1987 Ford Explorer Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 1987 Ford Explorer, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Tires & wheels266.7%
- Brakes133.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TIRE "DETREADED" AT HIGHWAY SPEED, CAUSING MAJOR FENDER AND ELECTRICAL DAMAGE TO TAILLIGHT. FORTUNATELY THE TIRE DID NOT GO FLAT. *AK (DOT NUMBER: HYKC FRX TIRESIZE: P205 75 R1)
PE00 020; CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 55MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HEARD A SLAPPING NOISE. HE CONTINUED TO DRIVE, AND AND WHEN HE GOT HOME, HE NOTICED THAT LEFT REAR TIRE TREAD HAD SEPARATED FROM VEHICLE. FIRESTONE, WILDERNESS AT, P23575R16, THERE WERE NO INJURIES.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
ANTILOCK BRAKES LOCK UP UPON ENGAGEMENT, CAUSING VEHICLE TO SKID MOMENTARILY.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .