Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Explorer. The driver side door will not open from inside the passenger compartment. The lock sticks and will only open from outside the vehicle. The door lock itself is not working and when the contact pushes the unlock control on the door panel, it fails to unlock the door. She is concerned that she May not be able to open the door in case of an emergency. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage was 168,299 and failure mileage was 167,299.
Accelerator pedal was stuck when applied to pass on an incline. Dealer notified. Ts dealership removed throttle cable and found frayed fragments inside cable covering. There was a recall regarding this condition however, vehicle's VIN was not included. Had multiple problems with hood latch. Cruise control engaged on its own.
I have two 1997 Ford explorers (an xlt and an eddie bauer) both vehicles have numerous problems with door latches and power locks. Occupants have been unable to exit the vehicles on several occasions due to inoperable handles and/or locks. I believe someone could become trapped in one of these vehicles in the event of an accident.
The rear door locks bind up whenever a rear passenger attempts to open a door without the driver depressing door unlock button manually. Once locks bind up, the only way to open door is from exterior door handle. Rear passengers are essentially trapped in the vehicle until doors are opened from outside. It appears that locks are malfunctioning somewhat like the child door lock protection system even though the child locks are not engaged. This is a severe safety hazard which traps a person in the rear seat. If there were a fire, accident or any other type of emergency, they could not get out of the vehicle from the rear seat. Dealer claims not a problem; that this how locks were designed, but refused to put on repair slip stating only "unable to duplicate". Help! Help! Help! Ford has a problem here and it needs a NHTSA directed recall to get them to properly correct it. …
Several months ago, the rear door latch stopped working from the inside. My child was unable to open the door to exit and the only way to open the door is from the outside. I believed that maybe something had gotten caught on the door handle to pull it too hard to cause it to break. The handle is no longer flush with the door, it extends out a little. Several months ago, I was speaking to my sons preschool teacher, who also owns a Ford Explorer (1996) and she too said that she had the same problem with her back handle. Today I talked with another Explorer owner (1997) who said that recently, in the same week, both door handles in the rear had broke in the same manner. Our concern is for our young children who in the event need to get out their door in an emergency, would be unable, unless someone opens from the outside.
When I purchased this vehicle the back passenger door would not open from the inside and the child safety lock was not locked. The dealership fixed that for me, but now the driver side back door will not open. I think this is a big safety issue when you have children riding in the back seat. This time I have to pay 200.00 to get this fixed and I shouldn't have too. If I were to have an accident and my 7 and 9 year olds are in the back seat the one that is setting behind me cannot get out. This is a big concern to me. I have been in an accident before where my door would not open and that was the scariest feeling of my life. I think someone needs to check into the door assembly and make sure that it is sturdy and durable.
Both back doors will not open from the inside. Child safety locks are not on. This is the second Ford Explorer I have owned and I had the same problem with the other one. A Ford dealer has acknowledged that they have sold numerous parts to correct this particular problem. This newer model has a feature where the doors automatically lock when you reach a certain speed(5mph?). I feel like this could be hazardous because you have to rely on the driver to open the doors and it cannot be done without first unlocking them. If the vehicle was on fire, this problem would delay the time that the passengers in the back seat could be safely removed from the vehicle..
Rear door locks won't unlock unless you use unlock button on front door first. Child safety door lock won't disengage on left rear door, someone has to open left rear door from the outside. Keyless control will not unlock either if right rear door lock gets hung up. I have tried several times to get repaired, but have no documentation except once in 1997. I seldom have passengers in the back, but if there was an accident anyone in the rear could not get out. I just want the door locks fixed. There are some similiar complaints with the NHTSA, idi id 702648, 827786, 829733, 537402, 538918, and 530692. Any help will be appreciated.
Have reported this before. Consumer complaint ids 538918, 702648, 827786, 829733 also apply. Very dangerous, rear doors lock and can't open without exiting vehical to open from outside. Acting like malfunction of childlocks, only childlocks are disengaged. Serious accident waiting to happen. Dealer doesn't know how to fix problem and doesn't recognize it as a problem. Need to put dealer in rear seat to get any reaction, and still no resolution. Recall warranted. This is a major safety problem!! Ford will not recognize the problem.
In addition to the locks unlocking while vehile is unattended, the locks sporatically click while vehicle is in motion. Also, the locks don't lock immediately when the SUV is put in gear, they lock sometimes up to a couple of minutes of driving. This is a definite safety issue as occupant(s) of vehicle are not safe from outside goings on unless vehicle is locked. In addition, this presents a problem with insurance if vehicle is stolen because it is unlocked. Please respond directly.
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 1997 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the locks & latches of the 1997 Ford Explorer, 2% of the model year's 1,731 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (25 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford Explorer door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 1997 Ford Explorer, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford Explorer door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to locks & latches 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.