1996 Ford Explorer Limited from North America - Comments

1st Jan 2004, 13:21

"An awesome car, if you can afford to keep it filled with gas!"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

The day that we brought the car home, the air ride system went bad, of course this was covered under the warranty.

I don't really know when, but the memory seats don't work anymore. When I called the dealer to find out about a price, I was told I would have to pay the dealer something to the tune of $60 an hour just to diagnose the problem. I decided to let it alone.

The power lumbar driver seat no longer works anymore. It probably went around 70,000 miles. I decided that I really didn't need the power lumbar seats that much anyway.

The Explorer goes through a lot of O2 sensors. It seems as though whenever the check engine light comes on, an O2 sensor needs to be replaced.

General comments?

I wish the car had the V8 engine because when the explorer is half-full, it is VERY sluggish.

I always have to drive with the pedal down to the floor to have any acceleration.

This may be the cause of the poor gas mileage. I get about 13.5 in the city, and depending upon how fast I am going on the highway, between 17 and 20.

The Limited version comes with awesome features like the on-board computer and the rear air.

The 4 wheel drive works like a dream in the bad weather. But without it engaged, you WILL skid, even when the road is just wet.

I got this car when I turned 16 two years ago when my mother got a BMW. My parents decided to give me this car because it had 4 wheel drive and was a large vehicle.

If buying this car for a student, please keep in mind that s/he will have to work constantly to keep it filled with gas. I go through one tank per week, and with a 20 gallon tank, it often costs around $30 to fill it up. Even though it is a gas hog, I love having the extra room for all the crap that students have to haul around. (Book bags etc).


27th Jun 2005, 20:41

You probaly had just bought a dud that's all.


2nd Oct 2006, 02:34

I have the '96 Limited, The O2 sensor is a recurring problem and I don't replace it, which does not hurt anything I just get the light turned off. Your MPG is very bad. in the city I get 17.6 and highway I get 23.4, the 4.0 v6 is a bit sluggish when getting empty true, but it was better after I replaced the catalytic converter.

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