2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems & reliability
167 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
11 complaints report injuries (11 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac vehicles were involved in 35 fatal crashes with 22 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 36 | 22% |
| Structure | 27 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 26 | 16% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 16 | 10% |
| Suspension | 16 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 14 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 11 | 7% |
| Tires | 11 | 7% |
| Seats | 9 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 71,760 miles (middle 50% between 42,148 and 126,000 miles), based on 113 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I was driving and the lights on the vehicle went out I thought it was the bulbs but no lights were working I adjusted steering wheel to look to see fuse box and all lights came back on there is an electrical short somewhere then I went to start the truck and it made a funny sound and then I lost all power and truck…”
Electrical System · filed Aug 15, 2023
“Car takes about 3 to 5 tries to start. I replaced gas pump, plugs, cables, temp sensor, still takes long to start.o/d off light started flashing, and now it has a rough gear change I believe from 2nd to 3rd”
Engine · filed May 18, 2018
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 ford explorer sport trac. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled while driving various speeds. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle was manually restarted and operated as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed as a transmission…”
Power Train · filed Feb 27, 2018
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SPARK PLUG EJECTION FROM CYLINDER HEAD
Defect Petition DP05005 · opened Sep 22, 2005 · closed Jan 4, 2006
- FRONT SEAT BACK RECLINER ATTACHMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE03020 · opened May 21, 2003 · closed Sep 5, 2003 · led to recall 03V281000
Technical service bulletins
164 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The 10 most recent:
Steering shudder during low speed maneuvers - 4.0l engine. *tt
0427 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 7, 2005
Safety belt retraction speed. *tt
042421 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 7, 2005
Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4x4 or awd. *tt
030508 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2005
Moan/vibration during air conditioning operation. *tt
042511 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 27, 2004
Revised procedure for adjusting alignment on all suspensions - new right hand upper control arm design for torsion bar front suspensions. *tt
042419 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt
042107 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Squeaking noise from rear sway bar link. *tt
04213 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Rattle noise from primary chain drive area 2000-3000 rpm - 4.0l sohc engine. *tt
020801 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2004
Streamlined diagnostic procedure for vehicles with malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on and diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0401, p0402, p1400 or p1401. Additional symptoms may include runs rough, lacks power, surge…
04111 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 14, 2004
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 71,760 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.