1999 Ford Explorer Electrical System Problems
- 36
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 36 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 1 indicate injury
- 10 indicate fire
- 1 indicate a death
What owners report
- steering column · 7 records
- multi function · 7 records
- function switch · 7 records
- turn signal · 6 records
- windshield wipers · 6 records
- smoke coming · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 9 |
| 150–400k mi | 5 |
| 30–60k mi | 5 |
| 100–150k mi | 3 |
| 1–30k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Fuel/Propulsion System
The electrical on my vehicle is bad. My radio lights flash, none of my doors open from te inside and only roll down windows from diver switcth; gas gayge only reads empry although i j ust put 30 dollars in the tank.
ODI 10870925
Body · Electrical System · Engine · Vehicle Speed Control
I was at work on friday afternoon, 5/16 and received a voicemail at 3:50pm from the fire marshall stating my 1999 ford explorer xlt burned in my driveway and was totaled. I had not driven the explorer since approximately 7pm the night before and had taken my other car to work. The explorer was just sitting in the driveway, outside the garage and started burning. A neighbor 2 houses over smelled the smoke and saw the…
Fire reported
ODI 10592817
Electrical System · Electronic Stability Control
After making right turn, abs light came on. Instrument dials started jumping. Vehicle shut off and would not start afterwards. *tr
ODI 10515434
Electrical System · Latches/Locks/Linkages
The power locks will not unlock all the doors. The only door that will unlock is the front passenger. If the driver door shuts hard it will not open by the inside and outside handle. Have to enter from the passenger side. *tr
ODI 10501267
Electrical System
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. While driving approximately 30 mph the contact attempted to activate the windshield wiper but it would not function. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the mechanic stated the generic electronic module needed to be replaced. The independent mechanic advised of a recall under nhtsa campaign id number: 00v072000 (electrical system: fuses and circuit…
ODI 10399532
Electrical System
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. The contact stated that after placing a new battery in the vehicle, the anti-theft system did not recognize his keys. He was unable to start the vehicle up; the keys would turn but the engine would not start. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 200,000.
ODI 10384377
Electrical System
I was driving on a city street when i began to smell something electrical was burning. I pulled over into a store parking lot and turned the engine off. I opened the hood and black smoke was pouring out. I also saw a small red flam so i ran into a dentist office that was located in the parking lot to get a fire extinguisher. When i reopened the hood the entire engine was on fire. The fire was under the car and…
Fire reported
ODI 10344508
Column · Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. While proceeding from a complete stop at 10 mph smoke began emanating from the steering column. A warning indicator illuminated on the instrument control panel for a very brief period of time. He continued vehicle operation. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection. The technician was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure mileage was 170,000.…
ODI 10290772
Electrical System
I drive in the afternoon to the store. Then i park my car in the store parking. 30 minutes before i arrived, heard in the store, that are looking for the owner of a ford explorer. When i came, my car was in fire. The firefighters arrives and finish the fire. The car lost in all the parts. *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10228965
Electrical System
Tl*- the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. When arriving home from the store the vehicle was parked and minutes later the vehicle went up in flames. The fire came from under the hood of the vehicle. Two explosions occurred before the fire department came to put out the fire. The fire marshal advised that an electrical issue was the source of the fire. The failure mileage was 89,999, and the current mileage was…
Fire reported
ODI 10223191
Electrical System
Upon starting the car, the left turn signal remained lit solid on instrument cluster and smoke poured from the steering column. Smoke continued after key was removed in "off" position. Was concerned that fire would start. Disconnected battery cable and towed truck to dealership. Dealer inspected and replaced multifunction switch and wiring harness. Dealer said harness connector was cracked. *tr
ODI 10213073
Electrical System · Switch
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. While idling at a traffic light, the left turn signal blinked four times and then became stuck in the on position. The contact noticed fumes coming from the hazard light button. The dealer stated that the multi-function switch failed. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current mileage was 87,475 and failure mileage was 87,455.
ODI 10201967
Electrical System
Started driving down the street and noticed heavy smoke coming from hazord switch, stopped to check once truck was turned off smoke stopped started truck up again and went on my way sevrel miles from home smoke started again, could not lose any more time so i kept on going watching for any fire or sparks. Made it to work, at end of day got home with no issues, my wife drove the truck ( explorer ) later that evning…
ODI 10777956
Electrical System
When i use my turn signal white smoke comes out of the steering column out of the hole for the hazard button. I called my dealer which informed me no recalls on my vehicle for this problem, and agreed most likely it is the multi function switch. I called the ford hotline listed on campaign id 00v07200 and the customer service person also stated this vehicle has no recall. What is ford going to do about this? So if…
Fire reported
ODI 10162765
Electrical System · Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive) · Vehicle Speed Control
GEM MODULE (VEHICLE GETS LOCKED INTO [redacted] OR WILL NOT EXIT [redacted] NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 99V06200. *JB
ODI 10151136
Electrical System
Dt: the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. He states that while driving he noticed smoke was coming from steering column. This did happened three or four times. Took vehicle to the dealer, and they replaced the multi-function switch (turn signals, windshield wiper, and headlight dimmer module). He has found complaints for this problem on the nhtsa website.*ak the multi-function switch burnt and was replaced. *tt *nm
ODI 10124813
Electrical System
Consumer noticed white smoke coming from the steering column whenever the left turn signal was used. Consumer anticipates a fire if this issue continued. The dealer was not notified at this time. *jb *bf *nm
ODI 10119081
Electrical System
My 1999 ford explorer was parked, locked, with no key in the ignition. In my garage on january 30, 2005. When we smelled smoke, looked in the garage, and found extreme smoke coming from under the hood of the car... I phoned 911, and the operator advised us to get out of the house and do not attempt to get the car out of the garage. We went outside and waited for the fire dept. 5 fire trucks came and put out the…
Fire reported
ODI 10109950
Electrical System
Mult-ifunction switch malfunction. When i use the blinker it will pause momentarily and then it will smoke. This is a problem ford knows about and has recalled on 3 manufactured lines of 99 explorers but not mine. So they refused to fix it. *jb
ODI 10104314
Electrical System · Motor · Transfer Case (4-Wheel Drive)
While driving in inclement weather windshield wipers failed. This caused poor visibility to the driver. Consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle ,and drove it to a private mechanic, who determined that a gem module needed to be replaced. *ak the vehicle's power windows, [redacted] and dome light have also stopped working. *nm
ODI 10079830
Electrical System
When i attempt to use my turn signal, smoke begins to come out of the steering column at the hazard light switch. I then have to blow it out. *jb
Fire reported
ODI 10039154
Electrical System
1999 ford explorer. Turn signal "multi-function switch" shorts out, causing smoke to pour out of steering column. When i contacted ford regarding this $300.00 repair, the service tech said he has seen it before and knew exactly what was wrong.*ak this has happened twice and we are now scheduled to go in for repairs.
Fire reported
ODI 10033061
Electrical System
Dt: the contact owns a 1999 ford explorer. The vehicle was inside of the contact's mothers garage the night that mother's house caught on fire. The cause of the fire was unknown, but is still under investigation. This occurred on february 14, 2003. The fire department was contacted because the house burned down, and was currently doing an investigation on the house. The house insurance company also did an…
Fire reported · 1 injury · 2 deaths
ODI 10137243
Electrical System
The vehicle caught on fire, consumer was informed there was an electrical problem.*jb
ODI 10007401
Electrical System
I have had several problems w/ the multi function switch. First, my wipers would randomly turn on. The dealership fixed the problem. Next, the wipers would not turn on when it was really cold. The dealership could not replicate or fix the problem. Next, the wipers could not reach full speed. At 35,000 miles, we forced the dealership to replace the mfs under warranty. Finally, at 59,000 miles, white smoke started…
Fire reported
ODI 10003534