Overview & Reviews

The 2005 Ford Explorer receives minor interior and exterior trim changes, and the AdvanceTrac stability control system is upgraded with roll stability control for better protection against rollover accidents.

• Excellent ride and handling characteristics for a truck-based SUV, strong optional V8, comfortable cabin with user-friendly layout and seating for up to seven, good crash test scores.

• Dull cabin design with some low-grade materials, low resale value, confusing controls on high-line models, lousy fuel economy.

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 146.00

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  Ok except for the transmission - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By whizkidcat - September 3 - 11:50 am

  We bought our Explorer in 2005 new. It ran great for 36,000 miles. It now has 68,000 miles. The best gas mileage we have gotten is 18 hwy/11 city with a constant average of 14.6. NOT very desirable. No repairs, just regular maintenance for 3 years. Shortly after 36,000 miles we had problems with the reverse: going into reverse and going from reverse into drive. It would take about 3 to 5 seconds for the gears to catch and move the car. After a new transmission everything else started to go wrong. Interesting that until we took it to the dealer we had no other problems! The blinkers work intermittently, the rear windows work sometimes or NOT and the leather is cracking sides/edges.

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  Last Ford Ill ever own - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By dale - April 24 - 2:08 pm

  Pretty good vehicle, but Ford refused to work with me on refixing three problems "supposedly" fixed once under warranty. Cant accept this lack of concern for a loyal customer after spending 41k on original purchase. Will just have to shop elsewhere next time. If this is a common practice with other claims, I can see them losing a lot of business.

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  Money Pit - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By MissouriEric - April 12 - 9:34 pm

  Currently, my ABS light, Advance Trac, and 4x4 lights are on so Im going to have to get that fixed now. In 2007 - wheel bearings (no big deal). In 2008 - motor blew up. Changed oil every 4,000 - 6,000 miles. In 2009 - transmission was rebuilt. Never buying another Explorer. Never had these problems with a Ford before. My family members worked at a Ford assembly plant so I always bought Fords. This may be my last Ford.

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  Transmission problems - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By Car owner - December 5 - 8:17 am

  We purchased the vehicle new 4 years ago. We had not had any problems until recently when the car started to stall upon ignition. The transmission light came on and the problems have now begun. We have 146,000 miles on the SUV and really expected to get more before any major problems. Per conversation with Ford service department and an independent transmission company, the prognosis is the torque converter and TCC solenoid (valve body). The cost to repair is $2700 to $6500 before taxes. It is amazing after reading so many reviews that the same problem is evident in the majority of the reviews from those with 70,000 miles or more. We had a Ford car with similar problems before. No more Ford

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  Lemon - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By alebt - November 19 - 11:00 am

  This is our second Explorer and unless we get one for free, our last. The transmission went out at 35,000. The 4WD computer failed at 40,000. The bearings are bad at 45,000. The back hatch has cracked. It has been a miserable money pit. Had we had much other choice in small V8 we would have selected differently. Ford needs to really upgrade quality and reliability in this model.

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  No More Fords - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By Mr. Unhappy - June 21 - 5:38 pm

  As long as I was not putting too many miles on my Ford, it seemed like a decent vehicle. Now that I have been driving regularly the past six months major problems have occured. First the seat started rocking back and forth, then the transmission started slipping between 2nd and 3rd,now the real winner, the serpentine belt pulley on the harmonic balancer has separated and the belt coming off. Apparently all inherent problems with this vehicle from what I read on the internet.Dealer wants two arms and a leg to fix. Next car anything but a Ford, GM or Chrysler.

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  Poor Quality and Dealership Service - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By kgkdh - July 21 - 10:13 am

  It is an expensive car and silly us, we expected good quality and service. It is a real shame considering that we owned an Explorer before this car (and many other Ford cars) and trusted the brand and dealership. Not anymore. After owning the new $35K car for only four months, the dimmer switch went bad, smelling of burnt rubber whenever the lights were on. The smell was choking and we couldnt even drive the car. The dealership wouldnt even give us a loaner car during the repair! Now 4 weeks later, the smell in the car is back, and the lights are blinking. They gave us a hard time again about a loaner car. Poor dealership service. Poor reliability. We are very disappointed in Ford

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  Never again! - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By Jeffrey - August 26 - 2:53 pm

  A year ago I traded in a Toyota Camry for a Ford Explorer, a mistake I will not soon forget. Explorer was fine for about 6 months. Since then, Ive had a check engine light, ABS light, and Battery Light come on all the time. Dealership has "fixed" the issue twice. Also, there is a noise and vibration coming from under the drivers seat and the dealer cannot figure it out. The leather Ford used in the XLT model is awful - I have cracks everywhere. Also, my wife has a Buick Rainier V8 suv and she gets better gas mileage than I do in a V6...go figure? I will never buy another Ford product, nor do I recommend them to anyone.

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  The leather seats need to be recalled - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By Frost - February 22 - 6:41 pm

  Overall I enjoy my Explorer, however the leather on my seats is cracking and worn. The interior looks a lot older than a 2005 suv. It looks more like 1994. This is a problem for me because of my line of work and the clients I drive around from time to time. My exterior is always nice and clean. The cracking leather seat take away from my style.

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  Poor Quality Control - 2005 Ford Explorer
  By San Cooper - February 17 - 1:05 am

  Ford SUV was my 9th new var, first American car and first SUV. Initially I was very happy with the purchase. After the first service, It is one of the worst buys I have ever done. -Transmission cracked - Brakes failed (replaced pads, rotors resurfaced) - Leather of the seat replaced as it cracked. Number of miles on the SUV is 5800. Will never ever buy FORD vehicle. Very poor quality control.