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.
1FMRU18W7WL••••••1998 Ford EXPLORER
This build draws 3.0× more complaints than the average 1998 Ford EXPLORER build (14 vs 5).
14on this build
1554on the model
336builds in total
1involved a crash
1injuries
Most reportedSuspension 5Visibility 3Equipment 2Service Brakes 1
What owners of this build wrote
Power TraincrashOct 2000
While parked in an incline position in 4wd low, with the vehicle in park, the vehicle rolled away as in neutral, the 4wd low not operating, sustaining body damage while and as it came to a stop. The transmission in park, on an incline, held the car in 2wd, AWD, 4wd high , but…
VisibilityJul 2005
When it rains water leaks onto the gem module and fuse box under the dashboard left of the steering column. Some of the effects are, windshield wipers stopping, transmission going into limp mode with od light flashing, battery going dead if raining overnight, speedometer not…
StructureJun 2005
Dt: the consumer owns a 1998 ford expedition. While the consumer was driving the white plastic piece on the front of bumper ripped off and was coming up on windshield, almost causing an accident. Contact heard some flapping coming from the vehicle. She got out and checked the…
Vehicle Speed ControlMar 2005
When attempting to disengage cruise control by applying brake vehicle accelerates uncontrollably no matter how hard brakes are applied. The off button for the cruise control must be pressed to stop acceleration. My worry is if someone should panick when this occurs it could…
SuspensionApr 2002
Sway bar links broken. Vehicle difficult to control, especially at highway speeds and in strong winds. This vehicle has not been off-road, nor has it been subjected to any unusual impacts. There are other similar incident reports on this site, and many reports of the same…
Read all 14 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 336 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 1FMRU18W7WLB73916 · decoded Aug 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.