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How Long Do Ford Explorers Last? Factors Impacting The Longevity

How Long Do Ford Explorers Last

If you're wondering how long do Ford Explorers last, they typically last between 10 and 17 years. However, this lifespan is impacted significantly by important factors, including:

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  • Maintenance and repair history
  • Driving habits
  • Environment

Ford Explorer is one of the very reputable vehicles that lasts for a decent amount of time. However, if you're a current or future owner of a Ford Explorer, it's important that you familiarize yourself with the expected lifespan of this vehicle.

Note that every Ford Explorer is expected to last for a specific. Depending on several factors, these factors have to do with that maintenance, driving habits, and the environment.

This article provides a rough estimate of the longevity of the Ford Explorer and helps you understand how each factor impacts your Ford Explorer's longevity. Finally, we wrap up with 10 recommended tips to help you extend the lifetime of your Ford, along with some discussion on what to do if your Ford Explorer approaches the end of its lifetime.

How long do Ford Explorers last?

According to automotive experts, Ford explorers are expected to last between 10 and 17 years. This could be translated to up to 200,000 miles. However, this doesn't mean that you should expect your Ford Explorer to last this lifespan because there are several factors to consider.


That's why if you feel that your Ford Explorer is dealing with significant problems, you should immediately consult your mechanic and see if it's the timing now to get rid of your Ford Explorer and purchase a better one.

What factors affect the longevity of your Ford Explorer?

As we indicated before, your Ford Explorer will have a different lifespan depending on several factors that have to do a lot with the environment, maintenance, and driving habits.

Let's take a closer look at how each factor impacts the longevity of your Ford Explorer:

–          Factor #1: maintenance and repair history

The first and most critical factor you must watch is the maintenance and repair history. If you purchase a new Ford Explorer, then the future of the longevity of this vehicle depends heavily on the maintenance record and the repair history.

In other words, if you've followed all the recommendations in your vehicle’s owner’s manual about what needs to be done and maintained in the vehicle, you should expect that your Ford Explorer will last the longest possible. More specifically, if you've never missed an oil change, tire rotations, or brakes checks, you shouldn't be too worried about the vehicle long because it will provide you with the maximum possible.

On the other hand, if you or the previous owner of your Ford Explorer did not take good care of the vehicle, don't be surprised that the vehicle might break down at 100,000 miles, if not less. In other words, if the owner missed the oil change or forgot about the tire rotations and never paid attention to the suspension system, it's not surprising to see significant damage to those systems that could lead to a significant vehicle breakdown.

What's so different between repair and maintenance?

It's important to note that repair and maintenance are different. Maintenance refers to the scheduled maintenance reference in your vehicle’s owner’s manual but has to do with improving the vehicle’s lifespan and enhancing longevity.

On the other hand, repair refers to the action you must take to fix certain problems in your vehicle. For example, if you realize that your Ford Explorer is suffering from continuous overheating, you must immediately check what’s happening to resolve the problem.

Whether it’s maintenance or repair, you have to perform them promptly. Otherwise, you can deal with significant problems in your Ford Explorer that could reduce your vehicle’s longevity.

Many people might need to pay more attention to early signs of major problems facing Ford explorers. Unfortunately, this could lead to reducing the lifespan of your Ford Explorer and introducing severe damages to problems that shouldn't have these issues at this mileage threshold.

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–          Factor #2: driving habits

In addition to the maintenance and repairs, it's important to pay attention to your driving habits. Many people think their driving habits are fine and might underestimate their impact on the vehicle’s longevity and overall lifespan.

For example, suppose you press on the brake or accelerate harshly. In that case, it can lead to severe damage in both systems that could build up and evolve to impact more critical components, including the engine or the transmission. Therefore, it's important to revisit your driving habits between now and then and have a family member or friend provide you with some feedback on your driving style.

It's never too late to revisit our driving habits and reach out to professionals who can provide us with additional recommendations on maintaining the vehicle if any problem occurs just because of driving habits. This is extremely critical for driving vehicles equipped with manual transmissions because your input will significantly impact the transmission system.

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–          Factor #3: Environment

Finally, did you know that your driving environment impacts your Ford Explorer's longevity significantly? For example, if you're living in an area with extremely hot summers, the Ford Explorer might suffer from overheating problems, and the tires might only last for a short time. That's why you'll notice that your Ford Explorer might fail before reaching 200,000 miles.

Similarly, suppose you're driving your Ford Explorer in a very cold area where winters are very harsh, and you might experience severe amounts of snow. In that case, your Ford Explorer might not last for a long time, and more specifically, the battery of your Ford Explorer might get damaged prematurely.

Therefore, if you're investigating how long Ford Explorer will last, you should consider all these factors and realize that depending on the maintenance, driving habits, and environments, your Ford Explorer’s lifespan will change.

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Tips to extend the lifespan of your Ford Explorer.

Since you're at Ford Explorer’s lifespan depends on factors that you can control, automotive experts provided you with a list of recommendations on how to extend the lifespan of your Ford Explorer, which includes the following:

1.    Never ignore regular maintenance

You should always pay attention to regular maintenance to achieve the maximum out of your Ford Explorer. Every Ford Explorer has a user manual, and in this manual, you should find a list of scheduled maintenance that you must follow based on the frequency specified.

2.    Keep an eye on the tires

The other thing to watch for is your vehicle's tires. The Ford Explorer tires are the first elements interacting with the roads, and if they're in good condition, they can reflect on all the other components, including the suspension system and the wheels. Therefore, watching the tires and replacing them or rotating them when needed is essential to extend the lifetime of your Ford Explorer.

3.    Watch the fluids

Like any other vehicle, Ford Explorer contains several fluids, and each fluid has to do with certain systems. You must keep an eye on these fluids and maintain their quantity and quality. Based on your vehicle's owner's manual, there should be some recommendations on how often you should replace and inspect these fluids.

4.    Check the brakes regularly

Your Ford Explorer breaks are critical because they have to deal with your safety and support that you follow the recommendations in your vehicle owner’s manual and check on the brakes whenever needed. Also, watch for any symptoms that could indicate prematurely feeling breaks because this could save you much money and your life.

5.    Avoid idling

Experts recommend never to idle for long because this could kill your Ford Explorer. Therefore, how long do Ford explorers last, and do you realize that your Ford Explorer did not last for a long time? One of the different reasons that could happen is that you might be idling for a long time.

6.    Never ignore minor problems.

Automotive experts always recommend that if you see any minor problem occurring in your vehicle, you should consult with your mechanic. These problems could evolve significantly, and if you detect them early, you can fix your Ford Explorer without needing to install and repair major components.

7.    Drive responsibly

Finally, if you're driving a Ford Explorer, you must be responsible because this is a durable and good-quality vehicle. Therefore, you don't want to waste the lifespan of this car by just having a bad driving habit. Your Ford Explorer is a huge investment, and to maintain it and have it less for a long time, consider revisiting your driving habits and enhancing them.

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Final thoughts

Owning a Ford Explorer is much fun but understanding how long Ford explorers last is critical. This article provided you with a rough estimate of the longevity and lifespan of your Ford Explorer, which is around 200,000 miles. Remember that the afford explorer lifespan depends on several factors, including your driving habits, the environment, and the maintenance and repair history.

If you feel your Ford Explorer is reaching the end of its lifetime, it could be a perfect time to sell your car and purchase a better one. Are you looking for someone to pay you the top dollar paid for Ford explorers in your area? Call Cash Cars Buyer at 773-791-4363.

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