'96 XLT 4DR 4WD Experience, the first 36K
Question:
For what it’s worth – here’s my experience with my truck during the warranty period: 0,120 mi – Noticed temp gauge never moved. Found wired disconnected from sensor on engine. Fix – Put wire back on myself. 2,000 mi – Annoying rattle in rear door at specific speeds Fix – Found cyclops light HV power supply mounted poorly. Dampened with some foam and duct tape, problem cured. This whole HV supply with gas discharge lamp is overkill in my opinion. Fixed myself. 17,000 mi – Flashing of both 4WD lights on dash. Fix – Four trips in total (3 to diagnose). Bad Hall effect sensor for front drive shaft in transfer case. Warranty replacement. Problem cured. 17,000 mi – Intermittent annoying faint chirp at drive shaft rate reported to dealer. Fix – None, could not duplicate. Problem persisted. 20,000 mi – Left rear side window found shattered one evening. Vandalism? Glass was still in place, just shattered. No entry to truck. Fix – Glad I have full glass, no deductible coverage. Fixed next business day with genuine Ford glass. Cost – $0. 24,000 mi – Check Engine light on Fix – Warranty replacement of fuel filler cap. Problem cured. 32,000 mi – Backlight on keyless entry pad burned out. Fix – Warranty replacement. 32,000 mi – Annoying chirp reported again. Made sure I got the mechanic to hear it this time. Warranty running out. Fix – Warranty replacement of entire front drive shaft. Problem cured. 35,950 mi – Rear ended at stop light by a fool in an ‘85 GMC pickup. Fix – Still pending repair 
( 35,985 mi – Noticed fluid running down front differential while doing the 36,000 mi oil change at 35,800 mi. Phew, just made it under warranty! Fix – Warranty replacement of pinion shaft seal. Problem cured. My self performed maintenance consisted of: Oil and filter change at 1,000 miles, 3,000 and every 3,000 thereafter. Air Filter at 20,000 miles. Fuel filter at 30,000 miles Transfer case fluid change at 17,000 after sensor replacement (above). AT fluid and filter change at 30,000 miles. Tire rotations at 15,000 and 30,000 miles (I know you all think it should be done more often). Brake caliper slide pin lube at 15,000 and 30,000. Brake inspections at 15,000 and 30,000. Several waxings with Meguiar’s three step. Many, many washings. Wiper blades (twice). One flat repaired by Firestone for no-charge. Occasional lug nut torque checks. Original Firestone 225HR70-15’s are almost gone. I factory ordered my Explorer and I went with the 225’s because Ford wanted WAY too much to upgrade to 235’s. It was about $40 per tire to upgrade. The highway tread of the Wilderness HT was a much better choice for me. My company has a ‘95 Explorer with the AT 235’s and the ride is much rougher on the highway. With the larger tires and the 3.55 rear end (mine is 3.73) it is a slug compared to mine. The wear is very even on my HT’s. I’ll probably replace them some time this winter. I’ll be putting on Michelin LTX M/S’s in 235HR75’s per many happy reports in this NG. Are the Michelin’s an OWL tire? I generally prefer non-OWL unless the lettering and logo are not too big. Considering the complexity of the truck, I guess this history is OK. I’m not real impressed with it though. My ‘96 XLT now has 36,080 miles and a boo-boo on its ass. As I’ve never gotten rid of a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles and 10 years on it, I’ll be driving this beast for some time to come. Comments? Ted Sz
Response:
> For what it’s worth – here’s my experience with my truck during the > warranty period:
< long tale of woe snipped > > Comments? > Ted Sz
Ted, I’m sure glad I bought a Chevy. In 41K miles I’ve had a leaky pinion seal, leaky power steering pump, bad clutch master cylinder, broken tail gate latch, lost rubber runners on sliding rear window, all fixed under warrentee. $350 over invoice, $22K + T&L, $24K out the door befor $1800 GM card rebate. With 350 and 5 speed, 3.73 axles, gets 15 MPG in town, 19 on long trips. — Cheers, Steve 82 Z28 96 K1500 SWB Silverado, Z71, 350, 5 speed, 3.73 axles, locker, two tone The opinions expressed here are mine alone and do not represent those of my employer or any one else. "It riles them to believe that you perceive the web they weave…" Moody Blues
