Problems · by component
2001 Ford Explorer electrical system problems
52 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2001 Ford Explorer cite electrical system, 7% of all 730 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
52
7% of all complaints
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
12
Reported by owners
Injuries
3
Reported by owners
What owners say about the electrical system
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was driving and the lights on the vehicle went out I thought it was the bulbs but no lights were working I adjusted steering wheel to look to see fuse box and all lights came back on there is an electrical short somewhere then I went to start the truck and it made a funny sound and then I lost all power and truck wouldn't start then the alarm kept going off and I could turn off even with the remote or the chipped key. And the truck won't start. Also when you change gears the indicator to show what gear you are in dosent move . This truck has electrical issues and is not safe for drivers to lose all power like this and basically its something ford should be responsible for fixing because it's a defect in the electrical system also the AC compressor dosent work”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING, A BURNING ODOR WAS PRESENT AND THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING OR AN IMPACT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO COAST THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT NOTICED FLAMES UNDER THE HOOD. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT AWARE IF A FIRE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A RESIDENCE AND DEEMED DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY FAILED TO START UPON TURNING THE KEY NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER (PEGUES-HURST FORD, 200 TX-63 SPUR, LONGVIEW, TX 75601, (903) 758-6211) WAS CONTACTED AND INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER ISSUED 12 TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSBS) FOR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, 52 TSBS FOR THE ENGINE, AND 3 TSBS FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM GASOLINE, BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN AS TO WHICH PART CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS OR WHILE PARKED, THE DRIVER SIDE TURN SIGNAL FAILED TO ILLUMINATE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. ALSO, THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. WHEN THE STEERING COLUMN WAS TILTED TO THE UPPER POSITION, THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT WARNING. DURING COLDER TEMPERATURES, THE FAILURE WORSENED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THE DIAGNOSIS WAS NOT DISCLOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1,000. UPDATED 05/17/17*LJ *CN”
“THE S.U.V LEAKS WATER IN CAUSING ISSUES I HAD TO REPLACE THE BRAIN AND FUSE BOX NOW MINEXPENSIVE HAS A DRAINAGE OF ITS BATTREY AND THE LIGHT DONE GO OFF I REPLACED THE BATTREY AN ALTNATOR.AN AS WELL.FORD SHOULD FIX IT THY HE TO MANY ISSUES LIKE THIS.PARKED IN DRIVE WAY.”
Showing 6 of 52 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.