Where each one leads
Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
GMC Sierra
- Against cars of the same year, the GMC Sierra comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 33% less often than average) than the Ford Explorer Sport Trac (fails 6% more often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 GMC Sierra uses 9.3 l/100 km, the 2010 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 14.8.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Ford Explorer Sport Trac | GMC Sierra | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1997–2010 | 1982–2017 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Ford Explorer Sport Trac | GMC Sierra | |
|---|---|---|
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.4% | 1.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | +6% | −33% |
| US owner complaints | 720 | 3,933 |
| Most complaints about | Power train | Service brakes, hydraulic |
| Model year with most complaints | 2001 (167) | 1999 (600) |
| US recall campaigns | 7 | 56 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 470 | 6,383 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 17 | 53 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Explorer Sport Trac | GMC Sierra | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 14.8 l/100 km (2010) | 9.3 l/100 km (2026) |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).