1999 Ford Explorer Sport from North America

Summary:

Mediocre - bad SUV. Don't suggest Ford

Faults:

Oxygen sensor went kaput.

Finicky battery wires.

Armrest was already broken when purchased.

Rattling noises when at idle around 125,000 miles.

Check engine light stuck on.

Regular lights are almost as bright as the "brights".

General Comments:

GAS GUZZLER. I am sorry I bought this thing now simply because it eats SO MUCH FREAKING GAS. I expected it to, but I didn't expect gas to get so high on prices.

The Explorer has also been a pain in the rear as far as dependability goes, but that's expected from an American-made car (especially Fords) with over 100,000 miles on it.

And a lot of problems have had to do with an after-market security system some idiot had installed on it before I bought it.

I would rate the Explorer at about a 4 out of 10 for everything (10 being best). I'm very happy that I'm about to switch cars (hopefully a dependable, gas-efficient Saturn).

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 30th June, 2008

30th Jun 2008, 08:06

Did you shop around before purchase? A car that is nine years old probably will have a broken armrest.

The oxygen sensor probably hasn't been replaced since new, or not for a while.

The check engine light is probably on due to the oxygen sensor, or a faulty wire.

We have the same problem on our 2001 Taurus with the 'Low Coolant' indicator. Have you tried replacing the bright bulbs?

Five words for you - Tender, Loving, Care, and MAINTENANCE!

1999 Ford Explorer Sport 4.0 from North America

Summary:

Very annoyed. Do not buy a 1999 Ford Explorer

Faults:

I have a 1999 Ford Explorer Sport (two door). It is an okay car looks wise. Mechanically it is horrible.

I bought the car as a secondary car because I had extra money. I paid 3,000 for it with 147,xxx six mouths ago. Anyways, after I bought it, the check engine light came on.

The mass air flow sensor went out on it, and also the power steering was a bit whiny (Ford said it was normal for Ford Explorers; none the less it's still annoying) and it needed some TLC new spark plugs, spark plug wires, flue filter, oil, etc.

The tranny is starting jolt while shifting around 45 mph.

The back seat belts (both) don't lock when stopping fast. My friend's brother found out the hard way.

Stock speaker are terrible; I installed new ones from Best Cost around 150 for front and back simple to install. The sound quality is night and day.

I also have problems with the back windshield wiper; it doesn't work properly.

The air intake is making a horrible sound, almost like a buzzing sound that stops every once in a while.

The power lock motor went out on the passenger door. (it's not worth fixing, but it is very annoying).

I recommend putting fully synthetic motor oil in it, since it is a high mileage vehicle, I put mid grade gas in also. Always keep your coolant reserve (tends to use a moderate amount on mine)

If you want take off a little extra weight for better gas mileage, take the spare tire off.

Oh also.. I just had to fix my air conditioning. It was an easy fix; there are two O-rings that right behind the compressor shaft. These O-rings hold in the freon. They may go, they may not, so if your air goes out, that maybe the reason. It's a 2.99 fix plus freon, which is 23.00 a bottle. I used almost two of the big bottles that came with the gauge attached to the bottles. The cheap ones are not good and are hard to use. I tried both!!!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 25th June, 2008

2nd Jul 2008, 13:14

Here we go again. Someone buys a car with close to 200,000 miles on it that has been trashed by previous owners and has a few very minor issues. Immediately we hear "IT'S CRAP!! DON'T BUY ONE!!"

We've owned three Explorers and never had a problem of any kind with any of them. If you'd bought the car new and taken care of it, it should be good for 200,000-300,000 miles. One of our Fords made well over 300,000 miles with very few (and very minor) problems.

We've owned both new and used cars. I've gotten a few used ones that had obviously been abused or neglected, and I've gotten a few that were real jewels. It's pretty much the luck of the draw.