2004 Ford Explorer

Typical pattern

4.6% of complaints about the 2004 Ford Explorer came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2004 vehicle — around the middle of the 236 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.8 yr in service. The most-reported system is power train (470 complaints), typically at 4.3 yr or about 50,000 miles.

Complaints: 1,635
Median age at failure: 5.8 yr
Median mileage: 65,000 n=1359
Crash / fire / tow: 8% of reports
Safety recalls: 4

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Power train

470 reports · 50,000 mi

4.3 yr

4.7%

Structure

439 reports · 72,000 mi

6.3 yr

5.5%

Visibility

102 reports · 67,670 mi

6.4 yr

5.9%

Speed control

76 reports · 74,000 mi

5.5 yr

18.4%

Engine cooling

71 reports · 55,300 mi

5.4 yr

8.5%

Electrical system

57 reports · 50,000 mi

4.3 yr

3.5%

Engine

44 reports · 120,000 mi

11.1 yr

6.8%

Wheels

42 reports · 85,000 mi

6.8 yr

11.9%

Steering

40 reports · 82,500 mi

7.7 yr

7.5%

Suspension

39 reports · 64,900 mi

5.1 yr

2.6%

Air bags

37 reports · 109,000 mi

9.5 yr

78.4%

Other

34 reports · 92,000 mi

10.8 yr

5.9%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

09E025000 2009-05-11

Exterior lighting:headlights

DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

07E104000 2007-12-11

Visibility:glass, side/rear

CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF TEMPERED GLASS AND FAILS TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 205, "GLAZING MATERIALS."

IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT(S) MAY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY SHATTERED GLASS.

06E049000 2006-05-24

Exterior lighting

CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

06E026000 2006-03-23

Exterior lighting

CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.

In owners’ own words

Structure 1,010 mi 9 mo in service

PAINT IS COMING OFF DRIVERS RUNNING BOARD. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR ONLY 3 WEEKS. *AK

Structure mileage not reported 9 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING SMOKE BEGAN COMING FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT, THE ENGINE BOGGED DOWN AND THE ENGINE STALLED. *NM THE ENGINE RAN ROUGHLY AND SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE VEHICLE. SINCE THE REPAIR THE CONSUMER NOTICED A HISSING NOISE COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER. AIR COMING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD WAS THE REASON FOR THE NOISE COMING FROM THE AIR CONDITIONER. THE WINSHIELD WAS REMOVED AND RESEALED. *TC *JB

Structure 59,842 mi 2.3 yr in service crash / fire / tow

1. OPENED THE BACK HATCH GLASS 2. THE LEFT HINGE BROKE AND THE GLASS FELL. I WAS ABLE TO CATCH THE GLASS TO KEEP IT FROM FALLING. I PUSHED THE GLASS BACK UP AND WAS ABLE TO GET THE GLASS CLOSED AND LATCHED. MY LEFT SHOULDER HAS BEEN HURTING SINCE THE INCIDENT. *JB 3. I TOOK THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE HINGE BRACKET. THEY REPLACED BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT HINGES.

Suspension mileage not reported 1 mo in service

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATED HEAVILY. CONSUMER HAD MADE CONTACT WITH THE DEALER ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. BUT, MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, WHICH STILL EXISTS. *AK *NM

Other Explorer 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.