Faults:

Front wheel bearing at 85000.

Rear brake drums at 86000.

Belts at 85500.

Idle air speed controller at 86000.

Battery terminal at 86000.

Passenger rear window motor is broken.

Passenger front window motor is on the way out.

Rear window weather stripping shrunk and no longer fits the window.

New tires at 85000.

Plugs and wires at 86000.

Drivers seat back is broken.

Needs tie rod ends.

Rocker panels are falling off.

Rust on rear quarter above gas cap.

A/C system leaks.

Rear main seal leaks.

Stalls at idle when in drive or park at operating temperature.

Engine idle flutters when at operating temperature.

General Comments:

They are decent vehicles; the interior is kind of dark, but very spacious.

Ford = Fixed Or Repaired Daily.

It handles pretty nice, but it likes to slip free around corners.

The vehicle goes good on the highway and rides pretty good at about 70 mph.

Gets about 15 miles per gallon.

Faults:

Bad driver's side radius arm bushing (replaced), previous owner has replaced passenger side bushing.

Front seat edge padding was gone; I had to have the front driver's seat rebuilt (upholstery was fine).

Rear window wiper works intermittently.

Front brakes make a strange grinding noise at the very end of a hard braking episode (perhaps glazed pads?).

Interior was neglected and very dirty when I bought the car, but after a couple days of scrubbing it cleaned up nicely - velour upholstery is quite sturdy.

Ride is bouncy and stiff, perhaps to be expected in a SUV, but I miss my old car's more comfortable ride.

General Comments:

I needed a replacement family car quickly and cheaply, and started out looking at Taurus wagons, but on a whim decided to consider Explorers. Found a nice 2WD original owner with 136,000 (about 8K a year, not over-driven). Intake gasket and passenger radius arm bushing had been replaced, both common upgrades. Also AC compressor had been replaced, and system converted to R-134a.

This car has worked well. My teenage daughter feels comfortable driving it (small, yet sits up high enough for her to see). It has nice second seat legroom, better than compact wagons and similar SUV's. Turns surprisingly nice and tight. Too early for cup-holders, but I wish it had some. Original electric blue paint looks great. This is also the only early Explorer I've ever seen without a roof rack; not a big deal, in fact makes washing roof much easier.

In 2WD configuration, this is really just a large, tall station wagon. Thinking that way, it works well, and is much more usable/spacious than a comparable wagon or sedan. With three kids, it turned out to be a good choice for me.

Faults:

I have a 1993 Ford Mighty Explorer. I love it except I cannot afford to drive it as I drive everywhere in the city daily with 3 kids, work and college. It has brand new brakes, transmission, clutch, etc, etc, etc, etc. Its roomy and handy for carrying things. My bf is a mechanic so he keeps it up well. I'm thinking of selling it cuz I can't afford the gas with my busy life.

Faults:

What Hasn't is more like it???

Since I've owned it: -MAF Sensor

-Intake Gasket

-Starter

-Alternator

-Fuel Pressure Regulator

-Radiator Seals

-Brakes

-EGR System

-Recently the transmission has started to shift erratically and sometimes the torque converter doesn't lock up on the highway. It feels like the tranny comes in and out of overdrive on it's own too and the RPM's come up and down while coasting to a stop off the highway.

As I feared, what I've heard about these transmissions is true. (For the record I and the previous owner have regularly maintained the tranny fliud and filter and the vehicle has never done any severe towing or off-roading. I'm afraid too!)

-Now it has a severe vibration at around 95kmh and it gets so bad above 100 that is is almost unbearable.

- In 4x4, there is a very loud clunking noise from the front end that comes every 20-30 feet of forward travel. It does not do it in reverse and it doesn't do it in either direction if not engaged in 4 wheel drive???

-the interior is so fragile I don't open the glove compartment, console or compartments unless absolutely neccessary as the local auto-wreckers are running out of these parts!

-power door locks always have and continue to have a mind of their own which has taught me the hard way to always carry an extra door key with me.

General Comments:

All I can say is WOW!!!

I've owned vehicles by several different manufacturers, both foreign and domestic and as unbiased as I've always tried to be, I've always been unimpressed at the quality of MOST Ford vehicles save for the full size trucks.

The Explorer has taken this unreliability to a whole new level of disgrace.

I bought the vehicle for next to nothing of the previous and original owner who had so many maintenance and repair receipts I figured that nothing else could possibly go wrong. Boy was I wrong!

I don't know what to do with it. It's not worth dumping anymore money into, but I've already got so much into it it's a shame to throw it away, and I can't chance selling it to someone and having them want to kill me a week later when it falls apart like I fear it will anyday!!!

If it wasn't such a lemon, I'd love it.

It's comfortable, roomy, has decent power, very good driver visibility and when the 4x4 works and with good quality tires this vehicle is quite impressive in winter. Even in 2 wheel drive it has excellent traction due to the weight distribution and locking differential.

All in all, it's too bad the reliability isn't up to Ford's proclaimed standards, because this truck is nice, capable when working, and if it were built well would be a joy to own.