There are 9 owner-reported electrical system complaints for the 2000 Ford Explorer Sportin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
SMOKE COMING OUT OF STEERING COLUMN WHEN TURN SIGNAL ENGAGED. TOOK TO DEALER AND TOLD IGNITION SWITCH HAD SIGNS OF A HOT POINT AND WAS MELTING. HAD IGNITION SWITCH REPLACED AT A SERVICE STATION, HOWEVER, THEY SAID THEY SAW NO VISIBLE SIGNS OF DAMAGE. *TR
WINDSHIELD WIPERS STOP WORKING,POWER WINDOWS NOT WORKING, DOME LIGHT NOT WORKING, FOG LIGHTS NOT WORKING AND 4 WHEEL DRIVE AND AUTO NOT WORKING. *TR
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM AT STEERING COLUMN: SMELL OF WIRES GETTING HOT AND SMOKE. *TR
WHEN USING THE TURN SIGNAL, SMOKE COMES FROM THE STEERING COLUMN
I STARTED MY FORD EXPLORER SPORT ON JANUARY 30 FOR A FEW MINUTES TO WARM IT UP, BEFORE I DROVE TO WORK. I RAN BACK INTO THE HOUSE FOR APROX 4 MINUTES, WHEN I CAME BACK OUT THE FRONT OF THE EXPLORER WAS IN FLAMES, IT TOTALLY BURNED BEFORE THE FIRE DEPT COULD GET THERE TAKING OUR BARN WITH IT. *JB
VEHICLE FIRE.ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO MY GARAGE BURNED DOWN.IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE HOT SPOT ,THE POINT WHERE THE FIRE STARTED WAS WHERE MY 2000 EXPLORER WAS SITTING.IT HAS THE SAME SWITCH THAT THE VEHICLES THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED HAVE!
CONSUMER STATES WHEN LEFT TURN SIGNAL IS USED, SMOKE BEGINS TO COME OUT OF THE OPENING WHERE THE EMERGENCY LIGHT BUTTON IS LOCATED, RESULTING IN THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL TO BE INOPERATIVE. *AK *TT
THE EVP SENSOR MELTED AND DAMAGED THE IGNITION SWITCH, OTHER SENSORS AND COMPONENTS. *NLM
THE BATTERY GAUGE OCCASIONALLY DROPS TO THE LOW END WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED, IDLING WITH THE HEADLIGHTS ON, WITH THE HEATER ON AND RADIO ON CAUSING THE DASH LIGHTS TO DIM BUT ONCE THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED THE VEHICLE WOULD RETURN TO NORMAL OPERATION, THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE AIR COMPRESSOR, ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO CHANGE, THE HEADLIGHTS STAYED ON ALTHOUGH THE SWITCH WAS OFF, THE LIGHT ON THE STEREO IS INOPERATIVE, AT TIME THE VEHICLE WILL CRANK BUT NOT START THE DEALER REPLACED BY PASS VALVE, PCM AND DA PUMP BUT THERE WAS NO CHANGE. NLM
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026