"How reliable is the 1999 Ford Explorer?"

"Based on 1737 NHTSA complaints, the 1999 Ford Explorer has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is TIRES."

"What are common problems with the 1999 Ford Explorer?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1999 Ford Explorer is TIRES, accounting for a significant portion of the 1737 total complaints filed."

1999 Ford Explorer: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 1737 complaints

1737

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

TIRES

Top Issue

143

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

55,000 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

117,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

TIRES

212

TIRES:TREAD/BELT

166

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

106

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

AIR BAGS

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

Severity Assessment

143

Crashes

Fires

141

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I HAD CALLED EARLIER TODAY TO SUBMIT A COMPLAINT BUT I THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE QUICKER. I AM WRITING TO YOU IN REGUARDS TO THE FORD EXPLORER SPORT 2 DOOR SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE. THIS VEHICLE HAS A MANUFACTURING DEFECT WITH THE REAR SUSPENSION SYSTEM. FORD HAS REPLACED THE STANDARD 4 STEEL LEAF SPRINGS ..."

"AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT FLASHES 2 TIMES THEN 9 TIMES FOR FIVE SEQUENCES AND THEN REMAINS ON. THIS USUALLY OCCURS ON FIRST START IN THE MORNING BUT MAY NOT OCCUR ON SUBEQUENT STARTS. DEALER SERVICE RESET COMPUTER AND WHEN THAT DIDN'T WORK REPLACED THE AIRBAG MODULE. IT HELPED FOR ALMOST A DAY BUT THE PR..."

"DURING DECELARATION AT AN INTERSECTION, THE REAR WINDSHIELD EXPLODED. UPON INSPECTION DRIVER FOUND GLASS INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE AREA. WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER WAS NOT ENGAGED AT THE TIME. OUTSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE @70 DEGREES. SOME BURN MARKS FOUND ON SURROUNDING FRAME AREA AFTER ARRIVAL AT DE..."

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