Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||||
| 0245 | 03/04/2002 | 636065 | Information regarding discharged battery charging service tips and guidelines. *tt | 11/05/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 08/15/2006 | 1 | 02/10/2006 | |
| This is not an emergency problem or safety issue but it should still be investigated. i own a 1998 ford explorer and the lights on the radio panel no longer work. so i called to have them fixed well they cant be fixed you have to purchase a new radio at $500.00. well i was not going to do that just so the clock and radio station setting would work. as i was investigating weather this could be fixed or not i met 4 other people who have the same problem each of them also having to purchase a $500.00 radio so the lights would work. then i started calling ford dealerships and found that everyone i have called has taken dozens of phone calls on the light problem with the radios. now i would say at $500.00 a radio to have this fixed ford would be making quite a provite over something that sounds like a minor problem. to me it isn't a minor problem if every vehichle that has these radios has a light problem. to me and several other people i have spoke to feel this should be fords expense to fix this not the consumer. if it was just my radio that would be different but for dozens and dozens of radios to be this way is a big problem. *nm | |||
| 12/01/2005 | 103000 | 1 | 05/15/2000 |
| I am the primary driver of my niece's 1998 ford explorer sport. one afternoon i drove the 1998 ford explorer sport to the supermarket, and pharmacy. the 1998 ford explorer sport was running fine, all the gauges were in the middle, no smoke, no smells, no problems. . after arriving home i parked the ford 1998 explorer sport in my driveway, approximately 2 feet from the garage door, and approximately 4 feet from the entrance to my house. the vehicle was parked, shut off and sitting in the driveway with no problems. during the next hour, i begin to hang christmas decorations on my front door, and i was in & out of the house. the 1998 ford explorer sport was still fine in the driveway. approximately 1 hour after i finished my decorating, i began to smell something like rubber burning. i checked my stove, and electrical outlets, and everything appeared to be fine. i figure the burning smell was coming from my neighbor's house. they had workers there drilling and making repairs. so i then continue to do my chores. approximately 15 minutes later i went to look out my front door, and i saw dark smoke pouring out the hood of the 1998 ford explorer sport. i panicked, closed the door, grabbed the phone, ran out to the backyard, and call 911. i was to afraid to go out the front door, and also afraid to stay in the house, thinking the house and garage would also catch fire. thank god, the fire department arrived swiftly, and extinguished the fire. the fire was contained to the vehicle only, the firemen at the scene examine the 1998 ford explorer sport, and determined the fire originated under the hood, the cause appeared to be electrical. *jb | |||
| 01/01/2003 | 20000 | 50 | 04/15/1998 |
| I own a 1998 ford explorer. it only has 23,000 miles on it. i have had nothing but trouble with it. the most recent problems are i hear a loud noise in the motor area when i use the air conditioner, i also cannot get the driver window down unless i mess with it along time, i have had to replace the hood brackets 2 times, and they need replaced again. the back windshield wiper dont clean the window well enough and it gets stuck, so i have to get out and fix it. i also keep getting the 'door ajar' light on at times when the doors are all closed. i think there are some electrical problems with my explorer. i dont have the warranty anymore so they want me to pay for everything because they said all ford companies are independent. if anything happens to me or my family we'll see how independent they are. i think all explorers need to be re-checked. they were made too hasty or something. | |||
| 04/16/2005 | 1 | 12/01/1998 | |
| I have a 1998 ford explorer sports that caught on fire while the engine was off and parked in my garage. i parked the car at around 7:00 pm and around after 10:00 pm heard a loud explotion in the garage. my family was already in bed and i was watching tv. when i open the access door to the garage the front part of the explorer was in flames. we called 911 and the fire department came and put out the fire, but the car is ruined. my second car is damaged and my garage is also damaged. no one was hurt because we got out of the house on time.*ak | |||
| 03/01/2001 | 1 | ||
| The lights went out on the radio display for my explorer. the unit still played however you couldn't see what track, the volume, or what radio station it was currently on. i thought this would be a simple fuse fix but was told that the whole radio had to be replaced for a cost of $600. lucky me i have the premium stereo so it costs more. i have spoken with people who all have the 98 explorer sport and this issue was the same for every single person. *ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS | |||
| 07/17/2009 | 132000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer sport. the contact stated that the tail lights failed and the fuses would continuously blow out. an independent mechanic installed new fuses in the vehicle and made the necessary repairs, but the fuses blew out again the same day. the vehicle was taken back to the mechanic. while at the repair shop, the vehicle caught fire due to the master cylinder. the mechanic was able to extinguish the fire, but the vehicle was partially destroyed and would need to be rebuilt. the manufacturer stated that there were three open recalls, one of which could result in a fire. nhtsa campaign id numbers 06v286000, 03v281000, and 98v060000 were referenced. the current and failure mileages were less than 132,000. | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION - MODULE | |||
| 01/06/2007 | 100000 | 6 | 07/09/2005 |
| I lost my windshield wipers, dome lights and chimes, windows, radio, 4x4. after diagnostic tests, i was told i need a new gem module. after doing a web search, i found ford did a recall on my same vehicle starting with the year after my vehicle was made. i am having the same problems, and after talking to many other people, this is not an uncommon problem for my year of vehicle. but my vehicle was not included in the recall. *nm | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING | |||
| 02/21/2007 | 1 | 02/01/2000 | |
| On the way home from work, pulled into driveway and noticed the engine was on fire, contacted the local fire department who responded and extinguish the fire... the vehicle was destroyed. *nm | |||
| 04/17/2006 | 1 | 11/14/2000 | |
| My 1998 ford explorer caught fire in my garage after being parked for 3 hours causing extensive damage to the house. *nm | |||
| 06/02/2002 | 1 | ||
| I have a 98 ford explorer sport. the radio works but does not have a lighting display. the dealer informed me that they know of the problem and that mostly all explorers will lose the lighting display, but there has not been a recall as of yet. this is expensive to fix. it's not like replacing a bulb or something. you're basically buying a new radio. if that's the case it won't be from the ford dealership, and it won't be the manufacturers radio which we all know will crap out. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||
| 06/30/2006 | 93000 | 1 | 10/15/2005 |
| 1998 ford explorer caught fire and burned in garage. *jb | |||
| 05/25/2006 | 174537 | 1 | 01/21/2001 |
| 98 ford explorer sport engine caught fire 10 minutes after vehicle was parked at residence- engine completely burned leaving vehicle totaled. *nm | |||
| 07/14/2005 | 5 | ||
| Always in the summer and sometimes during the fall/winter, the air flow sensor makes a loud, humming noise and eventually the car sometimes shuts off because of this. | |||
| 02/25/2005 | 3 | ||
| I took my 1998 ford explorer sport to my local dealership because my brake lights were not working (i can only guess how long they were not operating). after doing a diagnostic they determined i had to replace my (forgive me, as i am not mechanical, but it is all on my receipt) cruise control harness as the component had completely melted. my cruise control had stopped working a couple of months earlier, but i had not bothered to fix it. the cruise control had gotten so hot that it burned a hole through my master cylinder so that it also needed to be replaced. i am notifying you because i feel my and my family's safety were jeopardized in three ways: inoperable brake lights, the fire hazard of the cruise control, and consequently poor brakes.*ak | |||
| 01/14/2005 | 80000 | 1 | 08/15/1998 |
| Speed control switch failed on my 1998 ford explorer, resulting in cruise control failure, major electrical short circuit, blown 20a fuse, no tail lights, leaking brake fluid from master cylinder thru faulty switch, and wires, switch and connector burned approximatly six inches back from switch. switch was burned, also. a new switch was put on the vehicle, along with a pigtail (wires & connector), the brake system had to be bled and a new fuse installed. at that time, i knew nothing of a defect. ford said nothing of the problem. the repair was made 1/14/05. to the best of my knowlege, the defect is not corrected, but only repaired as it was originally equipped. when i heard about the recall, it did not include my 1998, explorer, sport. i have saved the old switch. the new switch number is sw-5945, f3tz-9f924-bb. *ak | |||
| 08/09/2004 | 100000 | 1 | 03/10/2004 |
| 1998 ford explorer caught fire at 4:30 am,under the hood engulfed in flames called fire dept they came and put fire out. the whole entire motor, and front of truck ruined,not drivable. i filed a claim with ford the day after fire,they stated that they were liable because there were no recalls on 1998 explorers. *jb | |||
| 05/24/2003 | 135000 | 1 | 10/17/1998 |
| Fire under the hood of a 1998 ford explorer sport. the vehicle had been parked and the ignition turned off for over 4 hours. the vehicle was totaled and it was concluded that the fire began as the result of an electrical short under the hood.*ak | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - INTERIOR/UNDER DASH | |||
| 05/24/2003 | 114800 | 2 | 08/28/1998 |
| Smoke came out of the steering column and park lights turned on although the light switch was in the off position. also moving the multifunction lever to make a left turn signal ,the instument panel showed that the left signal light was stuck on and turn signal lights didn't work at the front and rear of the truck. however, the right signal has never malfunctioned. this is very troubling. this event ocurred twice within a week. dealer has replaced two relays(i paid for), only time will tell if this is the fix.*ak | |||