1998 Ford Explorer Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often write about two things: speed control hardware that catches fire while the vehicle sits parked, and doors that lock owners in or out. Both show up repeatedly across a wide mileage span, from vehicles with under 50,000 miles to ones past 150,000. The rest of the sample is spread across brake, tire, cooling-system and engine complaints that tend to appear as the vehicle ages.

1. 1
   Vehicle speed control

   Fire from the speed control / cruise switch while parked

   • 615 complaints (31%)
   • median 113,328 mi at 9.0 yrs old (89 state mileage)
   • 150 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $500 (median of 18 quotes)
   • filed 1998–2019

   Owners describe finding smoke or flames under the hood of a vehicle that had been parked for minutes to hours, sometimes in a garage or driveway, and in several cases the vehicle was destroyed. Fire investigators in the complaints attribute the origin to the cruise control switch or the wiring near the brake master cylinder, and several owners note the cruise control had quit working months before. Complaints referencing recall campaigns for the speed control deactivation switch describe not having received a repair notice or having the vehicle repaired before the fire. Reported from roughly 23,000 to 160,000 miles, most often on vehicles that had been parked and undriven.

   Recall 06V286000Recall 09V399000Recall 00V422000

   What to check: Ask whether the speed control deactivation switch was replaced under the campaign covering this vehicle, and have it inspected before parking the truck indoors. Do not assume a used example has been repaired just because the recall exists.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “On march 29, 2007, my wife drove our 1998 Ford Explorer xlt to a doctors appointment at 9:00 a.m. And then to her work location. At 9:36 a.m., my wife parked the Explorer, turned the engine off and went into work. At 10:50 a.m, my wife was notified by an employee from another business that the Explorer was smoking. At that time, my wife noticed that the engine compartment started burning on the driver's side. The firefighters were summoned to the scene. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10186520, filed 2007-03, 105,736 miles

   “Our 1998 Ford Explorer xlt was parked in our garage (on the ground floor of our house). It had not been driven since the day before. The cruise control deactivation switch spontaneously combusted and caused extensive fire and smoke damage to the vehicle and to our primary residence. Both the local fire department and a forensic investigator inspected the scene of the fire. We understand that this switch was just recalled by Ford for 1998 explorers in august 2006. However, our family did not receive mail notification. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10172304, filed 2006-10, 101,000 miles
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Door locks jam, trapping or barring occupants

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report that a door lock, most often the driver's door, stops responding to the key, the inside handle and the remote, so the door cannot be opened from either side. Several describe having to climb out the window or over the passenger seat, and one says the door had to be forced open. Complaints attribute the failure to a small spring or latch piece inside the mechanism, and note that the dealer quoted a substantial charge because the door has to be opened up to reach it. Reported from about 50,000 to over 220,000 miles, with no single mileage cluster.

   Recall 97V215000

   What to check: Open and close every door several times and try both the inside handle and the key on each lock, including whether the lock knob moves freely.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1998 Ford Explorer, door locks fail and can't get out, can not be open with key or remote, can't even be slim jimmied.. Dealer tell me that the enter door has to be torn apart and it will cost $500.00... This is a very dangerous safely hazard. What happens when this vehicle is in a accident or starts fir and passengers can't get out...should be recalled.”

   NHTSA complaint #10206528, filed 2007-10, 98,000 miles

   “Inner door locking mechanism failed due to a small spring breaking. The result is that the door effected (drivers door in this case) will not open from the inside or outside. Thus, trapping a person in the event that an exit must be made quickly. A replacement part has been purchased and I am in the process of replacing the damaged piece. The damaged piece will be available.”

   NHTSA complaint #10104879, filed 2005-01, 73,100 miles
3. 3
   Vehicle speed control

   Accelerator pedal bracket detaches from the firewall

   • 106 complaints (5%)
   • median 107,865 mi at 10.0 yrs old (40 state mileage)
   • 9 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2018

   Owners describe the accelerator pedal bracket separating from the firewall, usually noticed as a loose pedal and then a pedal that drops to the floor. Several say the pedal fell away during a maneuver such as backing out or crossing an intersection, leaving the vehicle with no power, and a few report impacts after losing throttle control. Complaints mention that the bracket was held by a small number of spot welds; one owner re-bolted it and others describe a dealer re-attaching or replacing parts. Mostly reported between about 55,000 and 150,000 miles, often during low-speed pulling away or backing up.

   What to check: Press the pedal firmly and look for movement or a gap at the bracket where it meets the firewall, and check whether the welds appear repaired or supplemented with bolts.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I stepped on the gas pedal and started to proceed through an intersection, I lost all power and had to roll or coast very slowly through the intersection and stop on the other side in a dangerous position in traffic when I could coast no further. The gas pedal bracket had completely broken off the firewall and was laying on the floor. The bracket had been attached by three spot welds. Some other people stopped traffic and pushed me to a safe place to park. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10892670, filed 2016-08, 140,000 miles

   “The accelerator pedal separated from the floor on my Explorer. The car would only idle. I was able to pull over. I re-bolted the bracket to the floor after visiting the dealer. It appears two spot welds broke.”

   NHTSA complaint #10104066, filed 2004-12, 56,000 miles
4. 4
   Brakes

   Brake rotors and ABS hydraulic problems

   • 87 complaints (4%)
   • median 84,000 mi at 7.8 yrs old (27 state mileage)
   • 24 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 1998–2012

   Owners describe brake fluid leaking from the ABS hydraulic unit, warped or corroded front rotors that produced long stopping distances, and ABS lights staying lit with a diagnosed module or speed sensor fault. Some complaints describe the ABS engaging at low speed in dry conditions, and one reports a pedal that went to the floor going downhill. Several owners were told the vehicle was outside warranty and paid for the repairs themselves. Reported from roughly 23,000 to 160,000 miles, in some cases at very low mileage.

   What to check: Look for fluid weeping around the ABS unit and check the rotors for heavy scoring or corrosion; ask when the brake fluid was last serviced and whether the ABS light is currently on.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The ABS light came on and stayed on while driving. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealership, and a diagnostic test was performed. The dealer determined that the module for the ABS and speed senor went out. The dealership also noticed the pins for the frontal air bags were never connected at the factory, rendering the air bags inoperative.”

   NHTSA complaint #10119038, filed 2005-05, 60,000 miles

   “While driving down a hill, the driver applied the brakes. The pedal went to the floor and continued to pick up speed. The driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree. Both frontal air bags did deploy. The driver was not hurt. The vehicle was totaled. The hill was approximately 2 1/2 blocks and the consumer would normally drive down the hill with the brakes applied.”

   NHTSA complaint #10065547, filed 2004-04, 23,500 miles

Buying note. Given the fire complaints tied to the speed control switch, the first thing to confirm on any example is whether the relevant recall work was completed, and the second is that the pedal bracket and door locks operate properly. Everything else on this model year is ordinary wear at 100,000-plus miles, so budget for brake and cooling-system work.

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.