Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2000 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon pulling into a gas station, both white and black colored smoke began to emit from the vehicle without warning. Before the contact could fully react, the vehicle soon caught fire. The contact managed to pull away from the gas pumps as a gas attendant brought out fire extinguishers that they both used to exterminate the fire. The fire department arrived at the scene; however, the contact was unsure if a fire report was filed. The contact suffered minor scrapes and bruises as a result of the fire but did not seek medical attention. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained at the gas station. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 223,000.
The contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer or independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.
I am deeply disgusted with your service. I had filed a complaint online and on the phone about the vehicle I have specified on this online system. This was done back in 2011 and followed through with the manufacture and the ca state dept. Of investigations with dmv. I had also sent the 20 page or so complaint directly to a ca state senator. I was sold a vehicle with a fire recall still in effect and registered to the auto dealer of auto west group. The vehicle come to find out had well over 15 safety related recalls in its hisotry. For a number of years I have been trying to aquire copies of what I had sent into your department, the ftc, the state of california and the bureau of auto repairs. Now I find that I am being stonewalled and being told things like they no longer have any records of the problems. …
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. …
Dt*: the contact stated while the vehicle was parked in front of the residence, a noise was heard, then fire was noticed coming from under the hood. The contact called the fire department who extinguished the fire and reported the fire as electrical failure from the speed control system. The contact took pictures of the charred vehicle. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The dealership was contacted but never returned the call. The manufacturer was also contacted who informed her the vehicle was not included in any recall pertaining to the speed control system due to the VIN. The fire department had not determined what caused the fire, however, the consumer had read about reports where vehicle were catching on fire due to faulty cruise control switches. Updated 12/13/06. Updated 04/03/07.
The 2000 Ford Explorer SUV began to slow down as the engine rpms increased. After pulling over and turning the ignition off, we noticed smoke coming from the hood. Underneath the car, flames were dripping down from the transmission. We used a fire extinguisher to extinguish the flames on the ground, and attempted to open the hood. After the hood was opened, large flames were observed in the engine compartment. The fire extinguisher was used until empty and had little impact. The car began to burn quickly and the flames spread from front to back. The emergency services arrived, extinguished the fire and collected witness statements. No one was hurt in the incident and the frame was towed via aaa to a nearby automotive shop.
Tl contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 30 MPH, another driver informed the contact that there were flames underneath the vehicle. She pulled over onto the side of the road and noticed flames underneath the vehicle and the hood. The contact quickly removed her children and child seat from the vehicle. In a matter of seconds, the hood burst into flames. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the junkyard. The insurance company will not investigate the failure because the vehicle did not have complete coverage. The miami midway police department filed report number ppoc9a02c02188. The current and failure mileages were 96,000.
Sparkplug super-heated and melted longitudinally destroying the outermost sparkplug threads (7 through the seating surface of the spark plug). Inner most threads, the ones deepest into the head were not damaged. A second plug was installed along with a new spark plug wire and within 20 miles, the sparkplug was again melted beyond salvage and the new wire burned up. Due to the destruction of the sparkplug, it was able to be removed without tools as there were no threads remaining in the cylinder head. Fortunately the fire damage (likely from the spark of the plug) was limited only to damaging the sparkplug and the spark plug wire labled #3.
The consumer was driving when she heard a loud noise while turning into her driveway. The vehicle was smoking and caught on fire. The fire was put out with a garden hose. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The wheel bearings were found to be defective. On the next incident, the consumer took the vehicle to the mechanic to have the front end aligned, when the vehicle was inspected the ball joint fell off into the mechanic's hand July 8, 2004. All of the problems had been on the drivers side. There were also problems with the engine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2000 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that she parked the vehicle and as she proceeded to walk away, the vehicle caught on fire without warning. The contact stated that the fire originated from under the hood. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the fire. A fire report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not notified of the incident. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 173,000.
NHTSA investigations
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…
Engine complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2000 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 99 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2000 Ford Explorer, 10% of the model year's 952 complaints. The component named most often is engine › gasoline (28 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2000 Ford Explorer engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2000 Ford Explorer, though it has 9 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 2000 Ford Explorer engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 75,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 15 fires and 1 injury to engine & cooling 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.