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Electrical systemPart report

2005 Ford Explorer Electrical system Problems

Complaints
36about this part
Share
7%of 497 total for the year
Median mileage
78,000miles
Trend
FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 36 complaints about the electrical system of the 2005 Ford Explorer, 7% of the 497 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 78,000 miles. 2 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

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

“Car stalled while driving at highway speeds. Brakes and steering became impaired. Lucky, I was in the rightmost lane and was able to narrowly avoid collision. Incident occurred after a ~3hr drive as I was exiting the highway (I.e. Slowing down). Upon restart, engine turned over, but was undriveable due to iterative surge/stall cycles.”

NHTSA complaint #10862482, filed 2016-05, 95,000 miles

“My Explorer transmission just stopped working going down the highway, almost got hit by a truck. Electrical system kept going in and out. Checked with a Ford dealership they said it was a common problem with explorers and there was no recall. I checked online and there was over 10,000 complaints made. I am in the military have 14 combat tours, and come home to have my life put in danger again on something that you all know about. When are you going to step in?”

NHTSA complaint #11047135, filed 2017-11, 87,000 miles

“While driving down the interstate at night my vehicles dashboard began to act erratic. Then the battery gauge rapidly dropped into the red zone. Within about 3 miles I lost my interior power, headlights, taillights, and signals including my hazard lights. When limping off the interstate my truck had lost enough power to where it died out. Once at the dealership it was found that the alternator fried out causing a surge that wiped out the PCM and utility cluster all without warning.”

NHTSA complaint #11020712, filed 2017-08, 162,000 miles

“Continuous and repetitive malfunction of gas gauge. It occurs very often and is a well known problem in Ford explorers. Additive has been added to no avail, I think Ford just wants owners to have to pay for this and purposely continues to design vehicles like this. It is a major safety concern...what if I run out of gas in the freezing cold with two babies?”

NHTSA complaint #10226434, filed 2008-05, 57,500 miles

“Because of the recent GM recall ignition issue, I thought I should let someone know about the serious similar issue I had 3 times before I traded my car in. The car would just shut off while driving. And all 3 times, I pulled to the side of the road and restarted the car and continued on my way. I was lucky to have a place to pull over safely. I took it to my mechanic twice, found nothing wrong. Took it to Ford and they found nothing wrong. I traded the 2005 for a 2011. …”

NHTSA complaint #10575830, filed 2014-03, 80,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Electrical system: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2026921%
20252322%
2024210%
20231413%
20223914%
20214811%
202018815%
2019207%
2018588%
2017946%
20161295%
2015935%
20141006%
20131637%
2012648%
2011958%
20101210%
200926%
20083826%
20072512%
2006396%
2005367%
2004554%
2003545%
20021484%
2001298%
2000788%
1999927%
19981146%
1997805%
1996473%
1995557%
1994756%
1993455%
1992457%
1991529%

Other parts of the 2005 Ford Explorer

Body and structure
151 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
99 complaints
Fuel system
66 complaints
Vehicle speed control
44 complaints
Engine cooling
29 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
26 complaints
Brakes
18 complaints
Engine
17 complaints
Other or unknown
16 complaints
Air bags
15 complaints
Suspension
15 complaints
Wheels
15 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2005 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