What breaks most · 1997 to 2010 model years
Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems by year
Owners have filed 719 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Ford Explorer Sport Trac across model years 1997 to 2010. Three years stand out: 2001 for powertrain and transmission complaints, 2002 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2007 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2000, 1998 and 2006.
- Years to check closely: 2001, 2002, 2007
- Fewest complaints: 2000, 1998, 2006
- Complaints on file
- 7191997 to 2010, all trims
- Worst year
- 2001167 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 5827 fires · 60 injuries · 1 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 60kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 18Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (1) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (2) | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (1) | |
| 167 | 15 | 6 | Powertrain and transmission (36) | |
| 144 | 7 | 4 | Powertrain and transmission (32) | |
| 78 | 5 | 1 | Electrical system (11) | |
| 86 | 14 | 2 | Suspension (14) | |
| 66 | 5 | 1 | Body and structure (11) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (5) | |
| 100 | 8 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (23) | |
| 23 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (8) | |
| 6 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (2) | |
| 30 | 2 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (7) |
What fails on the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 22% |
36 | 1 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 16% |
27 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 16% |
26 | 3 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 10% |
16 | 1 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 10% |
16 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 8% |
14 | 1 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac |
| Tires | 7% |
11 | 1 | — |
| Air bags | 7% |
11 | 7 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Car takes about 3 to 5 tries to start. I replaced gas pump, plugs, cables, temp sensor, still takes long to start.o/d off light started flashing, and now it has a rough gear change i believe from 2nd to 3rd
-
Od light flashing, rebuilds transmision and nothing change, i see a lot of complains about this problems on explorers, rangers and mustangs
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Truck is slipping when shifting from 2nd gear to 3rd gear-known FORD transmission issue. The dealer said to replace the transmission as a better one is offered
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Ford Explorer Sport Trac years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2001, 2002, 2007 carry the most filings on the Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The 2001 alone has 167 complaints, led by powertrain and transmission.
What is the most common Ford Explorer Sport Trac problem?
On the 2001 model year, the most-reported component is powertrain and transmission with 36 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Ford Explorer Sport Trac complaints that include mileage is about 60,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.