1999 Ford Explorer Sport problems & reliability
93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 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 (9 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 14 | 15% |
| Seats | 14 | 15% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 10 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 9 | 10% |
| Visibility | 9 | 10% |
| Power Train | 8 | 9% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 7 | 8% |
| Structure | 7 | 8% |
| Steering | 6 | 6% |
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 70,000 miles (middle 50% between 53,950 and 113,514 miles), based on 52 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Went to apply break pressure due to another car running stop sign in parking lot. Was going approximately 10 mph. Lost break pressure and could barely stop. Checked break fluid which was completely empty. No break light notice prior to incident indicating low break fluid. Asked ford dealership if my car was serviced…”
Service Brakes · filed Sep 12, 2018
“Brake line broke and caused accident. No warning and I've never had an issue with brakes before very frustrated and a scary situation someone could have been killed . *tr”
Service Brakes · filed Mar 13, 2015
“Doors will not open have to climb out of car window on growing problem first passenger side know driver side a lot of embarrassing moments trying to get out of car at work. *tr”
Structure · filed Oct 15, 2014
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
20 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport. The 10 most recent:
Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001 vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in the state of maine, certified for sale in california-federal emission…
CSP-08B01 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2008
General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt
04217 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2004
Low line pressure reading at wide open throttle (wot), slipping shifts and / or delayed engagements with possible diagnostic trouble codes p0732, p0733, p1762 set on vehicles built before 12/1/2001. *tt
02138 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 10, 2003
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 may exhibit a no 1-2 upshift, no 2-3 upshift, a no engine braking condition in manual 1 or diagnostic trouble code p0732 (gear 2 incorrect ratio) or p0733 (gear 3 incorrect ratio). *tt
15887 · 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
Some vehicles built prior to 9/15/2001 may exhibit low line pressure readings while in drive, no 2nd gear, no 3rd gear, no engine braking in manual 1st and slipping shifts and / or delayed engagements. *tt
0282 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 29, 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
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 1999 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 1999 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 70,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.