There are 50 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2005 Ford Explorerin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER REFUELING, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE THEN ABRUPTLY ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. ALSO, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT AND CHECK TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THEY WERE CLOSE TO HOME SO THEY PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, WHICH WAS LOW. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE BEARING NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED DUE TO DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE OIL SENSOR NOT PROPERLY INFORMING THE CONTACT WHEN THE OIL LEVEL WAS LOW. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CONTACTED THE DEALER CAPITAL CITY FORD LOCATED AT 8623 E. WASHINGTON ST, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46219) WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 250,406. INVALID VIN.
TAKATA RECALL. FUEL GAUGE STOPPED WORKING CHANGED THE FUEL PUMP IN THE TANK 2 TIMES STILL DID NOT WORK. CHECKED FOR GROUND CONNECTIONS ALL SEEMED WELL. THE FUEL GAUGE STILL DOES NOT WORK
FUEL GAUGE DROPS TO EMPTY AFTER FILLING THE TANK UP AND STARTING IT. THE FUEL GAUGE REMAINS ON EMPTY. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON. IT IS UNSAFE NOT KNOWING HOW MUCH FUEL IS IN THE TANK BECAUSE YOU COULD RUN OUT OF GAS AT 70+MPH AND CAUSE A CRASH. SEARCHING THE ISSUE ONLINE BROUGHT ME TO HUNDREDS OF 2002-05 FORD EXPLORER OWNERS WITH THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. FORD MOTORS SHOULD PUT OUT A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS.
THROTTLES BODY ASSY. STALL OR SURGE WHILE ENTER IN TRAFFIC MAKE VERY DANGER
WE'VE REPLACED THE FUEL SENSOR IN OUR 2005 FORD EXPLORER XLT TWICE IN THE PAST TWO YEARS. WE HAD 68,000 MILES WHEN WE FIRST REPLACED THE FUEL SENSOR. IT IS A COSTLY FIX. NOW, AUGUST 2017, THE FUEL SENSOR IS NOT WORKING AND OUR SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT IS ON. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE WE NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH GAS WE HAVE IN THE TANK. THE GAS GOES UP AND DOWN AND IS NOT RELIABLE. THE COMPUTER NEVER STATES THE CORRECT NUMBER OF MILES TILL EMPLY. I'LL BE DRIVING ALONG AND THE GAUGE GOES DOWN TO EMPTY AND THE COMPUTER STATES -------.
IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS THE FUEL GAUGE WILL GO FROM FULL( WHEN THE TANK IS FULL)TO EMPTY THEN THE LOW FUEL ALERT CONTINUES TO SOUND.... TODAY APR 16 2015 THE TRUCK STARTED SPUTTERING THEN SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY AT 65MPH..... IT STARTED AFTER 3 TRIES I TOOK IT TO GAS STATION AND IT'S FULL OF GAS BUT GAUGE SAYS IT'S EMPTY ..... THIS ISN'T SAFE ..... MY 2 YR OLD COULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT.... WHY ISN'T IT BEING RECALLED ? IF YOU GOOGLE THE PROBLEM IT'S UP TO $2000 TO FIX AND EVERYONE IS HAVING THIS PROBLEM BUT NO INVESTIGATION OR RECALL. *TR
FILLED TANK TO FULL (AUTOMATIC SHUT OFF). WHEN I STARTED CAR THE NEXT TIME, GAS GAUGE READ EMPTY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. I HAVE HAD THE MALFUNCTION OF GAUGE BEFORE AND HAS ALWAYS COME BACK AFTER A FEW MILES, BUT NEVER LIGHT. AFTER GETTING ERROR LIGHT READ, IT IS DETERMINED TO BE A FAULTY FUEL SENSOR. THIS CAN BE A SAFETY HAZARD AS THERE IS NO WAY FOR THE VEHICLE TO DISPLAY THE FUEL CORRECTLY WHEN THE SENSOR MALFUNCTIONS. I MAKE SURE NOT TO OVERFILL THE TANK AS FORD WARNS THAT THIS COULD BE AN ISSUE, WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED (NOT JUST THAT THEY KNOW IT CAN HAPPEN). EVEN BY FOLLOWING THE MANUFACTURER'S PRECAUTIONS, THE PART STILL FAILED. *TR
CANNOT FILL GAS TANK WITHOUT NOZZLE OR PUMP CONSTANTLY SHUTTING OFF. HAVE TO BEARLY SQUEEZE NOZZLE AND TRICKLE THE GAS IN. TAKES 10 TIMES LONGER TO FILL TANK THAN IT SHOULD. SOUNDS LIKE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH OLDER FORDS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE REFUELING THE VEHICLE, FUEL SPEWED OUT OF THE FUEL TANK AS IF IT WERE FULL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT FUEL SPILLED ONTO HIS CLOTHING AND THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.
"CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME UP, BUT THE CAR DID NOT SHOW ANY DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE. I TOOK TO ADVANCED AUTO AND THEY SAID THE "GAS TANK SENSOR FAILED". I CHECKED WITH A LOCAL MECHANIC AND HE SAID IT WOULD BE MAJOR JOB AND COULD TAKE MORE THAN 6 HOURS LABOR THE ESTIMATE WAS OVER $1000. BUT THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE, BUT THE "CHECK ENGINE " IS ON CONSTANTLY AND IT GOES OFF WHEN THE TANK IS ALMOST EMPTY. WHEN I PUT GAS, IT COME BACK ON AGAIN AND STAYS ON. GAS TANK NEEDLE DROPS TO EMPTY SUDDENLY AND IT GOES UP AGAIN. I CHECKED WITH MIDAS AUTO REPAIR AND THEY CHECKED AND SAID THE SAME PROBLEM OF GAS SENSOR FAILURE. IT IS ANNOYING TO SEE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALWAYS ON, BUT THE CAR SEEMS TO RUN FINE. ANY CHEAPER WAY TO GET THIS FIXED? I DON'T HAVE ANY MECHANICAL SKILLS, OTHER THAN CHANGING THE AIR-FILER. I THINK FORD SHOULD FIX THIS FREE OF CHARGE. *TR
FILLED UP THE GAS TANK THE DAY BEFORE AND NOW THE GAS METER ON THE DASHBOARD READS EMPTY. I KNOW THERE'S GAS ON THE CAR. NOW THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHTS APPEARS ON THE DASHBOARD. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THE IT SINCE I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH GAS IT REALLY HAS. THE INFO BUTTON TELLS ME HOW MANY MILES I HAVE TO THE GALLON BUT HOW SURE IS THAT INFORMATION IS IF THE "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" IS ON. I REACHED ONLINE TO FIND I AM NOT THE ONLY PERSON WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITH THIS VEHICLE. COME TO FIND THE REPAIR IS PRICEY. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL!!!!! NO ONE IS SAFE WHILE DRIVE A VEHICLE THAT SHOWS FALSE INFORMATION ON THE DASHBOARD. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL FILTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 65,000.
TL-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE FILLED THE FUEL TANK UP AND THE LET THE VEHICLE SIT OVER NIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FOLLOWING MORNING SHE WENT TO START THE VEHICLE BUT THE FUEL TANK WAS VERY CLOSE TO EMPTY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. AP *TR
AFTER FILLING UP MY TANK, THE FUEL GAUGE DROPPED TO EMPTY, AND THE CHECK ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. ALSO THE SYSTEM THAT TELLS ME HOW MANY MILES TO EMPTY ONLY SHOWS DASHED INSTEAD OF AN ACTUAL NUMBER. I HAVE LOOKED ONLINE AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON AND PRICEY PROBLEM. THE DAY AFTER I FILLED UP, IT JUMPED TO HALF A TANK AND THEN BACK TO EMPTY. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE AND I DON'T KNOW IF THIS WILL CAUSE OTHER PROBLEMS. I HAVE ONLY HAD THE TRUCK 3 MONTHS. *TR
THE FUEL GAUGE QUITS WORKING WHEN I FILL THE TANK. IT STARTS WORKING SOMETIMES AFTER A FEW DAYS. THE INFO CENTER THINKS I'M OUT OF GAS AND SENDS A WARNING. VERY ANNOYING. *TR
WHENEVER I FILL UP WITH GAS THE GAS GAUGE GOES TO EMPTY AND THE MILE TO EMPTY NUMBERS BECOME TWO BLANK SPACES AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. *TR
WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD ABOUT 200 MILES FROM HOME AND CAR WAS DOING FINE. ALL OF THE SUDDEN I LOST MY GAS GAUGE AND THE MILES TO EMPTY READING "---". I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. THEN ABOUT 8 MILES FROM MY 314 MILE DESTINATION IT WORKED AGAIN, IN WHICH IT READ HALF A TANK. THEN AFTER REFUELING, THE GAS GAUGE DID THE SAME THING. IT HAS BEEN THAT WAY FOR A DAY NOW AND I TRY TO GO ABOUT 200 MILES AND THEN TOP IT OFF AGAIN. *TR
"CHECK FUEL CAP" LIGHT ILLUMINATES IN '00-'05 FORD EXPLORERS. THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS OF REPORTS OF THIS ISSUE OCCURRING, AND IT IS THE RESULT OF EMISSION FAILURE PARTS IN THESE VEHICLES. EACH INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT OF THESE PARTS IS COSTING OWNERS THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN REPAIRS, AND IS CLEARLY A DEFAULT OF THE COMPANY. ALMOST EVERY REPORT HAS SHOWN TROUBLE CODES OF P0455 OR P0457, OR BOTH SIMULTANEOUSLY. YOU CAN FOLLOW THIS THREAD AND OTHERS AT HTTP://EXPLORERFORUM.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=244624 TO SEE NUMEROUS OCCURRENCES OF THIS SAME ISSUE IN MULTIPLE FORD EXPLORERS. IF THE PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED RIGHT AWAY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHTS ILLUMINATE AS WELL. AFTER FORD REPLACED MY FUEL CAP AND SAID THIS WOULD SOLVE THE ISSUE, MY "CHECK FUEL CAP" LIGHT ILLUMINATED A WEEK LATER AGAIN. FORD THEN INSPECTED MY VEHICLE AGAIN AND SAID NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM. IT CAME ON YET AGAIN, AND NOW THEY ARE CHARGING ME OVER $1,000 IN REPAIRS INCLUDING A $108 DIAGNOSTIC CHECK ON MY VEHICLE FOR CODES P1000 AND P0457. I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO CONTINUOUSLY BRING MY VEHICLE TO FORD FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME I'VE TAKEN IT TO THEM, AND THEY STILL CANNOT GUARANTEE ME THIS IS THE PROBLEM. FORD EXPLORER OWNERS ARE ASKING FOR AN INVESTIGATION TO BE LAUNCHED, AND FOR FORD TO RECALL THEIR EXPLORERS AND FIX THIS ISSUE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE WATERTOWN FORD IN WATERTOWN, MA. *TR
I'M THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND HAVE 76,306 MILES ON MY EXPLORER. I NOTICED A GAS SMELL. I TOOK IT IN TO THE DEALER. DEALER FOUND A GAS LEAK WHERE THE FILLER HOSE ATTACHES TO THE GAS TANK. THE PLASTIC PIECE THAT IS PART OF THE GAS TANK HAD MANY CRACKS/FRACTURES THAT ALLOWED FUEL TO LEAK OUT. THE ONLY REPAIR OPTION IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE GAS TANK AT A COST TO ME OF $2,009.00. I FEEL THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AND A SAFETY ISSUE. THE GAS TANK HOLDS 22.5 GALLONS OF FUEL THAT COULD FLOW ONTO THE HOT EXHAUST PIPE IF THE PLASTIC FILLER PIECE FAILED COMPLETELY. *TR
2005 FORD EXPLORER AND EVERY TIME WE FILL THE TANK WITH GAS THE GAUGE STOPS WORKING UNTIL IT REACHES HALF A TANK THEN SHORTLY AFTER THAT IT DROPS TO ALMOST EMPTY. SO WE NEVER KNOW WHAT THE AMOUNT OF GAS WE HAVE IT. BEEN HAPPENING FOR ABOUT 2 YEARS AND CAN NOT AFFORD TO HAVE IT REPLACED. BUT THE PROBLEM IS GETTING WORSE. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
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