1999 Ford Explorer Sport from North America - Comments

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!!!

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.

Yes, all of the issues he mentions are simply required routine maintenance.

The spark plugs and wires were supposed to be changed at 100,000 miles, so they went 47,000 miles beyond their expected life.

The MAF sensor and oxygen sensor are nowadays considered as routine maintenance items as well.

Also, the transfer case fluid and automatic transmission fluid are supposed to be changed every 30,000 miles, according to the Haynes Manual, and I would doubt either has ever been changed.

They should also change the front and rear differential fluids, before they burn out the rear end and blame that on the car as well.

I guess we live in a society where nobody has any responsibility and everybody is a victim.

"Also, the transfer case fluid and automatic transmission fluid are supposed to be changed every 30,000 miles, according to the Haynes Manual, and I would doubt either has ever been changed."

Although I agree with most of this comment, I'm not sure about this portion. As a mechanic I generally advise going by the manufacturer's owner's manual. 30,000 miles for transmission fluid changes seems EXTREMELY often unless the vehicle has some very heavy-duty use.

I'm a big fan of the Hayne's repair manuals, but some of their recommendations area little extreme. I'd go with the owner's manual.

"15th Jul 2008, 17:31

"Also, the transfer case fluid and automatic transmission fluid are supposed to be changed every 30,000 miles, according to the Haynes Manual, and I would doubt either has ever been changed."

Although I agree with most of this comment, I'm not sure about this portion. As a mechanic I generally advise going by the manufacturer's owner's manual. 30,000 miles for transmission fluid changes seems EXTREMELY often unless the vehicle has some very heavy-duty use.

I'm a big fan of the Hayne's repair manuals, but some of their recommendations area little extreme. I'd go with the owner's manual."

I have found that if you want your vehicle to last the longest, it's best to just go ahead and follow the "severe usage" schedule, or the shorter intervals in the Hayne's Manual.

When I bought my Explorer, I checked the rear differential fluid, and it was 30-50% low, starting to form a sludge. Had I followed the manufacturer's recommendation to not change or even check the differential fluid until 150,000 miles, my rear differential would surely have been destroyed.

As a result, I now follow the Hayne's recommendations, and check the fluid every 12,000 miles and change it every 30,000 miles. I also adhere to changing transmission fluid every 30,000 miles, as per the Hayne's Manual. That also seems extreme considering that I used to change the fluid on my old Dodge 727 Torqueflites every 100,000+, but the newfangled 5- and 6-speed automatics seem more fragile and seem to need more care than the old 3-speeds. I also change oil, even with synthetic or synthetic blend, every 3,000 miles.

Doing maintenance more frequently only extends the life of your vehicle, and the cost of a few quarts of fluid or oil, even at more frequent intervals, is negligible. I can't think of any valid reason to stretch out transmission/differential fluid changes to 150,000 miles, or oil changes to 7,000 miles. Why do it?

I am currently on my second Ford Explorer. My first one was a 1991, bought as a recovered theft. Paid $500 and drove it for five years. Minor repairs, nothing pocket emptying. Took me to Florida and back twice, and many vacations to Maine (I live in NH). The tranny went at 240,672 miles. My boyfriend refused to fix it and told me to get rid of it. I refused, but caved in when he bought me my 1999. This is a salvage vehicle. Has had no major problems, brakes, shocks, oil, plugs etc. etc. It now has 154,000 on it and when it decides to pass on, I will be looking for another one. If you want perfect then buy new, but when you buy used, its just that, used.

I usually buy new cars, but am thinking about buying used this go around, what specific things do you check for when buying used?

Maintenance will keep any auto running far longer than anything, but as with my three Ford Taurus, my Ford Explorer's transmission went out between 80 and 85 thousand miles. They were under warranty and were replaced free. I called Ford motor co and a very nice lady sounded very concerned, but in the end, she let me know Ford motor company wasn't going to change anything in their engines. Business as usual.

I bought my 1999 Explorer Sport used with 89,000 miles on it. It had a blown motor and no reverse/5th gear in the manual transmission, so it was cheap. A new long block (with the revised cylinder heads) and a $20 gear in the transmission put it back on the road. Almost 100,000 miles later it's still going strong and gets 20-25 mpg.

Yes it has all the quirks; noisy power steering, air box howls loudly when hot, and idlers that squeal no matter how many Ford and aftermarket replacements I've thrown at it.

Am I going to trade it in as a "clunker"? (it qualifies) NO way! It gets me where I'm going, carries what I need and has NO payment. Seems like we need to reduce personal debt, so why would we fall for a program designed to add to it?

I also have a used 1999 Explorer with 113,000 miles not a bad car BUT it has a howling-whining noise when turning or coming to a stop. I checked the front wheel hubs & bearings seems smooth could this be the front CVC shafts? Any ideas??? When I put it in neutral and coast it does not make the noise!!!