2003 Ford Explorer Sport Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2003 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 85 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the structure. 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.
“Was closing back hatch and glass window literally exploded! Vehicle was parked in my yard.”
“The transmission is shot I cant put it in gear and me and my husband were almost killed but were able to put it in 2nd gear to roll it to the shop. The 4wheel drive got stuck in 4 wheel low and would not shift at all. When we turned the car on it would rev up to 5 but only go 2 miles an hour.”
“"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.”
“"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.”
“"takata recall" airbag light keeps blinking with the seat belt noise. Changed the light bulb from the dash board and now the airbag light stays on but will not connect with mileage.”
“Body mounts deteriorated crumpled.body down on frame causing irregular ride control”
“Car has an intermittent problem and will stall and both high and low speeds, or when idling. When this happens and power assist fails, it's almost impossible to steer or to brake posing a serious risk to safety. This first starting happening about once a week last november, and now it's pretty…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer sport. While driving 50 mph, a loud noise was heard when the sun roof exploded without warning. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately…”
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…
VEHICLE ROLLAWAY ALLEGATIONS
IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST (IR) LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI), FORD STATED CONSUMER REPORTS OF HIGHER THAN EXPECTED EFFORTS WHEN SHIFTING INTO AND OUT OF PARK COULD BE A RESULT OF A GROOVE BEING WORN INTO THE SWING ARM RAMP OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THE SWING ARM IS A COMPONENT…
VEHICLE ROLLAWAY ALLEGATIONS
IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST (IR) LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI), FORD STATED CONSUMER REPORTS OF HIGHER THAN EXPECTED EFFORTS WHEN SHIFTING INTO AND OUT OF PARK COULD BE A RESULT OF A GROOVE BEING WORN INTO THE SWING ARM RAMP OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THE SWING ARM IS A COMPONENT…
VEHICLE ROLLAWAY ALLEGATIONS
IN RESPONSE TO AN INFORMATION REQUEST (IR) LETTER SENT BY THE OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION (ODI), FORD STATED CONSUMER REPORTS OF HIGHER THAN EXPECTED EFFORTS WHEN SHIFTING INTO AND OUT OF PARK COULD BE A RESULT OF A GROOVE BEING WORN INTO THE SWING ARM RAMP OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THE SWING ARM IS A COMPONENT…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.