The Ford Explorer Sport Trac has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns on record covering 2001–2010. On average a defect was admitted 2.54 years after the car was built, the slowest took 6 years. The most recalled system is Seats (2 campaigns). Owners also filed 582 complaints on this model — see what breaks.
What was recalled on the Ford Explorer Sport Trac
Grouped by system. Open any row for the campaigns themselves — what failed, what it risks and how the dealer fixes it, straight from the NHTSA filing.
Seats 2 Read
What's wrong. Ford is recalling certain model year 2010 fusion, explorer, explorer sport trac, and mercury milan and mountaineer vehicles manufactured between december 15, 2009 through february 3, 2010 equipped with front seat manual recliners. These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 202, "head restraint." the recliner gear plate teeth may be out of dimension specification which could result in limited pawl to gear plate tooth engagement
Risk. In the event of a crash, the seatback and head restraint may move rearward, increasing the risk of injury
Fix. Dealers will replace the manual recliners for both power and manual seats free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin on or before april 30, 2010. Owners may contact ford at 1-866-436-7332
What's wrong. On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with high back seats, the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat, that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, could fracture. If the bolt fractures and does not jam in the seat back frame, the seat back may recline until it makes contact with an object behind the seat, such as the second row seat cushion
Risk. The driver could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the driver seat upper bolt with a metal spacer and bolt. In addition, seats with tubular back frames will have the fully threaded lower recliner bolt replaced with a partially threaded bolt. Owner notification began on august 29, 2003. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
What's wrong. On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with high back seats, the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat, that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, could fracture. If the bolt fractures and does not jam in the seat back frame, the seat back may recline until it makes contact with an object behind the seat, such as the second row seat cushion
Risk. The driver could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event, increasing the risk of a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace the driver seat upper bolt with a metal spacer and bolt. In addition, seats with tubular back frames will have the fully threaded lower recliner bolt replaced with a partially threaded bolt. Owner notification began on august 29, 2003. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
Vehicle Speed Control 2 Read
What's wrong. On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn
Risk. This could result in an underhood fire
Fix. Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be…
What's wrong. On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn
Risk. This could result in an underhood fire
Fix. Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. As soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be…
What's wrong. On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control and 4.0l sohc engines, if the strand cover on the speed control cable becomes flared at the end, the speed control cable may bind when the speed control is activated
Risk. The throttle return spring force may not be sufficient to overcome the binding condition when the speed control is disengaged. Braking function would be maintained though stopping distances may be increased
Fix. Dealers will inspect the speed control cable and, if necessary, replace it. Owner notification began august 29, 2003. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
Power Train 1 Read
What's wrong. On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with the 4.6l engine and 6r transmission, the bolt securing the transmission oil cooler line fittings at the transmission may not have been sufficiently torqued during vehicle assembly. As a result, the bolt may loosen and the transmission oil cooler lines may disengage from the transmission, causing a transmission fluid leak
Risk. If leaking transmission fluid contacts the catalytic converter, it may pose a risk of fire
Fix. Dealers will inspect and have the transmission cooler line attachment bolt tightened free of charge. The recall began on august 30, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
Steering 1 Read
What's wrong. On certain sport utility vehicles, the two bolts that attach the steering gear assembly to the frame may have been over-tightened. This condition could result in one or both of the bolts fracturing, causing the steering gear to become loose
Risk. This condition could cause "clunking" noise when steering as well as decreased steering effectiveness potentially resulting in a crash
Fix. Dealers will replace both the steering gear assembly mounting bolts and nuts free of charge. The recall began on april 27, 2007. Owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673
Exterior Lighting 1 Read
What's wrong. Certain pro-a motors corner lamps, turn signals, and headlights sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment
Risk. Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning
Fix. Pro-a motors will notify owners and offer to repurchase the lamps. The recall began on april 3, 2006. Owners may contact pro-a motors at 323-838-2988
What's wrong. Certain pro-a motors corner lamps, turn signals, and headlights sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment
Risk. Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning
Fix. Pro-a motors will notify owners and offer to repurchase the lamps. The recall began on april 3, 2006. Owners may contact pro-a motors at 323-838-2988
What's wrong. Certain pro-a motors corner lamps, turn signals, and headlights sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles listed above. Some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment
Risk. Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning
Fix. Pro-a motors will notify owners and offer to repurchase the lamps. The recall began on april 3, 2006. Owners may contact pro-a motors at 323-838-2988
Fuel System, Gasoline 1 Read
What's wrong. Certain aftermarket fuel filters sold under the purolator brand name, p/n f65277, shipped from january 16 through june 2, 2006, for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. Due to incorrect design, the quick connectors may not fully seat with the tube interface, even though the person making the connection may believe that the quick connector is fully attached
Risk. Failure of this connection could lead to fuel spillage and, in the presence of an ignition source, a fire could occur
Fix. Ufi will notify owners and replace the filters free of charge. The recall began on august 4, 2006. Owners may contact ufi filters usa at 800-230-5876
Tires 1 Read
What's wrong. This is not a safety recall in accordance with the safety act. However, it is deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. Equipment description: ford is replacing all firestone wilderness at 15, 16, and 17 inch tires mounted on ford trucks and suvs. Ford reports tread separation can occur due to a combination of the sensitivity of the tire design to stress, aging, and manufacturing differences between plants. Ford is replacing these tires to prevent possible premature tire failure. Vehicle description: the vehicles listed below may have been originally equipped with firestone wilderness at tires or may have had wilderness at tires installed during the firestone recall launched in…
Risk. Should the tread separate at highway speeds, a vehicle crash could occur, possibly resulting in personal injury or death
Fix. The replacement/reimbursement program for this campaign expired on march 31, 2002. However, customers can contact ford at 1-877-917-3673 or go on-line to www.ford.com for possible assistance
What's wrong. This is not a safety recall in accordance with the safety act. However, it is deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. Equipment description: ford is replacing all firestone wilderness at 15, 16, and 17 inch tires mounted on ford trucks and suvs. Ford reports tread separation can occur due to a combination of the sensitivity of the tire design to stress, aging, and manufacturing differences between plants. Ford is replacing these tires to prevent possible premature tire failure. Vehicle description: the vehicles listed below may have been originally equipped with firestone wilderness at tires or may have had wilderness at tires installed during the firestone recall launched in…
Risk. Should the tread separate at highway speeds, a vehicle crash could occur, possibly resulting in personal injury or death
Fix. The replacement/reimbursement program for this campaign expired on march 31, 2002. However, customers can contact ford at 1-877-917-3673 or go on-line to www.ford.com for possible assistance
Structure 1 Read
What's wrong. Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles with steel hoods and certain pickup trucks equipped with sheet molding compound hoods. A wire formed hood striker could be susceptible to fatigue fractures. If the hood striker fractures, the hood could fly open while the vehicle is being driven
Risk. A hood fly-up while the vehicle is being operated could result in reduced driver visibility
Fix. Dealers will replace the hood striker
How long a defect stays unadmitted
Campaign numbers encode the year of the announcement, so each recall on this model can be dated against the car it applies to.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Average gap before admission | 2.54 years |
| Slowest campaign | 6 years |
| Admitted 5+ years later | 23.1% |
| Campaigns on record | 10 |
Which Explorer Sport Trac years were recalled most
Campaigns per model year. A year with more campaigns is not automatically worse — it may simply have sold in far greater numbers.
| Model year | Campaigns | Most recalled system |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Seats | |
| 2008 | Power Train | |
| 2007 | Steering | |
| 2005 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 2004 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 2003 | Exterior Lighting | |
| 2002 | Tires | |
| 2001 | Structure |
Check your own car
A campaign applies to a range of production, not to every car of the model. The only way to know whether yours is affected — and whether the repair was already done — is by VIN.
| Step | What you get |
|---|---|
| Enter the VIN above | Open campaigns for that exact vehicle, straight from NHTSA |
| Check the repair status | Whether the free fix has already been carried out on this car |
| Book at any franchised dealer | Recall work is free regardless of age, mileage or owner |
A campaign covers a production range. Yours is one car.
- Check whether this exact VIN is affected — and whether the fix was done
- Alerts if a new campaign lands on a car in your garage
- Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
- Decode a whole list of VINs at once
- No ads, on every page
- No ads, no tracking — and much more
Frequently asked questions
How many recalls does the Ford Explorer Sport Trac have?
10 NHTSA campaigns on record, covering 2001–2010. Not every campaign applies to every car — coverage is by production range, so check your VIN.
Is recall work free?
Yes. Safety recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer regardless of the car's age, mileage or how many owners it has had. That is a federal requirement, not a courtesy.
How do I know if my Explorer Sport Trac still has an open recall?
Enter its VIN above. We show campaigns that apply to that exact vehicle and whether the repair has already been recorded as done.
Why did a defect take years to be recalled?
On this model the average gap between the car being built and the defect being admitted is 2.54 years, and the slowest campaign came 6 years later. Defects usually surface as they accumulate in the field: complaints pile up, an investigation opens, and only then is a campaign issued.