1996 Ford Explorer XLT review from North America
"A good car if you can afford the maintenance."
What things have gone wrong with the car?
It had a small oil leak when I purchased it, but the dealership took care of that.
The right side power mirror motor was broken when I purchased it, but the dealership fixed that.
The Slave cylinder for the manual transmission lost all pressure resulting in the replacement of the entire clutch and slave cylinder at 90,000 miles.
The power button doesn't always turn off the radio. It will go in as if to turn off the radio, but the radio will stay on 9/10 times.
Heater stopped working at about 100K miles.
The Check Engine light came on at 95K miles and my mechanic said that the computer is saying the catalytic converter has gone bad. That signal was wrong and it passed emissions. Now that in 2005 the law requires that all check engine lights be off I had my neighbor check the computer for the error code. It's the EGR valve. We changed out the valve ($56.00us) and it's fine now. Light is off.
General comments?
All controls are positioned within arms reach.
The car handles fairly well and is very easy to drive.
It's a bit nerve racking on highway turns (55+mph) as the car tends to tilt easily due to it's high center of gravity.
Great for having kids as there is plenty of room in the back for trips and vacations.
Bit of a gas guzzler.
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| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1996 |
| First year of ownership | 1999 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2005 |
| Engine and transmission | 4.0L Manual |
| Performance marks | 5/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 6/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 3/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 64000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 119000 miles |
| Previous car | Dodge Neon |
| Date of Entry | 8th April, 2005 |