1997 Ford Explorer Sport Trac reliability: common problems

Owners of the 1997 Ford Explorer Sport Trac filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about powertrain and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 6

What fails most often

1 Powertrain 17% of all complaints
2 Seat belts 17% of all complaints
3 Structure 17% of all complaints
4 Suspension 17% of all complaints
5 Vehicle speed control 17% of all complaints

Circle size and colour show each component’s share of NHTSA complaints. Schematic only, not a drawing of the exact model.

Powertrain: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Seat belts: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Structure: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Suspension: 1 complaints (17% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 1 complaints (17% of all).

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 6 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

seat belts1 · 17%
smoke, burning smell, fire1 · 17%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash	Technical service bulletins (TSB)
Powertrain	1	0	0
Seat belts	1	0	0
Structure	1	0	0
Suspension	1	0	0
Vehicle speed control	1	0	0
Other	1	0	0

What owners report

Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.

Broken front sway bar link on 1997 ford explort xlt. Replace parts.
Suspension · 2006-08-07 · NHTSA complaint #10164807
The result was a blown engine/small fire,no injuries thank god, because the only way to stop vehicle was to put into neutral and then park. The foot brake and emergency brake were useless, and the vehicle was revving at 75 mph at the time till brought to stop thus blowing a huge hole in wall of engine to the tune of…
Vehicle speed control · 2006-07-27 · NHTSA complaint #10163619
Transfer case failure when transferred from normal operation to 4 wheel drive. If this had happened while I was on the road instead of in front of my home, I believe an accident most surely would have occurred. Thank god I tested the 4 wheel operation before I took a trip to the snow country.
Powertrain · 2006-06-21 · NHTSA complaint #10160376
I think the rear door of ford explorers should be investigated. I have a 1997 ford explorer xlt. The weld that holds the rear door at the top is starting to come apart. I was informed that this is an engineering defect on ford explorers by a ford body shop. Why has there not been a recall on this issue?
Structure · 2005-10-04 · NHTSA complaint #10138501
The driver's side seat belt today became unlatched when I hit the breaks hard. This is the second time that this has happened. Had I hit another car, I would have gone through the windshield. Ford wants to charge me $100 for the repair.
Seat belts · 2005-02-09 · NHTSA complaint #10110173

When owners complained

NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.

20041
20052
20063

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 12,234 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 38% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Explorer Sport Trac has 55 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 6, below average.

What to check before buying

Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

What are the most common problems with the 1997 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: powertrain, seat belts, structure. Total complaints: 6. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (17%), smoke, burning smell, fire (17%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1997 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?

NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.

Should I buy a 1997 Ford Explorer Sport Trac from a US auction?

Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.

Other 1997 models

Read also

Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.