1998 Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › Explorer Sport Trac › 1998
These records cover every 1998 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Owner complaints
5 complaints1 involved a fire
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system · Electronic stability control (esc) · Service brakes
Takata recall.. The lights inside will cut on for no reason. The radio and other components will cut on and off when they want..the brake paddle works when it want .
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
The brake line on both of my 1996 and 1998 ford explorer rusted out last year and this year on both suvs, causing the brake system to totally fail on the 1996 and lost one set of brakes on the 1998. we were very lucky. The problem was noticed when parked. *jb
- Vehicle speed control › Cruise control
On january 26TH, 2006 at 3AM our 1998 ford explorer exploded in 33 degree weather after sitting in the driveway for 15 hours. the fire caused my vehicle, a 1994 buick century to catch fire as well. Both vehicles were totaled. the fire investigator ruled the fire as and "unknown cause" and ruled…
On january 26TH, 2006 at 3AM our 1998 ford explorer exploded in 33 degree weather after sitting in the driveway for 15 hours. the fire caused my vehicle, a 1994 buick century to catch fire as well. Both vehicles were totaled. the fire investigator ruled the fire as and "unknown cause" and ruled out arson or foul play. we believe this spontaneous fire was caused by the defective cruise control switch on the ford explorer due to the quickness and fierceness of this blaze. due to quick thinking we saved and prevented the fire from spreading to our home. *nm
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
The driver's side door will not open from the inside or outside. the consumer was aware of the ford technical service bulletin regarding lock components. *ak the door could not be opened with the key or from the inside handle. the door could not be unlocked without excessive effort. *sc *jb
- Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery · Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
I own a ford explorer 1988 bought new in 1999. I have only 36.000 miles on it and last month I was just driving for about 2 miles when I sensed a powerful smell of gas. Pulled over imediately, opened the hood a I saw gasolin pouring on the engine and the batteries from the two fuel lines going…
I own a ford explorer 1988 bought new in 1999. I have only 36.000 miles on it and last month I was just driving for about 2 miles when I sensed a powerful smell of gas. Pulled over imediately, opened the hood a I saw gasolin pouring on the engine and the batteries from the two fuel lines going into the feuel injection system in top of the engine. I have called ford and they told me there IS no recall on this. It should be because the ford dealer where I have fixed the problem(700$ !!!!). old me they encountered this problem other times. please do an investigation before people will die burnt alive. I drove new, old and very old cars and I have never had or heard of this kind of problem. *ak it IS a major safety issue! please let me know if you will do something thanks sorin
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton V-8 and V-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or…
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton V-8 and V-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi IS not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi IS aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it IS possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect IS very low.in view of the foregoing, it IS unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize nhtsa?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition IS denied.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 637803Concerns with brake vibration, roughness and / or grinding noise, and excessive brake rotor corrosion.
- 637710Some vehicles with 4wabs may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes c1233 and c1234 (anti-lock brake sensor output failure).
- 630022Some vehicles including 1997 through 1999 explorer sport trac equipped with a 4.0L SOHC engine may exhibit a start-up noise from the left front of the engine.
- 619276On some vehicles, including sport and sport trac, the front axle leaks fluid from the vent tube.
Every Ford Explorer Sport Trac model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.