2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems
Owners have filed 108 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. Suspension is the most reported problem area, at 14% of complaints. Next are air bags (12%) and transmission (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 108 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 21 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 35 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 45,000 miles 84 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 | 16 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 23 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 17 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 0 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 84 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 45,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 21 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 35 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 95% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 8 model years of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac with enough data (72 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.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 40 MPH the steering wheel locked up and the control of the vehicle was lost resulting in an accident and injuries. The recirculation ball and the rack and pinion failed causing the steering to lock up. The dealer and the manufacturer were alerted of the incident. The consumer came around a corner and suddenly lost control of the vehicle, the consumer stated the vehicle was involved in an accident 5 months prior, and he believed the vehicle may have not been properly fixed…
Grinding feel from the rear end resulted in a replaced and updated complete rear end from ford. Still have very loud whining noise when automatic transmission is in first gear. Dealer says this is normal and I have to get use to it. Also have noticable thumping from transmission and drive shaft area when between 30 and 50 MPH. Dealer has verified noise and is considering a new drive shaft. Car is new and has less than 3000 miles.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 20MPH and below, the engine intermittently stalled. This occurred primarily when the vehicle attempted to slow down or stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealership numerous times for inspection. The dealer was unable to duplicate the problem, therefore no repairs were made.