Factory build sheet
2003 Ford Explorer Limited
Build 1FMZU85W-3 · 4.6L 8cyl · All-wheel drive · Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV)
VIN positions 1 through 8 read 1FMZU85W 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 1FMZU85W and carries 3 in position 10 left the plant with the same engine, transmission, drivetrain and equipment listed below. We know of 36 of them.
- Decoded Jul 7, 2026
- 36 known VINs
This configuration is identical to 2003 Ford Explorer Limited 4.6L 8cyl Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) (89 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
- 4.6 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 1FMZU85W 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) · 53 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 | ZU85W | 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.
36 vehicles carry this build
Every VIN we have decoded to 1FMZU85W-3 shares the specification above.
- 36 Known VINs
- 1FMZU85W 83ZB35424
- 1FMZU85W 83ZA40779
- 1FMZU85W 73UB92937
- 1FMZU85W 23ZA97785
- 1FMZU85W 93ZA24008
- 1FMZU85W 73UC03094
- 1FMZU85W 13UC18402
- 1FMZU85W 13ZB54039
- 1FMZU85W 43ZB44766
- 1FMZU85W 63ZA39100
- 1FMZU85W 73UB76768
- 1FMZU85W 53ZA78339
- 1FMZU85W 43UC27580
- 1FMZU85W 73UC27055
- 1FMZU85W 53ZB39205
- 1FMZU85W 03UB51128
- 1FMZU85W 33UA61732
- 1FMZU85W 53UC16197
- 1FMZU85W X3ZA63108
- 1FMZU85W 23UC39257
- 1FMZU85W 33ZB45102
- 1FMZU85W 03UB60962
- 1FMZU85W X3UB34983
- 1FMZU85W 13ZA72845
- 1FMZU85W X3ZA85044
- 1FMZU85W 13ZA39148
- 1FMZU85W 73ZA41907
- 1FMZU85W X3ZA41870
- 1FMZU85W 13ZA93193
- 1FMZU85W 93UB85410
- 1FMZU85W X3ZB59871
- 1FMZU85W 13ZB10929
- 1FMZU85W 73ZA15369
- 1FMZU85W 33ZB13900
- 1FMZU85W 03UB93136
- 1FMZU85W 93ZA05944
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.
- 2004 XLS 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 28 vehicles
- 2004 XLT 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 89 vehicles
- 2004 XLT 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 45 vehicles
- 2004 Eddie Bauer 4.6L 8-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult 78 vehicles
- 2004 XLS 4L 6-cyl · Sport utility vehicle suv mult · 4WD 84 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 36 VINs of this build we have seen in dealer inventory. They are a sample of the road population, not a production figure.