Your vehicle report
2004 Ford Explorer
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 1,304
- Received Jan 2004 to May 2024
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Glass shatters or cracks without impact181 complaints · 14% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips127 complaints · 9.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Transmission fails or loses power while driving98 complaints · 7.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
No recalls naming this model year are listed in this data. This does not establish that your vehicle is free of safety problems.
View recall detailsBrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 58 crashes, 15 fires, 83 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- Coil springs break and puncture tires
- Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps
- Tires blow out or tread separates
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 88 |
| 2005 | 111 |
| 2006 | 60 |
| 2007 | 94 |
| 2008 | 136 |
| 2009 | 186 |
| 2010 | 175 |
| 2011 | 124 |
| 2012 | 88 |
| 2013 | 55 |
| 2014 | 67 |
| 2015 | 46 |
| 2016 | 23 |
| 2017 | 19 |
| 2018 | 10 |
| 2019 | 10 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 6 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 2 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 1,304 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 181 | 14% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 127 | 9.7% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 98 | 7.5% | – | |
| Transmission will not engage reverse gear | 91 | 7.0% | – | |
| Tailgate or trunk latch fails | 65 | 5.0% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 65 | 5.0% | – | |
| Dashboard cracks near passenger airbag | 44 | 3.4% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 30 | 2.3% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 28 | 2.1% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 27 | 2.1% | – | |
| Gear shifter fails to register Park | 26 | 2.0% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 25 | 1.9% | – | |
| Power window regulator fails and window drops | 22 | 1.7% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 22 | 1.7% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 21 | 1.6% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 19 | 1.5% | – | |
| Ford Focus transmission clutch slips and hesitates | 18 | 1.4% | – | |
| Cruise control fails to disengage | 18 | 1.4% | – | |
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 15 | 1.1% | – | |
| Driver sun visor will not stay up | 14 | 1.1% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
No safety recalls naming the 2004 Ford Explorer are listed in the data through October 2026. Check your VIN with NHTSA for current information; an empty list is not a safety assessment.
Other model years
- 1991 609
- 1992 633
- 1993 939
- 1994 1,207
- 1995 843
- 1996 1,450
- 1997 1,731
- 1998 1,959
- 1999 1,348
- 2000 952
- 2001 375
- 2002 3,295
- 2003 1,131
- 2004
- 2005 497
- 2006 630
- 2007 208
- 2008 148
- 2009 33
- 2010 115
- 2011 1,197
- 2012 830
- 2013 2,237
- 2014 1,684
- 2015 1,813
- 2016 2,465
- 2017 1,704
- 2018 734
- 2019 300
- 2020 1,249
- 2021 451
- 2022 271
- 2023 113
- 2025 107
- 2026 42
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2004 Ford Explorer.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN