1,436 problems have been reported for the 2004 Ford Explorer. The following chart shows the 23 most common problems for 2004 Ford Explorer. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's power train with 422 problems. The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's structure (374 problems).
In our research we use the PPMY index to compare the reliability of vehicles. The PPMY index of a certain model is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. The total sales of the 2004 Ford Explorer in the United States are 295,689 units [1]. If the total number of problems reported by Ford Explorer owners in the last 20 years is 1436, and the age of the vehicle is 20, the PPMY index can then be calculated as
PPMY Index = 1436 / 295,689 / 20 * 1000 = 0.24.
For more information, refer to this page: A study of reliability comparison across Ford Explorer model year vehicles.
The following chart shows the number of problems reported during each of the service years since the debut of the 2004 Ford Explorer in 2004.
| Service Year | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2012 | |
| 2011 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2009 | |
| 2008 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2006 | |
| 2005 | |
| 2004 |
When making the decision between buying a new or used Ford Explorer, the following table can be used to compare the 2004 Ford Explorer with the Ford Explorer from other model years. Note that the number of problems reported for the 2004 Explorer is 1,436 while the average number of problems reported for the 29 model years of the Ford Explorer is 1,003.