1995 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 60MPH SWAY BAR BROKE, CAUSING CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL. DEALER CONTACTED. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 35MPH APPLIED BRAKES AND PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR WITH NO STOPPING POWER. PUMPED BRAKES A COUPLE OF TIMES, AND BRAKES AUTOMATICALLY STARTED WORKING PROPERLY. DEALER CONTACTED.*AK CONSUMER STATED THE MASTER CYLINDER FAILED.*SLC

WHENEVER MY WIFE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE BRAKE PEDAL PULSATING/VIBRATING, I TOLD HER THATS NORMAL BECAUSE IT'S THE ABS. SHE SAID IT DIDN'T DO IT ALL THE TIME AND THE FEW TIMES I DROVE HER EXPLORER TO FIND OUT WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT IT DID NOT ACT UP. I JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT ME A VEHICLE SHE FELT COMFORTABLE DRIVING AND I TOOK HER EXPLORER FOR A WEEK. THE ABS ACTED UP DURING A NORMAL STOP AND I COMPLETELY WENT THROUGH A STOP SIGN. I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT WE HAVE ONLY BEEN NOTIFIED OF ONE RECALL ON THE EXPLORER AND THAT WAS MANY YEARS AGO.*AK

DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE CONSUMER HEARD A POP AND SAW SMOKE IN THE REAR, PULLED VEHICLE OVER AND FIRE ENGULFED FROM UNDER HOOD, POSSIBLE ENGINE FIRE. *JG

CONSUMER CONTACTED MECHANIC FOR GRINDING NOISES IN ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. BUT WAS INFORMED THAT FRONT ABS BRAKE PISTONS AND CALIPERS WERE MADE OF PLASTIC. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

I RETAINED THE OLD PART FOR YOUR INSPECTION. I ALSO HAVE PHOTOS OF THE PART I EMAIL YOU. WHEN THIS NON-SERVICABLE PART BROKE, RAW EXHAUST BLEW THROUGH THE FIREWALL AND GASSED US OUT OF THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THERE IS A POTENTIAL CARBON MONOXIDE HAZARD. *AK

ON 12/20/01, I TRIED TO GO INTO 4 WHEEL DRIVE. AUTO 4WD LIGHT DIDN'T COME ON. DRIVING IT RESULTED IN NOISE FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE: GROANS, LOUD CLUNKS, SEVERE VIBRATIONS, AND DIFFICULTY STEERING THE VEHICLE. NEXT BOTH 4WD LIGHTS STARTED BLINKING. ON 12/24/01, I TOOK CAR TO DEALER. ACTUATOR WAS REPLACED, WHICH THEY SAID WAS A PROBLEM IN THESE CARS. CHARGE WAS $441.77. I NOTICED SAME PROBLEM. BACK TO SHOP ON 12/26/01. AFTER 2 DAYS WORK PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED AS WATER GETTING INTO THE TRANSFER CASE, CONTAMINATING CLUTCHES, CAUSING THEM TO STICK AND GRAB. FIX WAS TO DRAIN AND REFILL THE CASE. COST $205.45. HE SAID THERE WAS A VENT BUT THIS WOULD NOT HAVE ALLOWED FOR THIS PROBLEM TO OCCUR. PROBLEM IS LESS BUT STILL PRESENT. LATER, ALL THE WHILE STILL NOTICING THE VIBRATION, I NOTICED THAT BOTH LIGHTS WOULD BEGIN TO FLASH.THE NHTSA SITE PROVIDED SEVERAL TSB'S THAT SEEM TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEMS: SB# 97314, DATED 02/97; SB# BC0206970201, DATED 01/97; SB# BC1011297020, DATED 01/97. ALL DEAL WITH THE TRANSFER CASE BINDING OR SHUDDERING. ALSO TWO TSB'S RECOMMENDING THE USE OF A REVISED VENT TUBE TO PREVENT WATER GETTING INTO THE TRANSFER CASE: SB# BC0133970201, DATED 01/97; AND SB# BC1012797020, DATED 01/97. DEALER WAS UNAWARE OF THIS PROCEDURE AND DID NOT SUGGEST DOING IT ON MY VEHICLE.I STILL HAVE PROBLEMS WITH AUTO 4WD. THE DEALER HAS REPLACED A SPEED SENSOR, ELIMINATING THE FLASHING LIGHTS. BILL IS NOW $700 AND NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM, KNOWN SINCE 1997. NOBODY BOTHERED TO TELL ME TO HAVE MY TRANSFER CASE FLUID CHECKED OR THE VENT TUBE CHANGED. DEALER EVEN TOLD ME THAT THEY NORMALLY WOULD NOT CHECK FOR THIS AND THAT I SHOULD TAKE IT UPON MYSELF. SINCE THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE DUE TO AN INHERENT DESIGN FLAW AND HAS BEEN KNOWN BY FORD SINCE 1997, WITHIN MY WARRANTY PERIOD, I CALLED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ASKED FOR PROBLEM BE FIXED WITHOUT COST TO ME. THEY KNEW OF THE PROBLEM AND THE REPAIRS BUT REFUSED TO HELP SINCE ITS OUT OF WARRANTY. *AK

SINCE 1997, VEHICLE HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. RESPONSE FROM FORD WAS THAT DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF SENSORS THAT ACTIVATE THE LIGHT, IT WOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL WHAT WAS SETTING IT OFF. THEN TOLD FORD TO RUN PCM DIAGNOSTIC TEST TO OBTAIN CODES, DIDN;T KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT. FINALLY GOT THEM TO DO IT, AND IT CAME UP WITH FAULTY O2 SENSOR. REPLACED SENSOR, AND PROBLEM PERSISTED. WENT BACK, RAN TEST, CAME BACK WITH SAME RESULTS. FORD HAS BEEN NO HELP, CONTACTED FORD, SAID NOT SAFETY RELATED, THEREFORE NOT THEIR PROBLEM. WILL NEVER BUY A FORD AGAIN. *AK

DRIVING FROM SAN DIEGO TO LAX AIRPORT. 1/3 OF WAY THERE, O/D OFF LIGHT STARTS FLASHING, SEE IN MANUAL TO CONTACT DEALERSHIP AND TO HAVE VEHICLE CHECKED. CALL RANCHO FORD IN TEMECULA, CA, THEY SAID VEHICLE FINE TO DRIVE, COME IN FOR APPOINTMENT A FEW DAYS LATER. VEHICLE NOT IN CORRECT GEARS, RPM AWKWARD, TOO HIGH, TOO LOW. THEN 1/2 BACK AND HEAR POP SOUND, LIKE GUNFIRE, AND SEE SMOKE COMING FROM UNDER VEHICLE. PAST EXPERIENCE WITH FORD TELLS ME NOT TO TRUST THEM, SO I PULL OVER AND CALL MY MECHANIC. TRANSMISSION BLEW CAP OFF AND COVER UNDERCARRIAGE OF CAR WITH TRANS FLUID. MECHANIC SAID THAT AS LONG AS I DID NOT REV ABOVE 2700, I WOULD BE OKAY. MADE IT ALL THE WAY HOME. HAD TRANSMISSION REBUILT AND REINSTALLED, TWO WEEKS LATER, SAME SYMPTOMS. THIS TIME NEW TRANSMISSION. THEN 4 WEEKS LATER, PROBLEMS OCCUR AGAIN. TAKE TO AAMCO, AND THEY SAY NEEDS NEW TORQUE CONVERTER, TAKE TO REGUALR MECHANIC, SAYS NEEDS NEW TRANSFER CASE, TAKE TO RANCHO FORD, THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO, AND TAKE TO LAKE ELSINORE FORD, WHERE THEY RUN DIAGNOSTIC, AND FIND NOTHING IS WRONG.*AK

SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY, RESULTING IN INCORRECT MILES. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED.*AK *SLC