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2.6

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,766 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

1997 Ford Explorer accessories - exterior problems

accessories - exterior problem

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1997 Ford Explorer Owner Comments

problem #3

Nov 012007

Explorer 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 167,299 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 1997 Ford Explorer. The driver side door will not open from inside the passenger compartment. The lock sticks and will only open from outside the vehicle. The door lock itself is not working and when the contact pushes the unlock control on the door panel, it fails to unlock the door. She is concerned that she may not be able to open the door in case of an emergency. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 168,299 and failure mileage was 167,299.

- Elizabethtown, NC, USA

problem #2

Jul 022004

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Several problems with this auto, it seems to be falling apart. The driver side seat belt no longer latches. We have to loop the driver side through the passenger side. It appears this is an issue with several of these models. This is a serious safety hazard and seat belts are mandatory by law. Is there anything being done? the left turn indicator has had electrical issues for years. It makes a zzzz sound and no longer works. I am also down to only one door that the key works on. That is the back lift. The door key had not worked on the driver side for years, then the passenger side went. I have the same heat problem the others are having. You either get full on heat and have to turn it on and off when it gets too hot or you get partial ac, always a little warm. Both the ac and heat has been serviced, the problem is in the switch somewhere. And now the reason I'm writing is I have major electrical problems. Fuses and solinoids have been looked at, there are no longer lights in the dash area. The lights on alarm (ding ding ding ding) remains on when the car is off, the keys out and the door shut which has drained my battery completly. I have jumped started it twice and now it sits in my driveway because it will cost a fortune to have the electrical looked at. If this is an issue with anyone else it should be reported to Ford. Not only can I no longer drive this car, it would be totally unsafe to use it. I need 4wheel drive just to get out of my driveway in winter and have no idea how I'm going to come up with the money for all these repairs. Please advise if there are any recalls that address these issues. The incident date I listed below is for the time the seatbelt started to fail completly. We were on a vacation trip!

- Spring Creek, NV, USA

problem #1

Aug 262003

(reported on)

Explorer

  • miles
During a vehicle inspection several problems were found. The child safety lock on the passenger side rear door was broken and the driver side tail light doesn't work.

- Taunton, MA, USA

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