1997 Ford Explorer Visibility Problems
Owners have filed 90 complaints with NHTSA about visibility problems on the 1997 Ford Explorer, 5% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 75,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “blend door” (32% of reports).
- 90visibility complaints
- 75,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,750typical repair cost reported by owners
- 40%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.
- Blend door: mentioned in 29 of 90 complaints (32%)
- Temperature control: mentioned in 9 of 90 complaints (10%)
- Cold air: mentioned in 9 of 90 complaints (10%)
- Heater plenum: mentioned in 6 of 90 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical visibility repair on the 1997 Ford Explorer at $1,750, and half of them between $1,400 and $1,800.
Based on 8 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2002–2006), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do visibility problems happen?
Based on 21 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 90 complaints, 1 an injury.
Ford Explorer visibility complaints by model year
| Model year | Visibility complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Explorer | 2 | 5% | 7,300 |
| 2025 Explorer | 3 | 3% | 7,550 |
| 2023 Explorer | 5 | 5% | 11,750 |
| 2022 Explorer | 10 | 4% | 35,500 |
| 2021 Explorer | 19 | 4% | 44,000 |
| 2020 Explorer | 13 | 1% | 45,980 |
| 2019 Explorer | 4 | 1% | 43,000 |
| 2018 Explorer | 11 | 2% | 73,500 |
| 2017 Explorer | 32 | 2% | 69,000 |
| 2016 Explorer | 36 | 1% | 83,913 |
| 2015 Explorer | 20 | 1% | 80,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 27 | 2% | 84,000 |
| 2013 Explorer | 30 | 1% | 83,500 |
| 2012 Explorer | 16 | 2% | 38,500 |
| 2011 Explorer | 14 | 1% | 47,800 |
| 2010 Explorer | 3 | 3% | 48,000 |
| 2009 Explorer | 2 | 6% | 50,750 |
| 2008 Explorer | 4 | 3% | 77,000 |
| 2007 Explorer | 6 | 3% | 64,000 |
| 2006 Explorer | 15 | 2% | 40,051 |
| 2005 Explorer | 23 | 5% | 53,168 |
| 2004 Explorer | 100 | 8% | 68,328 |
| 2003 Explorer | 57 | 5% | 67,000 |
| 2002 Explorer | 129 | 4% | 70,500 |
| 2001 Explorer | 15 | 4% | 65,651 |
| 2000 Explorer | 45 | 5% | 60,800 |
| 1999 Explorer | 216 | 16% | 80,300 |
| 1998 Explorer | 108 | 6% | 79,500 |
| 1997 Explorer | 90 | 5% | 75,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 47 | 3% | 78,000 |
| 1995 Explorer | 19 | 2% | 100,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists visibility 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.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford explorer. While driving approximately 70 mph, the contact noticed that the defroster was not functioning and the windshield would not clear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where the technician advised that the dashboard would have to be…
Waiting at a traffic light the sunroof shattered nothing but rain had fallen on the vehicle. *tr
Have experienced periods when the windshield wipers do not operate when the control is on. Has occurred when first turning on the control as well as when changing from a different speed setting on the control. No regularity in the occurrence, seems to be random. This has occurred many times during…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Ford Explorers have visibility problems?
No. NHTSA has 90 owner complaints about visibility 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 visibility?
No recall currently lists visibility for this vehicle.
At what mileage do visibility problems start?
The median reported mileage is 75,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix visibility problems on the 1997 Ford Explorer?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,750 (half paid between $1,400 and $1,800), from 8 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about visibility problems on the 1997 Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “blend door”, in 29 of 90 complaints, followed by “temperature control” (9).
Other 1997 Ford Explorer problems
See all 1997 Ford Explorer problems or visibility problems across all Explorer years.