Ford Explorer Sport Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 736 consumer complaints across the 10 model years of the Ford Explorer Sport (1993–2005) that have at least 5 complaints. 2001 has the most, with 188. Across all years, the part named most often is body and structure (110 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
Best and worst Explorer Sport years →
All Explorer Sport model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 | 94,408 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
| 2004 | 18 | 50,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Stable |
| 2003 | 65 | 82,250 | 0 | 12 | Not compared (before 2008) | Falling |
| 2002 | 133 | 71,000 | 3 | 12 | Not compared (before 2008) | Rising |
| 2001 | 188 | 66,522 | 5 | 12 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 2000 | 71 | 66,556 | 1 | 4 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1999 | 93 | 70,000 | 0 | 2 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1998 | 121 | 100,000 | 0 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1997 | 37 | 98,250 | 0 | 1 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 5 | 50,000 | 0 | 0 | — | Not enough data |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Body and structure110 19%
- Transmission and drivetrain97 16%
- Engine cooling71 12%
- Electrical system67 11%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)65 11%
- Seats65 11%
- Vehicle speed control58 9.8%
- Suspension58 9.8%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
2003: “The transmission is shot I cant put it in gear and me and my husband were almost killed but were able to put it in 2nd gear to roll it to the shop. The 4wheel drive got stuck in 4 wheel low and would not shift at all. When we turned the car on it would rev up to 5 but only go 2 miles an hour.”
NHTSA complaint #11289611, filed 2019-12, 133,000 miles2002: “Rear window hinges failed on one side of the vehicle requiring both hinges that holds the rear window glass in place to be replaced. Dealer was able to repair hinges but the rear window is now unable to be opened due to latch being damaged by hinges and dealer informed me that they could not fix the latch that was attached to the rear window. They referred me to a glass repair shop to do the repair.”
NHTSA complaint #11045781, filed 2017-11, 80,000 miles1998: “My vehicle will not run on reverse. I can shift perfectly fine to all my gears without any fussing or clunking noises coming from the gear shifts/transmission. But as soon as I try to put it on reverse my vehicle does not move, it seems like it's in neutral instead of reverse. At the moment of discovering my vehicle does not move in reverse it was stationary in park. I tried turning the vehicle on and off and tried messing with all the gears but to no avail.”
NHTSA complaint #10956882, filed 2017-02, 163,466 milesOther Ford models
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About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology