Chronology of problems with
1998 Explorer Sport 
| Date | Problem | Result | Mileage |
| Day of Purchase | Carpet has Orange Stain on front carpet under drivers seat. Repair promised by dealer. | Never repaired | 54 miles |
| Day of Purchase | One inch scratch on drivers door dealer promised touch up paint | Touch up paint received in three weeks | 54 miles |
| 10/28/98 | Report manual 5 speed grinding noise | No problem found till 22,868 miles | 5,682 miles |
| 10/28/98 | Rear Wiper does not touch glass | parts ordered not fixed till 2/24 | 5,682 miles |
| 10/28/98 | Drivers seat loose (rocking back and forth) | Replaced seat track | 5,682 miles |
| 10/28/98 | Rear cup holders pop out stopping arm rest from closing | Replaced | 5,682 miles |
| 10/28/98 | Rattle from rear Replaced one "broken" shock and readjusted broken emergency brake line that was rubbing | Replaced | 5,682 miles |
| 12/1/98 | Wiper motor replaced. Never notified of part arrival |
Will be replaced three times |
9,137 miles |
| 12/1/98 | Rear sitting over 1 inch lower on left. Requested new leaf springs. Was told by service advisor that they were not different enough to fit Ford standards for warranty replacement. Dealer adjusted tension bar set toe. Ever after Explorer hops sideways on curves with bumps. | Still unresolved because of hopping effect brought on by adjustment | 9,137 miles |
| 12/1/98 | Rear deck lid bumper stop missing | Replaced 22 days latter | 9,137 miles |
| 12/1/98 | Continued transmission grinding. Not reported to dealer | Dealer did not know | 9,137 miles |
| 12/23/98 | Rear Wipers intermittent | Replaced motor | 15,576 miles |
| 12/23/98 | Tape/CD/Radio intermittent | Told parts on order. Not replaced for 8 months. Replacement makes high pitched whirring constantly | 15,576 miles |
| 12/23/98 | Checked brake and noted 75% remaining | 15,000 later the same dealer found 80% of the brakes remaining. | 15,576 miles |
| 12/23/98 | Seat Belt does not retract. | New belt ordered not installed for 8 months | 15,576 miles |
| 6/07/99 | Transmission problem "found" only 17,000 miles later. Requested new transmission. Told Ford only replaces automatics. Told it would be three to four weeks to repair. Had to call customer service line twice and go to dealer twice to get rental car and to get the work done before my summer driving vacation | Two weeks to rebuild including replaced 3/4 syncro hub scored and all bearings | 22,868 miles |
| 6/07/99 | Lift struts for the rear door sticking | Lift struts replaced | 22,868 miles |
| 6/07/99 | AC only blowing warm air | Replaced cycle switch | 22,868 miles |
| 6/07/99 | Seat Belt does not retract. | Second time to have belt checked and to be told parts on order. | 22,868 miles |
| 8/25/99 | Driver's seat recline lever that was always bent wrong falls off. Part ordered. I tell service advisor that I am never notified of parts arrival. Says he will. When I come back a couple of weeks later part has to be reordered because I was not told of it's arrival and it was sold to another customer | Fixed three weeks later. | 29,433 miles |
| 8/25/99 | Sill plate comes off | Replace clips that hold in sill plate | 29,433 miles |
| 8/25/99 | Transmission still hard to shift | Unable to verify | 29,433 miles |
| 8/25/99 | complained about seat belt again. Finally replaced after 8 months | Finally replaced | 29,433 miles |
| 8/25/99 | Secondary hood latch replaced (Recall item) | Replaced | 29,433 miles |
| 8/25/99 | Inspected brakes and found that there is now 5 percent more brake pad then there was 15,000 miles ago. | Huh? | 29,433 miles |
| 9/15/99 | Rear hatch weather stripping sags off. | Replaced | 31,164 miles |
| 9/15/99 | Finally replace drivers side recline mechanism | Replaced | 31,164 miles |
| 9/15/99 | Driver's seat loose again | Drivers seat track replaced again | 31,164 miles |
| 10/04/99 | Still having hopping problems They diagnose weak shocks | Will replace shocks | 32,000 miles |
| 10/04/99 | Air conditioner smells | Mechanic deodorizes air | 32,000 miles |
| 10/04/99 | Rear wiper only wiping some. | Complete rear wiper assembly replaced second time | 32,000 miles |
| 10/04/99 | Car not transferring out of four wheel drive low (intermittent since first owned) | Shift motor ordered | 32,000 miles |
| 10/04/99 | Transmission still hard to shift | Unable to verify | 32,000 miles |
| 10/04/99 | They finally replace the stereo system first promised 8 months later. The replacement makes a constant high pitched whirring noise | Replaced | 32,000 miles |
| 10/18/99 | All Four shock absorbers | Replaced | 32,305 miles |
| 10/18/99 | Shift Motor parts arrive (not notified) | Replaced | 32,305 miles |
| 10/18/99 | Transmission is still hard to shift. Technician claims nothing is wrong. | Unresolved | 32,305 miles |
| 10/18/99 | New Radio makes whirring noise even when it is off. Service writer says he can not hear it. Calls over Ricardo who pulls up the finished cars. He hears the noise and describes it like I did as sounding as though the tape player motor is always turning. New radio "ordered" on national back order. | Replacement radio promised | 32,305 miles |