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Used 2005 Ford Explorer Consumer Reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
153 reviews
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Pros
Cons
3 out of 5 stars

Very good car

Mohamed Morsy, 06/26/2016
updated 12/27/2016
2005 Ford Explorer XLS 4WD 4dr SUV (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
31 of 32 people found this review helpful

It is very stable on the road and it feels very safe to drive. However, they are lot of problems comes with that model such as the rear lift gate got stuck, transmission problem, the center lock motors problem, the paint peel from the hood and AC stopped working around 110K miles. It cost a fortune to repair these problems. Besides the battery cable got contaminated and almost burnt and requires replacement. All the aforementioned problems are general problems for this model's owners. I completely advise not to buy a used one unless you are rich enough to afford the repairs.

Performance
4 out of 5 stars
Comfort
5 out of 5 stars
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4 out of 5 stars

2005 xlt with over 190,000 miles

vegasq1, 06/11/2014
2005 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer 4WD 4dr SUV (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
36 of 38 people found this review helpful

My explorer is great. It now has 190k miles and no issues. I keep it meticulously maintained with scheduled maintenance and oil changes. I hope it keeps it up for my 12 yr old in 4 years.

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5 out of 5 stars

2005 FORD EXPLORER XLT

jeff279, 03/17/2014
2005 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD 4dr SUV (4.6L 8cyl 5A)
25 of 26 people found this review helpful

This is one of the best suv's we have ever owned! We have owned it for 4 yrs and no problems at all Only thing we have done is a battery and alt. Starts no matter how cold. Great on snow Alot of room for a xlt. Great value Love the all wheel drive

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4.5 out of 5 stars

Solid Truck & Tow Vehicle

tbill2, 08/19/2011
2005 Ford Explorer Limited 4WD 4dr SUV (4.6L 8cyl 5A)
36 of 39 people found this review helpful

We bought this vehicle to tow a 5,500lb boat and it does it easily and safely. We had bad reliability previously with a Ford Windstar and were reluctant to buy Ford again. But the Explorer fit into our garage (vs. the competing & huge GM products with 3rd row seating), had more than adequate tow specs, and had a nimble feel due to the independent supension. 6 yrs and 70,000 miles later we couldn't be happier. It has required only minor repairs, oil, brakes, etc. It rides smooth and quiet at xway speeds and is a powerful tow platform (glad we bought the V8). Gas econ is 16 - 18 which is acceptable given the fact that this is actually a heavy body-on-frame truck vs. the hybrids which are n

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2.88 out of 5 stars

Ok except for the transmission

whizkidcat, 09/03/2011
2005 Ford Explorer XLT Rwd 4dr SUV (4.0L 6cyl 5A)
36 of 39 people found this review helpful

We bought our Explorer in 2005 new. It ran great for 36,000 miles. It now has 68,000 miles. The best gas mileage we have gotten is 18 hwy/11 city with a constant average of 14.6. NOT very desirable. No repairs, just regular maintenance for 3 years. Shortly after 36,000 miles we had problems with the reverse: going into reverse and going from reverse into drive. It would take about 3 to 5 seconds for the gears to catch and move the car. After a new transmission everything else started to go wrong. Interesting that until we took it to the dealer we had no other problems! The blinkers work intermittently, the rear windows work sometimes or NOT and the leather is cracking sides/edges.

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