1992 Ford Explorer XLT review from North America

Mileage is approximate.

A/C compressor siezed at 100K.

4x4 failed to engage at 100K.

Driver seat back broke. Replaced with a junk yard sourced seat at 110K.

Transmission required rebuild at 120K.

Required new brake master cylinder at 135K.

New ball joints at 135K.

Rear wiper spray washer stopped pumping fluid at 140K.

Heater/AC fan burned out at 140K.

Interior door handles broke off at about 140K, replaced with new handles from Ebay.

Power windows and locks only work from the driver side console since 150K.

New Front rotors at 150K (my fault actually).

Starter replaced at 150K.

O2 sensor unit replaced at 150K.

New radius control arm bushings at 155K.

This has been a wonderful machine. It may seem like there were a lot of problems, but it has actually been very reliable. I bought it for $10K in 1998 with 70K miles. It left me stranded once because the battery terminals had loosened and it wouldn't start. They needed a good cleaning and reattachment and I was off. When the starter failed, it failed in my own driveway (the luck!). The transmission is a known weakness, it can't handle the power of the engine and they do wear out. A rebuild cost me $800. There can also be a "shimmy" at highway speeds (around 60). I found after I replaced the ball joints this went away.

I drove too long on worn pads in front which required me to replace the rotors. I have abused this car and taken it for granted. My other cars are all old, one a classic antique, and this one does regular duty and often gets ignored, but keeps running. It has a fair amount of rust on the rocker panels which seems typical of these trucks, but for its age and that it has not been garaged it makes sense. The paint quality has held up and with a wash and wax it looks great. The dash has no cracks and all the power things work, but only from the driver side console. The seats can be a little uncomfortable on long drives. Mine are cloth covered and are not power adjustable.

Overall I have been very pleased with this car. I would not buy a newer model Explorer and I wouldn't need another old one. This car was the right car for me at the right time and continues to come in handy. The only thing I would do to make it better would be to put in manual locking hubs for reliabilities sake. In 1992, this was a pretty advanced system, but age does what it does. Overall, this machine has tolerated a lot of abuse and will not be destroyed.