Thanks Cornburner...
noticed yours is a 2004 as well. how's it holdin up? miles? You seem to be in the know reference the Toyo/Honda's, you a tech?
I manage a dealership. I used to have my ASE Master certification, but didn't take the tests this last time they came due, so it's since expired. I don't need it for this job, and didn't have the extra time to go and take the renewal tests. I more or less did it for personal satisfaction and bragging rights.
I like working on cars as a hobby, but not as a carreer. Being around nearly every single make/model on the market and seeing what goes thru the auctions keeps me well "in the loop" as to what vehicles are having what problems. Our dealership deals in budget-priced stuff moreso than late model vehicles, so obviously we're seeing vehicles that are starting to show up with common problems, such as the GM intake manifold gaskets, the infamous Chrysler 2.7L V6 with its catastrophic failures, etc. and like I mentioned earlier, even serious problems with the beloved Hondas and Toyotas.
My Explorer has been holding up remarkably well. This is the first Ford product I've personally owned in over 10 years...I mainly drove Jeeps and Chrysler products, but I wanted a flexible-fuel vehicle when I replaced my Durango, and ChryCo didn't have anything that really tripped my trigger for what I wanted to pay. Their stuff came out a few years later, and I didn't want to tie myself to a huge vehicle payment getting something that new.
Mine has its little quirks that I've labeled "Ford-isms"...Not necessarily something that's failed, but just odd noises and minor nuisances. Things like the timing chain rattle when it starts up till it builds oil pressure, the transmission shifter that has all the precision of a wet twig, and the oh-so-stupid electronic throttle control. There's really nothing wrong with these things per se, but I'm not totally used to the way they are. Some ergonomics are a bit odd too, such as the seat heater switch, the rear wiper switch, and the inside door handles that are placed in a very odd location. Oh yeah...And my RDS display on the radio that seems to have a speech impediment. I usually don't get clear scrolling messages, but rather odd random things like "9BO 3.5 INGY" when it should scroll "93.5 WOZZ BOB & TOM MORNINGS AND CLASSIC ROCK ALL DAY" I think it's actually a problem within the head unit, and I can get a replacement for $100 from my buddy at the salvage yard, so one of these days I'm going to give that a try.
But, from a reliability standpoint, they seem very good. I've got 92,000 miles on mine now, and it's been decent. Nothing has really failed aside from a rear wheel bearing that was replaced before I took delivery of it. I noticed it when I first looked at it, and told them I wasn't going to buy it till that noise was fixed. I got a smokin' deal on it too...It had ~68,000 on it when I bought it a year ago, and paid $11,400 for it. Market price at that time was well into the mid $15K range for them, and some were doing more than what I paid at the wholesale auctions!