1998 Ford Explorer Sport Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1998 Ford Explorer Sport. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 145 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the latches/locks/linkages. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“My vehicle will not run on reverse. I can shift perfectly fine to all my gears without any fussing or clunking noises coming from the gear shifts/transmission. But as soon as I try to put it on reverse my vehicle does not move, it seems like it's in neutral instead of reverse. At the moment of…”
“After changing the front wheel bearing hubs, the vehicle abs light came on. This has been going on for about a year. The vehicle does stop, but the abs function doesn't work. This has not been a problem for me, but, sometimes the abs light stays out for a while and then comes back on. Dealer…”
“These tires are still under warranty. When they were first installed, we noticed a strange sound. We did not assume it was from the tires, but thought it was related to the rotors. This is not our only vehicle and we don't drive it all of the time; in fact it is parked much of the time. We did not…”
“These tires are still under warranty. When they were first installed, we noticed a strange sound. We did not assume it was from the tires, but thought it was related to the rotors. This is not our only vehicle and we don't drive it all of the time; in fact it is parked much of the time. We did not…”
“General tire tread separation ford explorer. *tr”
“I have had my driver's seat recliner mechanism repaired before, but the recliner driver's seat has broken again. Now the recliner driver's seat reclines totally, until it touches the back seat cushion. The dealership told me the part to repair the seat is no longer manufactured. I was told I could…”
“I have had my driver's seat recliner mechanism repaired before, but the recliner driver's seat has broken again. Now the recliner driver's seat reclines totally, until it touches the back seat cushion. The dealership told me the part to repair the seat is no longer manufactured. I was told I could…”
“Subject: defective seat frame caused by faulty seat recliner bolt comments: I have a 1998 ford explorer sport that was recalled by ford for a faulty drivers seat recliner bolt. On june 2nd 2010 I took my explorer to future ford of concord ca to have the recall repair work performed, which it was,…”
Defect 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…
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…
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…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1998 Ford Explorer Sport as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.