1998 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

Routine

Owners filed 5 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the fuel system, gasoline › delivery › hoses, lines/piping, and fittings. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Vehicle Speed Control › Cruise Control1
010
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings1
000
Service Brakes1
000
Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch1
000
Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Service Brakes
Filed Mar 3, 2019179,766 milesDC

TAKATA RECALL.. THE LIGHTS INSIDE WILL CUT ON FOR NO REASON. THE RADIO AND OTHER COMPONENTS WILL CUT ON AND OFF WHEN THEY WANT..THE BRAKE PADDLE WORKS WHEN IT WANT .

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Filed Aug 27, 200645,700 milesMD

THE BRAKE LINE ON BOTH OF MY 1996 AND 1998 FORD EXPLORER RUSTED OUT LAST YEAR AND THIS YEAR ON BOTH SUVS, CAUSING THE BRAKE SYSTEM TO TOTALLY FAIL ON THE 1996 AND LOST ONE SET OF BRAKES ON THE 1998. WE WERE VERY LUCKY. THE PROBLEM WAS NOTICED WHEN PARKED. *JB

Vehicle Speed Control › Cruise ControlFire
Filed Feb 2, 200688,000 milesSC

ON JANUARY 26TH, 2006 AT 3AM OUR 1998 FORD EXPLORER EXPLODED IN 33 DEGREE WEATHER AFTER SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR 15 HOURS. THE FIRE CAUSED MY VEHICLE, A 1994 BUICK CENTURY TO CATCH FIRE AS WELL. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOTALED. THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR RULED THE FIRE AS AND "UNKNOWN CAUSE" AND RULED OUT ARSON OR FOUL PLAY. WE BELIEVE THIS SPONTANEOUS FIRE WAS CAUSED BY THE DEFECTIVE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH ON THE FORD EXPLORER DUE TO THE QUICKNESS AND FIERCENESS OF THIS BLAZE. DUE TO QUICK THINKING WE SAVED AND PREVENTED THE FIRE FROM SPREADING TO OUR HOME. *NM

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Doors › Latch
Filed Apr 18, 200551,700 milesCA

THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. THE CONSUMER WAS AWARE OF THE FORD TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING LOCK COMPONENTS. *AK THE DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED WITH THE KEY OR FROM THE INSIDE HANDLE. THE DOOR COULD NOT BE UNLOCKED WITHOUT EXCESSIVE EFFORT. *SC *JB

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Filed Feb 10, 200536,000 milesCA

I OWN A FORD EXPLORER 1988 BOUGHT NEW IN 1999. I HAVE ONLY 36.000 MILES ON IT AND LAST MONTH I WAS JUST DRIVING FOR ABOUT 2 MILES WHEN I SENSED A POWERFUL SMELL OF GAS. PULLED OVER IMEDIATELY, OPENED THE HOOD A I SAW GASOLIN POURING ON THE ENGINE AND THE BATTERIES FROM THE TWO FUEL LINES GOING INTO THE FEUEL INJECTION SYSTEM IN TOP OF THE ENGINE. I HAVE CALLED FORD AND THEY TOLD ME THERE IS NO RECALL ON THIS. IT SHOULD BE BECAUSE THE FORD DEALER WHERE I HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM(700$ !!!!). OLD ME THEY ENCOUNTERED THIS PROBLEM OTHER TIMES. PLEASE DO AN INVESTIGATION BEFORE PEOPLE WILL DIE BURNT ALIVE. I DROVE NEW, OLD AND VERY OLD CARS AND I HAVE NEVER HAD OR HEARD OF THIS KIND OF PROBLEM. *AK IT IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE! PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WILL DO SOMETHING THANKS SORIN

5 of 5 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 2001
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
201031120Routine
20096000Routine
200823110Routine
2007100120Routine
20065000Routine
200566110Routine
200486210Routine
200378161Fatalities reported
2002144430Routine
2001167690Routine
20003100Routine
1998 — this page5010Routine
19976010Routine

Compare every Explorer Sport Trac year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.