2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac problems & reliability
144 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, alongside 2 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.
5 complaints report injuries (9 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac vehicles were involved in 42 fatal crashes with 34 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 | 32 | 22% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 23 | 16% |
| Electrical System | 21 | 15% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 19 | 13% |
| Structure | 16 | 11% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 15 | 10% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 10 | 7% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 9 | 6% |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 5% |
| Fuel System, Other | 5 | 3% |
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 50,000 miles (middle 50% between 23,375 and 102,250 miles), based on 102 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the following day it was discovered that the cruise control switch located on the steering wheel had overheated and melted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Jul 31, 2023
“I was driving on I-65 south bound on I-65 in goodlettesville, tennessee when my left rear tire blew out. The tire had plenty of tread left and apparently the steel belts came apart and blue outward.”
Tires · filed Jul 7, 2020
“Re: 2002 ford explorer sport trac. It appears that the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat, that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, has fractured and the seat back is permanently in the reclined position. This makes driving very cumbersome since I have no back seat support while I…”
Seats · filed Aug 31, 2019
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- VEHICLE ROLLAWAY ALLEGATIONS
Preliminary Evaluation PE09020 · opened Apr 21, 2009 · closed Aug 19, 2009
- 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
117 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 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
Malfunction indicator lamp coming on with diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0171, p0172, p0174 and/or p0175 (fuel system too rich or lean). *tt
18719 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 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
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 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac has 2 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 2002 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 50,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.