The Explorer has also been involved in controversy, after a spate of fatal rollover accidents involving Explorers fitted with Firestone tires. Both two-door Explorer Sport and four-door models of Explorer have been sold. Part-time four-wheel drive is an available option, and since 1995 this has been a 'shift on the fly' system with full protection against being engaged at high speed. A specially modified Special Service Vehicle version is also available from Ford Fleet for law enforcement agencies, fire departments, and EMS agencies. Explorer was also the name of a trim package offered on the Ford F-Series trucks from 1968 to 1986. The 2011 Ford Explorer was named North American Truck of the Year.
Contents
* 1 First generation (1991–1994)
* 2 Second generation (1995–2001)
* 3 Third generation (2002–2005)
* 4 Fourth generation (2006–2010)
o 4.1 Explorer America concept
* 5 Fifth generation (2011–)
o 5.1 Features
o 5.2 Capability
o 5.3 Safety and security
o 5.4 Awards and Accolades
* 6 Explorer Sport variation
* 7 Special Service Vehicle
* 8 Export sales
o 8.1 UK models
o 8.2 Current exports
* 9 Controversies
o 9.1 Rollover and Firestone Tire controversy
o 9.2 U-Haul trailers
* 10 Yearly American sales
* 11 See also
* 12 References
* 13 External links
First generation (1991–1994)
First generation Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4-door
Production 1991–1994
Assembly Louisville, Kentucky, United States
St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Valencia, Venezuela
Body style 2-door SUV
4-door SUV
Layout Front engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive
Engine 4.0 L Cologne V6
Transmission 5-speed M5OD-R1 manual
4-speed A4LD automatic
Wheelbase 3-Door: 102.1 in (2593 mm)
5-Door: 111.9 in (2842 mm)
Length 3-Door: 174.5 in (4419 mm)
5-Door: 184.3 in (4673 mm)
Width 70.2 in (1778 mm)
Height 3-Door: 67.5 in (1714 mm)
5-Door: 67.3 in (1709 mm)
Eddie Bauer 4-Door 4WD: 68.3 in (1735 mm)
Related Mazda Navajo
Ford Ranger
Mazda B-Series
The Explorer was released in March 1990 as a 1991 model. It was equipped with a 4.0 L 155 hp (116 kW) V6 engine and either the 4-speed A4LD automatic transmission or 5-speed M5OD manual transmission. Like the Bronco II it replaced, it was an SUV derivative of the Ranger pickup, and came equipped with many of the Ranger's optional features. Like its direct competitor, the Chevrolet S-10 Blazer, it was available in both 2-door and 4-door body styles, and with rear or four-wheel drive. The four-wheel drive versions were equipped with a Borg Warner 13–54 part-time four-wheel drive transfer case. The 13–54 was available with "Touch Drive" electronic push-button shifting or manual lever-operated shifting. Both were "shift-on-the-fly" designs that allowed the Explorer to be shifted from two-wheel drive to "four-high" at any speed, although "four-low" was only available when the vehicle was stopped. All Explorers were equipped with the 8.8 in (22 cm) Ford rear axle in either a limited slip or open version with a variety of available gear ratios. Four-wheel drive front axles were the TTB ("Twin Traction Beam") Dana 35 with some Dana 44-spec components.
Explorers initially came in 4 trim levels: base XL, XLT, Sport (only available on the two-door version), and the upscale Eddie Bauer edition. For the 1993 model year, engine output was increased by 15 hp (11 kW) for a total of 170 hp (127 kW). The Limited edition, added for 1993, was available only in the 4-door body style and was positioned at the top of the lineup above the Eddie Bauer edition. It featured automatic headlights, an auto-dimming rear view mirror foglamps, a center roof console with compass and outside thermometer, unique wheels and grille, and an automatic transmission as standard equipment. Both the grill and headlight trims on the Limited model were paint-matched to the body color, unlike the chrome or black versions on other trim levels.
Technically similar to the 4-door Ford Explorer, the 2-door Explorer came in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive variants. It replaced the 2-door Ford Bronco II, and was larger than the Bronco II. A variant of the 2-door Explorer Sport was sold by Mazda as the Navajo, which won Motor Trend's Truck of the Year award but was discontinued in 1994. Many, but not all 2-door Explorers are badged as Sport models.
Common complaints about the first generation models mostly came from the A4LD automatic transmission, which was not well-suited for towing and was unable to cope with higher power output from modified engines; improved fluid cooling using aftermarket transmission coolers can alleviate these issues. The automatic locking front hubs also tended to fail prematurely; the manual versions, made for Ford by Warn, suffered from fewer reliability problems.
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