AI Damage2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac reliability: common problems
Owners of the 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac filed 66 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 66
- involving a crash
- 5
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 17% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 17% of all complaints
- 3 Fuel/propulsion system 15% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 5 Fuel system 9% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 6% of all complaints
- 7 Steering 6% of all complaints
- 8 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 11 complaints (17% of all).
- Structure: 11 complaints (17% of all).
- Fuel/propulsion system: 10 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 7 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 6 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 66 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I got into an accident where I hit a semi head on and at 40 mph and the airbags never deployed. I got hurt and may seek a lawyer.
The air bags did not deploy. The contact experienced minor pain in various areas of his body, but did not receive medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a wrecking yard. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was notified. The vin was unavailable.
This replaces file #10134158 while traveling approximately 25 mph the car suddenly swerved to the right and the passenger front wheel fell off. Shearing at the cast iron knuckle behind the wheel. There are no scuff marks of any kind on the tire indicating that it was a part failure as opposed to impact with the curb.
Dt: contact stated that while pressing the brake pedal the vehicle accelerated. The service dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem.
The dash cluster don't work cant see your rpms,speed,the fuel gauge gos up and down can't see milage or trip meter if you hit the dash it will work but go out going down the road and I researched it and its a common issue and I cant aford a new dash cluster I got a speeding ticket yesterday because I couldn't see my…
As I was driving to work one morning suddenly my headlights and all interior lights, such as the dashboard, suddenly went out without any warning and nothing electrical would work such as the radio and the windows and all the gauges in the dash dropped to zero or the needle fell all the way to the left.
The fan blades had many big cracks in the plastic blades,the driver door the body is cracked by top of door hing back door is the same, the paint is pealing and starting to rust on top.the plastic thermostat cracked.
My truck's steering column is tight. It feels like it could lock up or break off. The key is hard to turn in the ignition; the gear shifter is tight to switch from park to drive. This is occurring when I start the truck, then it seems to be fine.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,445 of 32,257 model years in the NHTSA data (top 14% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Explorer Sport Trac has 55 complaints (13 years in the data). This year has 66, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
- Explorer Sport Trac 19976 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 19985 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 20003 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 2001167 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 2002144 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 200378 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 200486 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 20065 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 2007100 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 200823 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 20096 sources
- Explorer Sport Trac 201031 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, structure, fuel/propulsion system. Total complaints: 66. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: fuel system, fuel smell (15%), windows, sunroof (8%), rust, corrosion (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2005 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 2005 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 2005 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.