1998 Ford Explorer Sport: problems, recalls and reliability

“Large fuel leak from braided steel fuel lines where they were rubbing against their brace on the top front of engine. They were cut, with a splice put in, and the brace removed, rather than a replacement. The reason being the replacement part cost of $600. *tr”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · Dec 2009

“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer sport. The vehicle caught fire while parked. The police and fire departments were notified. The entire front end of the vehicle was engulfed in flames and damaged. The vehicle was towed to an impound. The dealer stated that the vehicle was not on fire when they disconnected the cruise control. There was no power running through the vehicle. The vehicle has not yet been diagnosed. A police report was filed. The failure and current mileages were 158,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Dec 2008

“There were no events leading up to this failure I was driving to go see a movie. The door lock on the drivers side stopped working (even with a key it will not unlock). No parts have been replaced on this door except for the door itself over 7 years ago. *tr”Owner report · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Jul 2008

“Ford issued a recall for a bolt replacement in the seat. Safety recall 03s04 refers. Beach ford dealership has declined to conduct the repair due to time of the recall (5 years). The dealership stated that the bolt had already sheared and since the recall was so old they would not repair. *tr”Owner report · Seats · Jun 2008

“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer sport. While driving 10-15 mph, the vehicle began smoking around the steering column. The contact felt that the vehicle speed control caused the failure. There is a recall for the vehicle speed control (NHTSA campaign id 00v422000, 06v286000, 99v062001) however the dealer stated that her VIN was not included. The current and failure mileages were 127,577. The purchase date was not available.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · May 2008

“1998 ford explorer driver side door lock won't open. It won't open if you use the key, remote, or manually try to pull up on it while inside. However, the other doors and tailgate unlock ok. I am forced to enter the car on the passenger side and climb over a console in the middle to get into driver seat. I believe this is a serious safety issue as there is no way to get in or out of the car on the driver side. I am 76 years old and this is extremely difficult to get in over the console on passenger side. There are numerous complaints on internet for this exact problem. *tr”Owner report · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Apr 2008

“Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer sport. The driver side door locks malfunctioned. As a result, the contact cannot open the driver side door. The fuse relay of the vehicle is located in the driver side door, which prevents the contact from changing any of the fuses. Prior to the failure, he experienced issues with manually unlocking the doors with the vehicle key. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 70,300.”Owner report · Latches/Locks/Linkages · Mar 2008