Faults:

Rear AC unit replaced.

2 power window motors replaced.

Rear differential replaced.

Torque converter shot.

Severe engine knock that led to the trade in of the vehicle.

Transmission rebuilt.

Lug nuts snapped off the front right wheel twice.

Vibrations in steering wheel - never completely fixed.

General Comments:

I loved the interior design and general layout, but the cost of repairs was grievous.

Faults:

Battery went dead for no apparent reason.

General Comments:

Read a LOT of reviews when looking at getting into the SUV market.

Ford explorer's generally seemed to get the best reviews. They have been one of the top selling SUV's for a long time now, and I am really starting to see why.

My general impression on Ford was not all too great. Quirky ergonomics inside vehicles, and generally unreliable transmissions.

So far, the experience I have gotten in my new explorer has certainly changed my mind. The interior layout took a while to get used to (door handle location, tranny shifter), but now that I have the feel of it, I LOVE this vehicle.

Acceleration is very good for a V6, I have no problem merging into highway traffic.

Fuel economy is average, a bit of a hit to the pocketbook after switching up from a 4 cylinder vehicle.

The overall ride is incredibly smooth. Some wind noise at speed, but nothing that is distracting or uncomfortable to drive in.

Handles great in slippery/snowy conditions. I drive the Canadian winter year after year, and this truck makes pretty quick work of it.

Cargo room is great, the opening rear window function is a life saver when carrying a big box around.

Seat material is attractive and comfortable. Wanted leather, but am more than happy I went with the cloth.

Overall, this car looks great, and rides even better. I seriously get a huge smile on my face when I am in my truck!

Faults:

The rear lift gate cracked -- we found out this was a factory defect, but they would not cover it due to the miles on the car.

The rear windows will not roll down.

The gear sticks in Reverse when trying to move to Park.

The high beam indicator no longer works.

General Comments:

We were talked into purchasing Automotive Protection Plan insurance when we purchased the car. We made a claim for the latest problems, but they would only pay $48 when the cost to fix the problem is $478.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This has been a good car.

Gas mileage is not very good.

The third row seat comes in handy when my kids have friends.

I would buy another one in the future.

Faults:

No faults

General Comments:

The 4.0 runs smooth, the trans shifts smooth, the leather is nice, and the air works great. The finish is great. The Explorer Eddie Bauer is too easy to put miles on.

The only thing I would improve is the CD changer. It needs to be easier to eject and load. I strongly recommend this model and year. Look down the street, how many people have these? There is a reason for it.

Faults:

We just replaced the tires. The were the O/E BF Goodrich tires, so I'd say that three years out of them was good enough. We live in Colorado and venture into the mountains most winters, so we opted to put on wider tires. We chose BF Goodrich Long Trail TAs in 275-60-R17, and while they aren't any taller than stock, the wider footprint makes the Explorer look very good compared to the originals (which were 255-60-R17 if I remember correctly).

Other than that, just general maintenance. No major problems whatsoever.

General Comments:

We have an 03 Eddie Bauer that I bought for my wife, and it is a very roomy ride compared to my '99 GMC Envoy. I have a few things that I don't care for - some are minor annoyances and some are personal preference. Overall this has been a great vehicle.

1. The seats. The leather looks excellent after three years, and the heaters are very nice, but they aren't very plush compared to those in my '99 GMC Envoy or my '02 Grand Prix GTP - those seats are MUCH more comfortable, in my opinion. That's just a GM vs. Ford preference thing though, I think.

2. The Door Adjar indicator has a mind of it's own sometimes... we can shut and re-check all of the doors three times, but the indicator doesn't go away. It takes about 30 seconds for the interior lights to shut off if that indicator is on. No big deal most of the time, except at night. Driving with the lights on is rather annoying. I'd chalk this one up to a poor design on Ford's part.

3. There is a repetitive chirping noise coming from under the hood. It only happens when the vehicle is moving, usually under acceleration load. I'm thinking that it's just a bad belt that I need to isolate and replace, or maybe a tensioner pulley going bad - but it's annoying nevertheless. Not really a design flaw, probably just something wearing out.

4. The engine cooling/radiator fans - these things are on full-bore ALL THE TIME! Whenever you accelerate, all you hear are those damn fans - they drown out the engine completely, even with the windows down. While the V6 has plenty of power when we need it, it sure sounds like it's working awfully hard. I'm pretty sure that this is just another annoying Ford trait, but I'll call the dealership and ask them about it just to be safe.

Other than those few things, the Expo is roomy, comfortable for the most part, and has treated us very well. No major issues as of yet. It has about 65K miles on it now, so I'd like to think that if anything drastic was going to go wrong, it would have happened by now.

I'm looking at selling my Envoy and getting an Expedition to compliment the Explorer...but my GTP isn't going anywhere :)