Ford Explorer 1997–2000 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin 15040 · NHTSA communication 621039 · issued Jul 1, 2001
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Engine and Engine Cooling
component
1997–2000
model years
4
vehicle entries
Official summary
Some explorer / sport / sport trac equipped with a 4.0l sohc engine may exhibit a start-up noise condition from the left front of the engine. *tt
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.