One problem related to gasoline engine has been reported for the 2004 Ford Explorer. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2004 Ford Explorer based on all problems reported for the 2004 Explorer.
I own a 2004 Ford Explorer, purchased in August. The truck sat for 16 months while I was deployed to iraq. While driving on a 3 hour trip, I heard a metallic "clatter" noise from my vehicle. I took it to the dealer and was informed that the "#2 wrist pin" had failed. , requiring replacement of the engine. Total cost would be $5500. This seemed excessive for such a young vehicle, considering that is was driven infrequently for over a year, and most of the mileage was highway. Mileage at failure: 55,300.