Faults:

Transmission replaced at 175,000 ($2000) and I was still driving it! Drove it to the shop... probably would've lasted another couple thousand miles.

Thermostat housing replaced ($100 at most and replaced myself).

General maintenance... brakes, oil changes. No real complaints.

General Comments:

I absolutely love my truck! I saw this truck looking lonely and sad in a used dealership parking lot and something drew me to it. Best decision I've made! I love it so much I have gotten a new paint job, lift, and big tires on it, custom tail lights, Bluetooth DVD player stereo.

I've sunk more into this truck than I paid. Why you ask? Because it's worth every penny. This is my 4th vehicle I've owned and hopefully my last for many years. It's always been reliable and never ever left me stranded. At 175,000 the tranny wasn't shifting into 3rd gear... actually drove it around a while until I drove it right to the shop. Now about 2000 later I have a brand new truck all over again. I have complete confidence this truck will get me anywhere I need to go for many more years to come!

I change the oil every 3k and not a mile over. Check the fluids and tire pressure regularly. It all comes down to preventative maintenance folks! Years worth of road trips back and forth to the Mohave desert in 115 degree heat, it ran like a champ with ice cold A/C.

Gas isn't all that great, but it's a mid size SUV, not a Prius! No one enjoys filling up a 21 gallon tank that gets 14-18 MPG... however it's worth it and not bad compared to other SUVs. But I have bigger tires so that makes it worse for my pocket book.

Couldn't leave this truck if I tried. Was given a Scion tC recently through family. Tried to love it until I noticed the engine was burning through the oil and there was a recall. Newer cheap price of crap. Will be selling that and happily continue to drive around my 18 year old Ford!

I've seen good and bad reviews on the Explorers, but I love mine inside and out; it's like brand new. I highly recommend it... still runs like a champ. This girl loves her Ford!!

Faults:

This car has been a great one. Despite some pretty standard issues, it has been very reliable. The issues I have had are as followed:

Battery (replaced).

Rear hatch door latch (replaced a plastic clip).

Rear hatch window hinges (replaced).

Idle air control valve made a howling noise (replaced).

Fuel pump (replaced).

Some squeaks from the front end (dealing with it).

Other than these pretty standard issues, the vehicle has been a real champion.

General Comments:

The 4.0 OHV is a pretty reliable engine, with many finding 200k + with minimal issues. I have no complaints as it runs pretty solid, though at 160HP it feels a little under powered compared to today's standards. However, I have never had any real issues with getting it up hills.

The 5 speed transmission is a huge bonus, as Ford transmissions have a long history of being faulty, especially around the 120k mark. A manual transmission is always a more solid option.

Faults:

I've only had the SUV for two years. Traded a Geo Metro for it. The Geo had half the miles the Explorer had when I got it. I'm proud of the trade, because the only things that have happened are typical maintenance issues like ball joints, hubs, spark plugs and wires, etc.

It leaks oil, but it is high mileage, so what motor won't leak after 265000 miles of use.

Oh by the way, the Geo is dead; it died at 163000 miles.

General Comments:

Reliable, tough, great work/play truck, which is all I use it for, and relatively cheap to operate and maintain. It was a great bargain.