2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems
Owners have filed 229 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Body & structure is the most reported problem area, at 13% of complaints. Next are cruise control (11%) and transmission (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 229 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Body & structure 13% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 20 and 9
- Injuries and deaths
- 13 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 72,000 miles 161 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 12 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 17 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 26 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 28 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 14 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 12 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 19 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 14 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 13 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 5 |
What the data shows
Of the 161 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 72,000 miles. For body & structure specifically, the median reported mileage is about 117,000 miles (22 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 20 complaints mention a crash; 9 complaints mention a fire; 13 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2001 ranks 2nd most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac with enough data (105 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 4 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
While driving the 2001 ford explorer sport trac, driver suffered a seizure. Vehicle hit the post, then vehicle shot across 2 lanes of traffic at approximately 30 MPH hitting a tree head on. The air bags did not deploy. Vehicle burst into flames. If passer bys did not pull driver from vehicle, driver would have died. Vehicle had approximately 25,000 miles on it. Driver suffered broken back. Vehicle totaled. Damage to tree, wall, house.
On the oct 6th 2003 I was driving the ford sport-trac and suffered a seizure. I then lost control of the truck and crashed into a wall of a home in the area. The truck caught fire and I was fortunate enough to have 2 people pull me from the truck before it exploded. The airbags in the truck did not deploy and I broke my back in 2 places. The doctor at the hospital told me that the breaks in my back and the bruises on my front side alligned with the steering wheel and that was the source of my injuries.
Tl* the contact owns 2001 ford explorer sport trac. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal traveled to the floorboard upon engagement and the vehicle continued to accelerate. In addition, smoke emitted from the air vents and from under hood. The contact immediately jumped from the vehicle once he noticed flames extending from under the hood. The unoccupied vehicle then crashed into a wooded area. The contact sustained road rash and injuries to the left wrist and hand.
Tl*the contact owns a 2001 ford explorer sport trac. The contact stated that while driving approximately 2 MPH the structure of the vehicle made a noise. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the body mounts had deteriorated. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 128,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford explorer sport trac. The contact stated that the vehicle randomly failed to start upon turning the key numerous times. The contact was advised to schedule an appointment with the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer issued 12 technical service bulletins (tsbs) for the electrical system, 52 tsbs for the engine, and 3 tsbs for the fuel system gasoline, but the contact was uncertain as to which part caused the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.