How reliable is the Explorer?

[bobbyg123]

My wife and I had twin boys 8 months ago, and my nifty little Infiniti G35 sedan suddenly became VERY SMALL. I'm looking at the Ford Explorer, but as someone who is new to Ford, I'm leary of the reliability ratings that I've been reading about. On the other hand, a shortcoming of consumer reports is that they don't do a good job of listing the ACTUAL problems that they report. For example, it's one thing if a dummy light goes on and off, but it's an entirely different issue if the vehicle fails to start or the transmission fails.

I would certainly expect that the 2007 models will be an improved version of the 2006. Most mid-model run vehicles get better in subsequent years. My question for you guys is, how reliable have your Explorers been AND how well do you think they'll hold up for (say) 5 years? Any MAJOR problems to report?

Thanks in advance.

 

[djv]

7,000 miles and no problems so far. The smooth ride and comfort are still there.

 

[mikeh44]

71,000 no problems some members have well into the 100,000s of miles

 

[rhyno]

Just like any vehicle there will be some with problems and some that dont. Look at it this way, there are TONS of explorers on the road. I have two of them, (97 and a 02) and love them both. No major problems so far. Just speed sensors on the 97 and bearings on the 02.

 

[h0b0b0b43]

My wife and I had twin boys 8 months ago, and my nifty little Infiniti G35 sedan suddenly became VERY SMALL. I'm looking at the Ford Explorer, but as someone who is new to Ford, I'm leary of the reliability ratings that I've been reading about. On the other hand, a shortcoming of consumer reports is that they don't do a good job of listing the ACTUAL problems that they report. For example, it's one thing if a dummy light goes on and off, but it's an entirely different issue if the vehicle fails to start or the transmission fails.

I would certainly expect that the 2007 models will be an improved version of the 2006. Most mid-model run vehicles get better in subsequent years. My question for you guys is, how reliable have your Explorers been AND how well do you think they'll hold up for (say) 5 years? Any MAJOR problems to report?

Thanks in advance.

I have a 2000 xlt with 102,558 miles on it and i haven't had any problems with it. As far as the new generation explorer i haven't heard of anything wrong with them.

 

[Lost216]

I have a 1991 XLT with 160,000
last owners say the tranny held till about 140000
no overhauls on the motor, and i'm running 31's on it now with no reliability issues. only trouble i've had with it was a valve cover gasket, one afternoon and it was done.

like rhyno said, there are a lot of theses trucks on the road. they're great to drive and very easy to find parts for. now i can't vouch for the newer ones, but i'd expect them to only get better later on.

 

[IZwack]

how reliable have your Explorers been AND how well do you think they'll hold up for (say) 5 years? Any MAJOR problems to report?

I think some the answers you're going to get from this forum are going to be a little biased Not everyone is willing to bad-mouth their vehicle

But most modern vehicles will hold up for 5 years -- of course this depends on how the vehicle is driven and the environment its in (salty north-east vs. everything else). If all you're looking at is 5 years, then just about any vehicle will work out for you.

 

[bitkahuna]

06 Explorer Limited with about 6200 miles - no issues.

This is my first Explorer. Came out of a Lexus. Not the same attention to detail but the Explorer is remarkably quiet on the road. That's a testament to the sound proofing because the engine noise outside the car is loud to me at least.

We do have an 04 F150 as well so this is our second Ford. The F150 is a tank. One issue (hesitation with a tailer) early on which dealer fixed no problem.

 

[zeeman84]

So far with about 6,000 miles I would have to say this is the best vehicle I have owned so far. Very comfortable and enjoyable to drive. Time will tell on how realiable. One big factor that is not always talked about in the ratings is how well the vehicle is maintained by the owner. I believe this plays a big factor in keeping the vehicle going strong.

 

[shaker1]

Consumer reports reported my 1998 EX XLT as highly prone to problems. I drove it 8 years and 125K miles with only basic maintenance and minimal repairs.

I expect this 06 XLT to be much better.

 

[ctek]

I have an '06 EB with almost 10,000 and have had no problems yet. Drives like a dream!!

 

[mfletch93]

My '95 Exp has 203,000 miles and the only problems I have had are ball joints at about 140,000 and the fuel pump at about 160,000.

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

I have an '06 EB with almost 10,000 and have had no problems yet. Drives like a dream!!

24K miles of happiness for me!

 

[rama1200]

this is my 3rd explorer and no problems

i've had 3 explorers, a 94 with 76k miles,a 2001 with 56k miles and my current one, a 2004 with 50k miles.

none of them had major issues... only normal usage stuff; the only thing major i had done was on my 2004 i had the rear end done and some work done on the transmission, but I had an extended warranty plan, so I only had to pay $50.00 for the work...

other than that I'm very pleased with it... mine is a 4.0, v6... it is the right size for my family of three... I do find the read seats a bit uncomfortable, but I'm a big guy...

before i purchased it, i did a lot of online comparing and a lot of test driving of other models... the only one that I really liked better than mine was an infinity fx35 (i think, i'm not sure of the model)... chevy trailblazer has more power, but i read that it had a lot of electrical and transmission issues.

my dad has a toyota 4runner, and it is a bit smaller than the x; i don;t like the way it drives; it just feels like a truck.

 

[Lancimus]

Not really a Ford person

Ever since I bought my 1995 Limited Exploder, no thats not a typing mistake thats what I call it, this site has been my best friend. I bought it with 182,000 on it and it now has 201,000. The engine still runs great, the previous owners bought the truck new and they said they didn't have many problems with it exept for the transmission which they had changed at 142,000.

And so it goes, but not even two weeks after I get it the blend doors for my climate control go out ($1400). That was the most expensive project. It still has some problems like I think the Fuel pump is going out and I am working on getting atleast the rear shocks changed ($150). I also get a weird noise from the engine when it is cold out side, but I think I found out what that is.

All in all it seem to be a decent comfortable ride. There no rust that have found exept where the previous owner back into a mailbox just a small sratch though. I am not sure if I would by another Exploder or not, but if I did it would be and Eddie Bauer or Limited.

 

[Ranger379]

also depends on how you take care of it, my 96 has had more than $2500 worth of work done to it since i bought it in may last year, last owner abused the hell out of it, and im still fixing his mistakes. my moms 95 which we have had for 2 years has only had a wheel bearing done to it untill recently when we had to replace headgaskets. take good care of it and it should last your forever imo

 

[gsx220]

i have a 95 explorer 123,000 miles no rust no major problems just normal stuff like a $50 sensor or normal maintance i off road mine and run 31's and the tranny has held up no problems

 

[bitkahuna]

Ever since I bought my 1995 Limited Exploder, no thats not a typing mistake thats what I call it, this site has been my best friend. I bought it with 182,000 on it and it now has 201,000. The engine still runs great, the previous owners bought the truck new and they said they didn't have many problems with it exept for the transmission which they had changed at 142,000.

And so it goes, but not even two weeks after I get it the blend doors for my climate control go out ($1400). That was the most expensive project. It still has some problems like I think the Fuel pump is going out and I am working on getting atleast the rear shocks changed ($150). I also get a weird noise from the engine when it is cold out side, but I think I found out what that is.

All in all it seem to be a decent comfortable ride. There no rust that have found exept where the previous owner back into a mailbox just a small sratch though. I am not sure if I would by another Exploder or not, but if I did it would be and Eddie Bauer or Limited.

Not sure this anecdote has any relevance to today's 2006+ explorers. A 12 yr old car with more than 6 times the distance around the equator on the clock is bound to require some big ticket maintenance.

 

[briwayjones]

Not sure this anecdote has any relevance to today's 2006+ explorers. A 12 yr old car with more than 6 times the distance around the equator on the clock is bound to require some big ticket maintenance.

Agreed I don't think saying how well a 1st or 2nd generation Explorer holds up has much relevance on 3rd and 4th generations. IMO from reading what people have had to say and report on this forum is it seems to me that the quality on at least the 2002-2005 Explorers went down and had more big problems than the 1st and 2nd generations generally did. The 2006-2007 Explorers are so new I can't say much but they are still a great deal the same as the 2002-2005 Explorers. That's just what I gleamed from reading on here as I don't actually own a 2002-2007.

 

[bitkahuna]

My 2006 Explorer Limited V8 2WD continues to be excellent. No flaws. It has about 10k mi. on it now.

The other day I heard an irritating 'rattle' in the dash that I almost went nuts trying to pin down. I only noticed it at speeds above about 25. I eventually found that it was a twig lodged in the wiper spindle! Easy fix thankfully!

Oh and what is with this advertising after making a post!? My browser never goes off the ad image that comes up and there's no link, nothing to proceed.