1996 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 82 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE CONTINUOUSLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE SPEED OF THE VEHICLE ROSE PAST 97 MPH. THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THE CRUISE CONTROL BUTTON WAS DISENGAGED, WHICH DID NOT CHANGE THE SPEED. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL, AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED WITH EXCESSIVE FORCE WHICH SLOWED THE VEHICLE DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN IN FOR SERVICE FOLLOWING THE INCIDENT.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY TO 80 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT WARNING WHILE TRAVELING 60 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT CONTROLLABLE BY THE APPLIED BRAKES. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ENGAGED. THE CONTACT PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL AND REAPPLIED THE BRAKES, WHICH ASSISTED IN STOPPING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT THE SPEED CONTROL COULD HAVE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED ON 4 OTHER OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED WHILE STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN ON 07/22/06.

1996 FORD EXPLORER ROLLED OVER IN AND ACCIDENT. CONSUMER REQUESTING INFORMATION ON RISKS FOR FORD EXPLORERS. *KB THE CONSUMERS DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING WHEN THE VEHICLE ROLLED OVER. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE CONSUMER LEARNED OF PROBLEMS WITH THE FORD EXPLORER'S ROOF STRENGTH AND UNSTABLE WHEEL BASE. *JB UPDATED *JB

VEHICLE: 1996 FORD EXPLORER FAILURE: THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE SPRING FAILED, AND WILL NOT LATCH PROPERLY, RESULTING IN RELEASE OF THE SEAT BELT UNDER VERY LIGHT PULL. CANNOT COMPLY WITH SEAT BELT USAGE LAWS DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE PART. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HARNESS CLIP CRACKED, AND ALSO THE HARNESS BUCKLE WOULD NOT LOCK INTO PLACE, WHICH ALLOWS THE CHILD TO GET OUT.

THE AIR CONDITIONING BLEND DOOR ON MY CAR IS STUCK AND WILL NOT DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD EVEN ON COLD WINTER AND ICE DAYS, INCLUDING DURING ICE STORMS. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE WE CANNOT GET THE ICE OFF THE WINDSHIELD. WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO GET THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED AND FIXED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY FOR A LONG TIME NOW WITH NO RESULTS. NOW THAT ITS SUMMER, THE BLEND DOOR IS STUCK ON HOT AND ITS ONLY BLOWING COMPLETELY HOT AIR - THIS IS DUE TO A KNOWN DESIGN AND MATERIAL DEFECT WITH THE BLEND DOOR AND HAS BEEN REPORTED BY THOUSANDS OF OWNERS FOR ALL 1995 - 1999 FORD EXPLORERS AND STILL FORD REFUSES TO FIX IT AND TO PROVIDE COVERAGE TO ITS CONSUMERS TO FIX IT. IN THE WINTERS THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE OF THE CAR'S INABILITY TO DEFROST/DEFOG THE WINDSHIELD. *JB

FORD EXPLORER REAR WINDOW: ON 4/19/2006, TEMP. NEVER REACHED OVER 80 DEGREES AND THE REAR WINDOW EXPLODED. SUMMER OF 2005, I HAVE 5 CO-WORKERS STATED THEIR REAR WINDOW EXPLODED AS WELL. THE COMPANY WHO REPLACED THE REAR WINDOW, STATED THEY (FORD EXP.) ARE NOTORIOUS FOR THIS. WHY IS THERE NO RECALL FOR THIS OR FORD BE MADE TO PUT A HIGHER QUALITY WINDOW IN? *JB

I OWN A 1996 FORD EXPLORER. ON MAY 9, 2006, I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER FOR A SAFETY INSPECTION (THE MULTI-POINT INSPECTION REPORT CARD AS RECOMMENDED BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY) ALL FOUR TIRE WERE MARKED ON THE TREAD DEPTH SCALE IN THE GREEN 7/32 OR GREATER BOX. LATER THAT SAME EVENING AFTER SCHOOL LET OUT I PROCEEDED ON A TRIP. I LEFT TUCSON, AZ AROUND 5:30 TO 6:00PM GOT NO FARTHER THAN YUMA AZ WHEN THE TREAD FROM MY RIGHT REAR TIRE COMPLETELY SEPARATED FROM THE STEEL BELT UNDERNEATH TEARING THE REAR RIGHT BUMPER OFF, THE BUMPER AREA UNDERNEATH THE DOOR WAS HANGING ON THE GROUND AND BIG BLACK CIRCULAR MARKS WERE ON THE BACK PASSENGER DOOR WHERE THE TREAD HAD HIT DURING SEPARATION. THE EVENT ITSELF WAS HORRIBLY FRIGHTENING FOR US AS WELL AS MY 3 CHILDREN. THANK THE LORD WE DID NOT WRECK AND THERE WAS NO TURNOVER OF THE VEHICLE. WE WERE ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE WITH A SPARE BUT THE DAMAGE WAS ALREADY DONE TO THE VEHICLE. THE TIRE WAS A FIRESTONE WILDERNESS HT P225/70R15. I WENT BACK TO THE FORD DEALER WHO HAD SAFETY CHECKED THE TIRE AND HE SAID IT WAS A DEFECT IN MANUFACTURING AND HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN THESE THINGS WOULD HAPPEN. THE DOT CODE ON THE TIRE IS W2UU IPO .99. I CONTACTED FIRESTONE WHO SAID THE LAST 2 NUMBERS WOULD BE THE DATE THE TIRE WAS MANUFACTURED. MY QUESTIONS ARE IS THIS A COMMON THING FOR THESE TYPES OF TIRES AND WHAT IS THE LIFE SPAN OF THAT TIRE. SHOULDN'T I HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE THAT THE TIRE WAS 7 YRS OLD OR DOES IT MATTER HOW OLD THE TIRE IS. I BOUGHT NEW TIRES (CERTAINLY NOT FIRESTONES) BUT I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN MADE AWARE OF THE AGE OF MY TIRE IF ITS SIMPLY CHECKING A MANUFACTURING DATE. THAT WAY I COULD HAVE CHOSEN TO NOT PUT MY FAMILIES LIFE IN JEOPARDY!! *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY WILL NOT STAY SECURED. THE DEALER WAS ALERTED. THE CONTACT IS PLANNING ON HAVING THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. UPDATED 5/3/2006 - THE BUCKLE SPRING BROKE DUE TO WEAR WHICH RESULTED IN THE BELT NOT LATCHING. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT OWNS A 1996 FORD EXPLORER. IT CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED, DESTROYING THE VEHICLE, THE HOUSE, AND ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 05V388000, REGARDING THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL. THE VEHICLE HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS AS INDICATED IN THE RECALL, HOWEVER IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.