2004 Ford Explorer consumer reviews

I owned this truck scene it was new, I dealer mainted it I live in the northeast so vehicles don't last long cause of the salt air. I have 182,438 mile on the truck original engine trans and differentials the body has no rust one it I wash it once a week and wax it twice a year ALL FLUIDS ARE CHANGED ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURE SPEC'S which is something people don't do they just think you have to change the oil and thats it!!!! I don't think so!!! I was a mechanic for 45 years retired now but I still see people not taking care of there vehicles I have seen Toyota get 200,000 miles cause the people took care of them I have never seen a Toyota get over 200,000 and never take care of it. its all in how you take care it!!! read your owners manual and maintenance manual it will be a small price to pay with a big return. heck I proved with all my cars and trucks all fords and all got over 200,000 I still have my 1996 Explorer with 312,334 its does have a new trans it only has 1675 miles on it the body is starting to go but what do you want out of 14 year old truck I will probably get another three years out of it well I hope this helps people to understand what quality is. if a truck isn't maintained then its the owners fault not the SUV so why blame the truck !!!!

I got mine 2 mos ago w/24,000 miles. The car was fine but the dealer was a little sketchy --my perfect interior had a rip in passenger seat (they knocked off $600)when I came back after putting a deposit the week before and the larger side of the 2nd row handle is broken which I discovered trying to move a fridge. I see what they mean about trans--it's does a little thunk thing in reverse, but so far the fwd gears are smooth. It's very smooth on the highway. I'm in city, but even still, it burns more gas that I expected for a low mileage V6. My old isuzu trooper w/243k miles and 3.2 liter seems to burn about the same, though the 4wd is not full-time like with the Explorer...maybe that's the culprit. The seat belt reminder is annoying, so just put it on. The column gear shifter is rubber coated and it rubs the column, and the rubber coating on the shifter seems to be rubbing off. I bought a warranty based on the trans stuff I've read about. Good news is my neighbor on the same block has one and she reports no problems and she bought hers new. That made me give ford a chance. It is also true that people with bad experiences tend to write on these things and people w/no xxxxxxtend to not. So, we'll see what happens. Besides the issues from a used car dealer that lets gorillas move used cars in their lot, I love it.

I bought this Suv after my sister totalled my first brand new Ford Focus. I wish I still had my Focus. At least I knew I could trust it to get to work without breaking down. Bought Explorer with 90,000 miles on it. LOVE the outside and the interior. Fully loaded and extremely comfortable, my kids love the DVD player. That's where the good stuff ends. 10,000 miles later, the engine blew! Right before the engine went, I was having trouble getting power going up hill. Found out the Cat converters were plugged and 1600 bucks later, it still wasn't right. You cannot replace just the one Cat converter. Its an entire Y shaped unit that must be purchased as a whole, not just the converter. So after it was fixed, I went another week and the engine went caput on my way to work, up a hill. Had another engine installed! 2,000 bucks later... Kept having a clunk went I up hills. Another visit to a repair shop to find out the rear mount was going out. AND.... my transmission is now going. Major issues driving down the road with or without cruise on, the vehicle feels like it doesn't get enough gas but I am being told its the tranny going out. Everything else has been replaced in this thing and I have had nothing but issues. I understand and realize I got a "lemon" from the dealer but was told there are NO lemon laws in the state of Nevada so I am now stuck with this thing. I will be trading it in, the moment I can! Even after all the problems, I still love the inside and the comfy-ness but do not care to spend another dime on the dang thing to fix it, yet I know I will. Be very wary of this vehicle. It may end up costing you more in the end, then its worth.

Our Explorer has performed well for 95000 miles. Service items were a wheel bearing and 4WD unit. Beyond that, just maintenance. Fuel economy is worse than expected. The engine and fan noise is far above the competition. Ride quality on the standard Goodrich Rugged Trail tires was stiff, but these tires lasted 94000 miles. Ride is better on highway tread tires. The A/C system periodically blows hot air and then returns to the cooling requested. Beyond these foibles, it has been a reliable and strong tow vehicle with few problems.

I should not have purchased this SUV in March 2004. Since the beginning, I've had problems. At 700 miles I had it back to the dealer for problems with the air conditioner. It would not run at all then it would blow a huge amount of cold air out of the vents and into your face for about 2 minutes, then it would get as warm as the heat and blow that temperature for the rest of the time. They got it fixed and now it's better. At 35,000 miles I started hearing a whining noise from the rear of the SUV. Got it checked out at the dealer and they said that they could not hear anything! JERKS!!! The whining just got worse with every 1,000 miles. It's pretty bad now at 90,000 miles!!! At 47,000 miles the rear hatch panel cracked and it almost never gets opened! :( I had the dealer check that out and they said that it was a common problem and that they would pay no money for the repair. I didn't get it fixed and it's still cracked to this day. At 65,000 miles I had one front and one rear wheel bearing go out. Got that fixed. Then at about the same time, the transmission would clunk and shifted hard! :( I didn't even take it in to the dealer because they are so ignorant! Then, at 67,000 miles, the driver side door handle supports broke and the handle just dangled there. I got that fixed at $500 at the dealership!!!!!!! Then, here comes 70,000 miles and the cracked sunvisor supports on the interior! :( When I found out the repair bill on that I said "Well we can just ignore that!!" The engine has never failed to start though! Good, reliable 4.0L SOHC V6 engine!!! At 77,000 miles the transmission started clunking more and more worse. Then, at 80,000 miles, I was shifted from P (park) to R (reverse) and the gear shifter/lever came off into my hand! BUMMER!! The dealership was actually nice enough to fix that for free! YAY!!!! But they blamed me for it and said I was BEATING the shifter down into reverse!UNBELIEVABLE!!!!! Then, at 82,000 miles the other two wheel barings went out. I got that fixed. Next, I recently went to the local repair shop just for a vehicle check up, and found out that my alternator, battery, and front and rear differentials were bad! This was at 88,000 miles! I got the alternator rebuilt and the battery replaced, and I'm just going to drive it until the differential(s) go out. Then I will get rid of it. GOOD RIDDENS JUNK!!! Also, at 90,500 miles now, the rebuilt alternator is bad again. SO BUMMER AGAIN! My next investment will be a Ford F-350 XLT Crew Cab with the 6.2L 'Boss' V8. That thing oughta leave me happy for a good 12 years of minimal or no problems!

i bought this used with around 65000 miles, had it one month back to the dealer t0 completey rebuild the rear end which the bill came to over $2500.00 glad they gave me a small warrinity next thing the dash lights wouldnt shut off says door ajar no cure for this problem next had to replace left front hub at the cost of $500 now the heater only works when it wants had it fixed once at the cost of $400 gas mileage whats that on its best day maybe 15 hwy well now im getting rid of it thank god nice job ford try again PLEASE

I found this 2004 Exployer one year ago a Limited with V6, which are quite rare in this part of the country, (most are V8) it has every option except for DRL, at the time I purchased it it had 80000 miles one owner, and it was on the local Ford dealers bargain lot I got it for $9500 on the last day of September last year, I went to FL this summer with it put 4500 miles on it my average gas milage was 20.1

I've had this vehicle for 3 years will just minor wear and tear. We have taken it camping, pulled out 20ft boat, been up and down the east coast, handles great in the snow of Michigan and the heat of florida. Plenty of room for kids, dogs, and many trips to Lowes. I couldnt as for more in an SUV. I'll be getting another when this thing finally dies.

For the price, I couldnt ask for more. Fully loaded (everything except heated seats and premium stereo system) with leather, sunroof, 8 cylinder, etc, for 10 grand. Right now (May 2009 at least) you can pick these up for dirt cheap. The thing you will notice most is the extremely comfortable ride, its very smooth on the road. The interior is, well, its a Ford so you cant expect anything fancy. But its not horrendous. The leather is a little slippery and if you make sharp turns your butt may move around a bit. If you can get the cloth, get the cloth, as the seats are MUCH more comfortable. The handling is so-so. The V8 is by no means "fast" but its extremely noticeable over the V6. Its not so great on gas. Overall a great vehicle for the price.

I bought 2004 used with 32,000 miles on it.Have not had any problems but I am worried because of the transmission problems I hear about.Chance u take with any vehicle.