Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 6 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1998 Explorer Van Ford Explorer, most frequently naming the interior & seats, body & structure and exterior lighting categories.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| May 2003 | 1 | 1 |
| Oct 2003 | 1 | 2 |
| Nov 2003 | 1 | 3 |
| Dec 2003 | 1 | 4 |
| Feb 2004 | 1 | 5 |
| Mar 2004 | 1 | 6 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
No recalls in our database for this model year
That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
I HAD TO REPLACE THE CENTER ARMREST ON 9-9-99 UNDER WARANTY AND A SECOND TIME AT MY EXPENSE. THE TRANSMISSION MOUNT BOLT WAS MISSING. RAZZARI FORD IN MERCED, CA, CANNOT FIX UNDER WARRANTY. *JB FORD MOTOR COMPANY CLAIMS MISSING BOLT AND DEFECTIVE ARMREST IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. I REMINDED THEM I WILL NOT BUY NEW FORDS AGAIN.
BROKEN DRIVER'S SEAT FRAME. *AK
WHILE THE HOOD WAS OPEN, THE HYDRAULIC HOOD "STRUTS" GAVE WAY, & THE HOOD CAME CRASHING DOWN & HIT ME ON THE BACK OF MY HEAD. LUCKILY, IT WAS A GLANCING BLOW, & I DIDN'T SUSTAIN A MAJOR INJURY.
EDDIE BAUER FORD EXPLORER BRIGHT LIGHT SWITCH ON STEERING COLUMN FAILED WHEN RETURNING FROM BRIGHT HEADLIGHTS TO REGULAR LIGHTING. THE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT DUE TO THE SWITCH, HAD TO WIGGLE SWITCH TO GET LIGHTS BACK ON. I DISCOVERED BY HOLDING THE SWITCH TOWARDS MY DIRECTION (THE FLASH BRIGHTS MODE), I COULD GET HOME. THIS OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING IN PITCH DARK . LIGHTS UNEXPECTEDLY WENT OUT DURING THIS ACTION. IT WAS RATHER SHOCKING TO HAVE THE HEADLIGHTS TO TURN OFF UNEXPECTEDLY. *AK
I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON BOLT REPLACEMENT DATED AUGUST 2003. FOR ABOUT ONE YEAR THE FRONT SEATS IN MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN BROKEN RECLINING TO THE BACK SEAT, I HAVE BLANKETS AND PILLOWS PILED IN THE SEATS THAT ENABLES ME TO SIT UP ENOUGH TO DRIVE AND BUCKLE MY SEAT BELT. ON 9/10/03 I CALLED YOUR CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SPOKE TO A REPRESENTING BY THE NAME OF NICOLE TO COMPLAIN. I FOLLOWED INSTRUCTIONS AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH ERNIE HAIR AT FORD, WHO LOOKED AT THE SEATS AND MADE A DETERMINATION THAT TOOK 5 MINUTES, THAT IT WAS THE RECLINER NOT THE BOLT I THEN TOOK THE SERVICE REP TO THE VEHICLE TO SHOW HIM THE RECLINER WORKS HE THEN SAID OH THE REP MUST HAVE NOT LOOKED AT IT PROPERLY AND THAT THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT IS SEPARATING FROM THE TOP AND THAT IT HAS CAUSE THE SEAT TO RECLINE. PLEASE HELP ME GET THIS REPAIRED HE SAID THAT THE COST OF REPAIRING THE SEAT WILL BE "300.00 $ PER SEAT " THIS IS TRULY A SAFETY HAZARD AND NEED TO BE ATTENDED TO I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. THE REASON FOR THE LAPSE IN TIME IS I HAD TO CALL A SECOND TIME TO RECEIVE A COMPLAINT PACKAGE. THANK YOU:AISHA PATTERSON JAMES. *AK
THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL RING AND PINION GEARS FAILED WITH JUST 78,000 MILES AND MAINLY HIGHWAY ONLY MILES. *NLM
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998Viewing | 6 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 9 | 0 | 0 | — |
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.