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.
1FMZU34E2WZ••••••1998 Ford EXPLORER SPORT TRAC
This build draws 20.0× more complaints than the average 1998 Ford EXPLORER SPORT TRAC build (20 vs 1).
20on this build
4on the model
4builds in total
1involved a crash
1involved a fire
2injuries
Most reportedTires 8Vehicle Speed Control 3Engine And Engine Cooling 3Power Train 2
What owners of this build wrote
Vehicle Speed ControlfireJan 2006
On january 26th, 2006 at 3am our 1998 ford explorer exploded in 33 degree weather after sitting in the driveway for 15 hours. The fire caused my vehicle, a 1994 buick century to catch fire as well. Both vehicles were totaled. The fire investigator ruled the fire as and "unknown…
TirescrashJun 2000
On 6/18/2000 our 1998 ford explorer with firestone blow-out or a tread problewilderness at tires went out of control after making a sharp steering maneuver to avoid another car. Our vehicle subsequently rolled over (we were told) six times. We do not believe there was a tire m,…
Latches/locks/linkagesAug 2006
The contact stated the keyless entry was intermittently inoperable, then completely failed. Afterwards, the locks on the driver side door failed, and the driver side door no longer unlocks and cannot be opened. An independent repair shop determined the entire lock assembly on…
SuspensionJan 2002
There was vibration in vehicle while driving at any speed and making a right turn. An independent mechanic examined vehicle and determined that stabilizer bar broke on left side, and needed to be replaced. *ak
Fuel SystemAug 2001
While driving smelled strong fuel smell, vehicle taken to dealer who replaced a leaking fuel rail
Read all 20 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 4 builds of it, not just this build. Same NHTSA reports, wider net:
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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 1FMZU34E2WZB97157 · decoded Aug 2026. — ForCar Reviewed by Denis Kataev, founder of ForCar.