Faults:

9k miles the Transmission "stuck."

General Comments:

Dealer service and warranty have been fantastic on this vehicle. I've only taken it in once, for the above transmission problem, and it was fixed in 3 days with no recurrence.

This Explorer has been incredibly reliable. We have taken SEVERAL trips of 1k or more, towing all sort of things, and the vehicle has had no problems. It runs great and gets good gas mileage for its size, in part because of the optional 5 speed automatic. That's right 5 speed auto. The 4 wheel disc brakes have been tested many times, and they stop this heavy vehicle quick.. even on snow and ice.

As with all American SUV's, it has depreciated greatly, but vehicles are an expense not an investment, and so I don't mind.

Back seat is a little cramped, but that's why Ford makes the Expedition. Also, the accouterments for the wheel jack are quite inconvenient to reach, especially if you have the rear compartment packed.

Finally, the auto insurance is cheaper than my 97 Honda Accord!

Faults:

One day I get into my Explorer and start it up only to find that it is running on 7 cylinders. I'm thinking what could of gone wrong? It was running perfectly yesterday. So I take it to the dealership and they do a full diagnostic on the car and held it for 3 days. They finally figured out what it was. It was the spark plug cable going to cylinder #3. 3 Days for just 1 cable? WOW. The other thing that has gone wrong that I noticed on a lot of Explorer's is that they LCD screen on the radio went dead. It would work from time to time whenever it wanted to. The seat developed a small rip in the side and that rip became a 2 inch gaping hole now. I really can't think of anything else that went wrong.

General Comments:

I test drove the V6 and the V8 when I was purchasing this car. The V6 did not change RPM's when it was going from first to second gear. Also, the V8 had a nice deep throaty sound. I knew that I would be buying a boat later on and also wanted a stronger engine to pull it up the many hills that we have here. When I was towing the boat (3500+ lbs.) up a hill on regular 87 octane gas, you could really hear the valves working. They seemed to be singing! Then I changed over to premium 93 octane and the singing stopped going up that same hill; plus the car has more power. I highly recommend premium fuel for this engine.

Faults:

Air bag light came on one week after purchase. The dealer tried to charge over 500 dollars to replace. Turned out to a blown fuse that cost 2 dollars.

Heard loud rattling sound coming from front end on passenger and driver side about two weeks later. Turned out to be a recall that was not serviced properly. It was only serviced after I had to call Ford home office two times on the local dealership.

Three weeks later, a loud squealing sound was heard upon starting. Replaced serpentine belt at dealer- $62.

Two weeks later, loud squealing noise returns with a vengeance. Replaced idler and tensioner pulley that were on the verge of disintegration at a local repair shop. I don't see how the dealer missed it - $212.

Loud squealing noise return, turned out to be water pump. To be replaced by another reliable mechanic. Advised that once one component of the drive belt assembly goes, they all have to be replaced- $192.

General Comments:

The SUV is a dream to drive. It is like riding on air.

The engine purrs when there is nothing wrong.

I have had the most horrible experience with the local dealer when it comes to proper diagnosis.

If you purchase used, it would be best to purchase an extended warranty.

I would advise becoming very good friends with a mechanic before purchasing.

No body problems.

Car is very pleasing aesthetically.