1996 Ford Explorer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1818 complaints
1818
Total Complaints
127,000mi
Median Mileage
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
Top Issue
248
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

80,000 25th Percentile
127,000 Median Mileage
163,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

TIRES:TREAD/BELT
369
TIRES
260
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
85
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
78
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
76
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL
39
SUSPENSION:FRONT
37
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
35
STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
32
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
29

Severity Assessment

248
Crashes
46
Fires
463
Injuries
89
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLES STEERING WHEEL/COLUMN HAS PROBLEMS WITH NOISE AND ERRATIC OPERATION.DLR CAN NOT FIX. TT"
"VEHICLES STEERING WHEEL/COLUMN HAS PROBLEMS WITH NOISE AND ERRATIC OPERATION.DLR CAN NOT FIX. TT"
"A SPLINTERED TWO BY FOUR PIERCED THE GAS TANK. TT"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28