2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems
Owners have filed 190 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 13% of complaints. Next are electrical system (12%) and brakes (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 190 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 13% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 8 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 13 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 42,000 miles 145 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 | 41 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 28 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 20 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 12 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 9 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 13 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 7 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 8 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 6 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 145 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 42,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 18,000 miles (18 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 8 complaints mention a crash; 3 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 2002 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac with enough data (117 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 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.
The consumer was involved in an accident, the vehicle rolled over and the entire roof collapsed. The consumer stated the vehicles body was weak.
While driving 45 MPH, the driver collided with the vehicle in front of her. Both frontal air bags failed to deploy. This caused the driver and passenger to sustained minor injuries and were transported to the hospital. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. Please provide further details.
1 at approximately 45 MPH vehicle went into a slide right rear axel broke off causing a rollover this occurred on wet pavement ! 2 drivers seat went into the reclining position, ejecting the driver into the rear seat causing his head to go through the passenger side rear door glass , braking bones in his left hand ,contusions and severe trauma to head and neck medical records and pictures available ! 3 the vehicle was a total loss .
While driving at any speed vehicle intermittently stalled. Consumer made contact with the dealership. The cause of failure was not identified at this time. However, floor manager suggested that for another $125.00 consumer could have a nice and decent new car".
Multiple defects with the transmission and the drive train cause the vehicle to stop operating causing a huge safety risk to the driver and passengers. I have read online that this is a huge issue with this make and model and ford refuses to issue a recall.