Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While driving 55 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle lost power steering and braking, which resulted in a crash. All the warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and then towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. A police report was filed. There was one injury that required medical attention. The contact was treated for second degree burns. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
I backed SUV out of garage and put in park, got out of vehicle while still running (to close garage door), closed the SUV door, turned around and saw that SUV was moving forward into my garage. I opened the SUV door while it was moving and jumped in the drivers seat, pushed on the brake and SUV did not stop, I was looking down at the floor to see why SUV did not stop, pulled up my foot and placed it back down on the brake. SUV still did not stop. It then made a loud noise like the engine was reeving up and then the SUV took off forward, ran through the back of my garage, ran through my back yard, ran over a tree in the yard, ran through my back yard fence and my neighbor's fence and crashed into the back side of neighbor's house. …
When driving my 2004 Ford Explorer started making a grinding and humming noise on the left front of driver side tire area. ABS and 4x4 high lights came on instrument panel. Truck felt like it was going into 4x4 mode on its own and braking felt like ABS system failed. Took it to a Ford dealership and I was told that both front wheel bearings needed to be replaced at a cost of $1053. Since this truck uses sensors and traction control the sensor on the left driver side had gone out causing this feature no longer to work. It is a good thing this did not result in an accident since the vehicle was going into 4x4 mode on it's own and the brakes ABS no longer functioned. Just a quick search online will result in many found issues regarding this that Ford has not done a recall on yet. What is it going to take to get Ford to stand behind the safety of trucks they sell?
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the service engine and the battery warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked and made a loud noise. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who replaced the front driver side hub and wheel bearing, the rear springs, the three passenger gear calipers, four rear driver side calipers, the battery, five rear brake pads, and six rear rotors plus an oil change. Three weeks after the repairs, the vehicle stalled without warning. In addition, the brake pedal hesitated to respond. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,817.
on [redacted] brought to local shop on power steering leak. Week before, Paid $50 for inspection. on [redacted] appointment was line and replaced. But tech said get pass brake line was rotted and was bad leak of brake fluid. On [redacted] my wife's Explorer was reinspected and rear driver side brake copper line also reported rotted after paying $539.95 for power steering low pressure and brake line. Wife's Eddie Bauer 2004 v8 was reported to FORD Motor Co. Case# [redacted] defective copper brake lines on suv. No good will offered no warrantee fue to latent defective brake line copper tubing coming from ABS modular. ABS LIGHT COMES ON AT TIMES.
Brake failure, front wheel brake hose (burst/failed), 3x in one year including failure of new parts installed by Ford. This resulted in total lack of brakes, in once case while traveling on i287 at high speed! This was in 20011/2012 before we traded car in. Ford insisted there was no problem with the part. The car had about 100,000 miles on it, was 6-7 years old. I have never experienced this type of failure on any other car I owned including many that were much older and had many more miles ... Let alone 3x on the same vehicle! This really must be a defective part!!! An the problem seems to be ongoing with newer models of the Ford Explorer as well?
My 2004 Ford Explorer caught on fire today. The fire began under the hood. Per the fire department, the fire started around the cruise control and brake master cylinder area. Ford does not have a recall out for this year model, unlike the 2003 and older models, but this is definitely a manufacturer problem. The car was driven to several points, drop the kids of at school, one at daycare, and a stop for breakfast. Nothing was wrong with our car. After arriving to work, my wife got a call that her car was on fire. There were no signs, malfunctions that something was wrong with the vehicle. Regularly scheduled maintenance were always performed.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 65 MPH on a dry interstate, there was a loud pop that sounded like a balloon popped. When the brake pedal was applied, the pedal would not move. The vehicle spun around and ran into a ditch which resulted in an accident. There were minor injuries sustained and a police report was taken. The vehicle was towed to an independent body shop who determined the master cylinder had fractured apart.
Car starts but will go forward when shifted in reverse. Turned the car off then back on, but when I would put the car back in reverse or drive, it stalled out. Had it towed and then it was fine after that. Now its about 6 months later, now my orange wrench light pops up and cruise control shuts off at 65mph. Then it jerks a couple times. Have had it checked and came back with 14 codes mainly for transmission.
Transmission failure with overdrive light blinking .no first gear,shifts hard , sometime it wont shift without letting off gas .with codespo731,po733,po734,po745 needs total rebuild this happened while driving down the road at 40 miles a hour , ABS light is on . Codes show wrong line pressure.engine knocking , timming chain issues.
Brake complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2004 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 53 complaints about the brakes of the 2004 Ford Explorer, 4% of the model year's 1,304 complaints. The component named most often is antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Ford Explorer brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2004 Ford Explorer. 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 2004 Ford Explorer brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 81,000 miles, and 28% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 2 fires and 5 injuries to brakes 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.