2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems
Owners have filed 93 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 13% of complaints. Next are electrical system (12%) and fuel system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 93 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 13% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 5 and 8
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 49,000 miles 64 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 | 28 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 5 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 2 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 2 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 3 |
What the data shows
Of the 64 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 49,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 48,000 miles (10 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 5 complaints mention a crash; 8 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac with enough data (58 complaints in that window).
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.
My aunt's vehicle was involved in an accident where the vehicle rolled several times. The front pillar on the driver's side collapsed allowing the roof to collapse almost down to the level of the steering wheel. There was also a lack of availability of side curtain airbags on the vehicle. The accident resulted in the death of the driver of the vehicle.
The driver was driving down the expressway and her back tire blew out causing her vehicle to spiral out of control and the vehicle then flipped and started rolling downhill, the vehicle airbags did not deploy in the vehicle at all. The driver and her mother are in critical condition. Yes, the safety of others safety was put at risk. I did contact Ford Manufacturer on her behind of the airbags and they said there is nothing they can do for her with the vehicle being totaled out.
I was hit from behind and pushed into a vehicle in front of me. During the impact, my seatback (driver's) moved back slightly and the center of the seat back collapsed, causing me to injure my back.
June 2, 2003 6:40 pm picked up the brand new explorer sport trac from treadwell ford and drove home to west mobile. June 3, 2003 7:20 am drove the nearly 30 mile commute to work in north mobile county. Upon parking the vehicle, it smelled hot, with a nearly burnt electrical smell. June 3, 2003 ~8:40 pm left work after long day. Drove approximately 3 miles, when radio console went black. Shortly thereafter, entire dashboard panel lighting, headlights, and electrical system started to act erratically.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport trac. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The contact also stated that she attempted on several occasions to start the vehicle while depressing the accelerator pedal, but it would not start. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop, who diagnosed that the fuel pump was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure continued.