Factory build sheet
2003 Ford Explorer Limited
Build 1FMDU85W-3 · 4.6L 8cyl · All-wheel drive · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMDU85W 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 1FMDU85W and carries 3 in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 89 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 89 known VINs
- 2 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
- All-wheel drive
- 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 1FMDU85W for 2 model years. Nothing but the year changes between these pages, so the price gap between them is depreciation on an identical car.
-
2003 You are here code 3
- 2004 Limited 4.6L 8cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) · 74 vehicles code 4
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 | DU85W | 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.
89 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMDU85W-3 shares the specification above.
- 89 Known VINs
- 2 Listed for sale now
- 1FMDU85W 03ZA46151
- 1FMDU85W 43ZB07758
- 1FMDU85W 23ZA10087
- 1FMDU85W X3ZA58808
- 1FMDU85W 73UC19211
- 1FMDU85W 13ZA28659
- 1FMDU85W 73ZB14378
- 1FMDU85W 93ZA63191
- 1FMDU85W 63UB56814
- 1FMDU85W 23ZA17671
- 1FMDU85W 03ZA30743
- 1FMDU85W 63UC44018
- 1FMDU85W 43ZA75894
- 1FMDU85W 93ZA39280
- 1FMDU85W 43ZA74051
- 1FMDU85W 43ZA35542
- 1FMDU85W X3ZA58999
- 1FMDU85W 33ZA49531
- 1FMDU85W 13ZA46157
- 1FMDU85W 03ZB11113
- 1FMDU85W X3UB84504
- 1FMDU85W 63UA55997
- 1FMDU85W X3ZA58937
- 1FMDU85W 83ZA75896
- 1FMDU85W 83ZA46236
- 1FMDU85W 93UA51197
- 1FMDU85W 03ZA83636
- 1FMDU85W 83ZA46284
- 1FMDU85W 23ZB09010
- 1FMDU85W 23ZB26986
- 1FMDU85W 53ZA77394
- 1FMDU85W 13ZA99568
- 1FMDU85W 53UA75741
- 1FMDU85W 63UB87450
- 1FMDU85W 53ZA77766
- 1FMDU85W 83ZA85652
- 1FMDU85W 93ZA36105
- 1FMDU85W X3ZA03338
- 1FMDU85W X3ZA18339
- 1FMDU85W 53ZB41790
- 1FMDU85W 53ZB53292
- 1FMDU85W 53ZA58943
- 1FMDU85W 53UB82854
- 1FMDU85W 33ZA12057
- 1FMDU85W 43UB39994
- 1FMDU85W 73UB91524
- 1FMDU85W 23ZA35877
- 1FMDU85W 83UC39869
- 1FMDU85W X3ZA93588
- 1FMDU85W 33ZA67625
- 1FMDU85W 63ZB34833
- 1FMDU85W 73ZA16807
- 1FMDU85W 03ZA34775
- 1FMDU85W 43ZA95711
- 1FMDU85W 73ZA59866
- 1FMDU85W 53ZA40782
- 1FMDU85W 13ZA78686
- 1FMDU85W 93ZB10610
- 1FMDU85W 83UA90590
- 1FMDU85W 93ZA19417
- 1FMDU85W 43ZA50753
- 1FMDU85W 43UA21878
- 1FMDU85W 93ZB58883
- 1FMDU85W 63ZA61169
- 1FMDU85W 83ZA60346
- 1FMDU85W 93ZA04173
- 1FMDU85W 63ZA90834
- 1FMDU85W 23ZA39136
- 1FMDU85W 83UA81968
- 1FMDU85W 53ZA02744
- 1FMDU85W 53ZA85625
- 1FMDU85W 63ZB53575
- 1FMDU85W 73ZB00674
- 1FMDU85W 93ZA16775
- 1FMDU85W 83UA84160
- 1FMDU85W 83UA33788
- 1FMDU85W 23ZA91883
- 1FMDU85W 83UA02492
- 1FMDU85W 83UA13976
- 1FMDU85W 03ZA57618
- 1FMDU85W 53ZA29829
- 1FMDU85W 73UA44748
- 1FMDU85W 03ZA95625
- 1FMDU85W 43ZB51274
- 1FMDU85W 93ZB14270
- 1FMDU85W 63ZA91014
- 1FMDU85W 73ZA62038
- 1FMDU85W 73UB69359
- 1FMDU85W 53UA96928
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 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 797 vehicles · $5,794 median
- 2003 XLS 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 1,208 vehicles
- 2003 XLT 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 1,848 vehicles · $5,895 median
- 2003 Eddie Bauer 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 252 vehicles
- 1981 Limited 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 53 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 89 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.