max tow capacity. Again the higher-rated models had notably higher GCWR values than their counterparts.

2011 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

There was only one engine model for the 2011 Ford Explorer. It was a 3.5L V6 and offered an average towing capacity of 2,000-5,000lbs. The difference in towing capabilities was primarily brought about by the different GCWR numbers. Higher GCWR resulted in higher towing capacity; for this case, it was 5,000 pounds. Lower GCWR values came with the 2,000 option.

2010 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

We had two types of engines in 2010’s Ford Explorer: 4.0L SOHC V6 and 4.6L SOHC V6. The 4.6L has a higher towing capacity than the 4.0L, owing to its larger size. And, the 4.6L V6 comes at 3,500-7,115 pounds, while the 4.0L V6 has a maximum towing capacity of 3,500-5,375lbs. 

2009 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

The 2009 Ford Explorer comes with two engines; the 4.0L SOHC V6 and the 4.6L V8. The total maximum towing capacity of the ford explorer 2009 model ranges from 3,500 to 7,285 pounds. The larger-sized 4.6L engines record the higher towing capabilities. 

When engaging Auxiliary Climate Control, you need to deduct 500lbs from the maximum towing capacity.

2006 – 2008 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

 In 2008, we had two engine types on the Ford Explorers. These included the 4.0L V6 and the 4.6L V8. Their total maximum towing capacities ranged between 3,500 and 7,310 pounds. As you would expect, the larger-sized 4.6L V8 had higher values than the 4.0L V6. The former had a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 to 7,310 pounds. On the other hand, the 4.0L came in at 3,500 to 5,395 pounds.

2003 – 2005 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

Like the successive models, the 2003 to 2005 Ford Explorers had two engine types; the 4.0L V6 and the 4.6L V8. The overall towing capacity for the 4.6L ranged between 3,260 to 7,160 pounds. The 4.0L had an average towing capacity of 3,260 to 5,780 pounds. 

2002 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity 

In 2002, the towing capacity was primarily influenced by whether your Ford Explorer was an automatic or manual transmission model. Again, we had two engine types; the 4.0LV6 and the 4.6L V8. The overall towing capacity of the Automatic Transmission Ford Explorers was 3,500 to 7,300 pounds. The 4.6L had a higher towing capacity than the 4.0L. 

The Manual Transmission Ford Explores had only one engine type; the 4.0L V6. Its overall towing capacity is 2,500 to 2,700 pounds.

2001 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

The 2001 Ford Explorer Model had two engine types; the 4.0L V6 and the 5.0L V8. These two had the best towing specs of all the model years. The 4.0L provided 4,740-5,940lbs of towing capacity. The 5.0L recorded 5,620-6,820lbs of towing capacity.

2000 Ford Explorer Towing Capacity

The Ford Explorers in 2000 model had their towing capacities influenced by their mode of transmission. Moreover, we had four engine types that worked to strike minor differences in the towing capacities. The engine types included the;

• 2.5L l4
• 3.0L V6
• 4.0L V6
• 5.0L V8 (not available for manual transmission)

The Automatic Transmission engine models offered higher towing capacities than the Manual engine variants. They had figures between 3,440 and 6,280 pounds, with 5.0L giving the highest numbers.

On the other hand, the Manual Transmission engine models offered significantly lower towing capacities. Their ranges were between 2,000 and 3,200 pounds.

Conclusion

The Ford Explorer is a popular SUV by all standards. The fact that it comes with the ability to tow goods along is a great plus. However, you can’t expect extremely high towing capacities as the car isn’t explicitly made for towing, like in Ram trucks. 

To max out the towing capabilities of the 2000-2021 Ford Explorer trucks, you need to install the essential towing packages. Happy towing!