1997 Ford Explorer Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems
Owners have filed 83 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 1997 Ford Explorer, 5% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 90,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “went floor” (10% of reports).
- 83service brakes, hydraulic complaints
- 90,000median miles at failure
- 20mention a crash
- 8mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 11%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Went floor: mentioned in 8 of 83 complaints (10%)
- Applied brakes: mentioned in 7 of 83 complaints (8%)
- Brake line: mentioned in 6 of 83 complaints (7%)
- Too close: mentioned in 5 of 83 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems happen?
Based on 13 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 83 complaints, 20 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 8 an injury.
Ford Explorer service brakes, hydraulic complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Explorer | 1 | 1% | 20,000 |
| 2022 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 39,793 |
| 2021 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 69,615 |
| 2020 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 74,000 |
| 2019 Explorer | 2 | 1% | 36,033 |
| 2018 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 982 |
| 2015 Explorer | 4 | 0% | 115,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 111,315 |
| 2013 Explorer | 7 | 0% | 52,000 |
| 2012 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 56,285 |
| 2011 Explorer | 7 | 1% | 9,250 |
| 2010 Explorer | 6 | 5% | 6,900 |
| 2008 Explorer | 3 | 2% | 10,800 |
| 2007 Explorer | 8 | 4% | 38,000 |
| 2006 Explorer | 23 | 4% | 52,872 |
| 2005 Explorer | 8 | 2% | 48,684 |
| 2004 Explorer | 31 | 2% | 36,000 |
| 2003 Explorer | 31 | 3% | 50,000 |
| 2002 Explorer | 89 | 3% | 40,000 |
| 2001 Explorer | 31 | 8% | 28,500 |
| 2000 Explorer | 56 | 6% | 56,000 |
| 1999 Explorer | 64 | 5% | 66,000 |
| 1998 Explorer | 86 | 4% | 70,598 |
| 1997 Explorer | 83 | 5% | 90,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 120 | 8% | 101,700 |
| 1995 Explorer | 75 | 9% | 110,014 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes, hydraulic for the 1997 Ford Explorer. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
With no warning or hint of anything going wrong on the brake system, as traffic slowed to stop for a light, the brakes went completely out on my ford explorer. The pedal went to the floor and pumping had no effect. I was in mid day traffic and had almost 2 car lengths between myself and the suv in…
About a mile from an intersection i noticed the check engine light turned on. Approaching the traffic light my brake pedal had lost pressure and went to the floor. I had to pump the brakes to get the vehicle to stop. I noticed some smoke coming from the driver side of the hood but thought it might…
Ford 1997 explorer brake line failed. On my car last year and my friends this year. Dangerous. *tr
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Ford Explorers have service brakes, hydraulic problems?
No. NHTSA has 83 owner complaints about service brakes, hydraulic for the 1997 Ford Explorer (5% of the 1,731 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1997 Ford Explorer service brakes, hydraulic?
No recall currently lists service brakes, hydraulic for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems start?
The median reported mileage is 90,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 1997 Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “went floor”, in 8 of 83 complaints, followed by “applied brakes” (7).
Other 1997 Ford Explorer problems
See all 1997 Ford Explorer problems or service brakes, hydraulic problems across all Explorer years.