Skip to content
Air bagsPart report

1999 Ford Explorer Sport Air bags Problems

Complaints
9about this part
Share
10%of 93 total for the year
Median mileage
63,375miles
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 9 complaints about the air bags of the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport, 10% of the 93 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 63,375 miles. 3 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was in a single car accident and my car almost rolled over. I hit the highway railing and my car was damaged pretty badly in the front and side. The car was not in drivable condition however, no airbag came out. Three months later my airbag failure light unexpectedly turned on. The light remains on.”

NHTSA complaint #10007875, filed 2003-02, 63,000 miles

“When it is hot outside, the car will not start. It just cranks and cranks,but, will not turn over.....as if it was out of gas when it is not. There are many tricks to getting this thing to start though. If the windows are rolled up all of the way, and it has not been driven before noon, it wont start. If I drive it in the morning when it is cool outside, it will almost always start later in the day. If I don't drive it until the afternoon, and the windows have been left down and it is parked in the shade, it will almost always start. This problem has become a nightmare. …”

NHTSA complaint #10235583, filed 2008-07, 102,000 miles

“Roll over accident involving 1992 Ford explorer. The consumers daughter was driving along with her grandson and lost consciousness while driving unexpectedly, hit a tree and the median, flipped over several times, landed on the roof and the air bags did not deploy.”

NHTSA complaint #10083352, filed 2004-07

“When starting vehicle the air bag light would turn on and not go out. Consumer has fixed the problem once already, and then after doing it again, dealer had the side air bag system replaced. Air bag light on for the third time. Local dealer replaced side air bag system for 2nd time.”

NHTSA complaint #8010925, filed 2002-06

“While driving 40 MPH the drivers seat back collapsed. As a result the driver lost control of the vehicle and ran into a concrete barrier. The front air bags did not deploy. Please provide further details.”

NHTSA complaint #10040648, filed 2003-09

Air bags: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2004211%
200335%
200243%
2001137%
200057%
1999910%
199811%

Other parts of the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport

Electrical system
14 complaints
Seats
14 complaints
Vehicle speed control
11 complaints
Engine cooling
10 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
9 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
8 complaints
Latches, locks and linkages
7 complaints
Body and structure
7 complaints
Steering
6 complaints
Tires
5 complaints
Brakes
4 complaints
Exterior lighting
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Nov 1, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology