"How reliable is the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?"

"Based on 108 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac has a median complaint mileage of 45000 miles. The most common issue is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac is POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, accounting for a significant portion of the 108 total complaints filed."

2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 108 complaints

108

Total Complaints

45,000mi

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.

25,489 25th Percentile

45,000 Median Mileage

87,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

SUSPENSION

AIR BAGS

STRUCTURE:BODY

TIRES

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SUSPENSION:FRONT

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VIBRATION IN DRIVE TRAIN STARTS AT 45 AND CONTINUES THROUGH 60 MPH. DEALER HAS CHECKED ALL 4 WHEELS FOR BALANCE, REPLACED REAR DRIVESHAFT, REPLACED TRANSFER CASE, AND NOW WANTS TO REPLACE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY. FRONT CRANKSHAFT SEAL HAS NOW STARTED TO LEAK ENGINE OIL."

"THE CONSUMER WAS TAKING OFF FROM A STOP WHEN HE NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T GO HIGHER THAN 28 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK *SC *JB"

"WHILE DRIVING OVER STANDING WATER OR SNOW REAR ABS BRAKES FAILINTERMITTENTLY. *AK"

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