Factory build sheet
2003 Ford Explorer Limited
Build 1FMDU65W-3 · 4.6L 8cyl · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMDU65W 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 1FMDU65W and carries 3 in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 62 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 62 known VINs
- 1 listed for sale now
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
- 4.6 L
- Cylinders
- 8
- Configuration
- V-Shaped
- Engine manufacturer
- Ford
- Valve train
- Single Overhead Cam (SOHC)
- Horsepower
- 239 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 1FMDU65W for 4 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 | DU65W | 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.
62 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMDU65W-3 shares the specification above.
- 62 Known VINs
- 1 Listed for sale now
- 1FMDU65W 13ZA11638
- 1FMDU65W 23ZA76143
- 1FMDU65W 73ZB44596
- 1FMDU65W 13ZA24373
- 1FMDU65W 03ZA72334
- 1FMDU65W 73UC17737
- 1FMDU65W 33UB01211
- 1FMDU65W 33ZA92285
- 1FMDU65W 13UB91474
- 1FMDU65W 73ZB17978
- 1FMDU65W 73UC56294
- 1FMDU65W 63ZA73231
- 1FMDU65W 83UC34210
- 1FMDU65W 33UC39587
- 1FMDU65W 03ZB15487
- 1FMDU65W 83ZA88989
- 1FMDU65W 83UC09209
- 1FMDU65W 83ZA03987
- 1FMDU65W 53ZB04680
- 1FMDU65W 13ZA95542
- 1FMDU65W 53ZB31216
- 1FMDU65W 43ZB34804
- 1FMDU65W 83ZA24418
- 1FMDU65W 23ZA77857
- 1FMDU65W 53ZB26730
- 1FMDU65W 93ZA77905
- 1FMDU65W 83UB46273
- 1FMDU65W 63UC29183
- 1FMDU65W 03UA14527
- 1FMDU65W 53UB22948
- 1FMDU65W 03UA97117
- 1FMDU65W 43ZA05820
- 1FMDU65W 43UA35767
- 1FMDU65W 83ZA57760
- 1FMDU65W 03UB02526
- 1FMDU65W 93ZA60117
- 1FMDU65W 83ZA79953
- 1FMDU65W 53UB44268
- 1FMDU65W 43ZB05318
- 1FMDU65W 43ZA52863
- 1FMDU65W 53UB23582
- 1FMDU65W 93UA85080
- 1FMDU65W 53ZB51532
- 1FMDU65W 43ZB45608
- 1FMDU65W 33ZA23094
- 1FMDU65W 53UC29174
- 1FMDU65W 43UB78394
- 1FMDU65W 93UA82258
- 1FMDU65W 23ZA90589
- 1FMDU65W 63UA26987
- 1FMDU65W X3UB77198
- 1FMDU65W 63UB17970
- 1FMDU65W 93UB24539
- 1FMDU65W 73ZA37208
- 1FMDU65W 43UA98738
- 1FMDU65W 43ZA61904
- 1FMDU65W 13ZA24101
- 1FMDU65W 63ZB10441
- 1FMDU65W 63UA29985
- 1FMDU65W 63ZA13532
- 1FMDU65W X3ZA15168
- 1FMDU65W 83ZA14214
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 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 XLT 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 151 vehicles
- 2003 Eddie Bauer 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 259 vehicles
- 2003 Eddie Bauer 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · AWD 39 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 62 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.