"How reliable is the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport?"

"Based on 243 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport has a median complaint mileage of 66300 miles. The most common issue is SUSPENSION."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport is SUSPENSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 243 total complaints filed."

2001 Ford Explorer Sport: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 243 complaints

243

Total Complaints

66,300mi

Median Mileage

SUSPENSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

39,000 25th Percentile

66,300 Median Mileage

107,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SUSPENSION

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

STRUCTURE:BODY

SEATS

AIR BAGS

TIRES

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP

STRUCTURE

SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SECOND ROW SEAT IS NOT PROPERLY ANCHORED. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THIS WAS NORMAL FOR THAT VEHICLE. SEEKING HELP FROM NHTSA IN THIS MATTER.*AK WHEN REAR SEAT ARE IN UPRIGHT POSITION, BACKK OF SEAT REMAINS LOCKED BUT SEAT PART MOVES IN CATAPULTING FASHION. *YH"

"FIRESTONE WILDERNESS AT TIRE P235 75 R15 EXPERIENCED BLOWOUT. *SLC"

"VEHICLE CONTINUALLY EXHIBITS FRONT END VIBRATION, SEVERAL REPAIR ATTEMPTS (CHANGING OF THE FIRESTONE TIRES AND REPLACEMENT OF THE AXLE), HOWEVER VEHICLE IS STILL EXPERIENCING VIBRATION PROBLEMS, POSSIBLY RELATED TO THE TIRES AND THE SUSPENSION OF THE VEHICLE."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

SUSPENSION 18 complaints

25th: 48,625 mi Median: 88,000 mi 75th: 137,250 mi

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION 15 complaints

25th: 66,300 mi Median: 76,000 mi 75th: 110,000 mi

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 12 complaints

25th: 68,750 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 105,250 mi

STRUCTURE:BODY 10 complaints

25th: 70,000 mi Median: 84,000 mi 75th: 160,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 21 FL: 18 TX: 18 NY: 16 NJ: 16 MI: 15 IL: 13 NC: 12 PA: 12 GA: 12

Who Files Complaints?

37%

Original Owners

63%

Second+ Owners

Ford Explorer Sport — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	44	100,000	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	4
1998	145	100,000	LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH	5
1999	127	71,900	SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER	7
2000	102	65,000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	6
2002	160	70,500	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	12
2003	85	99,000	STRUCTURE:BODY	4
2004	23	50,000	STRUCTURE:BODY	5

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