AI Damage2003 Ford Explorer Sport: common problems
Owners of the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport filed 65 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and visibility. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 65
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 38% of all complaints
- 2 Visibility 26% of all complaints
- 3 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- 4 Engine and cooling 6% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 6% of all complaints
- 6 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 7 Air bags 5% of all complaints
- 8 Electrical system 5% of all complaints
- Structure: 25 complaints (38% of all).
- Visibility: 17 complaints (26% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Suspension: 5 complaints (8% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 4 complaints (6% of all).
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 65 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Structure | 25 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 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.
I was driving at approx 55mph and the steering column locked up and I was unable to control the vehicle, it automiatcally pulled to the left and causing my vechicle to roll several times. (3-5 times) vehicle is now totalled. I received medical attention at the scene and I'm under observation for the next 48 hours.
The vehicle started to shimmy and shake, then fish tailed, resulting in me hitting an embankment and flipping the vehicle. Neither airbag deployed! I was able to crawl out of the wreck but the truck was totaled.
Upon impact, air bags did not deploy. Consumer sustained minor injuries. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
Rear view mirror gives a false image, when there are no cars behind vehicle driver can ot see in rearview window. But if cars are behind driver can see. Consumer was involved in an accident as a result, driver was involved in an accident.
"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.
Car has an intermittent problem and will stall and both high and low speeds, or when idling. When this happens and power assist fails, it's almost impossible to steer or to brake posing a serious risk to safety. This first starting happening about once a week last november, and now it's pretty often.
While driving 50 mph, a loud noise was heard when the sun roof exploded without warning. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The vin was not available.
While driving approximately 25 mph, a noise emerged from the rear hatch window. The contact pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and noticed that the piece that held the window in place was fractured. The vehicle was repaired for the same failure in march of 2015. The manufacturer was notified.
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 4,609 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Explorer Sport has 74 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 65, about average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- 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 2003 Ford Explorer Sport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, visibility, suspension. Total complaints: 65. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: windows, sunroof (31%), stalls while driving (8%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2003 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 2003 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 2003 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.