AI Damage2001 Ford Explorer Sport: common problems
Owners of the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport filed 188 complaints with NHTSA, most often about suspension and structure. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 188
- involving a crash
- 18
What fails most often
- 1 Suspension 18% of all complaints
- 2 Structure 16% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 11% of all complaints
- 5 Seats 8% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 7% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- 8 Air bags 7% of all complaints
- Suspension: 33 complaints (18% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 30 complaints (16% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 26 complaints (14% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 21 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seats: 15 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 188 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 33 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 30 | 4 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 21 | 2 | 0 |
| Seats | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 14 | 2 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 14 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 13 | 8 | 0 |
| Tires | 12 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 8 | 2 | 0 |
| Steering | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 6 | 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.
My purchased new $30,000 2001 ford 2 door explorer sport dies often causing no brakes or steering. In 2001, it died and rolled over with no steering or brakes when my wife was driving home, leaving her stranded upside down. Ford would not respond and local dealers would not or could not solve the problem.
The damage to my vehicle included the entire bumper cover buckling, both of my headlights and turn signals were damaged and broken out. None of the components were pushed back into the engine compartment. Neither the driver side or passenger side front air bags deployed.
While traveling at highway speed vehicle's left rear tire tread separated. Driver made an abrupt steering input that caused loss of control. Vehicle overturned and left the roadway. Driver was sole occupant and did not survive.
While driving at speed at 15 mph, the vehicle lost electrical power and the engine stalled. The steering became very difficult to maneuver and the contact was unable to maintain control of the vehicle. The vehicle rolled over as a result of the failure.
The front passenger side tire blew out. The vehicle was taken to the dealership and the recliner assembly needed to be replaced.
The tires caught fire and bystander tried to put out the fire with an ice chest and again it caught on fire.
We slid into a telephone pole on the drivers side and totaled the suv without any airbags going off and the seatbelts coming out of the lock. We have been in contact with ford via two letters but the won't acknowledge that their drivers side airbag should have went off in that type of collision even with photos to…
My mother could not get her seat belt undone so she called 911 while hanging in her vehicle. A man and woman stopped to help her out because they noticed that her ford was on fire. They had to break into the back window and the woman climbed in to release her and pull her out.
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 2,164 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 6% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Explorer Sport has 74 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 188, above average.
What to check before buying
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- 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 2001 Ford Explorer Sport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: suspension, structure, powertrain. Total complaints: 188. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (7%), smoke, burning smell, fire (6%), vibration (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2001 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 2001 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 2001 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.