2005 Ford Explorer: check engine light

21 of the 497 complaints about the 2005 Ford Explorer describe check engine light.

owner complaints: 21
of this car's complaints: 4%
typical mileage: 59,989
recalls: 0

Is there a fix? 12 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below

Check engine light by model year

2026
2
2025
3
2023
4
2022
15
2021
13
2020
44
2019
4
2018
34
2017
60
2016
115
2015
31
2014
20
2013
45
2012
22
2011
20
2010
7
2008
12
2007
10
2006
34
2005
21
2004
22
2003
38
2002
89
2001
5
2000
20
1999
15
1998
12
1997
24
1996
14
1995
9
1994
14
1993
1
1992
2
1991
3

What owners say

Filed Feb 21, 2024 · Engine · 179,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, the vehicle independently jerked forward. Additionally, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 179,000.

Filed Jan 12, 2023 · Engine · 130,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle was making an abnormal clunking sound and shaking. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the timing chain was fractured, and a plastic piece had detached. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Aug 23, 2017 · Fuel system · 47,000 miles · NY

Fuel gauge drops to empty after filling the tank up and starting it. The fuel gauge remains on empty. Service engine light comes on and stays on. It is unsafe not knowing how much fuel is in the tank because you could run out of gas at 70+MPH and cause a crash. Searching the issue online brought me to hundreds of 2002-05 ford explorer owners with the same exact problem. Ford motors should put out a recall for this issue because it is extremely dangerous.

Filed Mar 26, 2015 · Fuel system · OK

Whenever I fill up with gas the gas gauge goes to empty and the mile to empty numbers become two blank spaces and the check engine light comes on.

Filed Mar 17, 2015 · Fuel system · 56,000 miles · NV

Filled tank to full (automatic shut off). When I started car the next time, gas gauge read empty and check engine light was on. I have had the malfunction of gauge before and has always come back after a few miles, but never light. After getting error light read, it is determined to be a faulty fuel sensor. This can be a safety hazard as there is no way for the vehicle to display the fuel correctly when the sensor malfunctions. I make sure not to overfill the tank as ford warns that this could be an issue, which should have been fixed (not just that they know it can happen). Even by following the manufacturer's precautions, the part still failed.

Filed May 21, 2013 · Fuel system · 88,500 miles · NJ

"check engine" light came up, but the car did not show any difference in performance. I took to advanced auto and they said the "gas tank sensor failed". I checked with a local mechanic and he said it would be major job and could take more than 6 hours labor the estimate was over $1000. But the car is running fine, but the "check engine " is on constantly and it goes off when the tank is almost empty. When I put gas, it come back on again and stays on. Gas tank needle drops to empty suddenly and it goes up again. I checked with midas auto repair and they checked and said the same problem of gas sensor failure. It is annoying to see the check engine light always on, but the car seems to run fine. Any cheaper way to get this fixed? I don't have any mechanical skills, other than changing the air-filer. I think ford should fix this free of charge.

Filed Feb 21, 2012 · Fuel system · 140,000 miles · MS

After filling up my tank, the fuel gauge dropped to empty, and the check engine soon light came on. Also the system that tells me how many miles to empty only shows dashed instead of an actual number. I have looked online and this seems to be a common and pricey problem. The day after I filled up, it jumped to half a tank and then back to empty. This is very unsafe and I don't know if this will cause other problems. I have only had the truck 3 months.

Filed Jan 13, 2012 · Fuel system · 68,000 miles · PA

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford explorer. The contact stated that the check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they advised him that the fuel sensor board failed and needed to be upgraded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000 and the current mileage was approximately 91,400.

Filed Aug 2, 2011 · Engine, Fuel system · 70,000 miles · MA

Gas cap light comes on triggering the check engine light.

Filed Apr 12, 2011 · Fuel system · 90,000 miles · MA

"check fuel cap" light illuminates in '00-'05 ford explorers. There have been hundreds of reports of this issue occurring, and it is the result of emission failure parts in these vehicles. Each inspection and replacement of these parts is costing owners thousands of dollars in repairs, and is clearly a default of the company. Almost every report has shown trouble codes of p0455 or p0457, or both simultaneously. You can follow this thread and others at http://explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244624 to see numerous occurrences of this same issue in multiple ford explorers. If the problem is not fixed right away, the check engine light or service engine soon lights illuminate as well. After ford replaced my fuel cap and said this would solve the issue, my "check fuel cap" light illuminated a week later again. Ford then inspected my vehicle again and said nothing was wrong with the fuel system. It came on yet again, and now they are charging me over $1,000 in repairs including a $108 diagnostic check on my vehicle for codes p1000 and p0457. I do not have the money to continuously bring my vehicle to ford for the same issue. This is the third time I've taken it to them, and they still cannot guarantee me this is the problem. Ford explorer owners are asking for an investigation to be launched, and for ford to recall their explorers and fix this issue as soon as possible. I took my vehicle to the watertown ford in watertown, ma.

Filed May 8, 2010 · Transmission · 59,989 miles · FL

The message screen on my 2005 ford explorer started displaying "check transmission" while driving. A few minutes later, the o/d light started blinking and the check engine light came up. I called the dealership and was told that it is a very common issue with explorers and specifically the 2005 model. The apparently are so backed up that it would take 2-3 weeks for my car to be fixed. After researching the problem, it seems that the design of the transmission was flawed. I'm no expert but it seems to happen around 60k miles to every one. Too much of a coincidence. I barely made it home. It took less than 3 hrs for the car to stop going.

Filed Aug 6, 2009 · Electrical · NJ

2005 ford explorer fuel gauge malfunction: started about a year ago. Was intermittent at first, but is now constant. Fuel gauge registers empty until tank is about half full, after which the gauge works properly. Service engine light stays on. A scan of the internet indicates this is a very common problem and ford has no program in place to fix it. Since the gauge is causing the service engine light to stay on, that light cannot alert me to other potential failures. Cost to repair is approximately $500+.