2003 Ford Explorer Sport problems & reliability
65 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 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.
4 complaints report injuries (4 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2003 Ford Explorer Sport vehicles were involved in 19 fatal crashes with 11 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Structure → | 25 | 38% |
| Visibility → | 10 | 15% |
| Visibility/wiper | 7 | 11% |
| Suspension | 5 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 6% |
| Power Train | 4 | 6% |
| Unknown OR Other | 4 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 4 | 6% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 5% |
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 88,250 miles (middle 50% between 36,789 and 130,000 miles), based on 58 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The transmission is shot I cant put it in gear and me and my husband were almost killed but were able to put it in 2nd gear to roll it to the shop. The 4wheel drive got stuck in 4 wheel low and would not shift at all. When we turned the car on it would rev up to 5 but only go 2 miles an hour.”
Unknown OR Other · filed Dec 17, 2019
“"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.”
Air Bags · filed Jul 8, 2019
“Car has an intermittent problem and will stall and both high and low speeds, or when idling. When this happens and power assist fails, it's almost impossible to steer or to brake posing a serious risk to safety. This first starting happening about once a week last november, and now it's pretty often. Stopped driving…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jan 20, 2018
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
Technical service bulletins
50 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport. 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
Safety belt web stop button service. *eh
05310 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2005
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
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
04189 · 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
Oil leak from oil filter adapter - 4.0l sohc engine built before 4/1/2004. *tt
041910 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 4, 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
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 2003 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 2003 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 88,250 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.