Six problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 1996 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
15 minutes after parking the vehicle and getting off the vehicle caught onfire under the hood in the drivers side. The fire expanded quickly caught drivers side front tire and moved on to the entire motor before the firefighters came and stopped the fire.
1996 Ford Explorer vehicle caught on fire while traveling. (ohio traffic crash report # 10-0629-91)8jb updated 04/22/11.
1996 Explorer, has been a great vehicle. Started loosing power and shifting down and strange times. Then the o/d fail light started to flash. I understand this is a common failure and Ford knows about it but refuses to acknowledge the fact or accept responsibility. They need to recall these transmissions.
Repair shop stated that the Explorer by Ford has a weak spot that he has had to repair on numerous occasions. It is the l cylinder #4 that cracked.
Temperature gauge showed hot. Drove to dealer 5 miles away. Dignosis: blown head gasket.
Gas gauge does not move when filled with gas or while driving. Cause unkown. Dealer cannot correct problem. The temperature gauge is erratic, dealer replaced a wiring harness, however this did not work, dealer can not remedy the erratic temperature gauge or the inaccurate gas gauge.