2004 Ford Explorer Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Explorer years
- More complaints than other years 11th of 33 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- None on file
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 1,304 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Ford Explorer. That ranks 11th out of 33 Explorer model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (460 complaints, 35%), typically at around 50,000 miles. Complaints mention 58 crashes, 15 fires, 83 injuries. There are no safety recalls on file for this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
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- 1,304owner complaints
- 0safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 58complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Ford Explorer problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train problems | 460 | 35% | 50,000 | “shifting reverse” (10%) | $2,950 |
| Structure problems | 426 | 33% | 72,000 | “rear window” (21%) | $580 |
| Visibility problems | 100 | 8% | 68,328 | “rear window” (34%) | $770 |
| Vehicle Speed Control problems | 76 | 6% | 73,500 | “cruise control” (34%) | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling problems | 71 | 5% | 55,000 | “stalled without” (7%) | $4,350 |
| Electrical System problems | 55 | 4% | 52,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 44 | 3% | 114,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 41 | 3% | 88,386 | — | — |
| Wheels | 41 | 3% | 85,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 39 | 3% | 109,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 37 | 3% | 65,950 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 35 | 3% | 91,516 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 31 | 2% | 36,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 23 | 2% | 72,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 19 | 1% | 38,525 | — | — |
| Tires | 19 | 1% | 31,104 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 18 | 1% | 114,000 | — | — |
| Equipment | 14 | 1% | 56,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 12 | 1% | 127,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 8 | 1% | 89,500 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 7 | 1% | 108,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 7 | 1% | 17,978 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 7 | 1% | 189,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 6 | 0% | 15,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 3 | 0% | 172,472 | — | — |
| Parking Brake | 3 | 0% | 59,663 | — | — |
| Interior Lighting | 2 | 0% | 2,300 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | 14,000 | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 0% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Trailer Hitches | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Ford Explorer recalls (0)
No safety recalls are on file for the 2004 Ford Explorer.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Vehicle Rollaway Allegations (EA09013) — opened Aug 18, 2009, closed Feb 12, 2013.
- Vehicle rollaway allegations (PE09020) — opened Apr 21, 2009, closed Aug 19, 2009.
- Rear liftgate glass hatch failure (RQ08003) — opened Jun 23, 2008, closed Oct 24, 2008.
- Spark plug ejection from cylinder head (DP05005) — opened Sep 22, 2005, closed Jan 4, 2006.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
on [XXX] brought to local shop on power steering leak. Week before, Paid $50 for inspection. on [XXX] appointment was line and replaced. But tech said get pass brake line was rotted and was bad leak of brake fluid. On [XXX] my wife's Explorer was reinspected and rear driver side brake copper line…
I need a new gas tank for my vehicle and Ford stopped making the gas tank for my vehicle. That is a very big safety issue. I called Ford and they were helping to find one from junkyard's I don't want one from a junkyard that I have to repair. I asked for Ford to make a gas tank or pay for them to…
Smoke for a good 5 mins under the hood oil leeking
Back windows fell off track and windows fell down, cannot roll them up. AC and Heater broke and won't work at all. Fuel system is too lean. Transmission is going out Timing Chain and tensioners making loud knocking noise. Burning oil.
The contact's son owned a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while her son was driving in the rain at approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle hydroplaned as he rounded a corner. The vehicle slid into a ditch and hit a tree on the passenger side of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy upon…
Other Ford Explorer years
← 2003 Explorer · 2005 Explorer →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 Explorer | 0 | 1 |
| 2026 Explorer | 42 | 14 |
| 2025 Explorer | 103 | 20 |
| 2024 Explorer | 21 | 10 |
| 2023 Explorer | 110 | 15 |
| 2022 Explorer | 269 | 24 |
| 2021 Explorer | 442 | 26 |
| 2020 Explorer | 1,232 | 33 |
| 2019 Explorer | 299 | 6 |
| 2018 Explorer | 733 | 7 |
| 2017 Explorer | 1,699 | 13 |
| 2016 Explorer | 2,461 | 14 |
| 2015 Explorer | 1,806 | 8 |
| 2014 Explorer | 1,679 | 6 |
| 2013 Explorer | 2,236 | 11 |
| 2012 Explorer | 829 | 5 |
| 2011 Explorer | 1,197 | 6 |
| 2010 Explorer | 115 | 1 |
| 2009 Explorer | 33 | 0 |
| 2008 Explorer | 148 | 1 |
| 2007 Explorer | 208 | 1 |
| 2006 Explorer | 630 | 1 |
| 2005 Explorer | 497 | 0 |
| 2004 | 1,304 | 0 |
| 2003 Explorer | 1,131 | 2 |
| 2002 Explorer | 3,295 | 4 |
| 2001 Explorer | 375 | 6 |
| 2000 Explorer | 952 | 9 |
| 1999 Explorer | 1,348 | 9 |
| 1998 Explorer | 1,959 | 9 |
| 1997 Explorer | 1,731 | 7 |
| 1996 Explorer | 1,450 | 6 |
| 1995 Explorer | 843 | 5 |
See all Ford Explorer problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
Similar Ford models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Ford Explorer?
Owners most often report power train, structure, visibility problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 460 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Ford Explorer?
No safety recalls are on file for this model year.
Was the 2004 Ford Explorer a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Explorer model years, the 2004 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.