One problem related to dashboard failed has been reported for the 1997 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Vehicle started out fine. After a month of driving, far left dash lights died out. Those are the ones illuminating the oil pressure and battery. A few months later, the lights illuminating the speedometer and tachometer died out as well. This is not normal. Personally, I think it might be a short to ground, but I still have yet to find out.