2002 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE WENT TO MECHANIC. WAS TOLD I BLEW A TWO HOLES THROUGH TIMING CHAIN COVER. WENT ONLINE FOUND THAT IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR THAT YEAR OF FORD. VERY UPSET THERE IS NO RECALL. WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST AT LEAST 2000 TO FIX. FORD NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I WANT TO GO TO MEDIA TO LET EVERYONE THAT HAS THIS PROBLEM KNOW THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT IT AND WILL NOT DO ANYTHING. APPARENTLY EVERYONE HAS TO PAY OUT THE [XXX] TO HAVE THIS FIXED. I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. I WANT MY CAR FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WHILE MOVING THE SHIFT LEVER FROM PARK TO REVERSE, THE LEVER BROKE AWAY FROM THE STEERING COLUMN AND COULD NOT BE RETURNED TO PARK POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS STUCK IN REVERSE, ENGINE RUNNING, AND BRAKE APPLIED. WITH THE BRAKE APPLIED, THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF, STILL IN REVERSE. THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED UNTIL A SMALL WIRE CONTACT INSIDE THE STEERING COLUMN WAS SHORTED TO THE METAL IN THE COLUMN. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE DRAGGED ONTO A TOW VEHICLE AND TAKEN TO AIKINS FORD IN WINDER, GEORGIA. I WAS TOLD THE ENTIRE STEERING COLUMN HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE PART PLUS LABOR WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $1500. AIKINS ORDERED THE PART AND IS STILL WAITING AFTER DISCOVERING THAT THERE WERE 221 STEERING COLUMNS ON BACK ORDER WITH THE AFTER MARKET MANUFACTURER LICENSED TO PROVIDE THE PART. THE DESIGN OF THE SHIFT LEVER INCLUDED A "POT" METAL DISK HOUSING THAT REQUIRES THE SPRING BEHIND IT TO BE ACTUATE BY PULLING THE LEVER FORWARD TO CHANGE THE GEAR STATUS. THE HOUSING SNAPPED IN HALF, LEAVING THE LEVER DANGLING BY A SMALL WIRE. ONLY THE FACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT MOVING AVERTED CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER OF AN ACCIDENT. I HAVE REQUESTED THAT THE STEERING COLUMN PART BE RETURNED TO ME AND HAVE VERY GOOD PHOTOS OF THE VEHICLE AND THE ACTUAL SEPARATION AT THE BREAK IN THE COLUMN. I WILL FURNISH EITHER TO YOUR DEPARTMENT IF AND WHEN I GET MY EXPLORER BACK. NOW 56 DAYS AND STILL WAITING. I BELIEVE THAT IT WAS DESIGN FLAW TO ALLOW A PART THAT REQUIRES UNIFORM STRENGTH TO BE A MOLDED PIECE OF "POT" METAL AND SOMEONE MAY GET HURT, IF NOT ALREADY IN THE 221 INCIDENTS THAT FORD IS AWARE OF. *TR

THE LIFTGATE HINGE FRACTURED ALLOWING THE GLASS TO FALL NEARLY BREAKING MY HAND. THIS HINGE WAS RECALLED BY NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V442000 / FORD RECALL NO. 04S20. IN CONTACTING CUSTOMER SERVICE TONIGHT ON A FORD TRANSMISSION ISSUE, I DISCOVERED THE PREVIOUS HINGE RECALL AND THEY INDICATED THAT HINGE HAD BEEN REPLACE ONCE IN 2004 AND IT WAS MY BAD LUCK THAT IT FAILED A SECOND TIME. THEY WOULD MAKE NO RESTITUTION FOR THE FAILED PART. IT IS UNCONSCIONABLE THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THE SAME ISSUE AS A PREVIOUS RECALL AND NOT CORRECT THE ISSUE AGAIN. IT IS CLEARLY A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD THEY SHOULD ADDRESS, REIMBURSE ME FOR THE PART I PURCHASED THROUGH FORD AND REPLACE THE OTHER HINGE BEFORE IT ALSO FAILS AND HURTS SOMEONE. *TR

THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. THE CODE READS BAD SERVO WHEN READ BY THE NH INSPECTION STATION. INVESTIGATION ON INTERNET AND THROUGH DEALER INQUIRIES STATES THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH EXPLORER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS IN THIS MANUFACTURING TIME PERIOD , EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE STATES THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL. THIS IS A VERY WELL KNOWN PROBLEM BY FORD FOR THE 2002-2004 EXPLORER TRANSMISSIONS. *TR

APPROXIMATELY 30% OF THE TIME, THE COAST BUTTON ON THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL ACTUALLY FUNCTION AS THE ACCELERATE BUTTON. THIS CAN BE DISTURBING IF YOU HIT COAST TO INCREASE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOU AND ANOTHER VEHICLE. WHEN THIS DOES OCCUR, I AM ABLE TO HIT THE BRAKE PEDAL AND DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES AND THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO AN EMBANKMENT. THE CONTACT SUFFERED INJURIES TO THE BACK. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED DURING THE CRASH. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED TO EXTINGUISH THE FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT STATED THAT THE FIRE HAD STARTED FROM THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT DID NOT CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 180,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

WHILE UNLOADING ITEMS FROM BACK I HAD THE HALF GLASS OPEN, AS I WALKED AWAY THE BACK GLASS JUST SLAMMED DOWN AND SHATTERED EVERYWHERE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 4 MPH, THE AIR BAGS INADVERTENTLY DEPLOYED WITHOUT THE VEHICLE BEING INVOLVED IN A CRASH. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED OF THE INCIDENT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE INTAKE MANIFOLD FAILED DUE TO DEFECTIVE PLASTIC THAT FRACTURED AND CAUSED FLUID TO LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION WHERE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WAS REPLACED WITH A STEEL MANIFOLD. IN ADDITION, THE SPARK PLUGS RUBBER AND GASKET WAS REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 180,000. UPDATED 10/17/13*CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE RETURNED TO THE DEALER, HE LEARNED WHEN THE FIVE SPARK PLUGS WERE FLOODED THEY RUINED TWO COILS THAT SENT ELECTRICITY TO THE SPARK PLUGS. UPDATED THE CONSUMER BELIEVED FORD HID THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFOLD PROBLEM, RE-ENGINEERED THE PART TO INCLUDE 1/3 METAL AND THEN EQUIPPED ALL SUBSEQUENT MODELS WITH 1/3 METAL AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT IN AN EFFORT TO AVOID RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE DESIGN. UPDATED 04/17/14

AUGUST 27,2012. HUABAND DRIVING HOWM FROM WORK. GOING DOWN HILL TO TRAFFIC LIGHT. CAR SUDDENLY, WITH NO WARNING, STALLS OUT COMPLETELY. LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES.ETC. A/S CONTUINUED TO WORK. ENGINE LIGH CAME ON. WRESTLED CAR TO VERGE OF ROAD. TURNED CAR OFF AND IT RESTARTED ON FORST TRY. STATED THAT THE FOLLOWING DAY AS HE ATTEMPTED TO PULL AWAY FROM STOP SIGN, CAR WOULD NOT INITALLY TAKE GAS BUT THEN SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ( " I PEELED RUBBER!") RECALLED THAT THATSAME INCIDENT HAD HAD HAPPENED APPROX. 2 WEEKS BEFORE AT A DIFFEENT STOP. CAR TAKEN TO REPAIR SHOP, SOMPUTER SHOWS NO ISSUES. BELIEVE CAR UNSAFE TO DRIVE IF AFFECTED WITH SUDDEN, UNEXPLAINED STALLING WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE. BOUGHT CAR AS "CERTIFIED, PRE-OWNED" USED CAR FROM FORD DEALERSHIP IN DEC. 2012. THEY HAVE NO ANSWER, NO SUGGESTIONS AS TO PROBLEM CAUSE. INTERNET SEARCH SHOWS MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE FORD EXPLORER.