Do Ford Explorers have a full frame?
No. Today’s Ford Explorer is built on a unibody platform rather than a traditional full-frame ladder chassis. The Explorer lineage has included body-on-frame designs in its early history, but modern models use integrated unibody construction for improved safety, comfort, and efficiency.
What unibody means for the Explorer
Unibody construction combines the body and frame into a single structural unit. For the Explorer, this translates to a lighter, more ride-oriented SUV with enhanced safety attributes and typically better on-road manners, while still offering respectable towing and off-road capability depending on trim and equipment.
Key implications for drivers
Unibody SUVs like the Explorer tend to ride smoother, handle tighter turns, and provide advanced crash-structure protection. Engineering also supports modern features such as driver-assistance sensors and integrated safety systems, which are more seamlessly incorporated into a unibody architecture.
Historical context: the Explorer’s chassis evolution
To understand the current setup, it helps to look at the Explorer’s construction history. Below is a concise timeline of the shift from traditional frames to unibody architecture.
- The early Ford Explorers, beginning in the 1990s, used a traditional body-on-frame (ladder frame) design common to many pickup-based SUVs of the era.
- Ford began moving toward unibody architecture with mid-cycle redesigns, culminating in a major shift around the 2011 model year to a fully unibody construction.
- From 2011 to the present, Explorers have used a unibody platform (often referred to as a CD6-based architecture) shared with related models like the Lincoln Aviator, featuring independent rear suspension and modern electronics.
In summary, the Explorer you’ll buy today is unibody. If you’re looking at older used models from the 1990s or early 2000s, some may still reflect body-on-frame construction, but current production and recent generations are unibody by design.
Myth busting and clarifications
Common questions about the Explorer’s frame and related models are addressed here to clear up confusion with other Ford vehicles in the SUV lineup.
- Current civilian Ford Explorers are not built on a full frame; they use unibody construction.
- The 2011 redesign marked a notable shift to unibody architecture across the lineup.
- The Ford Police Interceptor Utility, which is based on the civilian Explorer, also uses a unibody platform rather than a traditional body-on-frame chassis.
The takeaway for shoppers and enthusiasts is that modern Explorers prioritize the benefits of unibody design—updated safety systems, better on-road comfort, and efficient packaging—while older generations favored the rugged traits often associated with body-on-frame vehicles.
Summary
As of today, Ford Explorers do not use a traditional full-frame chassis. The current generation is built on a unibody CD6-based platform shared with Lincoln, delivering a car-like ride with modern safety features. Historically, Explorers moved from body-on-frame designs to unibody in the early 2010s, and since then the model has aligned with other contemporary unibody SUVs rather than ladder-frame construction.
