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The Ford Explorer Sport Trac looks like the perfect pickup with great towing capacity, but its safety and reliability issues let it down.

The 2000s were sadly defined by a horrible attack on the United States that shocked the world. The decade also saw social media expansion, the discovery of blog posts, and scandalous reality shows. In the automotive industry, legendary vehicles like the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari Enzo and Tesla Roadster played a huge part, but truck fans also remember the 2000s because of the Ford Explorer Sport Trac, built between 2001 and 2010.

The four-door pickup was initially seen as a fantastic light-duty hauler, and consumers loved the vehicle's appearance and 5,100-lb towing capacity. However, they soon discovered that it had several issues and the cabin was small, uncomfortable, and unappealing. But apart from limited space and a boring look, the Explorer Sport Trac also had poor build quality.

Related: Ford Explorer Sport Trac: 5 Ways It's Better Than The Ranger (5 It's Worse)

While safety should be the top priority of every driver, fuel efficiency has dethroned safety to become the most important concern for drivers. According to data from Statista’s Global Customer Survey, 66 percent of respondents said fuel efficiency is particularly important to them when deciding what car to buy. While the interest in fuel efficiency is understandable, especially in these market conditions, consumers and automakers should also prioritize safety.

Unfortunately, Ford didn’t do that when it built the Explorer Sport Trac. This four-door pickup has its advantages, but when it comes to safety, rivals perform better. Several owners have reported that during a collision, the head restraints were moving backward. Just to put things into context, the purpose of head restraints is to limit the movement of the head.

Another issue, reported by various consumers, was airbag related. According to Car Problem Zoo, there are 42 airbag related problems reported since 1996. For instance, there were 13 reports of side window airbag issues, 10 reports of airbags not deploying, three reports of front airbag problems, and consumers reported additional issues with the front airbag sensor control and front driver side airbag inflator.

Last, owners also reported issues with the seat belts. And Car Problem Zoo recorded 11 seatbelt related issues since 1996. Some problems reported by owners included issues with the front seat belt retractor, rear seat belt buckle problems, and malfunctions with the seatbelt mechanism for both driver and passenger sides.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t just safety problems, and there were also various mechanical issues that kept consumers away from this pickup. Some problems reported by owners included transmission problems, engine issues, and electrical troubles. According to Car Complaints, the worst model year was 2001, which had the largest number of complaints. In fact, owners reported that their 2001 model had one or several issues with transmission and engine, body and paint, the suspension, drivetrain, brakes, lights, electrical, clutch, exterior accessories, wheel and hubs, steering, and the list goes on.

But this was hardly the only disastrous year for the Explorer Sport Trac, and even the later models reported various problems. It doesn’t seem like Ford attempted to raise the quality of this pickup, since the same issues persisted and consumers discovered them in later versions of the Explorer Sport Trac. Just to put things into perspective, the 2002 and 2003 models share the same transmission system troubles as their predecessor.

Related: Discover Why The 2022 Ford Explorer Timberline Is Such A Capable SUV

While safety and mechanical problems are already a big turnoff, the Explorer Sport Trac failed to impress customers even because of its rather basic interior, limited cabin space, and small four-foot cargo bed with a volume of about 30 cubic feet.

When consumers buy a pickup, they anticipate an enormous cargo area and spacious, comfortable cabin space for passengers. However, that wasn’t the case with the Explorer Sport Trac. Consumers probably wouldn't have cared about this pickup's deficiencies if the only two difficulties were its constrained room and small cargo bed, but there were simply too many flaws, and prospective buyers couldn’t overlook them.

Even though local cars are often less expensive to fix and maintain than imported vehicles, the costs can still pile up if the cars need multiple mechanic visits. Considering the low reliability of this pickup, it is understandable why imported vehicles are a far better choice.

Adina Achim is a journalist with vast knowledge and experience in the luxury industry. She is passionate about luxury car brands, technological trends in the automotive industry, and exotic cars.