Everything NHTSA's vPIC database knows about this exact vehicle:
Decoding from NHTSA…
Vehicle history — accidents, title & owners
The decode above is what this vehicle is. For what it's been through — accidents, title brands, odometer, theft/total-loss and previous owners — pull a full history report.
NHTSA publishes the first 11 characters of the VIN with every complaint — that identifies the plant, model year, body and engine. So these are reports from cars built exactly like this one, not an average across the whole model.
1FMFU18L6VL••••••1997 Ford EXPLORER
This build draws 9.6× more complaints than the average 1997 Ford EXPLORER build (38 vs 4).
38on this build
1335on the model
338builds in total
1involved a crash
1involved a fire
1injuries
Most reportedSteering 7Power Train 6Engine And Engine Cooling 5Suspension 4
What owners of this build wrote
Vehicle Speed ControlfireJul 2007
The contact owns a 1997 ford expedition. While parked he heard the smoke alarm and noticed there was smoke coming from the vehicle. He later noticed the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the fire however; the fire destroyed the vehicle, office…
Service BrakescrashApr 2001
From a parking space at a strip mall I backed into a 3' concrete pole, when I applied my foot to the brake and put the vehicle in drive , the vehicle sped off as if I had floored the accelerator. No amount of pumping the brakes did any good. I hit two other cars, took out a…
SteeringMay 2024
The contact owns a 1997 Ford Expedition. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel became loosened while making a left turn. The contact stated that the "Check Suspension" and "Check ABS" messages were displayed on the instrument panel along with the oil,…
EngineJan 2015
Spark plug blew out, broke coil and damaged head
Engine And Engine CoolingJun 2010
The contact owns a 1997 ford expedition. While driving 60 mph, the dashboard components failed. Within seconds, the vehicle stalled. The dealer advised that the failure was due to fluid leaking into the engine. The vehicle was neither diagnosed or repaired. The current and…
Read all 38 complaints on this exact buildFull text, search by keyword, and the systems that fail most on cars built like yours.Unlock with Pro →
Owner complaints…
Now the whole model — all 338 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
Loading owner complaints…
PRO
Upgrade to Pro
You know what it is. Find out what it's worth.
Exact value for this VIN, adjusted for mileage
The original window sticker and factory options
Full research report as a PDF you can hand to a mechanic
Decoded via NHTSA vPIC. Recalls, complaints and safety from NHTSA; MPG from EPA fueleconomy.gov. Full history reports from our partner. VIN 1FMFU18L6VLB74062 · decoded Oct 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.