1996 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

1996 EXPLORER FRONT END BEGAN SHAKING VIOLENTLY. VEHICLE THEN PULLED TO THE RIGHT AND CONSUMER LOST CONTROL STRIKING A GUARD RAIL. *TS THE STEERING ARM BROKE ON THE RIGHT WHEEL RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT. *NM

I WAS DRIVING MY 96 FORD EXPLORER SPORT, TRAVELING 65 MPH ON A FREEWAY, WHEN THE CAR RPMS SUDDENLY WENT UP TO 5500 WITHOUT ME DOING ANYTHING. THE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT ON. AS THE CAR ACCELERATED I DEPRESSED THE BRAKES AND WAS ONLY ABLE TO SLOW DOWN SLIGHTLY, I THEN REACHED DOWN TO CHECK IF SOMETHING WAS CONTACTING THE ACCELERATOR AND I ALSO PULLED THE FLOOR MAT BACK. THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE PAST 80 MPH. PUMPING THE ACCELERATOR DID NOT CHANGE ANYTHING. I HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION SO I PUSHED DOWN THE CLUTCH AND THE CAR SLOWED, HOWEVER, THE RPM STAYED AT 5500. I MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE FREEWAY AND TURNED OFF THE CAR. I RESTARTED IT AFTER THE ENGINE STOPPED AND THE RPM WENT BACK UP TO 5500. I THEN STOPPED THE ENGINE AGAIN AND WAITED 5 MINUTES AND THEN RESTARTED AND THE CAR WAS THEN RUNNING NORMALLY. I TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER AND THEY COULD NOT FIND A REASON FOR THE PROBLEM AS THERE WERE NO ENGINE MALFUNCTION CODES THAT WOULD CAUSE THE INCIDENT AND THE ACCELERATOR AND CRUISE CONTROL CABLES WERE IN GOOD CONDITION. THEY SUGGESTED THAT THE FLOOR MAT COULD HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE BUT I'M SURE THAT WAS NOT THE CAUSE AS I PULLED THE FLOOR MAT AWAY AND THERE WAS NO CHANGE IN THE PROBLEM. THE SERVICE TECH AND THE DEALERSHIP WERE HONEST AND TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FIND A CAUSE AND NOTHING WAS DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. *AK

DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT WAS NOT PROPERLY LATCHING. IT WOULD UNLATCH WHILE IN USE. THE CONTACT HAD TO SLAM ON THE BRAKES AND THE FORCE CAUSED THE SEAT BELT TO COME UNLATCHED. THE CONTACT HIT HER HEAD. NOW, THE SEAT BELT WILL NOT LATCH. *AK WHEN CONTACT'S HUSBAND BOUGHT THE NEW SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY TO INSTALL IT THE SALES PERSON CLAIMED HE SOLD MULTIPLE OF THESE SETS, AND THEY WORKED WELL. *AK

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT BUCKLE DOES NOT LATCH COMPLETELY. ONE DAY LATER IT DOES NOT LATCH AT ALL. *JB

DT: CONTACT STATED IN 02-05 THE CAR STARTED SMOKING WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER PULLED OVER AND THERE WAS A FIRE UNDER THE HOOD. THE CAR WAS DESTROYED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED. THE CONSUMER REPORTED OF HAVING NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL PRIOR TO THIS HAPPENING. THE CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT MAY HAVE CAUSED THE FIRE. HE WAS NOT SURE IF IT WAS ELECTRICAL OR CAUSED BY THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL. *AK *NM

I WAS DRIVING FROM LOUISVILLE TO REHOBOTH BEACH, DE. I LEFT AROUND 4:00 AM WITH NO TROUBLE WITH MY CAR. APPROXIMATELY 9:45 AM EST MY CRUISE CONTROL WENT OUT ON MY CAR AND MY CAR KEPT ACCELERATING AND WOULD NOT STOP. I PUSHED EVERY BUTTON ON THE STEERING WHEEL AND KEPT PUSHING THE BRAKES AND THAT WOULD ONLY SLOW DOWN THE CAR. MY CAR WAS TRAVELING IN EXCESS OF 80+ MPH, I ONLY HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL SET ON 74. MY CAR WAS DRIVING OUT OF CONTROL ON THE CURVY AND MOUNTAINOUS ROADS OF HWY 79 N AND THIS WENT ON FOR AROUND 5 MILES BEFORE I CAME TO A STRAIGHT-AWAY AT THE BOTTOM OF THE MOUNTAIN AND WAS ABLE TO PUT MY CAR IN NEUTRAL (SLAMMING ON THE BREAKS) MY CAR STILL DID NOT STOP, I FINALLY PUT IT IN PARK (I'M IN THE EMERGENCY LANE NOW, ) STILL DID NOT STOP AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. MY BREAKS WERE SMOKING AND I WAS FINALLY ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO STOP. THIS WAS BETWEEN MILE MARKER 71 & 72. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED AAA (MY CELL PHONE WAS OUT OF RANGE SO I HAD TO PUT IT ON ROAM) AND THE HIGHWAY PATROL SHOWED UP WITHIN MINUTES AND WAITED WITH ME UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK CAME. HE THEN TOWED ME TO GASSAWAY FORD WHERE THE SERVICE MANAGER (JOHN SMALLWOOD) CHECKED OUT MY CAR AND TOLD ME THE CRUISE CONTROL PIECE WAS DEFECTIVE. HE REMOVED IT FROM MY CAR AND CHECKED MY BREAKS AND SAID THEY WERE O.K. (I DROVE THE REST OF MY TRIP TO REHOBOTH AND BACK TO LOUISVILLE, THE BREAKS APPEAR TO BE LOOSE NOW AND NOT AS TIGHT AS THEY ONCE WERE). HE GAVE ME THE DEFECTIVE PIECE AND THEY WERE OUT OF THAT PART SO IT WAS NOT REPLACED ON MY CAR. HE ADVISED TO FILE A COMPLAINT WITH FORD AND WITH THE NHTSA BECAUSE THE PIECE WAS DEFECTIVE AND I'M LUCKY I WASN'T KILLED. *JB

1996 EDDIE BAUER, FORD EXPLORER..THE VEHICLE HAS OPERATED FINE FOR THE PAST YEAR, BUT IN JUNE THE WIPERS, WINDOWS, INTERIOR LIGHTS, AND SOME INTERIOR SYSTEMS SHUT DOWN, THEN COME BACK ON, THEN LOCK UP AGAIN. AFTER TALKING TO MY DEALER, THEY TELL ME IT LIKELY THE GEM GOING OUT. THEY INFORMED ME THAT A RECALL HAD BEEN MADE ON 1999 MODELS, BUT THAT IT DIDN'T COVER 1996'S. I'VE SPOKEN TO A NUMBER OF OTHER 1996 OWNERS AND HAVE VISITED A NUMBER OF EXPLORER SITES ONLINE AND EVIDENTLY THIS ISN'T AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. THE NHTSA RECALL FOR THE 1999'S IS IDENTICAL TO THE PROBLEMS I'M HAVING...IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM. THE GEM IS AN EXPENSIVE REPLACEMENT PART AND MY MECHANIC SAYS IT SHOULDN'T HAVE WENT OUT IN SUCH A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. THE VEHICLE IS MECHANICALLY PERFECT AND IS KEPT IMMACULATE, BUT THIS PROBLEM IS MAKING ME SERIOUSLY QUESTION PURCHASING A NEW VEHICLE GIVEN ALL THE ELECTRONIC GARBAGE THAT IS PLACED ON THEM NOWADAYS. FORD DOESN'T SEEM TO RESPOND TO THIS COMPLAINT, JUST TELLING ME THAT IT ISN'T A RECALLED ITEM AND THEREFORE ISN'T THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. *NM

I OWN A 96 FORD EXPLORER AND WAS TOLD BY CO-WORKERS THAT A DEFECTIVE PART HAD BEEN RECALLED IN THE 2000 MODEL F-150 THAT PART WAS THE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH THAT WAS LOCATED IN FRONT OF THE BRAKE FLUID HOUSING, IT WAS A LIVE WIRE EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS OFF AND THE KEY WAS NOT IN THE IGNITION, IF FOR ANY REASON THERE WAS A SPARK OR SHORT THAT WIRE WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO EXPLODE. I NOTICED THAT I HAD A LEAK AROUND A PART IN MY FORD EXPLORER THAT WAS IN FRONT OF MY BRAKE FLUID HOUSING AND WHEN I WENT TO THE FORD DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT THE LEAK WAS FROM THE MECHANIC TOLD ME THAT I HAD THAT SAME PART THAT WAS BEING RECALLED IN THE F-150. THE PART ONLY COST 18.00 DOLLARS TO REPLACE BUT THE POINT THAT I'M MAKING IS HOW WOULD I HAVE EXPLAINED TO MY FAMILY WHY MY CAR EXPLODED WHEN I WOULD OF HAD NO IDEA WHAT WAS WRONG. I WOULD LIKE TO PUT A WORD OUT TO ALL THE EXPLORER OWNERS AROUND THE WORLD TO HAVE THERE CRUISE CONTROL SWITCHES CHECK OR REPLACE SO THAT THEY DON'T HAVE A UNPLEASANT VISIT TO THE FORD REPAIR PLACE TO FIND OUT THAT THEY COULD OF NOT COME BACK THE NEXT MORNING. *JB

DT: THE VEHICLE STARTED ON FEBRUARY 2, 2005 TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND THEY SAID THE WATER PUMP WENT OUT, BUT DID NOT REPLACE IT. ALSO, THERE WAS A RADIATOR LEAK. THEY DID NOT REPLACE ANYTHING. WHEN PUTTING THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR THE TRUCK WILL JERK. FORD SAID THIS WAS THE WAY IT WAS SUPPOSE TO DRIVE. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, THEY SAID IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC COULD TELL IT WAS NOT HOOKED UP PROPERLY. NOW THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC STATED THIS WAS WHY THE VEHICLE WAS TORN UP DUE TO THE WAY FORD HAD THE CONSUMER DRIVE THE VEHICLE.*AK

1996 FORD EXPLORER TWO DOORS: CRUISE CONTROL BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL MELTED. NEW BUTTONS PUT BY A PRIVATE TECHNICIAN AT MY OWN COST. SEVERAL FORD VEHICLES ARE BEING RECALLED FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT NOT MINE. WHY NOT? I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. *JB