2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac

rschfamily

I ordered my 4x2 ST on 4/4 and was advised last night that it is "scheduled" for production on 5/15 with delivery on or about 6/1.

bennb

They have little fold-out brochures at the dealerships, but it doesn't tell you everything in great detail. I too ordered one from the website and never received it so I picked one up at the dealership.

struder

Trailer harness is probably tied up to wiring existing at rear of vehicle. This is part of overall wiring harness and is not an option. I have had to search for these in the past on different vehicles.

Soft tonneau is easy to install, just a matter of assembly on vehicle. Fit is very good, you get a little buffet going down the road, but you can only hear this with rear window down. It will roll up and fasten to front of bed if you need to haul large objects. Just remove bows and roll up cover, straps are attached to front of bed post for this purpose.

fordsporttrac

Ford jusr called and my Bed Extender is in. Took about 3.5 weeks to get it.

tracguy

This isn't really a loose harness. There is a little bracket attached to the bottom of the bumper to the left of center. There is a 4 place female plug attached to the bracket. There is a little rubber cover to protect the contacts when not in use.

wpoe

Has anyone noticed that the price of the 2WD has increased. The Dealer ordered my Sport Trac today, (this time with all of the options that I requested) and the price for the basic 2WD was $85 higher and the Destination charge increased by $25. This all within the last 6 weeks.

wpoe

petty1

I live up in Mississauga, Ontario and my buddy ordered his ST last Saturday and the price went up by a $100.00 CDN and $20 more for destination and delivery. So us boys up in the north have to suffer with you boys in the south by a price hike. Man, like Ford does'nt make enough money. I still love the vehicle, I saved a $120 by ordering on April 03/00. Enjoy those ST's, I can't wait.

hmlrht1

petty1, I was told that if the price goes up before delivery that you pay the increase too. You haven't bought the ST yet...you just ordered it. Sorry for the bad news.

petty1

hmlrht1, I asked my buddy who sold me the vehicle and he asked his manager and they told me that I am not affected. I like good news. The only bad news is we pay a gas guzzler tax and that is bad news.

el88

DOES ANYONE HAVE THE PART NUMBER FOR THE SOFT TONNEAU COVER THAT YOU CAN ORDER FROM THE DEALER? JUST INCASE THE DEALER DOESN'T KNOW WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT.
I HAVE A 4X2 ST AND HAS A 4-PIN FLAT WIRING ASSEMBLY AND HARNESS UNDERNEATH THE BUMBER. CAME STD WITH THE VEH..

geepsy

Oh my...I was thinking it was wild to get an Island blue ST...BUT now I have seen the Mandarin Gold one in the Motor Trend Review and it looks HOT..but classy! Has anyone seen one in person yet? Is that interior pictured a light tan or off white?..It reminds me of my aunt's first car..A Brand New 1973 Firebird Formula 400 Orange-ish with a white vinyl top and white leather interior...The money I made cleaning it for her...awwwww memories....I am really ready to order now...need to think a bit more..BUT.. I'm a gonna do it! I have never "ordered" before...only bought off the lot...the salesmen was quick to say "should we order this for you"? And he only wanted 100$ deposit...is that average?...someone please share their experience with me...Thanks again to all of you! Geepsy

rb125

#391 of 398: Bed Extender (fordsporttrac) Wed 19 Apr '00 (02:23 PM)

Did you order from the dealer? If so, Ford said can't order, no part number yet

jsully

If you haven't ordered yet, you may want to soon. I was told 6 weeks. It has been a month and I still don't have a build date for my vehicle. I ordered a loaded vehicle minus the tonneau cover. The factory may be starting to get backed up with orders. I found $100 deposit is normal.

I heard LEER is making a Tonneau cover out of fiberglass that hinges at the front of the bed. This would resolve the clearance problem with the cargo cage. It can also be painted to match the vehicle. Has anyone else seen this?

wpoe

I have wondering when I would have both the Cargo Cage extended and the Tonneau cover on at the same time. Does anyone have an example why I would have the tailgate down, the Cargo Cage extended and the Tonneau cover closed?

Thanks
wpoe

bjohn1225

I just tried to order a ST yesterday through the X-Plan Program. The dealer said that Ford is not accepting X-plan or A-Plan pricing on ST's or any other 2001 model year vehicle (these are discounted pricing plans provided to Ford employees and Ford suppliers). Needless to say, it ruined my day. Has anyone else been able to buy an ST through the X-plan or A-plan? If so, tell me where and I will order it today. Unfortunately, I think it was a Ford decision, rather than a dealer decision.

litower

I was planning on purchasing my ST 4X4 on the A-plan but bjohn has said they aren't accepting them. Does anyone know if that is in fact the case, sent directly from Ford or is it just the dealership? And what exactly is the X-Plan?

wpoe

I had one Dealer that didn't want to order for me using the X-Plan. But I found another larger Dealership that would. I ordered the 1st time on March 6 and just again yesterday. This is in Atlanta.

blancobasin

I ordered my ST on 3/31, the build date is 5/8. I ordered it from Fuller Ford in Cincinnati for $500 over invoice. Ask for John Allen.

bjohn1225

X-plan is available for employees of some companies that are suppliers or have large contracts with Ford (ie Vehicle Fleet programs). It is not as good as the Ford employees A-plan. X-plan pricing is the A-plan price plus 4%. This price usually still comes in about approximately 1% under dealer invoice though.

I live in upstate NY, so if anyone has heard of a dealer area where near hear who is accepting X-plan pricing, please let me know.

bjohn1225

X-plan is available for employees of some companies that are suppliers or have large contracts with Ford (ie Vehicle Fleet programs). It is not as good as the Ford employees A-plan. X-plan pricing is the A-plan price plus 4%. This price usually still comes in about approximately 1% under dealer invoice though.

I live in upstate NY, so if anyone has heard of a dealer area where near hear who is accepting X-plan pricing, please let me know.

fordsporttrac

Ok here is the scoop on the Cargo Cage.

Picked it up today from the dealer. It is Ford part # 1L2Z99286A40AA and is Labeled "Explorer Sport/F-150 Crew Cargo Cage".

I brought the truck off the lot 3.5 weeks ago and had them order the Cargo Cage and Tonneau cover as part of the deal. The Dealer can order them separately from your ST order and not delay the ST delivery. Those of you who do not make a deal up front to get the cover/cage are probably going to pay the Part$ Counter price. Which in my area is usually much higher than invoice.

The cage took 3 minutes to install. It requires installing two self threading pivots using a big torque driver. Then snap the cage on the pivots. Thats it. The cage can be removed easily from the pivots.

Do not follow the diagram for snapping in the cage. They are backwards. The diagram shows snapping the cage in place with it positioned into the bed. Thats wrong, snap it in place with it positioned over the tailgate. If you do it my way it is more difficult to remove the cage with the tailgate shut and locked. The rubber feet will also hit the tailgate in the correct spot when extended.

Hey jimsteele43569 if you have any contacts at Ford let them know if they added small feet to the bottom of the cage (when its closed) right under the pivot points, it would be impossible to unsnap the cage with the tailgate close and locked. Thats because if you put the cage on the way I described you have to slid the cage down to get it off the clips. The current design barely lets that happen. 1/2 inch less travel and it could not be removed. Open the tailgate, flip out the cage, now you slide up to remove. :-)

There is NO way the cage and the Cargo divider (part of the Tonneau cover) will fit in the bed at the same time. The cage crosses the mid point of the bed when its installed by at least 2".

jimsteele43569 Does the Tonneau cover require the Cargo Divider to be installed? If its not installed does it effect the operation of the cover? Would it be possible to drill new holes and install the divider closer to the Cab? What would be the effect of moving the divider. (other then the standard disclaimer at my own risk)

fordsporttrac

tracguy,

Are you sure about the cover on the connector? I know one person reported the wires were missing from the connector in a previous post. I'm not sure if he verified that yet. I had to crawl under to see my wires. But I will say there was NO protective cap on my connector. Is there definitely a cap that I'm missing? How about others do you have a cap?

fordsporttrac

I installed my License plates today. They do not fit well in the holders. The front plate holder has a groove at the top and 2 bolts at the bottom but the plate is slightly wider than the holder. The rear plate has 2 bolts at the top and 2 tiny rubber bumpers at the bottom. Kinda flaps in the wind a little.

I can't believe that Ford screwed up the size of the holders. Its probably my plates were cut wrong. Anyone else have trouble?

tae121

Does anyone have the phone number to check on the status of an order? I know it was on a previous message, but I can not seem to find it. Thank you!

rb125

Called 2 dealers and gave them the part number for the Bed Extender AKA Cargo Cage and the price is $354.00...not.

rb125

I have wires and the protective cap on my connector.

fordsporttrac

rb125,

Yup thats my point. After the dealer and I agreed on a price for my ST, just before I signed, I said that I wanted the cover and cage added at invoice. I paid $750.00 over invoice for a ST that was on the lot and had them add another $166.00 for the cage and $502.00 for the cover which they ordered separately for me. I told the sales manager I wanted them added immediately because I know the parts department would rape me if I waited until later.

If anyone plans on ordering a ST, if you want the cover and/or cage make it part of the purchase up font or you'll pay through the nose at the parts counter. Some people mentioned that they canceled the cover to prevent a delay in the delivery of their ST. That was probably a good move, but, if you don't have an agreement to buy the cover later at invoice your gonna pay close to a $750.00 at the parts counter.

If that happens your probably better off getting an after market cover.

lasvegan

It seems to me Ford has made a goof on their part in "accepting orders" on ST's when options shown at auto shows and in their brochures appears to be avalable. I ordered a ST on 3/8/2000. It was not clearly explained to me that the top was going to be delayed. Only later I was told. Like when I was given some candy and then taken away from me. Uh it seems at the time of my order they haven't even been made yet looking at comments on this post. Why put the paying customer in a wait situation. Im getting the impression that their are some out there that haven't even test drove a ST and yet still ordered one because of the look of the vehical. Seems to me Ford should give us a little comphensation for this oversight. Not blaming those who work and manurfactor the tops but come now if you show the truck with one at every auto show and its in there brochures as an option, where are the @#*% tops at!!!!!! Also not fair to force those already bought to pick them up at the 150% mark-up counter at are dealer. Hey how about throwing in a bug shield or a rebate of some sort of the cost of the top. Hey Im willing to work with them what do I have to loose. They got my order knowing Im willing to pay top dollar for this vehical and from past posts it seems what 29,000 of these units have been ordered not counting the ones already sold. Nice revenue security Ford finds themselves in! Hope they turn this security over to our union brothers!
ANYWAY ANY ONE LISTENING. IS IT WORTH LOOKING INTO?

fordsporttrac

lasvegan,

I really think you need to address your dealer with this. They are the ones who need to make it up to you. My Dealer was well aware and informed me that the top was delayed. He even provided a estimated of June at the time.

Also, when I went to the Philadelphia Auto show the nice young lady (we call them booth bimbos) said over the microphone that the top was late availability.

fordsporttrac

Opps I also forgot to mention the http://www.fordvehicles.com web site also says late availablity on the Tonneau cover photo.

tracguy

fordsporttrac,

Yes, I confirmed that the harness is actually attached to the connector.

reb11

Seems like Ford has been inconsistent with the wire harness durinng assembly. Mine is completely missing the entire harness. The dealer had it up on the rack, and two technicians looked all around to see if the harness was tucked up inside somewhere. It was not. They have ordered the part. My understanding is that it comes with a protective cover as well. I'd be interested to know whether others are missing their harness, or the cover.

fordsporttrac

tracguy,

You Said;
>fordsporttrac,
>Yes, I confirmed that the harness is actually
>attached to the connector.

No not you tracguy. I was referring to someone else from an earlier post who mentioned that the connector was there but the wires were not.

zack1001

fordsporttrac--

The tonneau cover does not require the cargo divider to be installed. In fact, if you will look at pages 68-72 of your owner's manual you will see that the cover and the divider are separate pieces and are not dependent on each other.

The result is you can remove the divider and have the cover and cage installed together with no problem. Simply remove the divider before the cage is installed.

tl565

Nice try but the brochure clearly states that the Tonneau Cover will be a late availability item.

petty1

(el88) Here is the Soft Tonneau cover - Base Part # : 99501A42 Available for : Sport Trac

haley6

I am getting ready to order my ST. Can someone explain what "skid plates"are and "limited slip rear axle with 4.10". It will be a 4 x 4 . Do I need these?

tl565

Yes, get the skid plates and definitely get the limited slip. The limited slip will provide more traction on loose or wet surfaces. It is WELL worth the money. If one rear wheel starts to spin in the mud the other side will still propel the vehicle forward if that wheel has traction. If you do not have limited slip, you'll be stuck.

Skid plates are nice even if you do not go off road. It will help protect the underside from all the debris that seems to be bouncing around the freeways these days.

el88

THANKS FOR THE INFO ON THE SOFT TONNEAU COVER PART NUMBER. I'LL BE HEADING TOWARDS THE DEALER TOMORROW AND SEE IF THEY HAVE IT IN STOCK OR PLACED ON ORDER.

wcpage

I took delivery of one of the
first ST arriving at my Ford
dealer in San Diego on March 10.
The first time I turned into a
parking space the steering
vibrated or "shuttered" as the
Dealer called it. No problem
found they said.
Returned about a week later to
complain about problem getting
worse. Service advisor said Ford
had issued a statement
that "this was a characteristic"
of the vehicle. My response to
this was not real polite.
After the service manager drove
the truck and they called Ford,
a power steering hose has been
ordered. Weeks later, I'm
still waiting for part.
Also, now with 1,400 miles on
the truck, it's developed a
slight vibration when first
accelerating - at 2,000 rpm's.
It can be felt through the gas
pedal and I can hear it
slightly.
I love the truck, but .....
Is any one else having similar
trouble?

jab1964

I ordered my ST last night. 400 over invoice
the salesman says it will take around 6-8 weeks
I expected that. But the salesman said that if I
can navigate the net, I can track my order using
the Vin # once he gets it for me. He said that he had a customer who called him and told him when
his truck was going to be delivered even before the dealer. So the big question is HOW?

rb125

When I purchase my ST, I did my homework (the web is all you need) and was aware of the late availability of the tonneau cover and the cargo cage. I was also aware of, when available, the price will be inflated 100 to 200% at the parts counter. I had a choice to purchase one off the lot, or order one and wait. It turned out, that the one on the lot (which was fully loaded) was a lot cheaper than if I had order one that didn't even have the leather comfort group (you got to have the leather) or power moonroof. Let me tell ya'll, It's not worth the wait. I enjoy my ST and I can park it at the mall and can't count how many people that will walk up to it, to look at it. Hell, I was at the dealer to drop something off and came out to find people sitting it. I think Ford should allow us to purchase these items when available, without the inflated price, if not, I'll go to the aftermarket and it will be Ford's lost.

tl565

If you buy the tonneau cover after you take delivery, you WONT have to PAY as much in REGISTRATION fees. In a lot of states, the registration fees (tax) are based on the price you pay for the vehicle. Taking $700 bucks off the sales price because you don't get the tonneau will save you in registration fees each year!

el88

(PETTY1);
IS THAT PART NUMBER FOR THE SOFT TONNEAU COVER A FORD PART NUMBER? I WENT TO THE FORD DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THE PART NUMBER DOES NOT REGISTER ON THEIR COMPUTER, EVEN WHEN THEY SEARCH THE PART BY NAME.

petty1

That Base part # 99501A42 is from the NO BOUNDARIES- Ford Outfitters- SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES ACCESSORIES catalog. The price from the catalog is $198.67.

el88

(WCPAGE);
I ALSO BOUGHT AN ST AROUND THAT TIME FRAME (3/11/00)HERE IN THE IMPERIAL VALLEY AND DON'T HAVE THAT PROBLEM. IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU MIGHT HAVE A DEFECTED POWER STEERING UNIT ON YOUR ST. YOU GET SIMILAR RESULTS WHEN YOUR POWER STEERING UNIT IS LOW IN FLUID AND WILL SHUTTER/VIBRATE WHEN YOU TURN THE STEERING WHEEL.

el88

(PETTY1);

THANKS AGAIN!!
DID YOU GET THAT CATALOG FROM THE DEALER OR DID YOU SENT FOR IT?

petty1

Well, I think that accessories catalog is supposed to be behind the counter.... I saw it laying there on the desk.... the rest is history. But I believe you can request one. I don't know why these dealers hide items like this behind the counter. You and I want to be able to see these items so we know we can purchase them.

fordsporttrac

In NJ registration is based on vehicle weight not on how much you pay for it. If your state is like NJ, if you order the cover with the ST you'll pay $502.00 for it + sales tax. If you wait and buy it later (and do not have a price agreement) you'll pay the parts counter price of ??$750.00?? + sales tax.

tl565,
Your idea works if you can get the cover at the same price later, or if you buy an after market cover. But not knowing how your state works I ask you this.

If they do not buy the cover now, take $502.00 off the price of the ST. Then buy the cover later at the parts counter for ??750.00?? They loose $248.00 + tax. In your state, if the ST was $502.00 less would you save 248.00+ in registration fees over the time the vehicle is owned by the purchaser. Say 6-7 years?

BTW,
$750.00 at the parts counter for the Tonneau cover is a conservitive guess based on the cargo cage pricing. The cargo cage invoices for 166.00, MSRP's for $195.00 and sells for $354.00 at the parts counter.

fordsporttrac

Has anyone noticed that the climate control, when set to any of the positions on the right side, and you set the temp setting to full cold, the temp of the air coming out of the vents is substantially colder than the outside air.

In an earlier post I thought I read the compressor only came on in the two air conditioning settings on the left side of the dial. And the right hand settings were VENT and Heat only? If it was VENT only I would think the temp of the air would be the same as the outside air when set to cold.

Has anyone else noticed this?