Factory build sheet

2003 Ford Explorer Limited

Build 1FMZU65K-3 · 4L 6cyl · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)

VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMZU65K 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 1FMZU65K and carries 3 in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 63 of them.

  • Decoded Jul 7, 2026
  • 63 known VINs

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 1FMZU65K 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 ZU65K 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.

63 vehicles carry this build

Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMZU65K-3 shares the specification above.

  • 63 Known VINs

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.

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 63 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.