"How reliable is the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport?"

"Based on 160 NHTSA complaints, the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport has a median complaint mileage of 70500 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 160 total complaints filed."

2002 Ford Explorer Sport: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 160 complaints

160

Total Complaints

70,500mi

Median Mileage

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

37,075 25th Percentile

70,500 Median Mileage

92,238 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

STRUCTURE:BODY

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

POWER TRAIN

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE

VISIBILITY

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE WOULD SWAY LEFT TO RIGHT. TOOK TO DEALER AND DEALER INDICATED REAR AXLE TUBE WAS CROOKED.*AK CONSUMER TEST DROVE VEHICLE PRIOR TO PURCHASE AND HAD MENTIONED TO DEALER THAT THE VEHICLE SWAYED AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. *TT"

"CONSUMER STATES THAT THE REAR SEAT IS NOT LOCKED ON TRACK CAUSING THE SEAT TO MOVE BACKS AND FORTH WHILE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. *MR"

"MY FATHER-IN-LAW HAS THE SAME PROBLEM. HE BOUGHT HIS 5 DAYS AFTER ME, HIS STALLED 5 TIMES TO THIS DATE. REMEMBER THE NEWS, (FOG AND MAJOR PILE UP WITH NUMEROUS DEATHS) WHAT WAS THE REASON ? I DON'T WANT THIS TO BE OUR ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. "INTERMITTENT" , COULDN'T "REPRODUCE" THE PROBLEM. NOT..."

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