Complaints by model year
Each bar is one model year. The most recent years are still collecting complaints.
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026
New York safety inspections
Share of first inspections failed on safety, by model year. Older cars fail more as miles build up, so compare each year with the average car of the same year. Best against its own year: 2002.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections, initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Year by year
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 5 | 0 |
| 2004 | 18 | 0 |
| 2003 Explorer Sport | 65 | 0 |
| 2002 Explorer Sport | 133 | 3 |
| 2001 Explorer Sport | 188 | 5 |
| 2000 Explorer Sport | 71 | 1 |
| 1999 Explorer Sport | 93 | 0 |
| 1998 Explorer Sport | 121 | 0 |
| 1997 Explorer Sport | 37 | 0 |
| 1993 | 5 | 0 |
A model year gets its own page when it has enough data for at least three sections
Most common problems
- Structure110
- Power train97
- Engine and engine cooling71
- Electrical system67
- Seats65
- Vehicle speed control58
- Suspension58
- Latches/locks/linkages55
NHTSA ODI complaints, all model years
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 19 Explorer Sport vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died, and 11 people died inside them. These are counts, not crash rates: a model with more cars on the road shows up more often, and people killed outside the vehicle are not counted here.
| Model year | Vehicles in fatal crashes | Deaths in the vehicle |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 19 | 11 |
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain) · how we count
Fuel consumption by year
Official Canadian test results for 3 model years, best variant per year. Combined consumption ranges from 15.1–15.5 L/100 km.
| Year | Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Explorer Sport 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 17.1 | 12.6 | 15.1 |
| 2002 | Explorer Sport 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 16.9 | 13.5 | 15.4 |
| 2001 | Explorer Sport 4X4 · Sport utility vehicle · Regular gasoline | 17.4 | 13.1 | 15.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
New registrations in Europe
2 new Ford Explorer Sport cars registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland between 2016 and 2016, from the European Environment Agency's CO₂ monitoring of every new car. In 2016 the largest markets were Germany (2).
| Year | New cars | CO₂ g/km |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 2 | — |
Averages are weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value (NEDC until the WLTP switch). European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Recalls
5 campaigns cover the Explorer Sport.
ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HIGH BACK SEATS, THE UPPER BOLT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH BACK SEAT THAT ATTACHES THE SEAT RECLINER MECHANISM TO THE SEAT BACK FRAME, COULD FRACTURE. IF THE BOLT FRACTURES, THE SEAT BACK MAY RECLINE UNTIL IT MAKES CONTACT WITH AN OBJECT BEHIND THE SEAT, SUCH AS THE SECOND ROW SEAT CUSHION.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HIGH BACK SEATS, THE UPPER BOLT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH BACK SEAT, THAT ATTACHES THE SEAT RECLINER MECHANISM TO THE SEAT BACK FRAME, COULD FRACTURE. IF THE BOLT FRACTURES AND DOES NOT JAM IN THE SEAT BACK FRAME, THE SEAT BACK MAY RECLINE UNTIL IT MAKES CONTACT WITH AN OBJECT BEHIND THE SEAT, SUCH AS THE SECOND ROW SEAT CUSHION.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL AND 4.0L SOHC ENGINES, IF THE STRAND COVER ON THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE BECOMES FLARED AT THE END, THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE MAY BIND WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS ACTIVATED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES WITH STEEL HOODS AND CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH SHEET MOLDING COMPOUND HOODS. A WIRE FORMED HOOD STRIKER COULD BE SUSCEPTIBLE TO FATIGUE FRACTURES. IF THE HOOD STRIKER FRACTURES, THE HOOD COULD FLY OPEN WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN.
NHTSA recalls