Selling a junk Ford Explorer Sport
Any Explorer Sport sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Ford Explorer Sport
NHTSA has 934 owner complaints on file for the Ford Explorer Sport, model years 1997 to 2005, the 291st-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are body and structure (116, 12%), transmission and drivetrain (102, 11%), engine and cooling (74, 8%). 66 complaints involved a crash, 62 a fire, and 0 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 76,000 miles. The 2001 model year has the most complaints (243). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is body and structure, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling for parts or whole: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Ford Explorer Sport by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 44 | Engine and cooling | 4 | 6 | 0 | 100,000 |
| 1998 | 145 | Latches and locks | 5 | 17 | 0 | 100,000 |
| 1999 | 127 | Seats | 7 | 5 | 0 | 71,900 |
| 2000 | 102 | Electrical system | 6 | 10 | 1 | 65,000 |
| 2001 | 243 | Suspension | 23 | 14 | 7 | 66,300 |
| 2002 | 160 | Transmission and drivetrain | 12 | 7 | 5 | 74,000 |
| 2003 | 85 | Body and structure | 4 | 3 | 1 | 99,500 |
| 2004 | 23 | Body and structure | 5 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 2005 | 5 | Body and structure | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Ford Explorer Sport recalls
NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for seats (2), speed control (2), body and structure (1). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2001 model year, speed control (campaign 07V336000, Aug 2007): ON CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCKS, PASSENGER VEHICLES, SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, AND MOTOR HOMES CHASSIS, THE SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH MAY, UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS, LEAK INTERNALLY AND THEN OVERHEAT, SMOKE, OR BURN.
- 2001 model year, seats (campaign 06V114000, Apr 2006): ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HIGH BACK SEATS, THE UPPER BOLT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH BACK SEAT THAT ATTACHES THE SEAT RECLINER MECHANISM TO THE SEAT BACK FRAME, COULD FRACTURE. IF THE BOLT FRACTURES,…
- 2001 model year, lights (campaign 06E026000, Mar 2006): CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL T…
- 2001 model year, speed control (campaign 03V280000, Aug 2003): ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH SPEED CONTROL AND 4.0L SOHC ENGINES, IF THE STRAND COVER ON THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE BECOMES FLARED AT THE END, THE SPEED CONTROL CABLE MAY BIND WHEN THE SPEED CONTROL IS AC…
- 2001 model year, seats (campaign 03V281000, Aug 2003): ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH HIGH BACK SEATS, THE UPPER BOLT ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE HIGH BACK SEAT, THAT ATTACHES THE SEAT RECLINER MECHANISM TO THE SEAT BACK FRAME, COULD FRACTURE. IF THE BOLT FRACTURES…
What a Ford Explorer Sport is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Explorer Sport on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
Should you sell your car for parts or whole? 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Ford models
- Ford F-150 44,577
- Ford Explorer 38,749
- Ford Escape 36,252
- Ford Focus 29,852
- Ford Fusion 28,862
- Ford Windstar 19,399
- Ford Edge 18,133
- Ford Taurus 16,270
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Ford Explorer Sport worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Explorer Sport gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Ford Explorer Sport that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Ford Explorer Sport?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Ford Explorer Sport numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.