1998 Ford Explorer problems & reliability
1,959 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Explorer, alongside 5 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.
133 complaints report injuries (215 injured, 16 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Ford Explorer vehicles were involved in 97 fatal crashes with 77 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Tires | 696 | 36% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 281 | 14% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 189 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 114 | 6% |
| Suspension | 111 | 6% |
| Visibility | 108 | 6% |
| Power Train | 103 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 86 | 4% |
| Seats | 70 | 4% |
| Steering | 70 | 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 100,000 miles (middle 50% between 74,425 and 133,513 miles), based on 302 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Speed control gets hot to touch. All top facing has melted off from heat. I was on highway and my steering wheel became extremely hot. My seat was repaired after recall years ago. It continues to drop low to floor.”
Seats · filed Jan 9, 2020
“My seat belt on my passenger side does not work half the time. My door locks do not work right. I can't get my window on the driver side to go up and down. I hit a tree going 55 miles an hour in my airbag did not even deploy. I'm lucky I'm still alive. The fenders rubbing up against my tire. Speed control is wrong…”
Air Bags · filed Dec 6, 2019
“Parked in parking space started car put in reverse, engine roared, accelerated in reverse applying brakes did nothing , both feet on brakes , turned wheel so that car was not to hit parked cars behind us, car continued racing in reverse with continued applying brakes, thru it into park car continued in reverse …”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Oct 13, 2019
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
- ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES
Engineering Analysis EA05005 · opened Mar 22, 2005 · closed Aug 2, 2006 · led to recall 08V025000
- FRONT SEAT BACK RECLINER ATTACHMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE03020 · opened May 21, 2003 · closed Sep 5, 2003 · led to recall 03V281000
- WINDSHIELD WIPER MALFUNCTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE99049 · opened Jul 28, 1999 · closed Apr 24, 2000 · led to recall 00V072000
- STEERING KNUCKLE SEPARATIONS
Preliminary Evaluation PE99045 · opened Jul 6, 1999 · closed Oct 29, 1999
- VEHICLE HESITATION/STALLING
Investigation SQ99017 · opened Jun 9, 1999 · closed Feb 22, 2000
- THROTTLE STICKING
Engineering Analysis EA99001 · opened Jan 7, 1999 · closed Feb 9, 2001 · led to recall 00V422000
- FUEL LINE DAMAGE FROM JUMP STARTING
Recall Query RQ98020 · opened Nov 3, 1998 · closed Nov 15, 2000 · led to recall 98V060000
Technical service bulletins
349 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Ford Explorer. The 10 most recent:
Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4x4 or awd. *tt
030508 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 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
Driveability-malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated-diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) p0420 and/or p0430. *mj
0475 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 1, 2004
Driveability-malfunction indicator lamp (mil) illuminated-diagnostic trouble codes (dtc's) p0420 and/or p0430. *mj
03251 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 22, 2003
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
Malfunction indicator lamp (mil) on with diagnostic trouble codes p0420 and/or p0430. *tt
17312 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2003
Rattle/buzz sound from under the vehicle on 4.0l single overhead cam (sohc) engines. *tt
03199 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 29, 2003
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt
03148 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 21, 2003
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 1998 Ford Explorer has 5 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 1998 Ford Explorer?
- · 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.