1998 Ford Explorer Sport problems & reliability
121 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Explorer Sport. 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.
7 complaints report injuries (13 injured).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Latches/locks/linkages → | 33 | 27% |
| Electrical System → | 18 | 15% |
| Seats → | 14 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 12 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 12 | 10% |
| Tires → | 11 | 9% |
| Equipment | 8 | 7% |
| Visibility | 7 | 6% |
| Structure | 5 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 4 | 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 100,000 miles (middle 50% between 68,000 and 132,000 miles), based on 69 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My vehicle will not run on reverse. I can shift perfectly fine to all my gears without any fussing or clunking noises coming from the gear shifts/transmission. But as soon as I try to put it on reverse my vehicle does not move, it seems like it's in neutral instead of reverse. At the moment of discovering my vehicle…”
Power Train · filed Feb 25, 2017
“After changing the front wheel bearing hubs, the vehicle abs light came on. This has been going on for about a year. The vehicle does stop, but the abs function doesn't work. This has not been a problem for me, but, sometimes the abs light stays out for a while and then comes back on. Dealer stated that the abs…”
Service Brakes · filed Mar 29, 2016
“These tires are still under warranty. When they were first installed, we noticed a strange sound. We did not assume it was from the tires, but thought it was related to the rotors. This is not our only vehicle and we don't drive it all of the time; in fact it is parked much of the time. We did not get the rotors…”
Tires · filed Oct 13, 2013
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
Technical service bulletins
11 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Explorer Sport. The 10 most recent:
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Some vehicles with 4wabs may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes c1233 and c1234 (anti-lock brake sensor output failures) in slippery conditions. *tt
16021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2002
Concerns with brake vibration, roughness and / or grinding noise, and excessive brake rotor corrosion. *tt
15910 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2002
Some vehicles with 4wabs may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes c1233 and c1234 (anti-lock brake sensor output failure). *tt
15859 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2002
Information regarding discharged battery charging service tips and guidelines. *tt
0245 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 4, 2002
Some vehicles equipped with the 4.0l sohc engine may exhibit a check engine light on with diagnostic trouble codes p0300 (random misfire) or p0301. *tt
0232 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 18, 2002
Some vehicles including 1997 through 1999 explorer sport trac equipped with a 4.0l sohc engine may exhibit a start-up noise from the left front of the engine. *tt
15040 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2002
Concerns with rear wipers that do not sufficiently clean the back glass. *tt
15406 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit vacuum or air leaks in the intake manifold and / or engine system causing diagnostic trouble codes p0171 and or p0174. *tt
01205 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 15, 2001
Some vehicles with 4.0l sohc engines may make a start-up noise from the left front of the engine. *tt
15006 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2001
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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1998 Ford Explorer Sport in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
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 1998 Ford Explorer Sport?
- · 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 100,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.