Went to apply break pressure due to another car running stop sign in parking lot. Was going approximately 10 MPH. Lost break pressure and could barely stop. Checked break fluid which was completely empty. No break light notice prior to incident indicating low break fluid. Asked ford dealership if my car was serviced due to a recall notice for this defect. Was told my car was not included in recall possible due to being manufacture at a different plant and it involved rear breaks.
The worst 1999 Ford Explorer Sport problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Electrical14
- Seats14
- Acceleration11
- Engine10
- Airbags9
- Visibility9
- Transmission8
- Body7
- Locks7
- Steering6
- Lights5
- Tires5
- Brakes4
- Suspension4
- Fuel system2
- Seat belts2
Specific symptoms reported on the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport
Recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Defect 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 ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
Technical service bulletins for the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport 20
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Ford: certain 1999-2001 model year vehicles up to 6000 lb gvwr registered in new york and certain 2001...
- General power train control module (PCM) programming procedures
- Low line pressure reading at wide open throttle (WOT), slipping shifts and / or delayed engagements with...
- Some vehicles with 4WABS may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes C1233 and C1234 (anti-lock brake sensor...
- Some vehicles with 4WABS may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes C1233 and C1234 (anti-lock brake sensor...
- Some vehicles may exhibit a no 1-2 upshift, no 2-3 upshift, a no engine braking condition in manual 1 or...
- Concerns with brake vibration, roughness and / or grinding noise, and excessive brake rotor corrosion
- Some vehicles built prior to 9/15/2001 may exhibit low line pressure readings while in drive, no 2ND gear,...
- Information regarding discharged battery charging service tips and guidelines
- Some vehicles equipped with the 4.0L sohc engine may exhibit a check engine light on with diagnostic...
What 1999 Ford Explorer Sport owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Brake line broke and caused accident. No warning and I've never had an issue with brakes before very frustrated and a scary situation someone could have been killed .
Doors will not open have to climb out of car window on growing problem first passenger side know driver side a lot of embarrassing moments trying to get out of car at work.
1999 ford explorer sport drivers seat back unlatched itself while driving. Luckily only 20 MPH! Rear passenger drivers side seat is folded down forward to hold drivers seat in place, until I can find another used seat.
Was driving around the city when I reach into my pocket to get my phone and hear a loud thump coming from the seat and the next thing I notice is the seat reclining all the way back. I was able to bring it back up by folding the exterior passenger seat to provide some sort of support. When I arrived home I tried inspecting what the issue was and saw a large fracture right next to the reclining mechanism. This is potentially a hazard that can one day cause a severe accident. I was lucky enough to have been driving slow but if I were to be in the freeway then it might have been something more serious. This large fracture seems to derive from a poorly designed seat that weak metal of some sort.
Drivers side door lock wont unlock with key or with handle, cant unlock door with pull knob either,it's a death trap if u need to escape in the event of fire or accident, this needs to be addressed by ford asap!!!
Front windshield wiper failure:front windshield wipers fail to work consistently. Wipers come on even though it is set to the off position. Sometimes wipers do not come on when they are turned to the on position. In order for wipers to work consistently they would have to be manually engage with hand and hand has to be kept on the wiper control switch switching it on and off to move the wiper blades. Wipers would come on intermittently while driving. Wipers would act erratically and fail to operate properly 90% of the time. Wipers sometimes would come on after vehicle has warmed up. Wipers can come on anytime while driving. Faulty hood/weak hydraulic arms: the hood cannot safely stay up because the hydraulic arm supports are too weak to hold the weight of the hood. The hood support does not lock into place so that the hood would stay up safely. No safety bar was installed on this vehicle to safely hold up/prop up the hood in case of hydraulic arm/support failure. If the vehicle gets bumped while the hood is up the hood would fall and close shut. Because the hood will not stay up it requires two people when checking under the hood. One person to hold the hood while other is under it. Extreme rust & rust through interior running boards/step up: both driver and passenger side interior running boards/step up have extreme rust and rusted holes through the frame in many spots.when the driver or passenger side doors are open all rust can be seen.some rust and rusted holes through the frame in many spots is visible from the exterior even when driver or passenger side doors are closed.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer sport. The contact was driving approximately 35 MPH in rainy weather conditions and the windshield wipers failed to operate during activation. The windshield wipers would operate whenever the windshield washer control device was engaged. Also, the windshield wipers operated when manually turning the control lever. On numerous occasions, the windshield wipers activated while in the off mode. In addition, the hood support arm would not remain in an upward position. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,500. Updated 02/22/12*lj the consumer stated the wipers would activate, when the defroster was on. Updated 03/01/12
I have a 1999 for explorer sport (2 door) and in february of 2011 the door on the passenger side locked and as not been able to be open since then. I called ford motor company about it, thinking that it would be a safety concern if in a wreck and a passenger could open the passenger door. Was told not a safety concern and to get it fix I would have to pay for it. I don't understand how a company can think that a door on a vehicle not opening is not a safety concern.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer sport. The contact was driving approximately 25 MPH when a child passenger in the rear of the vehicle pulled on the driver seat to recline herself and the seat reclined backward and fractured. The contact stated that the bolt that held the seta in place fractured. The manufacturer was contacted in regards to the federal safety agency campaign id number: 03v281000 (seats: front assembly: recliner) but the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.
Compare the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport
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Questions about the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport
Is the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport reliable?
Owners have filed 93 complaints about the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport, 1.4 times a typical Explorer Sport model year.
What is the most common problem with the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport?
Electrical system, with 14 complaints, typically around 76,500 miles. Next is seats (14).
How many recalls does the 1999 Ford Explorer Sport have?
No recalls on record.
What year does the Ford Explorer Sport have the most electrical problems?
The Ford Explorer Sport model years with the most electrical complaints are 1998 (18 complaints), 1999 (14 complaints) and 2000 (11 complaints).
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