Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Dec 3, 200358,410 milesFL
WHILE COMING TO A STOP AT 20 MPH VEHICLE STALLED/ LOST POWER. CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND MANAGED TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. *AK
1990 Ford Explorer
Routine
Owners filed 12 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine. No safety recall has been issued.
Not among the Ford Explorer years to avoid. Which Ford Explorer years to avoid →
Most common 1990 Ford Explorer problems
2 of the 12 complaints (17%) are about the engine.
| Component | Reports | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tires › Tread/Belt | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip · brakes | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Power Train › Automatic Transmission · transmission | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly · fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Visibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Unknown or Other | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline · engine | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| Engine and Engine Cooling · engine | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
What owners reported
Newest filingsVisibility › Sun/Moon Roof Assembly
Filed Jul 10, 2002OH
WHILE DRIVING 58 MPH OPENED SUN ROOF, IT DISCONNECTED AND FELL OFF.*AK
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Filed Jul 10, 2002OH
FUEL GAUGE NO LONGER WORKS,. CONSUMER CANNOT TELL THE AMOUNT OF FUEL LEFT IN TANK.*AK
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited SlipCrash
Filed Jan 4, 2001CA
PULLING INTO DRIVEWAY & APPLIED BRAKES, PEDAL LOCKED IN ONE SPOT. VEHICLE WAS FREE ROLLING & HIT A GARAGE DOOR. TOWED VEHICLE TO DEALER & MECHANIC RAN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST FOR BRAKES & FOUND NOTHING. PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN SINCE HAVING ENGINE WORK DONE. PROBLEM WAS INTERMITTENT. *AK
Tires › Tread/BeltCrash
Filed Aug 9, 2000TX
I HAD THREE TIRES LOSE THE ENTIRE CENTER TREAD ON MY PREVIOUS VEHICLE (90 FORD EXPLORER) WHILE TRAVELING AROUNG 70MPH. ALL THREE WERE WITHIN A MONTH OF EACH OTHER. THE FIRST TIRE THAT WENT CAUSED DAMAGE TO MY VEHICLE BODY THAT WAS REPORTED TO MY INSURANCE.( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: P235/75R15 )
Tires › Tread/Belt
Filed Aug 3, 2000TX
FIRESTONE RADIAL ATX TIRES P23575R15 ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON A 90 EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 70MPH THE DRIVER HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND NOTICED THAT REAR DRIVER'S SIDE TREAD HAD SEPARATED ,THROUGH REAR VIEW MIRROR, CAUSING DAMAGE TO VEHICLE. *AK DOT#W2HL 1PM. *SLC
Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 25, 1999CA
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR THIS VEHICLE. *AK
Fuel System, Gasoline › Storage › Tank Assembly
Filed Oct 7, 1998NY
CONNECTING PIPES ON THE GAS TANK ARE FORMED FROM SEAMED STEAL PIPE, AND THE SEAM IS SEALED DUE TO BAD MANUFACTURING. THE SEAM BENDS OVER AND EVENTUALLY RUSTS AWAY, AND ALLOWS GAS TO LEAK TO GROUND. DEALER CONTACTED AND CANNOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › GasolineFire
Filed Jan 23, 1998IL
ENGINE FIRE.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip
Filed Oct 7, 1996NM
IN WET WEATHER THE ABS ANTI-LOCK BRAKES LOCK UP . *AK
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Jun 14, 1995CA
TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED SIX TIMES. WOULD NOT SHIFT. TT
Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed Feb 21, 1995CT
TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED, TRANSMISSION IS NOT LARGE ENOUGH TO PULL THE VEHICLE WEIGHT. TT
All 12 complaints, reproduced as filed.
Across model years
Worst on record: 2002| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Deaths | Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2026 | 44 | 14 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2025 | 107 | 20 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2024 | 21 | 10 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
| 2023 | 113 | 15 | 2 | 0 | Routine |
| 2022 | 271 | 24 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2021 | 452 | 26 | 6 | 0 | Above average |
| 2020 | 1,249 | 33 | 10 | 0 | Above average |
| 2019 | 300 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Above average |
| 2018 | 734 | 7 | 7 | 0 | Above average |
| 2017 | 1,704 | 14 | 11 | 0 | Above average |
| 2016 | 2,465 | 15 | 14 | 0 | Above average |
| 2015 | 1,814 | 9 | 1 | 0 | Above average |
| 2014 | 1,684 | 7 | 6 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 2013 | 2,237 | 12 | 11 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2012 | 830 | 7 | 6 | 0 | Above average |
| 2011 | 1,198 | 8 | 4 | 0 | Above average |
| 2010 | 115 | 2 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2009 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Routine |
| 2008 | 148 | 3 | 3 | 0 | Routine |
| 2007 | 208 | 3 | 5 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 2006 | 630 | 4 | 7 | 0 | Above average |
| 2005 | 497 | 3 | 6 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 2004 | 1,304 | 4 | 15 | 0 | High concern |
| 2003 | 1,131 | 7 | 10 | 2 | Fatalities reported |
| 2002 | 3,295 | 10 | 57 | 5 | Fatalities reported |
| 2001 | 375 | 12 | 21 | 6 | Fatalities reported |
| 2000 | 952 | 15 | 64 | 4 | Fatalities reported |
| 1999 | 1,348 | 15 | 44 | 4 | Fatalities reported |
| 1998 | 1,959 | 14 | 102 | 16 | Fatalities reported |
| 1997 | 1,731 | 12 | 53 | 34 | Fatalities reported |
| 1996 | 1,450 | 11 | 37 | 51 | Fatalities reported |
| 1995 | 843 | 12 | 32 | 8 | Fatalities reported |
| 1994 | 1,207 | 7 | 82 | 20 | Fatalities reported |
| 1993 | 939 | 9 | 48 | 1 | Fatalities reported |
| 1992 | 633 | 7 | 63 | 4 | Fatalities reported |
| 1991 | 609 | 11 | 63 | 4 | Fatalities reported |
| 1990 — this page | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | Routine |
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.