Passenger heated seat switch faulty from day one.
Fit and finish was not Job one.
Right rear window intermittently worked from day one.
Cruise control failed at 12,000 miles.
Turn signals lost their seal and fogged.
Fuel gauge worked intermittently, at best, from three months of ownership until the day I traded it in.
The paint on the front bumper peeled off.
Factory installed hard tonneau cover leaked from day one.
At 21000 miles the entire front suspension had to be rebuilt.
I purchased my first Ford in 1994 and loved it dearly until the day I had to trade up to something larger to haul my family. The obvious choice was the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Since I loved my Ranger so much I figured why not go all the way, and get a Sport Trac with every bell and whistle including the Adrenalin package. Boy was I wrong.
The only two good points that this vehicle had the entire time I owned it were,
1. It towed a trailer like a son of a gun.
2. The stereo was awesome!
Almost immediately my wife and I regretted buying this, dare I say, pile of junk.
If you did not pay attention getting in the car-truck whatever it is, you were almost certain to turn on the heated seats (Believe me it is most uncomfortable in the summer). Even though the interior of the Sport Trac shares a lot of common parts with the Ranger, there was a significant lack of comfort with the Explorer that we dearly missed from owning the
Ranger.
Taking a road trip in this car was an adventure in itself since the fuel gauge worked when it wanted to, if it wanted to. Most of the time I could drive an easy 300+ miles on a half a tank then the needle would drop to empty within the next 50 or so miles. The dealership answer to this was "Bad gas" or "your mileage is accurate". I'd like to see a 30MPG Explorer.
The most discouraging part of this entire vehicle experience would have to be the total lack of concern the dealership had toward repairing this vehicle. Sure the easy things were fixed, Seat switches, cleaned up whatever over spray or defect was on the finish, eventually fixed the cruise control, but seemed unconcerned about the fuel gauge, tonneau cover and the front suspension problems.
After at least six trips to the dealership for the fuel gauge issues I finally gave up and just filled it up by mileage, however the final straw was when I sent it in for state inspection and they had to rebuild the entire front suspension.
At 15000 miles I paid the dealership $100 to do the multi-point service and everything checked OK, yet 5-6000 miles later the entire front suspension was shot? This truck never left paved roads, had mostly intestate miles on it and was serviced only by the dealership the it was purchased from. When I asked why it was shot and had to be replaced the answer I received was "That's a Ford". Needless to say I traded it on a Dodge the next week.
Sorry to hear about your bad experience.
I currently have a 1997 Ford Explorer Sport 4.0L OHV 4x4 and I love it.
I find it puzzling why your front suspension needed replacing, because the sport trac (until the 2006 redesign) was built on a second generation Explorer (95-2001) which is the same suspension I currently have. The only issue I had with the suspension in the 2.5 years I have had it was I replaced the shock absorbers with Monroe Sensatrac's this was a huge improvement over stock ride and I also swapped out the leaf springs in the rear for ones off of a 4 door due to the fact that the sport model comes with a mono leaf (not sure why) and the 4 door has a multi leaf which has a higher weight capacity and makes it ride better.
However ball joints are known to wear out sooner than most expect, but other than that there should not be anything else unless someone really hammers it off road.
If I were to buy shocks again for my Explorer I would put the Monroe Sensatrac coilovers on instead (they are load leveling), I know a few people with them and they swear by them, they ride nice and best of all no rear sag with people and luggage.
Seems a lot of issues there, I had a 2004 for Explorer Eddie Bauer and that problems that I have encountered are I considered as minor (OH console got loose, power window did not work). Aside from this my SUV still drives and runs perfectly. I'm already on the 51K mile mark right now.
I have been the proud owner of a 2004 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer since the day I drove it off the lot brand new. I was recently in a collision, front offset impact, when another driver failed to yield and I had about 2 seconds to react while traveling 40 mph. I had not had one problem with the vehicle. It drove very nice, loved the heated seats, and it towed a trailer like a dream and I'm a beginner at towing. I originally started this search to see if anyone had head gasket problems as the insurance company has totaled my car with over $14,000 dollars damage estimate and discounted their offer based on coolant in the oil that they say was the result of either a blown head gasket or cracked block. I certainly haven't found that to be a problem on any sites I've researched and I have been a fanatic about all recommended service and maintenance every 3,000 miles. The car has 44,878 miles now.
Yeah, I don't believe that front suspension thing, either. I'm sure he's telling the truth, but I think he got taken for a ride by an inspection station that knew he was over a barrel if he wanted his inspection passed.
Regarding the fuel gauge, I've heard of some that are inconsistent and stay on half forever and then drop fast.
The other things are pretty minor, although I can understand the annoyance on a new vehicle. Of course, fogged up turn signal covers can be wiped out and re-tightened without a lot of drama. The other minor little things could also be fixed -- some shorted component in the electric seats, the intermittent window, etc.
I am a proud owner of a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac XLT. I'm on 60,000 miles right now, it seems my shocks could be replaced, the cruise control pressure switch had to be replaced, and the cheap center console with the bag (I just ripped it out due to the arm rest break, and put a floor mat on top of where the console used to be.)
Other than that, it's been pretty much a dream. I'm the original owner and those are the only problems I have had.
Proud owner of a 2004 Sport Trac. 66600 miles and the only problem I've encountered is when the steering wheel is turned to extreme left side. It makes a popping noise.
I Love my Sport Trac.
91,000 miles; the only thing I had go wrong is I just blew both head gaskets. Did a test on it and said number three and six are misfires at 1000rpm. Well I drove it 500 more miles, and now I have two blow head gaskets. I still love the truck and plan on rebuilding the motor.
I own a 2005 Sport Trac that is now being serviced at the dealership. It all started when my radiator fluid started leaking out crazy. At first I was pretty worried, but then in shock when not only that was leaking but also other components that involved the heater core (which is located right in front of the console). So now they have to take the whole dashboard apart to get it fixed. I'm really worried about the bill that might come out to be a couple thousand dollars, according to the mechanic. I don't know what to do, especially with these times with money and what not. My advice, is to make careful decisions when buying a Ford.
I am an owner of a 2004 Explorer Sport Trac XLT Premium and had a problem with the gas gauge too shortly after I bought it, but the dealer fixed it and haven't had a problem since. The one thing I hated was that the steering wheel emblem had to be replaced within a couple months. The chrome around the Ford emblem was coming off. Only other problem I have had is the darn heated seats in the summer turning on and that the left passenger window asembly had to be replaced, which took a over a week to get parts at the time. No one had the parts and they had to be specially ordered.
I only have 26+k miles on it, but suddenly now making noises that seems to be in the suspension area that you notice when pulling into the driveway turning the wheel and then getting out.
Still looks better than the new one in my opinion.
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