Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to start and smoked appeared on numerous occasions. In addition, the overhead lights in the vehicle did not work and the battery had a shortage. The contact stated that the service engine light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 200,000.
1998 Ford Explorer engine problems
194 complaints (10% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 105,754. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 194
- of this car's complaints
- 10%
- typical mileage
- 105,754
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine: gasoline98
- Engine52
- Exhaust system5
- Engine: gasoline: belts and associated pulleys5
- Cooling system5
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe4
- Cooling system: radiator assembly4
- Exhaust system: emission control2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford Explorer engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 1998 Ford Explorer engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Stalling 100Loss of power 22Engine failure 20Overheating 13Check engine light 12Won't start 8Knocking 6
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related 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
What 1998 Ford Explorer owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle erupted into flames coming from the engine compartment into the interior of the vehicle. The contact was able to merged over and exit the vehicle as the flames were extensive and the vehicle was destroyed. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. The vehicle was towed to a yard. The contact was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 98v060000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 ford explorer. The contact noticed smoke rising from the engine compartment, which entered the cabin of the vehicle through the air conditioning vents. Shortly afterwards, flames engulfed the entire vehicle and shattered all of the windows. The vehicle had recently been repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was 200,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal noise emitted from the engine. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing, who stated the timing belt failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 172,000.
My car was parked in the driveway and was off. We heard a noise from inside the house and my 1998 ford explorer was in flames from the engine area. We had to call the fire department and the car was quickly engulfed.
The timing chain tensioner broke allowing the chain to slip. It was a recall problem but I was not the original owner and the problem must not have been addressed, or else the recall didn't get done properly. After the repair it hasn't had good oil pressure at idle. It is too bad that ford put this motor in so many vehicles and doesn't stand behind they. It is poor design in my opinion to have four timing chains on a 4.0 liter motor is crazy. I wish that ford would have put more effort into seeing that my vehicle were recalled and not allowed to depreciate because it was happening to so many other explorer.
Tl* the contact owned a 1998 ford explorer. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle engulfed into flames with the sound of a large explosion. The fire department extinguished the fire, which originated underneath the hood area. The vehicle was declared as destroyed and remained at the residence for further investigation. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.
When backing up at 5mph vehicle accelerated at high speed went up curb and hit guardrail. After 2-3- seconds vehicle dropped down to 0 MPH.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 ford explorer. While the engine was on she exited the vehicle for a brief moment. When she returned the vehicle was engulfed with smoke. She removed her children and exited the vehicle. After waiting for five minutes the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. However, because of the fire damage the cause of the failure was not determined. The current and failure mileages were 110,000.
My car caught fire while driving it.
Questions about the 1998 Ford Explorer engine
Does the 1998 Ford Explorer have engine problems?
Owners have filed 194 complaints about the engine of the 1998 Ford Explorer, 10% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 1998 Ford Explorer engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 105,754 miles.
Is there a recall for the 1998 Ford Explorer engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
Other 1998 Ford Explorer problems
Tires 696Acceleration 280Electrical 114Suspension 111Visibility 108Transmission 102Brakes 94Seats 70Steering 70Locks 65Fuel system 64Body 48Airbags 40Lights 40Seat belts 38Wheels 18Driver assistance 1
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