1999 Ford Explorer problems & reliability
1,348 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford Explorer, alongside 6 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.
86 complaints report injuries (125 injured, 4 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Ford Explorer vehicles were involved in 71 fatal crashes with 61 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 | 370 | 27% |
| Visibility | 216 | 16% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 148 | 11% |
| Power Train | 115 | 9% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 100 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 97 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 92 | 7% |
| Seats | 68 | 5% |
| Suspension | 65 | 5% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 64 | 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 83,350 miles (middle 50% between 58,525 and 120,000 miles), based on 296 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Gas pedal bracket fell off the firewall of the vehicle.jamming up under the brake pedal almost caused and accident. I got the vehicle stopped by using the Emergency brake did a temporary repair to get my vehicle to a shop to see about having repair done. After the vehicle was at the shop and repair was done the garage…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Nov 3, 2023
“Was driving under 20mph on my way home about 5 minutes away no warning no sounds nothing warned us that our tire was going to fall off the drivers side while driving with other vehicles on the road behind us and in passing us all 5 studs that hold the lugnuts on so tire stays on but all 5 studs broke and tire just…”
Wheels · filed Apr 25, 2022
“The transmission stopped going in reverse for no apparent reason. All other gears work fine. There’s no lagging when driving and no other signs. I went to put it in reverse to back out of my driveway and when I pushed the gas it just reved the engine up and floated backwards causing me to apply the brakes quickly so I…”
Power Train · filed Mar 29, 2022
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
- FRONT SEAT BACK RECLINER ATTACHMENT
Preliminary Evaluation PE03020 · opened May 21, 2003 · closed Sep 5, 2003 · led to recall 03V281000
- SEAT BELT WEBBING
Engineering Analysis EA01008 · opened Feb 26, 2001 · closed Apr 25, 2002
- AIRBAG SYSTEM'S LIGHT DYSFUNCTIONAL
Investigation SQ99026 · opened Nov 19, 1999 · closed May 23, 2000
- WINDSHIELD WIPER MALFUNCTION
Preliminary Evaluation PE99049 · opened Jul 28, 1999 · closed Apr 24, 2000 · led to recall 00V072000
- VEHICLE HESITATION/STALLING
Investigation SQ99017 · opened Jun 9, 1999 · closed Feb 22, 2000
Technical service bulletins
412 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 Ford Explorer. 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
Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4x4 or awd. *tt
030508 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 1, 2005
Warning indicators-parking aid-reverse sensing system (rss) and forward sensing system (fss)-false activation of warning tone-service tips. *mj update. *tt
0471 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 31, 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
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
04189 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2004
Rear window defroster grid/integral antenna diagnosis and repair - terminal tab repair. *tt
041514 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 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
Inoperative electric rear window defroster (heated backlite) grid lines, integral antenna concerns. *tt
031501 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 12, 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
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 1999 Ford Explorer has 6 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 1999 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 83,350 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.