Most common 2000 Ford Explorer problems
Share of the 952 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Ford Explorer complaints by model year
Best Explorer years: 2024, 2023, 2019. Years to avoid: 2016, 2017, 2020, 2013, 2015. Compare all years →
2000 Ford Explorer recalls (9)
Vehicle speed control
Ford is recalling model years 1995-2003 windstar, 2000-2003 excursion diesel, 1993-1997 and 1999-2003 f-250 sd through f-550 sd diesel, 1992-2003 e-150 through e-550, 1995-2002 explorer, 1997 and 2002 Mercury mountaineer, 1995-1997 and 2001-2003 ranger, and 1994 f53 vehicles equipped with the texas instruments speed control…
Remedy: Ford will notify owners that dealers will install a fused wiring harness in line with the scds. On 1999-2003 windstar vehicles with a leaking scds, dealers will also inspect the ABS control module connector and repair…
Vehicle speed control
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch May, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
Remedy: Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. Owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected…
Seats › Front assembly › Recliner
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with high back seats, the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat, that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, could fracture.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver seat upper bolt with a metal spacer and bolt. In addition, seats with tubular back frames will have the fully threaded lower recliner bolt replaced with a partially threaded bolt.
Vehicle speed control › Cables
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with speed control and 4.0l sohc engines, if the strand cover on the speed control cable becomes flared at the end, the speed control cable May bind when the speed control is activated.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the speed control cable and, if necessary, replace it. Owner notification began August 29, 2003. Owners should contact Ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Structure
Certain pickup truck, van, and Mini van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by American technology components, inc. These units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness is exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. Owner notification began March 7, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free…
Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (TCM/PCM/tecm)
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles equipped with the 3.27 or 3.55 axle ration. The subject vehicles have a powertrain control module that could allow the vehicle to exceed the design intent top speed. At these extreme speeds, the vehicle could be capable of exceeding the speed rating of the tire.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the powertrain control module.
Show 3 more recalls
Seat belts
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles, light duty trucks, sport utility vehicles, and Mini vans equipped with trw seat belt buckle assemblies. The buckle base of these seat belt assemblies were not properly heat treated and therefore do not pass the load bearing requirement of federal motor vehicle safety standard no.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the date code on certain seat belt buckles of your vehicle and replace all seat belt buckles that fall within the suspect date code range. Owner notification began October 26, 2000.
Air bags › Side/window
Vehicle description: 4-door sport utility vehicles equipped with side air bags. The subject vehicles have a revised level side crash sensor that could deploy the side air bag if the ignition key is in the "run" position and the seatbelt webbing is forcibly extracted from a locked retractor with a jerking motion.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the side crash sensors with a revised design that will reduce the likelihood of an unexpected side air bag deployment.
Electrical system › Wiring › Fuses and circuit breakers
Vehicle description: multi-purpose vehicles equipped with 4.0l engines and all-time 4-wheel drive (a4wd) powertrains. The generic electronic module (gem) could experience a condition referred to as "lock-up" in which the gem controlled electronic functions (e.g., front windshield wipers, interior lights, 4x4 system, etc.) could…
Remedy: Dealers will install a resistor in the gem circuit.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 4 possible defects involving the 2000 Ford Explorer:
Front seat back recliner attachment
By letter dated August 4, 2003, Ford notified the agency that it is conducting a voluntary safety recall (NHTSA recall no. 03V281) involving certain model year (my) 1998-2001 Ford explorer / Mercury mountaineer 4-door, my 1998-2000 Ford explorer 2-door and my 2001-2002 Ford explorer sport and sport trac vehicles equipped with high back seats.complaints allege that the driver's seat back reclined without warning.a…
Seat belt webbing
Odi opened this investigation on November 3, 2000, based on a report regarding the death of the occupant of the right front seat in a 2000 model year Ford explorer xls involved in a roll-over crash.it is alleged that the webbing of the buckle portion of the seat belt assembly failed during the crash.the occupant was partially ejected from the vehicle, thereby sustaining fatal injuries.this investigation has been…
Seat belt webbing
Odi opened pe00-044investigation on November 3, 2000, based on a report regarding the death of the occupant of the right front seat in a 2000 model year Ford explorer xls involved in a roll-over crash.it is alleged that the webbing of the buckle portion of the seat belt assembly failed during the crash.the occupant was partially ejected from the vehicle, thereby sustaining fatal injuries.this investigation has been…
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On September 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 Ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or…
What 2000 Ford Explorer owners say
Wheels & tires all 227 →
Tl* the contact owned a 2000 for Explorer equipped with definity dakota a/t tires, size: p235/75 r15 a/t (na). While driving 70 MPH, the rear driver tire began to shred. The driver lost control of the vehicle and crashed. A police report was filed. No visible injuries were sustained; however, a passenger in the vehicle required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to a salvage yard where the insurance company stated that the vehicle was destroyed. Prior to the crash, the rear passenger tire experienced the same failure. The approximate tire failure mileage was 89,346 and the vehicle failure mileage was 89,870. The dot number was not available.
I was driving slightly uphill in stop and go traffic, off exit 16 on the palisades parkway, due to a controlled stop set up by police to check inspection and registration. I saw smoke around my vehicle, so I looked at my instrument panel to see if my car was overheating. My instrument panel indicated nothing was wrong. When I looked up, an officer was motioning for me to pull over saying my car was on fire. I quickly pulled over, turned off the car, got in the back seat to get my 1 year old daughter out of her car seat, and exited the vehicle. My wife quickly got out of the passenger seat and exited the vehicle. We were told to get far away. Two police officers tried to put out the fire with extinguishers, but were unable to get the hood open. We were out of the car no more than 5 minutes when it was entirely engulfed in flames. …
Transmission & drivetrain all 133 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. While the gear shifter was in park, the vehicle rolled backward and stalled. The vehicle then began to roll forward. The contact depressed the brake pedal to the floor, but the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the contact's vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000. Updated 01/11/2017
Before my transmission went out my over drive would flash then my 4wheel drive stopped working. I had the 4wheel drive switch replaced and everything was fine until I went to sacramento. After taking care of my eddie bauer Explorer having the transmission flushed and filled on a regular basis. While leaving sacramento stopped at a chevron to fill up before heading back up to tahoe. As im leaving the gas station all of the sudden there's a loud crunch of metal sound coming from under my car and it wont kick into any gear. Had to have it towed and after reading the thousands of complaints from other owners about their exploders doing the sme thing I figured I would complain. Im tired of big companies screwing the little people over who purchase their products when they are perfectly able to fix it. Shame on u Ford.
Speed control & acceleration all 113 →
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rpms and the tachometer increased, but the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. While attempting to park, the vehicle surged forward and crashed into a pole. On another occasion, while reversing from being parked, the vehicle surged from a low speed to over 40 MPH causing the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained whiplash that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 09V399000 (vehicle speed control), 07V336000 (vehicle speed control), and 03V280000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 204,000tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rpms and the tachometer increased, but the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. While attempting to park, the vehicle surged forward and crashed into a pole. On another occasion, while reversing from being parked, the vehicle surged from a low speed to over 40 MPH causing the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained whiplash that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 09V399000 (vehicle speed control), 07V336000 (vehicle speed control), and 03V280000 (vehicle speed control). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 204,000. Ma 10/15/2015 updated 11/30/2017
2000 Ford Explorer engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | RWD | 16 / 21 / 18 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | RWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 14 / 19 / 16 |
| 4.0L 6-cyl | 5-speed manual | 4WD/AWD | 15 / 19 / 16 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | RWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
| 5.0L 8-cyl | 4-speed automatic | 4WD/AWD | 13 / 18 / 15 |
EPA ratings. Class: SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2000 Ford Explorer a good car?
Based on 952 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2000 Explorer rates average: 15% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Explorer at the same age. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2000 Ford Explorer?
The wheels & tires — 227 complaints, 24% of all complaints for this model year, most often about tread/belt. Next are the transmission & drivetrain (133) and speed control & acceleration (113).
How many recalls does the 2000 Ford Explorer have?
There are 9 recalls for the 2000 Ford Explorer, the most recent from October 13, 2009 (vehicle speed control). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Ford Explorer?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2024, 2023 and 2019. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2016, 2017, 2020, 2013 and 2015. See the full Ford Explorer years comparison.
At what mileage do 2000 Ford Explorer problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 78,000 miles; 28% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
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.