Overview & Reviews

The 1998 Ford Explorer gets a restyled tailgate.

• The Explorer is the best selling sport-ute on the market for a reason. A comfortable interior, three engine choices, and multiple trim levels mean that there is an Explorer for nearly any budget or lifestyle.

• Abysmal gas mileage. Handling is sloppy in corners.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 176.00

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  1998 explorer 2 door - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By joe440 - August 31 - 11:31 pm

  had this suv about 3 years,and always run good,but started having some things going bad,the first thing,is a skip in the eng,and we had a comp,tuneup.and we stil have the skip,and they have tested it and theres no codes showing,and also were having trouble starting this car,sometimes it will start,and the next time sounds like theres no fire,but u let it sit for awhile and it starts.if anyone has had the same trouble,and u got it fixed,please post and let us no what u found, we have already spended to much to go on.over all we like this suv and would like to get it fixed.

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  Hated to Get Rid of It, but... - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By car314 - January 10 - 8:58 am

  I bought my 1998 Ford Explorer XLT brand new from the dealer, and it gave me many good years. About 3 years ago, though, it began giving me issues. I ended up consistently putting money into it nearly every month. Honestly, the body began to go before the engine did... but once the little things started going wrong, it added up very quickly. The last thing to happen was a cracked thermostat housing, once I fixed that, I sold the truck. I really loved my Explorer, would recommend one, and bought a new one after selling my 1998. It did have awful gas mileage, my 2009 gets better mileage than my 1998 ever did.

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  Needs som e improvements - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By Jess - November 10 - 2:00 am

  Bought at 120k now has 184k had to replace transmission, exhaust/muffler and many other parts that my boyfriend handled -cant recall what all of them were. Drives nice with new tranny. Problems: Radio screen broken- annoying to be unable to view radio station numbers, cd, etc. back window wiper does not touch window but it can swipe. Front driver power lock broke: repaired but still has trouble unlocking, leather interior rips easily with normal wear and tear (no pets.)Back bumper is bent downward for some reason. When parked on a slight incline facing downhill cannot get enough gasoline to engine to start the vehicle unless over quarter tank full. Very VERY VERY annoying!

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  Never again a Ford - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By ccslye - June 26 - 12:22 pm

  98 Ford Explorer engine disintegrated at 58000 miles because of a faulty cam tensioner. (A known 4.0 SOHC problem) New factory rebuilt engine installed at dealer. Over $6,000 new engine in dealer 4 times for squeaking and noise problems. 98 Ford Explorer engine disintegrated at 58000 miles because of a faulty cam tensioner. (A known 4.0 SOHC problem) New factory rebuilt engine installed at dealer. Over $6,000 new engine in dealer 4 times for squeaking and noise problems. Changed various parts now I find out engine thrust bearing is what was squeaking and after it failed squeaking stopped. 6 months of problem solving did not even look at bearing problem. Engine is destroyed at 13,000 mls

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  What else could go wrong? - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By SLEEK_CHEETAH - May 16 - 3:03 am

  From 2002 on up. The radiator blew up at least three times a year and the transmission went out at least once a year. The engine blew once and the battery melted once. There were check engine lights left and right. The dash went out a few times taking the headlights with it. The doors kept sticking and wouldnt open from the inside until the handles finally broke off. A few doors wouldnt open at all. I just kept fixing it all and kept saying I loved the car, now I admit I spent way too much just trying to keep it running. I spent 13,000 just buying the car, and I spent 8,000 or more just to keep it running. NOT WORTH IT!!!

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  Disposable Vehicle - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By Robert Copeland - December 8 - 10:00 am

  At 100,000 the transmission in this vehicle was ruined requiring a remanufactured one at 2,900.00 (including the towing). This vehicle has had all maintenance performed at the designated intervals. Immediately after purchase the transmission dumped its fluid requiring repair by the dealer. After the repair the following day it dumped its transmission fluid again. I have contacted Ford customer relations regarding the failure of the transmission and the fact that the early problems caused the later failure. I have found no one at Ford concerned enough to research my claim. Apparently it is normal for the transmission to go out at 100,000miles.

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  Will Never buy a Ford again - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By Disatisfied Explorer - November 20 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Explorer for 5 years; it only has 61K miles. In the past year I have spent $4,000 in repair bills that were not covered by warranty They include replacing the following (1) the front drive shaft; (2) the air ride control module, not to mention the 4 times I took it to the dealer because the warning light kept coming back on; (3) a front shock; (4) the O2 sensor; (5) the solenoid; (6) the rear pinion, axle and carrier bearings; and (7) the rear pinion seal,twice. This is worst vehicle I have ever owned!

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  Not Bad - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By Doug in Chicago - August 27 - 2:26 am

  All in all has been good vehicle. Early rash of irritating recall items. Ride is stiff and truck like. Engine is plenty powerful (V-6) with good acceleration and passing. Good choice but not if your looking for smooth ride.

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  98Ford Explorer expensive to maintain. - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By Michael J. Stancil - May 21 - 12:43 pm

  My SUV is starting to need some major repairs at 100,000 miles. After discovering that it would not pass State Inspection or Emissions Test, I placed it in the shop to fix: O2 sensors, engine oil-leak, engine light on, front-end repair to fix play in front left wheel, and a radio display light thats broke but will not be fixed because the dealer said its a common internal problem and replacing the entire radio is the only option. Total spent to pass Inspection is $2,500. Other recent repairs include: new shocks, new brakes, ball joints at over $2,000, for a total yearly repair bill of $4,500. Also, gas mileage with the V8 is terrible.

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  Feels Unsafe - 1998 Ford Explorer
  By Josh - January 13 - 11:47 am

  Our father bought his second Explorer from my grandfather in 2005. It can get you from point A to point B, but with mediocre comfort. We use this for towing tools on a small trailer, which works great. Our car never came with the fog lights hooked up and we havent since set them up. The dash is confusing and looks cheap, not to mention it is full of gaps. We have a CD Changer, which we dont use, the CD/Cassette/Radio/Phone set up is cool. The vehicle is fully loaded. The compass/thermometer in the overhead console is nice, but is off on the temp. Sitting in the front seems like your going to fly forward and hit your head, which I nearly did last night. Overall, this seems like a tow-truck