Ford Explorer 1991–1994
1st generation · UN46
NHTSA data through 13 August 20264,294 complaints, 224 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 224
- Median of reported failures
- 101,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Tyres (21.2%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, 56% of failures occur beyond 100,000 miles — a wear pattern.
Figure 1 · Ford Explorer 1991–1994 · 224 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 42 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 20 complaints (8.9%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 43,000
- 25%
- 79,600
- Median
- 101,000
- 75%
- 145,000
- 90%
- 197,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20,000 | 14 | 6.2% |
| 20,000–40,000 | 7 | 3.1% |
| 40,000–60,000 | 5 | 2.2% |
| 60,000–80,000 | 31 | 13.8% |
| 80,000–100,000 | 42 | 18.8% |
| 100,000–120,000 | 35 | 15.6% |
| 120,000–140,000 | 28 | 12.5% |
| 140,000–160,000 | 18 | 8.0% |
| 160,000–180,000 | 15 | 6.7% |
| 180,000–200,000 | 9 | 4.0% |
| 200,000+ | 20 | 8.9% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 4,294 complaints with NHTSA about the 1991–1994 Ford Explorer, and 224 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
56% of failures occur beyond 100,000 miles — a wear pattern. The car generally reaches substantial mileage before trouble starts.
The most-reported areas are the tyres (21.2% of complaints, typically around 97,000 miles), the hydraulic brake circuit (18.9% of complaints, typically around 100,000 miles), body structure (8.3% of complaints, typically around 153,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 1991–1994 Ford Explorer last?
Half of the failure reports on the 1991–1994 Ford Explorer were filed by 101,000 miles and 90% by 197,000 miles — figures drawn from 224 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
20 reports (8.9%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Explorer reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 1991–1994 Explorer: the 3-minute check
Generated from 224 mileage-tagged complaints, 1 documented problem area. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check suspension/tires on 1991–1994 cars. Early expression of the rollover/tire-separation pattern that later became the Firestone crisis; low recommended tire pressure (26 psi) combined with a high center of gravity.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, a late-failure pattern shifts the question from whether to when. 56% of reported failures occur beyond 100,000 miles, so an example approaching that figure is approaching the range where other owners started reporting problems. The middle half of all failures falls between 80,000 and 145,000 miles.
On inspection, the tyres and the hydraulic brake circuit are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The tyres in particular shows a median failure mileage of 97,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Ford Explorer 1991–1994
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Engine and its cooling system303 reports91,00086,000–124,000Engine and its cooling system: 303 reports, median 91,000 miles, middle half 86,000 to 124,000 miles.
- Visibility equipment212 reports94,00075,000–101,000Visibility equipment: 212 reports, median 94,000 miles, middle half 75,000 to 101,000 miles.
- Tyres912 reports97,00069,000–140,000Tyres: 912 reports, median 97,000 miles, middle half 69,000 to 140,000 miles.
- Transmission and driveline335 reports100,00030,000–154,000Transmission and driveline: 335 reports, median 100,000 miles, middle half 30,000 to 154,000 miles.
- Hydraulic brake circuit810 reports100,00088,000–135,000Hydraulic brake circuit: 810 reports, median 100,000 miles, middle half 88,000 to 135,000 miles.
- Electrical system250 reports114,00089,000–138,000Electrical system: 250 reports, median 114,000 miles, middle half 89,000 to 138,000 miles.
- Body structure357 reports153,00088,000–198,000Body structure: 357 reports, median 153,000 miles, middle half 88,000 to 198,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 912 | 21.2% | 97,000 | 69,000–140,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 810 | 18.9% | 100,000 | 88,000–135,000 |
| Body structure | 357 | 8.3% | 153,000 | 88,000–198,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 335 | 7.8% | 100,000 | 30,000–154,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 303 | 7.1% | 91,000 | 86,000–124,000 |
| Electrical system | 250 | 5.8% | 114,000 | 89,000–138,000 |
| Suspension | 239 | 5.6% | — | — |
| Visibility equipment | 212 | 4.9% | 94,000 | 75,000–101,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 140 | 3.3% | 106,000 | 80,000–195,000 |
| Equipment | 114 | 2.7% | — | — |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Ford Explorer 1991–1994 · 224 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 12% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 60% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 91%: the remaining 8.9% of reports (20) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
12% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 30,000–154,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Tyres — middle half 69,000–140,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — middle half 88,000–135,000 mi
- Body structure — middle half 88,000–198,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 86,000–124,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 89,000–138,000 mi
- Visibility equipment — middle half 75,000–101,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
35% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Tyres — middle half 69,000–140,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — middle half 88,000–135,000 mi
- Body structure — middle half 88,000–198,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 30,000–154,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 86,000–124,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 89,000–138,000 mi
- Visibility equipment — middle half 75,000–101,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
60% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Visibility equipment — median 94,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Tyres — middle half 69,000–140,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — middle half 88,000–135,000 mi
- Body structure — middle half 88,000–198,000 mi
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 30,000–154,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 86,000–124,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 89,000–138,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 101,000 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The tyres account for 21.2% of complaints (912 reports, 24 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 97,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 69,000 and 140,000 miles.
The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 18.9% of complaints (810 reports, 21 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 100,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 88,000 and 135,000 miles.
Body structure accounts for 8.3% of complaints (357 reports, 10 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 153,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 88,000 and 198,000 miles.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 7.8% of complaints (335 reports, 15 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 100,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 30,000 and 154,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 7.1% of complaints (303 reports, 17 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 91,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 86,000 and 124,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 5.8% of complaints (250 reports, 42 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 114,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 89,000 and 138,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 1994 model year drew the most — 1,531 complaints — while 1991 drew the fewest at 764. The median year sits at 999.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 4,294 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 346 (8.1%)
- Fires
- 303
- Injury reports
- 293
- Fatality reports
- 29
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Suspension/Tires 1991–1994
Early expression of the rollover/tire-separation pattern that later became the Firestone crisis; low recommended tire pressure (26 psi) combined with a high center of gravity.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 764 | 37 |
| 1992 | 848 | 37 |
| 1993 | 1,151 | 46 |
| 1994 | 1,531 | 104 |
What owners reported
Uniroyal tire side wall cracks lt 235 75r15 - no failure - just crack. All 4 of my tires had a side wall crack the entire diameter of the tire about 3 inches down on the side wall . I noticed the crack on the inside as well so it appears the tires had some issue. I had never applied tire foam cleaner(armor all…
1991 · 2,000 miles · Tyres
On june 4th my daughter and i were driving east bound on 62nd and over-hill in los angeles ca. Shortly after 12:00pm. When suddenly the Ford Explorer was engulfed in flames. My daughter and i were ordered to exit the vehicle. I was never notified of a recall. Due to investigation on my own i have received a recall…
1991 · 15,000 miles · Fuel and propulsion system
The consumer had taken the vehicle to the dealer for engine repairs. The consumer was told that the vehicle was ready to be driven. The consumer went to the gas station because there was no fuel in it. When the consumer was leaving the gas station, the vehicle lost its front wheel. It was then discovered that no lugs…
1991 · 74,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
After purchasing this Ford Explorer i check all fluids and added and changed as nessasary about 2 weeks after i purchased it my stepson and my wife and large dog went on a little trip to check out this thing, after letting out the wife and dog my stepson and myself tried to go up a slight hill in 4 wheel drive to see…
1991 · 75,000 miles · Transmission and driveline
Built from 224 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page