"How reliable is the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport?"

"Based on 85 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport has a median complaint mileage of 99000 miles. The most common issue is STRUCTURE:BODY."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport is STRUCTURE:BODY, accounting for a significant portion of the 85 total complaints filed."

2003 Ford Explorer Sport: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 85 complaints

Total Complaints

99,000mi

Median Mileage

STRUCTURE:BODY

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

42,371 25th Percentile

99,000 Median Mileage

130,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

STRUCTURE:BODY

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS

VISIBILITY/WIPER

STRUCTURE

VISIBILITY

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

VISIBILITY:GLASS, SIDE/REAR

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

WHEELS

TIRES

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I JUST BOUGHT A FORD EXPLORER SPORT 2 DOOR TO TOW MY BOAT. THE SPECS FOR TOWING PROVIDED BY FORD ARE 5100 LBS. MAXIMUM TRAILER WEIGHT, 350 LBS. MAX TONGUE WEIGHT. MY BOAT & TRAILER IS 3200 LBS AND TONGUE WEIGHT 280 LBS., WELL WITHIN SPECS. MY FIRST TRIP TRAILERING 20 MILES TO THE LAKE THE VEHICLE T..."

"REAR VIEW MIRROR GIVES A FALSE IMAGE, WHEN THERE ARE NO CARS BEHIND VEHICLE DRIVER CAN OT SEE IN REARVIEW WINDOW. BUT IF CARS ARE BEHIND DRIVER CAN SEE. CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT AS A RESULT, DRIVER WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. *AK"

"INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE STALLED. SOMETIMES THIS OCCURRED MORE FREQUENTLY IN WET WEATHER. DRIVER WOULD LET VEHICLE SIT FOR TEN MINUTES THEN IT WOULD RESTART. *AK"

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.

STRUCTURE:BODY 13 complaints

25th: 102,000 mi Median: 115,000 mi 75th: 134,750 mi

STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS 8 complaints

25th: 77,449 mi Median: 87,998 mi 75th: 114,300 mi

VISIBILITY/WIPER 7 complaints

25th: 101,750 mi Median: 120,000 mi 75th: 132,250 mi

STRUCTURE 4 complaints

Median: 99,000 mi

VISIBILITY 4 complaints

25th: 51,651 mi Median: 100,746 mi 75th: 139,274 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 14 VA: 9 TX: 8 NJ: 6 FL: 6 NY: 4 OH: 3 KY: 3 GA: 3 NC: 3

Who Files Complaints?

12.9%

Original Owners

87.1%

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
2001	243	66,300	SUSPENSION	23
2002	160	70,500	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION	12
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