AI Damage2004 Ford Explorer Sport: common problems
Owners of the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about structure and powertrain. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 18
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Structure 61% of all complaints
- 2 Powertrain 22% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 11% of all complaints
- 4 Visibility 11% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 6% of all complaints
- 6 Seat belts 6% of all complaints
- Structure: 11 complaints (61% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 4 complaints (22% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 2 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Visibility: 2 complaints (11% of all).
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 18 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 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 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.
Driving 65 mph, lost control of my vehicle while switching lanes to avoid a high speed vehicle approaching behind me. Ran in to a median 2 times before stopping faced traffic head on. Fortunately, I wasn't critically injured, but serious enough. Neither air bag deployed!!!! I would like to know why not????
The air bags did not deploy. The contact was the only person injured during the crash. The vehicle was towed away, but the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were 2,000. ...updated 09/12/12 updated 09/19/2012
2004 ford explorer. Transmission shifts roughly into reverse and third gear. Car was put into reverse in june, 2004 and did not move until a few seconds later, and then lunged backwards, hitting my wife and breaking her arm. Still shifts roughly to this day.
The rear lift gate on my explorer cracked on the left side of the ford emblem. The gate cracked during normal operation of the vehicle. I have a habit of looking over my vehicle. The crack was discovered when I inspected my vehicle before going into my home.
Started in 7/2007 had vibrations in drive train, ford stated it was the drive shaft. Ford replaced the drive shaft with a high-performance balanced one. Vibration stopped. In 10/2007 the explorer was slipping during acceleration, and slamming into gear. Overdrive light would be blinking on and off.
The contact also stated that the driver and front passenger seat belts did not retract at times. She had to repeatedly pull the seat belts so that they would retract. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000 and the current mileage was approximately 70,000.
We have had two major transmission problems and now we have a shaking in the front end after the latest repair to the transmission.
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 8,624 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 24% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Explorer Sport has 74 complaints (10 years in the data). This year has 18, below average.
What to check before buying
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Visibility. Wipers, mirrors, defrosters, cracked glass.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Ford Explorer Sport?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: structure, powertrain, air bags. Total complaints: 18. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: vibration (17%), airbags did not deploy (6%), hesitation when accelerating (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2004 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 2004 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 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.