Do it yourself, change the headlight assembly on your Ford Explorer Sport Trac, produced between the years 2001 and 2005. For this repair you will only require a Phillips screwdriver. The replacement process is simple and it should not take you more than 20 minutes. Because you can come across rusty or damaged components, you should also have a pair of pliers prepared.
First of all, open the hood of your car and go to the headlight you need to change. As you probably know, your headlight is composed of two parts, the main headlight lens and the parking light assembly. You do not need to remove the parking lens if you wish to replace the headlight, but it is easier to access it and pull it out this way. So, go on top of it and start by removing the Phillips screw indicated in the picture below.
This screw holds the parking light lens. After you remove it, just pull the assembly out and hang it off onto the fender or detach it by turning the bulb’s socket counterclockwise. Then you can concentrate on the main headlight. It has two metal tabs, retainers, behind it, as you can see in the image below.
You should be able to remove them by hand, but if they are rusty or stuck for some reason, use a pair of pliers. Release the headlight and unplug the harness behind it, as you can see below. You can either twist the plastic ring that secures the bulb or unplug the connector and release the lens.
At this point you can install the replacements. Finish the repair by connecting everything back, correctly. Secure the main headlight with the two tabs, then push back the parking light assembly and tighten its Phillips screw. These are the steps you need to follow if you wish to replace the headlight assembly on your Ford Explorer Sport Trac, manufactured between the years 2001 and 2005.