1994 Ford Explorer: problems, recalls and reliability
7 recalls and 1,207 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is tires (27% of complaints); the 1992 model year looks more trouble-free.
Data updated weekly · latest recall May 2001
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 1,207 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“High beams act as low beams all the time, unless you pull the brights towards you and hold which is also a fatality. *tr”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Aug 2014
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 50 mph, an odor of gasoline fumes emitted inside of the vehicle and the engine warning light illuminated. In addition, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact experienced bronchial health issues that required medical attention as a result from inhaling the fumes. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the fuel line needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 190,000. The VIN was unavailable.”Owner report · Fuel System, Gasoline · May 2013
“My tenant's vehicle - a 1994 ford explorer - spontaneously caught fire while parked in my property's garage in the middle of the night. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames and determined that the cause of the fire was the car itself - likely a faulty cruise control valve according to them. The insurance company will conduct its own investigation. *tr”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Feb 2012
Show 7 more owner reports
“While driving I turned on air conditioner and immediately light smoke began out of air conditioning vents and then the next moment the smoke was extremely heavy out of the vents and then visible fire underneath front passenger side dashboard. I immediately pulled the vehicle off the side of the road and exited, 10 minutes later it was fully engulfed in flames. *ln”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jan 2011
“Tl*the contact owns a 1994 ford explorer. When the contact was driving approximately 10 mph, dark smoke began emitting from the instrument panel. The contact turned the vehicle off which immediately became engulfed in flames. The police and fire department were notified and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The current and failure mileages were approximately 200,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Mar 2010
“Light control switch heats up so hot that wires and plug in melt,burn and crack causing light switch failure that could go unknown causing a crash or fire. *tr”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Mar 2010
“While driving, the suv caught fire from under the hood. The vehicle was consumed by flames in less than 5 minutes. Although many makes and models of fords have been recalled ( faulty cruise control - potential fire hazard), the 1994 ford explorer has not been recalled. *tr”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2010
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 ford explorer. While parked, the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames. The fire inspector was unable to determine the cause of fire. The vehicle was severely damaged. The manufacturer has not been notified. The current and failure mileages were 175,000.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Oct 2009
“The gas pedal got stuck causing my vehicle to accelerate at a higher than normal speed in an apartment parking lot, which caused my vehicle to run into the apartment building and caused structural damage and front end damage to the explorer. It is inoperable at this time due to this incident. A police report was made and insurance company notified. *tr”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Oct 2009
“My vehicle was purchased as is and I have had some problems with it . I need rocker panels , 3 ball joints and a new muffler. *tr”Owner report · Suspension · Jun 2009
When filing, owners marked a crash in 109 of these complaints and injuries in 154 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 7 campaigns
THE PARKING BRAKE CONTROL SELF-ADJUST PAWL DOES NOT LINE UP PROPERLY WITH THE SELF-ADJUST RACHET CAUSING THE PAWL TO SLIP OVER ONE OR MORE TEETH IN THE RACHET.
Remedy: A WEDGE WILL BE INSTALLED WHICH WILL SERVE TO LOCK THE PARKING BRAKE SELF-ADJUST MECHANISM PAWL INTO ENGAGEMENT WITH THE RACHET. ALSO, OWNERS WILL BE ADVISED TO RELEASE AND REAPPLY THE PARKING BRAKE WHENEVER TOOTH SKIP OCCURS AND WILL BE REMINDED TO ALWAYS TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND LEAVE THE VEHICLE IN GEAR WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE HYDRAULIC LIFT CYLINDER BRACKET WELDS COULD FRACTURE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL LIFTGATE REINFORCEMENT BRACKETS. DEPENDING UPON THE CONDITION OF THE LIFTGATE SHEET METAL IN THE AREA OF THE BRACKET, DEALERS MAY ALSO INSTALL A LARGER REINFORCEMENT.
THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. EQUIPMENT DESCRIPTION: FORD IS REPLACING ALL FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT 15, 16, AND 17 INCH TIRES MOUNTED ON FORD TRUCKS AND SUVS. FORD REPORTS TREAD SEPARATION CAN OCCUR DUE TO A COMBINATION OF THE SENSITIVITY OF THE TIRE DESIGN TO STRESS, AGING, AND MANUFACTURING DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PLANTS. FORD IS REPLACING THESE TIRES TO PREVENT POSSIBLE PREMATURE TIRE FAILURE. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: THE VEHICLES LISTED BELOW MAY HAVE BEEN ORIGINALLY EQUIPPED WITH FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRES OR MAY HAVE HAD WILDERNESS AT TIRES INSTALLED DURING THE FIRESTONE RECALL LAUNCHED IN AUGUST 2000. CERTAIN 1991 THROUGHT 2002 FORD EXPLORER CERTAIN 2001 THROUGHT 2002 EXPLORER SPORT, AND SPORT TRAC CERTAIN 1997 THROUGH 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER CERTAIN 1991 THROUGH 2001 RANGER CERTAIN 1999 THROUGH 2001 EXPEDITION CERTAIN 1991 THROUGH 1994, AND 1997 MODEL YEAR F-SERIES CERTAIN 1991 THROUGH 1994 BRONCO NOTE: BOTH ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND REPLACEMENT TIRES ARE AFFECTED.
Remedy: THE REPLACEMENT/REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR THIS CAMPAIGN EXPIRED ON MARCH 31, 2002. HOWEVER, CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT FORD AT 1-877-917-3673 OR GO ON-LINE TO WWW.FORD.COM FOR POSSIBLE ASSISTANCE.
A SHORT CIRCUIT CONDITION CAN OCCUR IN THE REMOTE POWER MIRROR CONTROL SWITCH CIRCUIT BOARD AS A RESULT OF A SEPARATED PART OF THE CONTACT ASSEMBLY BRIDGING THE SWITCH POSITIVE BATTERY PAD AND ADJACENT CHASSIS GROUND PAD.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN IN-LINE 10 AMP FUSE IN THE POSITIVE BATTERY FEED TO THE REMOTE POWER MIRROR CONTROL SWITCH ASSEMBLY.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: MULTI-PURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES. THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH FEDERAL REGULATION 573. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. THE CAMPAIGN WILL REINFORCE THE BRACKET ATTACHMENTS OF THE REAR LIFTGATE GAS ASSIST CYLINDERS WHICH COULD PULL AWAY FROM THE INSIDE OF THE LIFTGATE.
Remedy: FORD DEALERS WILL REINFORCE THE BRACKET ATTACHMENTS.
THE STUDS WHICH ATTACH THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER TO THE POWER BRAKE VACUUM BOOSTER ASSEMBLY CAN DEVELOP STRESS CORROSION CRACKING AFTER BEING OPERATED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LOCATION.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE POWER BRAKE VACUUM BOOSTER ASSEMBLY.
TIRE DESCRIPTION: FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT, SIZE P235/75R15, PRODUCED AT THE DECATUR, ILLINOIS TIRE PLANT AND ALL FIRESTONE RADIAL ATX AND RADIAL ATX II TIRES, SIZE P235/75R15. OPERATION OF THESE TIRES AT LOW INFLATION PRESSURES, HIGH SPEED, AND IN HOT WEATHER, CAN CONTRIBUTE TO SEPARATION OF THE TIRE TREAD.
Remedy: THE REPLACEMENT/REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM FOR THIS CAMPAIGN EXPIRED ON AUGUST 29, 2001. HOWEVER, CUSTOMERS SHOULD CONTACT FIRESTONE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-465-1904 FOR POSSIBLE ASSISTANCE.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 1994 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Explorer by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 1994 Ford Explorer reliable?
NHTSA has 1,207 owner complaints and 7 recall campaigns on record for the 1994 Ford Explorer. The most complained-about area is tires (27% of complaints).
At what mileage do 1994 Ford Explorer problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 100,000 miles or less.
Does the 1994 Ford Explorer have open recalls?
7 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning parking brake:conventional. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.