I have a 2001 Ford Explorer Sport, 4-Wheel Drive. I was having some mechanical issues and the guy I hired to fix it couldn't find the parts at a junkyard and the new versions are around $2,000+.

He said that since I don't use the four wheel drive on the car, the front differential and the axle could be removed and everything would be fine I just wouldn't be able to use 4WD even if I wanted to.

He did put the ends of the axle back in place, behind the wheel hub. But, the actual axle and differential that were between the wheels before are now gone completely.

Is this safe to drive?

 

I can't answer your question pertaining to the 4x4 but I can add this. My 97 Mountaineer AWD front axle went south. I removed the front drive shaft and drove it for about 20,000 more miles. The only problem was that if you parked on an incline, you had to use the parking brake. Otherwise the vehicle would "creep" down the hill while parked.

 

Cool. I'm just making sure the wheels aren't going to come off. I'm quite uneducated when it comes to vehicles and when I read about this online that seemed to be a real possibility. I was told the four wheel drive and the car having two differentials is why it's okay...

 

You need to ask exactly what he did. You said he removed the axle, but you said he put the axle in behind the bearing ? You can remove the front drive shaft and the differential will not turn. The half shafts (axle shafts) plug into the differential and spline into the bearing hub at the wheels. The spline must go thru the bearings and nut on the outside and torque tight to keep the bearings adjusted TIGHT. If he took the CV joint apart ( broke the alxe shaft into parts) and put the wheel bearing hub end back thru the bearing and tightend it, you will be fine. As the wheels / tires turn, it will not drive back to the differential as the axle would be gone.. that is good, but you need a bolt or the last 6 inches of the axle shaft installed into the hub/ bearings and tightened.