Factory build sheet
2021 Ford Explorer Base
Build 1FMSK8BB-M · 3.3L 6cyl · Four-wheel drive · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMSK8BB and position 10 reads M. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every Explorer whose VIN starts 1FMSK8BB and carries M in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 248 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 248 known VINs
- 2 listed for sale now
Factory specification
As filed by Ford with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 3.3 L
- Cylinders
- 6
- Configuration
- V-Shaped
- Engine manufacturer
- Ford
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- Four-wheel drive
- Transmission
- Automatic
- Forward speeds
- 10
- Brake system
- Hydraulic
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 4
- Seats
- 7
- Seat rows
- 3
- Manufacturer
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1D
- GVWR
- 5,001–6,000 lb
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
Driver assistance, as built
- Forward collision warning Standard
- Lane departure warning Standard
- Lane keeping assistance Standard
- Blind spot warning Standard
Systems the filing does not record are not listed above. Check the window sticker of the exact car before you rely on any single feature.
The same build, other model years
Ford used the VIN pattern 1FMSK8BB for 5 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
- 2020 Base 3.3L 6cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 216 vehicles code L $18,571
-
2021 You are here code M
- 2022 Base 3.3L 6cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 222 vehicles code N $17,890
- 2023 Base 3.3L 6cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 223 vehicles code P $20,204
- 2024 Base 3.3L 6cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 84 vehicles code R
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1FM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | SK8BB | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | M | Model year — 2021 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2021 Ford Explorer as a whole rather than this build alone.
Overall
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Frontal crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Side crash
★★★★★ 5 / 5
Rollover
★★★★ ★ 4 / 5
26 recall campaigns are recorded for the 2021 Explorer. Recalls are issued per VIN range — check the VIN of the car you are looking at, not the model.
248 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMSK8BB-M shares the specification above.
- 248 Known VINs
- 2 Listed for sale now
Cars are filed by a fixed rule based on the VIN, so a car never moves between groups.
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the Explorer, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
- 2021 Base 2.3L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 1,993 vehicles · $18,995 median
- 2021 XLT 2.3L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 43,932 vehicles · $23,395 median
- 2021 Limited 2.3L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 16,093 vehicles · $23,950 median
- 2022 Limited 3.3L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · RWD 217 vehicles · $28,965 median
- 2022 Platinum 3.3L 4-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · RWD 57 vehicles · $31,580 median
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 248 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.