2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac reliability: common problems

Owners of the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac filed 86 complaints with NHTSA, most often about suspension and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.

Key figures

Owner complaints: 86
involving a crash: 14

What fails most often

1 Suspension 16% of all complaints
2 Air bags 15% of all complaints
3 Powertrain 15% of all complaints
4 Structure 10% of all complaints
5 Vehicle speed control 9% of all complaints
6 Electrical system 8% of all complaints
7 Engine and cooling 8% of all complaints
8 Tires 7% of all complaints

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

Suspension: 14 complaints (16% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Air bags: 13 complaints (15% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Powertrain: 13 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Structure: 9 complaints (10% of all).
Vehicle speed control: 8 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.

Symptoms owners describe

How many of the 86 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).

knocking, grinding or other noise9 · 10%
seat belts8 · 9%
vibration7 · 8%
transmission slipping6 · 7%
airbags did not deploy5 · 6%
fuel system, fuel smell3 · 3%
stalls while driving3 · 3%
rust, corrosion2 · 2%
steering or power steering problems2 · 2%
unintended acceleration2 · 2%

Components owners complain about

Component	Owner complaints	involving a crash
Suspension	14	2
Air bags	13	7
Powertrain	13	1
Structure	9	0
Vehicle speed control	8	1
Electrical system	7	0
Engine and cooling	7	0
Tires	6	1
Seat belts	5	1
Service brakes	4	2
Steering	3	2
Equipment	2	1
Exterior lighting	2	1
Fuel/propulsion system	2	1

What owners report

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

The seat belt restrained the driver; however, the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained extensive bruising on the right side of the body, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. Miller motor sales inc ([address], burlington, [ZIP], [phone]) was notified.
Air bags · crash · 2019-03-15 · NHTSA complaint #11187003
One which was flipped onto my driver side and totaled in an accident where I was hit doing 25mph down a back road whith a stop sign intersection, no airbags went off the only thing that saved me was my seat belt from worse injures.
Powertrain · crash · 2017-05-09 · NHTSA complaint #10984446
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer sport trac with mastercraft courser a/t 2 tires (size: lt265/75r16). While driving approximately 70 mph, the front passenger side tire exploded, causing the contact to crash into another vehicle and the highway median. The front axle and tie rod fractured during the failure.
Tires · crash · 2012-06-13 · NHTSA complaint #10461651
The contact crashed into the right passenger side of the other vehicle and the air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the left shoulder and was transported to the hospital via ambulance. The vehicle was towed by the contacts insurance company who deemed the vehicle as destroyed.
Air bags · crash · 2010-09-14 · NHTSA complaint #10355582
The airbags did not deploy, and the point of contact with the other vehicle was on the front driver's side corner panel of the truck. I feel that the impact of the wreck should have deployed the airbags.
Air bags · crash · 2009-03-10 · NHTSA complaint #10261466
Dt: the caller said that while slowing down and when applying the brakes they went to the floor, and vehicle rolled through a stop light. This happened once and without warning. It resulted in an accident, and the vehicle was towed to a body shop after the insurance company approved it.
Service brakes · crash · 2005-09-22 · NHTSA complaint #10137337
My seat belt did not hold/catch or stop my forward movement. I was thrown into the steering wheel and then snapped back, injuring my head, neck, mid and low back, I had numbness and tingling bilateral lower extremities, and bilateral upper extremities. I also experienced severe muscle spasms neck and mid back.
Seat belts · crash · 2004-11-05 · NHTSA complaint #10098298
When vehicle was idling in the parked position vehicle surged backwards. This caused consumer to lose control of the vehicle and hit a tree.the consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealership for inspection.
Vehicle speed control · crash · 2004-05-20 · NHTSA complaint #10073975

When owners complained

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

200410
200513
200612
20075
20088
20096
20104
20116
20122
20133
20147
20152
20171
20181
20194
20201
20241

Comparison

By complaint count this model year ranks 3,815 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 12% most complained about).

On average one model year of the Explorer Sport Trac has 55 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 86, above average.

What to check before buying

Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.

Other years of this model

Questions and answers

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

Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: suspension, air bags, powertrain. Total complaints: 86. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (10%), seat belts (9%), vibration (8%).

How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 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 2004 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 2004 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.