Six problems related to equipment have been reported for the 1997 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Running on the highway the right axle of the differential brokeoff and the wheel came off with the brake caliper and brake hose and because of this cause loose control and crash . The vehicle is total loss.
I own a Ford Explorer XLT 1997 and the rear passenger door on the drivers side only opens from the inside while the other rear passenger door will not open from the inside or out (child lock not activated). The drivers door doesn't lock and when it does lock, it doesn't unlock or sticks so bad it has be unlocked with pliers, causing the driver to have to get in and out of the car through the front passenger side door. The interior map light and rear interior door light above the backseats stay on constantly even when switched off and the lightbulbs had to be removed because they wouldn't turn off and were overheating.
Severe rust on the frame of a 1997 Ford Explorer.
Spare tire hoist cable failed on 1997 Ford Explorer XLT, resulting in spare tire breaking free of the vehicle while in motion.
Blend door failure on automatic climate control module. Replaced at a cost of over $700. This is a known and common failure on this car and should be covered by a recall but is not.
Both running boards on the driver and passenger side have a serious rust problem. Both sides are rusting through in the exact same way, in the same area. This area is on top mainly near the plastic tread. In the past 4 months I have seen nearly 12 other Explorers with the identical problem. This is on the identical model, the identical part. In some cases, the problem on the others is more advanced and severe. I have told local Ford dealer as well as Ford customer service, there response is not covered outside 3yr. /36 month warranty. Mainly contacting you to see if this simular problem has been reported by others.