NHTSA Safety Recalls
2004 Ford Explorer Recalls
The 2004 Ford Explorer has 4 NHTSA safety recalls on file.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2004 Ford Explorer. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 4
- Owner complaints
- 1,304
- Crashes reported
- 58
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
15 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2004 Ford Explorer, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
4 recalls on the 2004 Ford Explorer
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E026000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2003, 2005 Explorer, 42 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 06E049000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2001–2003, 2005–2006 Explorer, 23 other models
Visibility: glass, side/rear
- Campaign
- 07E104000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2002–2003, 2005–2008 Explorer, 9 other models
Exterior lighting: headlights
- Campaign
- 09E025000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2000–2003 Explorer, 46 other models
2004 Ford Explorer complaints by year
NHTSA has received 1,304 owner complaints about the 2004 Ford Explorer, the newest on May 28, 2024. Of these, 58 describe a crash (4%) and 15 a fire; owners reported 83 injuries.
In complaints about the 2004 Ford Explorer, the component group named most often is the power train (35%), followed by the structure (33%) and the visibility (8%).
1 of the 2004 Ford Explorer's 4 recalls also concerns the visibility.
Where 2004 Ford Explorer owners gave the mileage (1,090 complaints), the median was 65,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Power Train460
- Structure426
- Visibility100
- Vehicle Speed Control76
- Engine And Engine Cooling71
- Electrical System55
Complaints received, by year
| 2004 | 88 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 111 | |
| 2006 | 60 | |
| 2007 | 94 | |
| 2008 | 136 | |
| 2009 | 186 | |
| 2010 | 175 | |
| 2011 | 124 | |
| 2012 | 88 | |
| 2013 | 55 | |
| 2014 | 67 | |
| 2015 | 46 | |
| 2016 | 23 | |
| 2017 | 19 | |
| 2018 | 10 | |
| 2019 | 10 | |
| 2020 | 1 | |
| 2021 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 2 |
Complaints about the 2004 Ford Explorer peaked in 2009, when NHTSA received 186. 27% arrived between 2003 and 2007, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2004 vehicles, the 2004 Ford Explorer drew 1.5× the complaints of the median Ford Explorer year in the same window: 10th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 3/5
The 1,304 complaints about the 2004 Ford Explorer are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Ford Explorer by model year
Other 2004 Ford models
Newest record on this page: May 28, 2024. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted