Maybe I should not have purchased an Explorer ? (warning: long)

[hit_that]

my x

I have a 91 x with just over 90k on it and i'm shocked that it's the first vehicle i've never had to do major repair work on. (minus the clutch) LOL I finally have a dependable vehicle and i love it. I do get crappy MPG but that's mostly cuz of the way I drive it.

 

[JDraper]

I have an '01 XLS that I bought new and now has 47k on it. It's been driven hard and offroaded, but it's held up pretty well. I'm not sure why you're getting such crappy mileage, I get about 17-18 around town (and I'm NOT easy on the gas), and 22 on the highway. I'm running a 2" suspension lift and 31" tires. What you will probably see go wrong in it is ball joints. I'm on my 3rd set already. The factory ones are JUNK!!! If you need to have them replaced, get a set of Napa or Moog greasable joints. They should last quite a bit longer than the factory ones.

Keep it. They are pretty good vehicles overall.

 

[Easter]

My 96 EB has 130k miles on it, and aside from the transfer case, no major repairs other than stupid fiddly crap I've fixed (radio completely died, so it was completely replaced, cruise buttons literally fell apart [admittedly this isn't fixed.. yet, but the cruise works, I just have no button covers and the right side buttons dangle because the mounting points broke], I had the LOWM issue too, and I have this issue where if I tighten my gas cap my CE light comes on, but if I don't tighten it, it's fine, I had the code checked, it's something to do with the gas tank pressure regulator) and of course some major body work from the poor thing being hit on every side before I got it.. I'm often shocked it hasn't needed more work than it has!

I've only had it about 15 months.. but I've put 30k miles on it in that time.. and I have *yet* to do a tune up (just regular fluid changes) and I get about 17-18 in the city and about 21 highway with a V8 and 87 octane.. can't really complain, all things considered, since like some I'm not easy on the gas either, but I do my miss my teensie econo-car sometimes (30mpg would be nice!) Aside from being wrecked (repeatedly) my X was well cared for prior to my getting it... I plan to have it until it hits at least 200k, unless something unforseen happens.

I also have a few self-inflicted issues that I need to address.. i.e. both side seatbelts being out of commission because I not only lost the top anchor bolts, but when I put the rear seats back in I didn't realize the bottom mounts for the seatbelts had to go back in *under* the seats.

There's also the broken door handle in the back too (doesn't work from the inside), but since I have a toddler, right now it's NOT a problem

Oh, and the switch for the power mirrors won't make them go to the right, but the mirrors can be adjusted if I push on 'em.. works fine enough for me

I consider all that insignificant though.. hasn't really caused serious problems for me

 

[XLRRP]

Last year I bought a new Jeep Rubicon. I got on the Rubicon Owners Forum and started to think I made a huge mistake. There were people with new Jeeps having all kinds of problems. I think what you don't hear are all the people who are really happy with their rigs.

Just my opinion...

Chris

 

[spta97]

Well, I for one will make this my last American truck. I have owned many American automobiles and many Japanese and have had much better luck with the Japanese ones hands down. Ford has gotten much better than it used to be but I still find that Japanese vehicles are built much better and seem to last longer. I like my X but I think I'm more enamored with the fact that it is a truck than the fact that it is an Explorer. The truck I owned before this was a '99 Durango and I really miss it. Not because it was so great but it just had a nicer feel to it. Having said that mechanically it was a big POS and left me stranded several times in the middle of the winter that took 4 dealer trips to finally resolve. The X has been not so bad (knock, knock).

I bought this X used with 26K and use it for commuting to the train station and hauling around stuff. I would like to say that I will run it into the ground but I've got a nastly habit of getting rid of cars after 3 years. If I do, the next truck I want is the Nissan Armada. I love that thing!

The one saving grace for my X is this board. People on here are so nice and helpful and seem to be much more mature than those on the board for my Nissan Maxima. Perhaps it is the age of who buys them but without this board I would have been up the creek without a paddle on several occations. Thank you all for your help.

 

[GERM37]

I have owned my 2001 XLT, 4.0 V-6, for about 9 months now and I'm questioning the purchase I made.

Let me start by saying that I've found this forum to be very educational and helpful.

One thing that has surprised me is the gas MPG. I should have done more homework before buying. I figured a V-6, driven easily (or should I say Grandma-like, or as I've learned here: in carbon-building mode) would do better than 12 MPG in town. I might try a tune up (42K miles), but don't expect much of a jump. Let me re-emphasize, the mpg issue is *my* problem.

The bigger question is, should I have general quality concerns about the Explorer ? The vehicle was Ford Certified, which probably means Ford thinks the prior owner took decent care of it. And it does provide me some protection for a few years. But I've seen discussions here about the SOHC 4.0 engine that lead me to believe I'm going to have problems. Similar comments have been made about the transmission.
And then there are the other problems like 'blank' radio displays, rear wipers quitting, etc. I'm used to vehicles I've had in the past where I never had to open up the engine, rebiuld a tranny, etc. I think part of what I'm fearing is due to how forum information can be interpretted - there are often more reports of problems than people who do not have problems, so problems can potentially be blown out of proportion. Yet, its still good information to be aware of.

My Explorer seems to run/shift/drive good (some pinging under load and a squeel/whine that I still need to pinpoint) and seems very 'solid' all around. I take good care of my vehicles, keep them maintained, don't drive them hard, no off-roading, but some 4WD use during long Minnesota winters.

What kind of vehicle longevity should I expect ?

Thanks,
Dave

I have owned my 2001 XLT, 4.0 V-6, for about 9 months now and I'm questioning the purchase I made.

Let me start by saying that I've found this forum to be very educational and helpful.

One thing that has surprised me is the gas MPG. I should have done more homework before buying. I figured a V-6, driven easily (or should I say Grandma-like, or as I've learned here: in carbon-building mode) would do better than 12 MPG in town. I might try a tune up (42K miles), but don't expect much of a jump. Let me re-emphasize, the mpg issue is *my* problem.

The bigger question is, should I have general quality concerns about the Explorer ? The vehicle was Ford Certified, which probably means Ford thinks the prior owner took decent care of it. And it does provide me some protection for a few years. But I've seen discussions here about the SOHC 4.0 engine that lead me to believe I'm going to have problems. Similar comments have been made about the transmission.
And then there are the other problems like 'blank' radio displays, rear wipers quitting, etc. I'm used to vehicles I've had in the past where I never had to open up the engine, rebiuld a tranny, etc. I think part of what I'm fearing is due to how forum information can be interpretted - there are often more reports of problems than people who do not have problems, so problems can potentially be blown out of proportion. Yet, its still good information to be aware of.

My Explorer seems to run/shift/drive good (some pinging under load and a squeel/whine that I still need to pinpoint) and seems very 'solid' all around. I take good care of my vehicles, keep them maintained, don't drive them hard, no off-roading, but some 4WD use during long Minnesota winters.

What kind of vehicle longevity should I expect ?

Thanks,
Dave

HI I have a 2001 v6 sohc with 176k miles on it and have not had any problems other than replacing the intake gaskets and it gets about 19 or 20mpg on the open road.