Factory build sheet
2003 Ford Explorer Limited
Build 1FMDU65K-3 · 4L 6cyl · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMDU65K and position 10 reads 3. Those nine characters define this build. Position 9 and positions 11 through 17 differ on every car.
Every Explorer whose VIN starts 1FMDU65K and carries 3 in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 30 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 30 known VINs
This configuration is identical to 2003 Ford Explorer Limited 4L 6cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) (63 vehicles). That page carries the full record.
Factory specification
As filed by Ford with NHTSA for this build. Fields the filing does not record are left out entirely — a missing row means no recorded value, not a missing feature.
Engine
- Displacement
- 4 L
- Cylinders
- 6
- Configuration
- V-Shaped
- Engine manufacturer
- Ford
- Valve train
- Single Overhead Cam (SOHC)
- Horsepower
- 210 hp
- Fuel type
- Gasoline
Drivetrain
- Drive type
- 4x2
- Brake system
- Hydraulic
Body & chassis
- Body class
- Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)/Multi-Purpose Vehicle (MPV)
- NHTSA body type
- MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLE (MPV)
- Doors
- 4
- Manufacturer
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Weight rating
- GVWR class
- Class 1D
- GVWR
- 5,001–6,000 lb
Gross vehicle weight rating is the loaded ceiling set by the manufacturer, not the car's own weight.
The same build, other model years
Ford used the VIN pattern 1FMDU65K for 3 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
How this VIN pattern is read
A 17-character VIN carries two kinds of information: what was built, and which one it is. This page is the first kind — the nine highlighted positions.
| Positions | Characters | What they encode |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 | 1FM | FORD MOTOR COMPANY · World manufacturer identifier |
| 4–8 | DU65K | Model, body style, engine and restraint system |
| 9 | × | Check digit — computed per vehicle, not part of the build |
| 10 | 3 | Model year — 2003 |
| 11 | × | Assembly plant |
| 12–17 | ×××××× | Production sequence number, unique to each vehicle |
NHTSA safety ratings
Crash-test results are published per model year and body style, so they cover the 2003 Ford Explorer as a whole rather than this build alone.
Rollover
★★★ ★★ 3 / 5
7 recall campaigns are recorded for the 2003 Explorer. Recalls are issued per VIN range — check the VIN of the car you are looking at, not the model.
30 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMDU65K-3 shares the specification above.
- 30 Known VINs
- 1FMDU65K 73ZA96210
- 1FMDU65K 03ZB40242
- 1FMDU65K X3ZA09108
- 1FMDU65K 13UB63719
- 1FMDU65K 03UB47138
- 1FMDU65K 83ZA60591
- 1FMDU65K 93ZA92093
- 1FMDU65K 03ZB45800
- 1FMDU65K 43UB43433
- 1FMDU65K 73UA90906
- 1FMDU65K 33ZB03508
- 1FMDU65K 33ZA72406
- 1FMDU65K 53ZA39326
- 1FMDU65K 73ZA46603
- 1FMDU65K 03UC09282
- 1FMDU65K 03UC09492
- 1FMDU65K 53UC73009
- 1FMDU65K 43ZB05140
- 1FMDU65K 93UB63029
- 1FMDU65K 03ZB17852
- 1FMDU65K 83UC10115
- 1FMDU65K 93UC54429
- 1FMDU65K X3ZA72371
- 1FMDU65K 83UA92258
- 1FMDU65K 53UA92783
- 1FMDU65K X3ZA12705
- 1FMDU65K 33UB54214
- 1FMDU65K X3ZA25812
- 1FMDU65K 53UA51280
- 1FMDU65K 43ZB00746
Neighboring configurations
Other factory configurations of the Explorer, each with its own build sheet. The set is fixed by the VIN patterns themselves, so it does not shuffle as prices or inventory move.
- 2003 Limited 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 62 vehicles
- 2003 XLS 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 53 vehicles
- 2003 XLT 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 294 vehicles
- 2003 Eddie Bauer 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 171 vehicles
- 2003 Limited 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 310 vehicles
Keep going
Where this data comes from
Specification fields are decoded from the manufacturer's filings in the NHTSA vPIC database, keyed on VIN positions 1–8 and 10. We publish the filed values as they stand and leave out anything the filing does not record.
Vehicle counts come from the 30 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.