Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have owned this truck since 2002. Left rear passenger door handle broke (one day it worked, next day it was flopping and obviously disconnected). Can't open it from the outside or inside. Front driver's side door handle also feeling floppy and loose. Child "safety" latches on both back passenger doors have never worked properly so anyone sitting in the back seat has to be let out by someone on the outside as the inside door handle won't work. On the internet, you will see that door failures on this make and model are rampant. This is extremely dangerous. In an accident, the driver and/or passengers could not get out of the truck. Fixing the doors is really difficult as w/o being able to open the door, you have to dismantle the interior of the truck in order to get to the I/s door panel. …
While driving down the road I heard a popping followed by a lot of metal noise. The truck seamed shift around. Upon looking under the truck the body mount under the passenger seat was gone on both sides of the frame. The cab is now sitting on the frame and some parts around the passenger front mount are cracked. Called Ford, not under warranty or recall. (good answer?) I think not....took to local Ford dealer in ri. Told him what the problem was and that my wife wanted to use the Sport Trac to pick up our 1 year old grandson. He told me the truck was unsafe and not to drive it ... Sound like a maintenance issue? Sounds more like a product failure. Ford knows. NHTSA knows. We who own know. This is not environmental due to the fact that I see it is also happening in texas too. So I will call Ford again and demand the fix as many times as it takes til my truck is fixed. …
Took my truck to a mechanic to see what the grinding sound of medal was, turned out to be the body mounting bushings. They are falling apart. I was told that this is what attaches the body to the frame and is dangerous to drive around. I am very disappointed with Ford. I think that this should be fixed by the company. I have 2 children and this is my only transportation I have. I read up on this online and found there are other people in the same situation. I just don't understand how Ford can let these trucks of their lots knowing that the bushings are no good and should be fixed!!
Drove home, garbage pick-up missed our house. Grab the can ,and put in back of Ford Sport Trac..tried to catch the garbage truck down a dirt road. When all of a sudden the front hood on my Sport Trac came open.also having problems when turning on air-conditioner.I beleive same type of parts or components used in previous years Ford Explorer Sport...ranging back to 98 or further.probably same types recalled or complained about in those years problems with defects..I have found that my 2001 Ford Sport Trac was actually made in late year of 2000.
When I had my vehicle inspected I was informed the body mounts were almost all rusted out and there is a danger the body could come loose. Its easy to picture what could happen it this occurred in a 60 MPH curve on interstate. Mechanics tell this is unheard of in any other vehicles except Ford Explorer Sport tracs model years 2001 thru 2005. If this isnt a hazard I dont know what is. Its evident this parts are junk and Ford did nothing to correct it. Starting in 2006 this problem no longer existed.
2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac vehicles has badly deteriorating cab mount bushings. (these bushings connect the cab to the frame.) on my vehicle they have almost totally fallen apart. They crumble when touched and some are totally missing. This can cause a body sway of up to 3-4 inches. There is no recall or service bulletin on this issues according to Ford. I researched this on the internet and have found this to be a common problem with this vehicle. Cost of repair is about $600.00.
2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac crumbling body mount bushings causing creaking, knocking noise under floorboard. Possible safety hazard as well. Vehicle is hard to steer, cornering is awful and truck rides very rough and is hard to control now that the bushings are completely gone. Other possible problems the body could warp, cause windows to break, doors to become misaligned, cause other suspension parts to fail prematurely. My truck only has 69K miles and I am the original owner.
I have had 3 tire blow outs in the short time I have had this truck due to the tires rubbing on a part of the steering when making turns. Its rubs off the material of the tire.....also the rear passanger door can not be opened from the inside and bearly opens from the outside. I have a young child making this extremely dangerous. Your site wants me to enter a date... I can't recall all three dates
The right rear side of my Ford the cab mount has ripped apart the steel mount has failed. The cab is in danger of leaving the frame. The body shop told me that this is a factory defect and is very dangerous. The truck has only 74534 MIL. 2001. I'm the only owner, the truck is garage kept and very well maintained. This truck was built in oct. 2000 and I bought the truck in nov. 2000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The contact stated that while performing routine maintenance he noticed that the body bushing had deteriorated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 124,000 and current mileage was 132,000.
Related recalls
Structure › Body › Hood › Hinge and attachments
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles with steel hoods and certain pickup trucks equipped with sheet molding compound hoods. A wire formed hood striker could be susceptible to fatigue fractures. If the hood striker fractures, the hood could fly open while the vehicle is being driven.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the hood striker.
Body complaints in other Explorer Sport Trac years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the body & structure of the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac, 16% of the model year's 167 complaints. The component named most often is frame and members (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 00V-394 (hinge and attachments, Nov 28, 2000). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 124,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.