Vehicle Data Hub

2002 Ford Explorer Sport body & structure problems

Owners reported body & structure problems in 29 complaints for the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport, 18% of the complaints on file. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.

At a glance

Complaints
29 18% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
78,000 miles 25 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
1 and 0
Injuries and deaths
5 and 1

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When body & structure problems show up

Body & structure complaints by mileage, 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 78,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 0 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 2 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 2 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 9 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 5 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 2 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 2 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 2 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 1 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 78,000 miles
Based on 25 complaints that include mileage. 16% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles0
20k to 40k miles2
40k to 60k miles2
60k to 80k miles9
80k to 100k miles5
100k to 120k miles2
120k to 140k miles2
140k to 160k miles2
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles1

What the data shows

Of the 25 body & structure complaints that report mileage, the median is about 78,000 miles, and 16% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 1 crash, 5 injuries, 1 death.

What owners wrote

I don't know if this is the right place to file this complaint but its worth a shot. My mother owned a 2002 ford explorer sport. My brother was driving it home to kansas city from st. Louis missouri. The weather was perfect, the roadways were perfect, there was nothing wrong with the car, the air bags deployed, he wasn't speeding. However, he drove off the side of the highway, over corrected it to gain control and fish-tailed. Witnesses say that it looked like he had control again and then it rolled, killing him.

April 2004 CrashInjuryDeath

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer sport. The contact lifted the rear hatch and opened the glass door. The hinge on the glass door loosened and caused it to fall and injure the contact's thumb. The hinge should be secured in place. The contact received a recall for this issue after he was injured. The recall applied to the ford explorer and ford explorer sports. The recall number was unknown. The failure and current mileages were 93,000.

Reported at 93,000 miles, July 2008 Injury

Other problems reported for the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport

Body & structure problems in other years

Body & structure problems across all Ford models