1996 Ford Explorer Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 63about this part
- Share
- 4%of 1,450 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 123,742miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 63 complaints about the body and structure of the 1996 Ford Explorer, 4% of the 1,450 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 123,742 miles. 6 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Sudden unintentional acceleration: on three different occasions, from years 1998-2015. The first incident occurred in town, 1998. I had to apply the emergency brake to disengage the surging accelerator. I had the vehicle towed to the dealer, who could find nothing wrong. Perhaps a floor mat problem, they said. I replaced the mats with an after market pair- SUV compatible and mud resistant with many, grippers on the underside. Within a year, I quit driving the vehicle and my husband took the Explorer as his daily driver. He never experienced the problem, I had had. …”
NHTSA complaint #10903334, filed 2016-09, 83,000 miles“Gas pedal came off from its mounting to floor board driving while vehicle. Mounting plate seems to have only one bolt securing it to the floorboard. Their are three mounting holes for the peddle backing plate and three holes through floor board. Top hole had stressed metal indicative of what ever was used to hold gas peddle backing plate. Lucky us for just getting off the express way. Something bad could happen to me and my wife.”
NHTSA complaint #10200716, filed 2007-08, 127,485 miles“After the discovery of some small rust on my passenger doors I took it to Ford to be fixed. They ended up discovering my frame is rusted along the bottom of my doors. I am now very concerned about safety with this vehicle. It has only 97,000 which for a SUV is not much.”
NHTSA complaint #10093643, filed 2004-10, 97,000 miles“Vehicle is an SUV with a rear liftgate / hatch that raises upwards when open. On this day I was loading some item is the rear of the vehicle when the liftgate suddenly fell and stuck me on the head. The liftgate is normally supported by a gas type strut on each side. There are ball type pins attached to the liftgate and the body for these gas struts to attach to. The upper pin on the right side of the lift gate snapped off and allowed the liftgate to fall. It appears it was rusting through, however there is no other rust on any portion of the liftgate. …”
NHTSA complaint #10174403, filed 2006-11, 62,000 miles“Approximately one day after truck was purchased, it was noticed passengers sitting in the back seats of the car could not open their doors. Child safety locks were looked at and reset, but doors still would not open. This is a safety hazard as passengers in the back would not be able to get our safely in the case of an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #10535183, filed 2013-08, 72,444 milesRelated recalls
- 97V137000Aug 19, 1997Vehicle description: multi-purpose passenger vehicles. The liftgate assist gas cylinder bracket on the right hand bodyside outer panel was incorrectly welded.Covers: Ford Explorer 1996, Mercury Mountaineer 1997
Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 5% |
| 2025 | 7 | 7% |
| 2023 | 10 | 9% |
| 2022 | 11 | 4% |
| 2021 | 25 | 6% |
| 2020 | 45 | 4% |
| 2019 | 150 | 50% |
| 2018 | 288 | 39% |
| 2017 | 659 | 39% |
| 2016 | 591 | 24% |
| 2015 | 411 | 23% |
| 2014 | 276 | 16% |
| 2013 | 439 | 20% |
| 2012 | 144 | 17% |
| 2011 | 110 | 9% |
| 2010 | 1 | 1% |
| 2009 | 2 | 6% |
| 2008 | 1 | 1% |
| 2007 | 11 | 5% |
| 2006 | 11 | 2% |
| 2005 | 151 | 30% |
| 2004 | 426 | 33% |
| 2003 | 354 | 31% |
| 2002 | 486 | 15% |
| 2001 | 29 | 8% |
| 2000 | 29 | 3% |
| 1999 | 47 | 3% |
| 1998 | 48 | 2% |
| 1997 | 50 | 3% |
| 1996 | 63 | 4% |
| 1995 | 39 | 5% |
| 1994 | 158 | 13% |
| 1993 | 86 | 9% |
| 1992 | 62 | 10% |
| 1991 | 31 | 5% |
Other parts of the 1996 Ford Explorer
570 complaintsVehicle speed control
148 complaintsBrakes
132 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
120 complaintsSuspension
97 complaintsEngine cooling
81 complaintsSeat belts
78 complaintsElectrical system
47 complaintsSteering
47 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
47 complaintsAir bags
41 complaintsLatches, locks and linkages
34 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Ford Explorer
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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