2004 Ford Explorer air bags problems
39 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the air bags on the 2004 Ford Explorer — 3% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“The contact's son owned a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her son was driving in the rain at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle hydroplaned as he rounded a corner. The vehicle slid into a ditch and hit a tree on the passenger side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon…”
filed Aug 31, 2022
“This past weekend I was driving an 04 ford explorer when both side airbags spontaneously deployed. I was not in an accident. I was driving down a two-lane road at less than 35 miles per hour when the airbags deployed. I was able to pull over but not before sustaining an injury to my ear and not…”
filed Jul 7, 2020
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Air Bags problems in other Explorer years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 Explorer | 3 | 3% |
| 2024 Explorer | 1 | 5% |
| 2023 Explorer | 4 | 4% |
| 2022 Explorer | 7 | 3% |
| 2021 Explorer | 6 | 1% |
| 2020 Explorer | 4 | 0% |
| 2019 Explorer | 2 | 1% |
| 2018 Explorer | 10 | 1% |
| 2017 Explorer | 32 | 2% |
| 2016 Explorer | 99 | 4% |
| 2015 Explorer | 84 | 5% |
| 2014 Explorer | 47 | 3% |
Other reported problem areas on the 2004 Ford Explorer
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.