Faults:
Ball joints were extensively worn on it at about 75,000 miles (found out from hearing metallic rattling from the front when driving over bumps or potholes), $670.00 to replace at dealership, covered by extended warranty.
Recently some part has broken or come loose inside front driver side door. Bumps window when I roll it down, other than that does not interfere with door or window operation, switches, or power locks. No price on repair as I have not had it fixed.
Side steps have begun to rust, have found this to be a recurring issue with this truck.
Paint has worn off of some of the interior trim.
General Comments:
I've liked the Explorer sport Trac from the first time I saw them on the road and mine has definitely met all of my expectations.
From the time of purchase till now, there have been NO mechanical problems with my Sport Trac and it has never broken down on me. Haven't had to replace anything in the engine, transmission, or electrical. This being somewhat of a high mileage vehicle I've had some preventative maintenance done on it: oil changes, transmission fluid change, serpentine belt replacement, radiator flush, replaced front brake disks and pads, and cleaning of the fuel injectors.
Living in the Midwest and having had driven my Sport Trac out of state has put it in all kinds of severe road and weather conditions, which it has handled with ease. The 5 speed automatic with overdrive is ideal for the highway, and the four wheel drive hasn't backed down from tackling the snow we've gotten out here in the past.
10th Feb 2007, 09:55
I guess the severe usage may have caused the early ball joint failure, but 75,000 is a pretty short lifespan for parts such as this on a high-quality vehicle like the Explorer. We've had 3 since '98 and none ever had one single problem. Lots of luck with yours. It should make 250,000 miles easily. One of our Fords went over 300,000 with zero engine or transmissions problems.