AI Damage1999 Ford Explorer Sport: common problems
Owners of the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport filed 93 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and seats. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 93
- involving a crash
- 6
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 15% of all complaints
- 2 Seats 15% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 12% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 5 Air bags 10% of all complaints
- 6 Visibility 10% of all complaints
- 7 Powertrain 9% of all complaints
- 8 Latches, locks, linkages 8% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 14 complaints (15% of all).
- Seats: 14 complaints (15% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 11 complaints (12% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 10 complaints (11% of all).
- Air bags: 9 complaints (10% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 93 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 | 14 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 9 | 3 | 0 |
| Visibility | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 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.
Brake line broke and caused accident. No warning and I've never had an issue with brakes before very frustrated and a scary situation someone could have been killed .
The consumers daughter was driving along with her grandson and lost consciousness while driving unexpectedly, hit a tree and the median, flipped over several times, landed on the roof and the air bags did not deploy.
Vehicle was involved in a minor side collision while driving at 15 mph. Upon impact, vehicle rolled over. Driver sustained injuries from broken window glass.
While driving 40 mph the drivers seat back collapsed. As a result the driver lost control of the vehicle and ran into a concrete barrier. The front air bags did not deploy. Please provide further details.
Went to apply break pressure due to another car running stop sign in parking lot. Was going approximately 10 mph. Lost break pressure and could barely stop. Checked break fluid which was completely empty. No break light notice prior to incident indicating low break fluid.
Doors will not open have to climb out of car window on growing problem first passenger side know driver side a lot of embarrassing moments trying to get out of car at work.
1999 ford explorer sport drivers seat back unlatched itself while driving. Luckily only 20 mph! Rear passenger drivers side seat is folded down forward to hold drivers seat in place, until I can find another used seat.
Was driving around the city when I reach into my pocket to get my phone and hear a loud thump coming from the seat and the next thing I notice is the seat reclining all the way back. I was able to bring it back up by folding the exterior passenger seat to provide some sort of support.
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 3,735 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 10% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Explorer Sport has 74 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 93, above average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, seats, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 93. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (13%), rust, corrosion (8%), airbag warning light (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport?
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 1999 Ford Explorer Sport 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 1999 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.