Why do Ford Explorers fishtail when swerving to avoid something on the highway?

2000 Ford Explorer with 34K miles on it, driving at night on trip came upon a tractor trailer with no taillights that the trailer brakes had locked up on and didn't see it until I got up on it and swerved to the left and the vehicle fishtailed. It was dangerous enough coming up on the unlit trailer and then to fishtail in avoiding an accident is a bit much. Need to know what can cause the fishtailing. Is it a common occurrence with Ford

Actually because its way oversize for its platform. Its built on a ranger platform. The newer ones have irs and are not near as wishy washy.
load a mazda or a ranger heavy and they sway as well. I've been under them all.
edit* durango, blazer and explorer were all based on compact trucks. The best tracking one by far is the durango, but they all sway. That weight gets to rolling behind you, and they soft shoulder right on there rooftops. If it was being top heavy, youd see the full size suv's go over more often. They are just to wide for their suspension and wheelbase to safely support.
try a set of coil over shocks, thatll do wonders as well as a bigger sway bar.

It has a very high center of gravity. That's common to all SUV's. I think one of the news programs (60 minutes, 20-20, etc.) did a special on that problem a few years back. Get a car and you will be much safer, at least in that kind of situation.

It's a matter of inertia, 2/3rd's on the front brakes and 1/3rd on the rear. The fish will tail on you if you lock 'em up.

Defensive driving 101, steer into the skid and pull it out like Chuck Yeager in the spin.

I firmly believe they should force all new drivers to do 20 hours on the go cart track with 12 year old's.

Couldn't see the trailer because of black cloud caused by the trailer being dragged in the dark with its brakes locked. Driver didn't pull off the road as the trailer was being dragged down the highway. Have driven tractor trailers and when you have a mechanical problem, especially at night, you get off the road. Doesn't make sense to go to the right on a two lane highway in case someone was on the shoulder or if the truck was trying to go right to get off the highway. Duhh But thats beside the point, my question concerns the cause of the fishtailing for correction purposes.

It isn't just a ford thing it most likely is a SUV thing. Any car will fishtale in a situation where higher speeds and abrupt maneuvers are enacted. Now compound that with a vehicle that is top heavy and an inexperienced driver be lucky you didn't roll it. Besides you never turn to the left thats on coming traffic and you should had you head lights on if they where you would have seen the trailer a half mile back with the reflectors on the bed.

Sounds more like a driver problem then a truck handling problem. If you came-up behind the trailer without seeing it, night or day, lights or no lights, YOU were not watching where you were going. You then can't expect a heavy truck to handle like a sports car & get you out of the situation…