1992 Ford Explorer Problems

What owners report

Owners of this 1992 Explorer most often write about tire tread separation, brake problems including spongy or grabbing brakes, transmission and cooling faults, and assembly issues such as broken liftgate struts, cracked body panels and a spare-tire cable that can release the spare. Many complaints come from trucks with well over 100,000 miles, though tire and electrical complaints also appear on lower-mileage examples; several reports describe sudden events (tread peeling at highway speed, smoke or fire from the dash or underhood area) rather than gradual wear.

1. 1
   Tires

   Tire tread separation or blowout

   • 140 complaints (22%)
   • median 100,316 mi at 14.5 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • 22 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1996–2012

   Owners describe vibration or rough handling followed by tread peeling off, a bulge in the sidewall, or a sudden blowout at highway speed. Several mention Firestone ATX and Wilderness P235/75R15 tires and later reimbursement disputes under the tire recall campaign, with dealers declining to replace tires or offering only partial credit. A separate group reports the underbody spare-tire cable rusting through and dropping the spare, sometimes while moving. Reported from roughly 40,000 miles upward, often at highway speed; spare-cable failures appear on trucks with 60,000 to 130,000 miles.

   What to check: Check tire date codes and sidewalls on any 15-inch tires for cracks or bulges, and inspect the spare-tire cable and hoist for corrosion; confirm whether tire recall work was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I was traveling down highway and the spare tire cable broke and the wheel fell out and got jammed under the Explorer. Luckily I some how was able to get pulled over before their was an accident. After that had happen I found out that they had a recall on the cables due to them breaking.”

   NHTSA complaint #10456084, filed 2012-04, 126,135 miles

   “On 3/30/000 while traveling from san diego to san francisco, I felt slight vibration in the rear of the vehicle which I assumed was a wheel slightly out of balance. I stopped for the night in pismo beach and on inspection found that the rear tires were separating. On one tire there was approx. An 18 tear between the steel? Backed tread and the rest of the tire. The other rear tire also had a smaller separation starting. The damage was not immediately noticeable from a casual look at the tire. …”

   NHTSA complaint #726620, filed 2000-08
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Dashboard or underhood smoke and fire

   • 155 complaints (24%)
   • median 108,065 mi at 13.5 yrs old (14 state mileage)
   • 70 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2015

   Owners describe smoke coming from the dashboard, the driver's door mirror control panel, or under the hood, sometimes followed by open flames and interior damage. In several cases no warning light appeared beforehand, and the origin was often recorded as unknown or attributed to wiring after inspection. Reported from about 60,000 to 178,000 miles, sometimes while parked or shortly after parking.

   Recall 97V083000

   What to check: Inspect the power mirror switch, door wiring and under-dash harness for scorching or repairs, and ask whether recall 97V083000 was completed for the mirror switch circuit.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My son was driving home from the next street over when my 1992 Ford Explorer started smoking in the cab and then caught on fire. The dashboard, glove compartment burned, and the windshield cracked from the heat . The hood got scorched, and the head liner melted, dropping the melted liner onto my seats. Truck has not been repaired due to cost at this time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10118856, filed 2005-05, 178,000 miles

   “I have a 1992 Ford Explorer, am a single mother of 2 and on friday august 1,2003 when driving on a bypass smoke poured out of my mirror adjusting panel on the drivers door. Had to immediatley pulled off road because of smoke and fear of car igniting. Door panel melted slightly, and rear mirror motor and panel burned up.”

   NHTSA complaint #10030655, filed 2003-08, 98,000 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   Spongy or grabbing brakes, brake line and booster concerns

   • 98 complaints (15%)
   • median 157,000 mi at 15.3 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 18 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2012

   Complaints describe a spongy pedal and longer stopping distance, ABS engaging abruptly in wet conditions, and a front brake line rubbing or breaking near the frame. One owner reported a missing master-cylinder stud after recall 96V024001 was already performed, and the manufacturer declined further assistance. Others describe the vehicle pulling or spinning under moderate braking. Mostly on trucks above 100,000 miles, including several reports tied to wet or humid conditions.

   Recall 96V024001

   What to check: Ask whether recall 96V024001 was completed and have the master-cylinder mounting studs, brake lines and ABS function checked; a firm, high pedal on a test drive is the baseline.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I believe that a very serious design flaw exist in the brake system on the Ford Explorer. The light on my ABS brakes would come on once in a while then go out. I think that most people would not even notice. It happened to me twice that I am aware of, the first time I was braking moderately hard for a red light my vehicle immediately spun hard to the left I was able to correct it and regain control I was driving at 40 MPH. …”

   NHTSA complaint #743858, filed 2001-04

   “Abs: left front brake line broke where mounted to frame. Tt the point where steer brake line cinverts to flex rubber to wheel back plate, front suspension comes up directly to rub against rubber hose when wheel hits a bump in road or curb, the hose can be replaced but location is still the same with respect to lower suspension.”

   NHTSA complaint #973476, filed 1995-10
4. 4
   Body and structure

   Liftgate struts and body cracks

   • 35 complaints (6%)
   • median 197,500 mi at 18.5 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1995–2012

   Reports describe the liftgate support bracket welds breaking so the glass or gate drops, and cracks in the body near the rear window and at the frame bracket. Some owners say the dealer considered their vehicle outside the recall population because of the VIN, even when the symptom matched the recall description. Reported from low mileage up to about 250,000 miles, on trucks of widely varying age.

   Recall 95V164001Recall 97V235001

   What to check: Open and close the liftgate while watching the bracket welds, and look for cracks around the rear window and frame mounts; confirm by VIN whether the liftgate support recall applies.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 1992 Ford Explorer. The contact stated there were numerous cracks near the rear windshield, next to the manufacturing emblem.the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10456111, filed 2012-04, 145,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 1992 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the right hydraulic lift bracket detached from the vehicle. As a result, the lift gate fell on the contacts head. The contact sustained bruises to the back of the head. There is a recall for the structure: body: hatchback/liftgate: support device (NHTSA campaign id #95i007000) however, the dealer stated that his VIN was not included. The contact felt that his vehicle should have been included. The failure mileage was 250,000 and current mileage was 255,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #10229659, filed 2008-06, 250,000 miles

Buying note. With this model year now decades old and typically well past 100,000 miles, the practical checks are tires, brakes and the spare-tire cable, plus body cracks and liftgate hardware. Ask for records showing whether the brake and mirror-switch recalls were completed, and have a shop inspect the transmission and cooling system before purchase.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.