Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 10 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning and crashed into a ditch. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact and four bystanders pushed the vehicle into a residential driveway. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,412.
I purchased my 03 Ford Explorer back in 2/15. It looked like I purchased a very very good used vehicle. Everything has been fine with it up until 2 weeks ago. My door ajar light keeps coming on when everything is closed, the od light is blinking non stop and the trunk window opens by itself when I am driving. When im driving it feels like the car is trying to "catch up". Like it knows I'm trying to do a certain speed but its way below and after a min. Or so, then it will go the correct speed. I had it hooked up to a diagnostic tool and its giving me the code of p7032 (something like that). Something about 2nd gear of trans? Ive been told that this is a known issue with this make, model and year.. Ive also ready 100s of reviews and complaints on these issues. What I don't seem to understand is why isn't Ford doing anything about this???? …
We were involved in a motor vehicle accident on the below date. A person went through a red light and hit our 2003 Ford Explorer on the right rear wheel area at approx 40 MPH. There was over $ 6,000 in damage on our vehicle. When our vehicle was released to us from the body shop 6 weeks later, our heater, when turned on was making a loud banging sound. It sounded like something was knocked loose from the impact. It is now April 2007, and we have been trying to get our insurance company to fix this. We took our 2003 Ford to capital Ford in carson city, nevada where we bought 3 new Ford vehicles. Capital Ford told the insurance company that this is a common problem with this vehicle. Allstate , our insurance company told us that we would have to pay "at our own expense" to take the dash apart on this vehicle to see if this was accident related, at 10 hours labor at $ 90 per hour! …
I bought my Ford Explorer xlt back in June of 2015. Since then I replaced my oxygen sensor do to a fault in the system and melting back in aug. 20015. The SUV wouldn't start because of it and had to be towed. Since I purchased and had replaced the oxygen sensor by a Ford dealer, I noticed the SUV having power failure even from a complete stop and now the over drive off light flashes; this started in the beginning of nov. 2015 I noticed that there is over 2755 complaints of transmission problems and failures exactly the same as mine, but not one recall. This is a issue with the SUV themselves and not owner error. I have children and don't want to end up stranded in the street or side of the highway due to transmission failure. …
Adjusted HVAC temperature from cold to hot. Approximately 5 seconds later, a loud and repetitive popping sound came from the defroster vents. I was startled and immediately stopped the car (on a 2 lane highway) to investigate. The blend door actuator is failing. This condition will cause a loss of climate control in the cabin. It can get stuck on hot or cold or anywhere in between. If it gets stuck in the cold setting, the windshield defroster will not work which could cause an accident due to loss of visibility. If it gets stuck on the hot setting, heat-sensitive passengers May be injured by heatstroke in the summer months since air will always flow through the vents when the vehicle is moving.
While driving home from work this evening the o/d off light began steadily blinking and the transmission took way too long to shift (RPM almost red line) and wouldn't shift into 5th gear. I was driving on a city street and first noticed the truck not shifting and within 3 minutes of driving the o/d off light began flashing. If you turn the truck off then back on the o/d off light turns off but the truck still won't shift correctly and the light starts to blink again. My truck only has 133,000 miles. I googled this problem and discovered that the vast majority of 2003 Ford Explorer owners have this same problem.
Vehicle was parked for approximately 2 hours and the owner drove across the street to the shell gas station, owner parked the vehicle on the side of the gas station, and got some cash from the atm machine. Owner walked back to the vehicle and it ignited. Fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. The entire truck was burned. The fire marshall said that they thought it was an electrical fire.
I had 2003 Ford Explorer that caught fire in my driveway, my car was backed in about 10 feet from house with tailgate open. The investigator from my insurance company is telling me it was an electrical fire in back inside drivers side of the vehicle. The fire destroyed the vehicle and I also have damages to my house and property.
While driving on a back country road at 15 to 20 MPH the vehicle suddenly burst into flames. Thick black smoke was billowing from the front right side of vehicle. Cause of fire was unknown at this time, and under investigation. Also, vehicle was a rental, and two consumers were in vehicle at time of incident.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the door ajar warning light illuminated, which caused the dome light to remain illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 188,000.
Electrical complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 54 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Ford Explorer, 5% of the model year's 1,131 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Ford Explorer electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2003 Ford Explorer, though it has 2 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 2003 Ford Explorer electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 52,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 4 fires and 2 injuries to electrical system 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.