Ball joints were extensively worn on it at about 75,000 miles (found out from hearing metallic rattling from the front when driving over bumps or potholes), $670.00 to replace at dealership, covered by extended warranty.
Recently some part has broken or come loose inside front driver side door. Bumps window when I roll it down, other than that does not interfere with door or window operation, switches, or power locks. No price on repair as I have not had it fixed.
Side steps have begun to rust, have found this to be a recurring issue with this truck.
Paint has worn off of some of the interior trim.
I've liked the Explorer sport Trac from the first time I saw them on the road and mine has definitely met all of my expectations.
From the time of purchase till now, there have been NO mechanical problems with my Sport Trac and it has never broken down on me. Haven't had to replace anything in the engine, transmission, or electrical. This being somewhat of a high mileage vehicle I've had some preventative maintenance done on it: oil changes, transmission fluid change, serpentine belt replacement, radiator flush, replaced front brake disks and pads, and cleaning of the fuel injectors.
Living in the Midwest and having had driven my Sport Trac out of state has put it in all kinds of severe road and weather conditions, which it has handled with ease. The 5 speed automatic with overdrive is ideal for the highway, and the four wheel drive hasn't backed down from tackling the snow we've gotten out here in the past.
I guess the severe usage may have caused the early ball joint failure, but 75,000 is a pretty short lifespan for parts such as this on a high-quality vehicle like the Explorer. We've had 3 since '98 and none ever had one single problem. Lots of luck with yours. It should make 250,000 miles easily. One of our Fords went over 300,000 with zero engine or transmissions problems.
I bought a 2001 sport trac 4 months ago. It had previously had 1 set of owners that were an elderly couple that put only 117 kms over the 6 years. It seemed to be treated well and had no accidents.
Within 2 months the transmission had problems and it started making strange knocking sounds in the engine when I hit bumps. Apparently the front end is falling apart.
The ford dealership is working away and the price is steadily going up along with the problems.
I don't beleive the previous owners caused these problems. I think the truck sucks!
I would not recommend a sport trac to anyone. Last time I ever buy a ford or any vehicle not made overseas!
Original review author to the last comment: I'm sorry to hear you had such a poor experience with your Sport Trac, but I stick to my review, whether it be 20 degrees below zero or 103 degree heat; rain, shine, or snow here in the Midwest; the truck has proven itself time and time again.
I have a 2001 Explorer Sport Trac that was purchased new in April of 2000 in Phoenix, Arizona (4 years). The only issue we had before warranty was up, was that the car wanted to overheat (110+degrees), but would always shut the a/c off, before it would overheat. The dealerships finally found out what was going on and replaced the radiator, and everything else that went with that system. We went cross country a few times, and have it now in Vermont for 4 years. This 2wd vehicle has done right by me, with 150k miles! We serviced as recommended by dealerships, and no problems! I do not want to give this car up and I can only say, this Sportrac has consistently got many compliments and people cannot believe it is 8 years old!
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