1. Home
  2. Ford Explorer Forum
  3. Explorer Review - Phil Edmonston - Guide for used 4x4's & Trucks.

Explorer Review - Phil Edmonston - Guide for used 4x4's & Trucks.

The Explorer got quite the write-up in Phil Edmonstons Guide. For those unfamiliar, Phil Edmonston has been writing these annual guides to buying cars for many years and is known to "pull no punches" with his reviews.

Here's what he has to say about the 1991 - 1994 Explorers.

These early explorers are both unreliable and dangerous to drive. Some of the most common defects reported by owners are transmission and fuel system failures, electrical system shorts, frequent and expensive brake repairs due to prematurely worn pads, rotors and master cylinder, constant motor-mount failures and defective AC condensers. Body defects are legion. What hasn't fallen off is usually about to, is stuck shut, stuck open, rusted away, delaminated, or simply broken. The above deficiencies produce poor engine performance that includes hard starts, sudden acceleration, stalling and excessive gas consumption; AC failures; noisy, ineffective brakes; lights and guages that have a mind of thier own; suspension noises and exhaust system rattles.

1995 - 1999 Explorer

Granted Ford tried to upgrade the explorers relianility and durability with it's '95 redesign, however, there hasn't been much improvement as witnessed by the continuing torrrent of owner complaints and service bulletin fixes for factory defects. The main problems targeted in service buletins.... and so on.

Makes you wonder why anyone would own one of these eh?

Reply to
Grolch
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Madmax

Mmmm, 5th Explorer eh. That's telling in itself. Reminds me of Louis Armstrong on Johnny Carson. When Carson asked Louis about whether smoking marijauana was addicted, Louis replied, " I been smoking grass every day for over 40 years and I ain't addicted yet"

Reply to
Grolch

Yep, that sure is telling... Me and my wife, two vehicles needed here. I drive in excess of 20,000 miles per year, which will kill any car quicker than the average consumer would. The first three were bought WELL used while I was in the military. Every one has served me well until I chose to sell it off. Two were sold off when I separated and needed to reduce my monthly payment in sync with a reduction in my salary. The '05 EB is my wife's, bought as I traded in my '01 Sport Trac with over 90,000 miles and only a few issues. I bought a used '99 Expedition repo with low miles from a auto broker across town, trading my wife's Windstar.

Ford has repeatedly proven the safety of the Explorer's in government tests and courts of law. Maintenance, or lack of is the killer of any car, Ford's Explorer can not help owners poor maintenance. Stability issues are most common with drivers who are on low inflated and or old tires. All SUV's suffer a problem with drivers who confuse the terms Sports Car with Sport Utility Vehicle as the ground clearance and suspension compliance needed for any off road capabilities directly conflicts with on road prowess.

My po> Mmmm, 5th Explorer eh. That's telling in itself.

Reply to
Madmax

It is really obvious to me that the number of concerns has dropped tremendously since the earlier days of Explorers. My '92 and '99 had a good number of issues though I really liked both of them. The '92 was sold at about 185,000 and the '99 is still in the family at about

140,000. We still see questi>Yep, that sure is telling... Me and my wife, two vehicles needed here.
Reply to
Big Shoe

Both my wife and I loved our 92 Ex... at least three friends had the same experience with their Exs... I have no acquaintances that have had bad experiences with any Explorers...

Phil Edmonston has chosen to concentrate on vehicles driven by unsafe drivers.... Any car is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands... looking at MVA statistics, we can easily see that there are many, many "wrong hands" on the road today.... A bad painter will blame his brush, a terrible carpenter will blame his saw and a lousy driver will blame his car.... There are no secrets here....

We seem to live in a "new age" where we are not responsible for our own actions...

For your part, I see some sort of "agenda"... not sure what it is... I like the "Mmmm, 5th Explorer eh".... reference. As if someone that changes cars every three years is having a bad experience... I have no idea what you drive nor how it is serviced ( I imagine it is a Subaru), but, believe it or not, there are people that prefer new over pre-owned. They can afford to trade up at regular intervals and prefer the financial predictability of a vehicle still covered under warranty.

You have established your place in the pecking order for this NG ... now if you could only live it down....

Reply to
Jim Warman

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.