![]() ![]() The 2006 Ford Explorer gets revisions that keep it ahead of the pack. Sales eventually recovered, allowing the Explorer to continue its reign as the best-selling SUV in the U.S. It should have been a runaway success, but the Ford-Firestone media fight kept buyers away from showrooms and forced Ford to offer cash rebates and low-interest financing to keep sales afloat. A substantial improvement over the original, the new truck had a wider track, longer wheelbase, a fully independent suspension and seating for up to seven adults. Neither company publicly pointed fingers at consumers' indifference to the dangers of overloading vehicles, expecting a truck to handle like a car, failing to monitor tire pressures or dismissing the importance of seatbelts as possible contributors to blowout-related deaths.įor 2002, just as the Explorer rollover debacle was winding down, Ford launched the completely redesigned Explorer. Firestone blamed the Explorer's design and Ford's recommendation that the tires be inflated to a relatively low 26 psi. ![]() ![]() This iteration soldiered on through 2001 with few changes, but by then accusations that the Ford Explorer suffered a high incidence of tire failures and subsequent rollover accidents had tarnished the nameplate.įord blamed tire supplier Firestone for equipping the Explorer with flawed Wilderness A/T tires, and initiated a massive recall to replace the original equipment rubber. The Explorer's first major revision occurred in 1995, when it received a new independent front suspension, revised styling and a new interior. In 1992, an Eddie Bauer edition joined the lineup, and a Limited model followed shortly thereafter. Initially, just XLS and XLT trim levels were available. It came as the volume-selling four-door or a less popular two-door, and replaced the Bronco II in Ford's lineup. Based on the Ford Ranger pickup, the original Explorer had the winning combination of size, style and utility that people wanted in an SUV. ![]() The Ford Explorer debuted in 1990 as a 1991 model, and achieved instant success in a market that it ultimately defined, if not created. ![]()
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