28 problems related to electrical system have been reported for the 1998 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I was driving my truck and one day it started acting weird. My stereo started shutting off and coming in by itself. A couple days later I was driving and my stereo and information center went out and came back on. My truck will only go about 30mps cause it won't shift either. Couple days ago it started back firing. What could be the problem.
My seat belt on my passenger side does not work half the time. My door locks do not work right. I can't get my window on the driver side to go up and down. I hit a tree going 55 miles an hour in my airbag did not even deploy. I'm lucky I'm still alive. The fenders rubbing up against my tire. Speed control is wrong. Whenever I'm going 55 miles an hour it says 57 actually I don't remember the correct date. But I'm sure it shows I know it was 2017. Somebody ran me off the road. My truck hit the tree and my airbag did not deploy. I'm lucky it didn't I guess because don't airbags have metal shards in them is what I was told.
Tl-the contact owns a 1999 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph, the speedometer, windshield wipers, interior lights, and four wheel drive failed. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 160,000. Jw.
Tl-the contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to start and that there was smoke coming from the vehicle on numerous occasions. In addition, the contact stated that the overhead lights in the vehicle do not work, and that the battery has a shortage. The contact stated that the service engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage 200,000. Ad.
Only got my service dog out, thank god I was in a glass front restraunt. Cd player caught the dash on fire and burned the truck completely up. Truck was parked and off for 20 min.
The cruise sensor on top of the brake master cylinder stay hot all the time and it keeps blowing my number 13 fuse that goes to the beake lights and when I put a new fuse in. The crusie sensor starts sparking an smokeing really bad im a phrase that it's going to catch fire soon.
Tl- the contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The stated the vehicle felt as though it would tip over and sways when driving approximately from 70-75mph. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where the techician diagnoised the issue as an suspension malfunction. The vehice was repaired however the problem has recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 123,000. Kh.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact was driving 30 mph when burning fumes were emitted into the vehicle. The contact moved the vehicle from the roadway, found that there were flames coming from under the hood, and extinguished the fire with an extinguisher. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 98,000.
May 20, approximately 03:30am, while driving about 35mph to work in the dark with head lights on; headlights unexpectedly turned off. Luckily that section of the street, had street lights working properly; but, I was approaching an unlit stretch of winding road with a 45mph speed limit. This could have become very dangerous. (dashboard lights were not affected. ) turning the normal headlight switch did not seem to fix the problem. I tried the bright light function, which is part of the turn signal lever. They did not come on at first; however when jiggling the "turn signal lever," I noticed a "looseness in the lever, at the base where it connects to the steering column. " wiggling it, turned the head lights back on, temporarily; but, wiggling from vibration in traffic caused them to turn "off" again. The turn signal lever on the 1998 Ford Explorer is used to control the "bright lights" and also controls windshield wipers. I am not certain; but, I believe I had the turn signal lever assembly repaired several years ago by a Ford dealer in san diego. . . Neither of the dealers I used to have service my vehicle are still in business. I believe the problem with the turn signal lever at that time, had to do with the wipers cutting off unexpectedly; and, eventually, not working all together. First: is this something the government should investigate "before" having the vehicle repaired? second: should Ford be the one investigating this problem? third: should Ford replace the turn lever assembly and provide the labor at their expense? . . . On a personal note, after working for the same company for 12 years and being a workaholic, I just got laid off last week. This expense is definitely going to cost several hundred dollars in parts and labor, when I can least afford it. At this time, I can rule out trying to apply for a night job.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked the vehicle burst into flames. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact did not mention if there were any injuries. The fire department confirmed that cause of the fire was electrical. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the fire and filed a complaint. The contact was concerned that the fire could have caused serious injuries. The failure mileage was 23,000.
Tl. The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while sleeping the contact heard a loud bomb. The contact looked out the window and the vehicle burst into flames. The contact called the fire dept. To put out the fire. No one was injured nor was any property damage. The contact called the manufacturer regarding any recalls and the manufacturer informed the contact the vehicle has no outstanding recalls. The fire dept. Determined the fire was started by a electrical component on the driver side. The contact stated someone could have been seriously injured due to the fire. The failure mileage was 150,000. Jo.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer. While trying to use the lighter in the vehicle, it began to smoke. The contact spoke with the manufacturer and no action was taken. The current and failure mileages were not available.
The contact owns a 1998 Ford Explorer XLT. The contact stated that the turn signals were inoperable. The dealer replaced the directional control arm yet the failure recurred within a year. The directional control arm was replaced a second time by the dealer. He also noticed that the wires were discolored and stated that the vehicle needed several additional repairs. The contact declined to have the vehicle repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the control arm did not need an additional replacement but suggested replacing the fuse. On a separate occasion, while using the turn signals, the turn signal switch inside began smoking. There were no additional repairs made to the vehicle or related recalls. The manufacturer stated that since there were no recalls, they would not provide any assistance. The failure mileage was 112,000 and the current was 191,000.
We returned home from a concert at approximately 11 pm on January 21,2006. This was the last time the vehicle was driven. On s January 22 2006 at approximately 8:30 am we were awakened by our fire department concerning 1998 Ford Explorer limited was in flames. No investigation was done , but they said it was an apparent electrical fire. Exploded front tires, busted windshield ,hood and grill demolished, engine compartment destroyed, both front fenders burnt , gas and brake pedals melted, dashboard damaged it is basically a total loss.
On June 17, 2005 caller's vehicle caught on fire. This happened while vehicle was in the driveway turned off for about an hour. Caller said a passerby noticed the fire and warned her. Caller's fiance put the fire out and suffered smoke inhalation. He did not go to the hospital. Vehicle was totaled. No report was filed with fire department.
My wife had the Ford Explorer parked outside the curves gym where she and her mother work out. When they were finished they were talking outside when her mother noticed smoke coming out othe the SUV. The Explorer then caught on fire and burned.
Vehicle was parked for an hour or more when it caught fire under the hood on the driver side. The local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. The cause of the fire was not determined at this time. The manufacturer was notified.
After vehicle was parked for four hours a fire started under the hood. The fire was put out. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
The consumer parked the vehicle at her house for at least 7 hours. Then, vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was contacted, and they indicated that the cause of the fire was possibly electrical. Also, consumer contacted the manufacturer, who was no help at all. The vehicle was totaled.
Hard to get vehicle out of park into drive for several days prior to the fire. About 2 hours after the vehicle had been parked, and engine turned off, a fire started under the hood, and destroyed the vehicle.
Since purchasing a used 1998 Ford Explorer I have been blessed with nothing but problems with it. 6 months after purchasing the vehicle my wheel bearings went out and damaged the spindle. This was a $500 expense as the spindle was a dealer part. When I purchased it there were 26000 miles on it. . . There were about 36000 when the bearings went out. . . Just as the warranty expired. Then, about a year later, the upper air intake manifold got a hole burned in it. Again, Ford couldn't offer me any kind of help and said it was a $800-1000 repair. On a side note, this type of problem was a known issue by Ford. In fact, recalls were made by Ford to replace the intakes free of charge to fleets but not to the general public. Just recently my freeze plugs rusted through and caused my car to overheat. This has been quoted by Ford as a $1300 repair. I called Ford to see about some sort of goodwill warranty and of course anything with goodwill in the equation is definitely something Ford will not do. I currently have 2 years left on the loan for a piece of crap car that isn't even worth half of what I still owe on it. I am really thinking of taking it back to the dealer and parking right in front of the entry way and taking the keys with me and telling them to stick it up their rears. Ford makes the whole car industry look really bad and in no way would I ever buy another Ford. Please help us consumers out and make the game fair between the auto industry and consumers. . . We are getting ripped off left and right while they keep getting richer and richer.
While driving at night the interior and exterior lighting shut off which caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle. The rear end of the vehicle began to fish-tail and the vehicle rolled over twice. All systems including the antilock brakes failed. The accident was a result of multiple system failures.
1998 Ford Explorer, we have had problems at different times getting the driver side door to open after the car had been unlocked. This happened several times. This might become a problem if consumer was trying to get out from the vehicle in case of an emergency.
I was driving while towing a trailer and headlights, parking lights, and fog lights went out and smoke came out of the steering column. After cooling off, I drove the rest of the way holding the dimmer switch back towards me for 2-and-a-half hours.
We have a 1998 Ford Explorer, we have had problems at different times getting the trunk open after the car has been unlocked. This has happened several times and one time we worked on it for over an hour before getting it unlocked. This might become a problem if you were trying to get something or someone out of the back of the vehicle in case of an emergency.
1998 Ford Explorer equipped with dual media (am/fm/cassette/cd) radio; there is a failure of the graphics display (I. E. Time, station identity). The display sporadically lights up briefly for a few seconds every few months. Also dashboard lights do not work at gas gauge.
The vehicle stalled while making a left turn due to electrical system shut down resulting in accident. Yh.
Consumer's daughter and friend had an accident because truck stalled out. Consumer thinks it was an electrical problem . Truck has been in shop 8 times.