1998 Ford Explorer Sport

No clear pattern

0.7% of complaints about the 1998 Ford Explorer Sport arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 1998 vehicle, but with only 137 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is latches / locks (30 complaints), typically at 7.3 yr or about 95,997 miles.

Complaints: 137
Median age at failure: 7.3 yr
Median mileage: 100,000 n=83
Crash / fire / tow: 19.7% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Latches / locks 47,400 mi 5.3 yr in service crash / fire / tow

I WAS CHANGING FUSES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF OUR 98 EXPLORER AND THE HOOD SLAMMED SHUT ON MY HAND AND FINGERS. THE PISTONS THAT HELD THE HOOD UP FAILED.

Latches / locks mileage not reported 6.0 yr in service

I HAVE A 1998 EXPLORER SPORT SUV. I AM HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE AUTOMATIC LOCKS NOT OPENING AND LOCKING ME INSIDE THE VEHICLE. I HAVE TO PUSH THE AUTOMATIC LOCK BUTTON SIX OR SEVEN TIMES TO GET IT TO WORK. THE HANDLE ON THE DOOR WON'T EVEN OPEN IT.

Latches / locks mileage not reported 6.2 yr in service

DRIVERS-SIDE DOOR DOES NOT OPEN BY USING THE KEY, POWER-LOCK/UNLOCK BUTTON OR PULLING THE INSIDE HANDLE. THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SAFETY FEATURE IN CASE THE POWER LOCKS FAIL. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON ACCORDING TO FORD DEALERS, LOCKSMITHS, AND AFTER-MARKET PROFESSIONALS.*AK

Electrical system 114,800 mi 5.7 yr in service

SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN AND PARK LIGHTS TURNED ON ALTHOUGH THE LIGHT SWITCH WAS IN THE "OFF" POSITION. ALSO MOVING THE MULTIFUNCTION LEVER TO MAKE A LEFT TURN SIGNAL ,THE INSTUMENT PANEL SHOWED THAT THE LEFT SIGNAL LIGHT WAS STUCK "ON" AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS DIDN'T WORK AT THE FRONT AND REAR OF THE TRUCK. HOWEVER, THE RIGHT SIGNAL HAS NEVER MALFUNCTIONED. THIS IS VERY TROUBLING. THIS EVENT OCURRED TWICE WITHIN A WEEK. DEALER HAS REPLACED TWO RELAYS(I PAID FOR), ONLY TIME WILL TELL IF THIS IS THE FIX.*AK

Other Explorer Sport model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

1998 Ford Explorer Sport

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

Other Explorer Sport model years

How to read this