I didn't realize that Ford got its trannys from Mazda. Both of my Fords had standards and have never really had any problems.
I'll definitely stick up for Ford's light trucks. When I was an undergrad my dad lent me his 1989 Ranger. That truck had nary a problem for 162,000 miles until the engine finally let go (a little four-banger). That truck got me in and out of so much that I felt like I was saying goodbye to a family member when I got rid of it. I liked it so well I went straight out and got another one (except this time with a 4.0 L and 4x4).
I think Ford owns 25% of Mazda. Someone told me that the Ford Taurus never had a good reputation until they started using the Mazda transmissions in them. Once they did that -- presto! The Taurus became one of the best-selling cars on the market.
Gotta love that 4.0-liter V-6, too. Not quite enough power for a "big" mid-sized SUV like the Explorer, but if you usually drive it like a car you'll get plenty of life out of it. When I bought mine I wanted to get 200,000 miles out of it -- but now that I'm over 190,000, I think I can get at least 300,000.