1999 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH STEERING WHEEL SWAYED AWAY FROM THE CONSUMER. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

I HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY U-HAUL THAT THEY WILL NO LONGER RENT A TRAILER TO ME TO BE TOWED BY MY 1999 FORD EXPLORER (4DR, XLT). I HAVE NOT BEEN ADVISED BY BY YOUR AGENCY OR FORD THAT THIS VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO USE AS A TOW VEHCILE. MY COMPLAINT IS AGAINST U-HAUL FOR ADOPTING THIS PRACTICE, AND AGAINST FORD FOR FAILING TO NOTIFY ME IF THIS VEHCILE IS NOT SAFE TO USE AS A TOW VEHCILE, WHCIH IS WHY I PURCHASED IT! I FEEL THAT I HAVE BEEN IGNORED BY THE NHTSA AND FORD.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING DOWNHILL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWING VIOLENTLY WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. *PH AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, THE CONSUMER WAS PULLING A 5X 10 SINGLE AXLE TRAILER ON THE BACK OF THE VEHICLE *JB

THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE DRIVER'S SEAT RECLINER BOLT. AFTER TAKING VEHICLE IN 3 DIFFERENT TIMES TO GET RECALL WORK DONE, AFTER IT WAS COMPLETED, THE SEAT IS STILL MALFUNCTIONING DUE TO DAMAGE DONE IN THE INTERIM BETWEEN THE MALFUNCTION AND A YEAR LATER GETTING THE RECALL BOLT FIXED. THE DIFFERENT BRACKETS AND BOLTS THAT SUPPORT THE SEAT BROKEN. DRIVER IS RELYING ON STEERING COLUMN FOR SUPPORT WHILE DRIVING, AND ALSO HAS BACK PAIN DUE TO LACK OF SUPPORT. THE SEAT RECLINER LEVER IS BENT AND EXPOSED, WHICH IS TEARING THE FABRIC OF THE SEAT AND ALSO SCRAPES AGAINST THE DRIVER WHEN ENTERING AND EXITING THE VEHICLE, CAUSING BRUISES AND PAIN ON THE BACK OF THE DRIVER'S LEG. ATTEMPTS TO WORK WITH FORD MOTOR COMPANY, THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU, AND THE DEALER HAVE PROVED FUTILE.*AK

VEHICLE'S SEAT BOLT RECALLED, AND THE SEAT BACK COLLAPSED UNEXPECTEDLY. *LA THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM HE EXPERIENCED WITH THE SEAT WAS NOT THE RECALLED PART, BUT INSTEAD A SAT BACK FRAME THAT BROKE. *JB

GEAR SHIFT INDICATOR IS MISALIGNED SINCE ABOUT SEPTEMBER, 2003. THERE ARE OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM INDICATING IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM. THERE ARE PROBABLY MANY PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM BUT WHO HAVE NOT FILED A COMPLAINT. THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM IN EMERGENCIES THAT REQUIRE YOU TO IMMEDIATELY PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL OR REVERSE. IF YOU PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO THE POSITION INDICATED BY THE N=NEUTRAL INDICATOR, YOU ARE ACTUALLY PUTTING THE CAR INTO REVERSE. THIS COULD CAUSE DEATH IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS WHERE PEDESTRIANS ARE NEARBY, OR DEATH TO OCCUPANTS WHEN AN ATTEMPT IS MADE TO MOVE THE TRANSMISSION OF A MOVING VEHICLE TO NEUTRAL. THERE MAY ALREADY HAVE BEEN DEATHS RELATED TO THIS DEFECT. MOVING A TRANSMISSION TO NEUTRAL IS OFTEN A FIRST ATTEMPT TO DISENGAGE THE ENGINE AND POWER TO THE WHEELS.

WHILE STARTING VEHICLE SHUTTERED FOR 10 SECONDS AND THEN IT SHUT OFF. MOST OF THE VEHICLE'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS DO NOT WORK AFTER THE INITIAL START UP.*AK *MR

AT 40,000 MILES AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE, AND WOULD NOT TURN OFF. THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM HAD NOT BEEN DETERMINED. *AK

ACCELERATOR PEDAL BRACKET CAME UN-WELDED CAUSING THE ACCELERATOR TO HANG FREELY CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLES SPEED ALMOST RESULTING IN A COLLISION.

VEHICLE 1999 FORD EXPLORER SPORT (2DR) VIN [XXX] THIS INVOLVES A SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE FRONT SEAT RECLINER HANDLES ON THE SIDE OF THE SEATS. FORD HAS ISSUED A RECALL (03S04) TO REPLACE THE "DRIVER SEAT RECLINER BOLT." HOWEVER, MY COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE RECLINER HANDLES WHICH FELL APART ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT OF OUR VEHICLE. ON BELOW DATE, MY WIFE EXITED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND USED THE HANDLE TO MOVE THE SEAT FORWARD SO OUR DAUGHTER COULD EXIT THE REAR SEAT AREA. THE HANDLE FELL APART IN TWO PIECES AND THE BACK PART OF THE SEAT FLEW FORWARD TO THE DASH. THE BACK PART OF THE SEAT WILL NOT HOLD A POSITION AND FREELY MOVES BACK AND FORTH INTO THE REAR SEAT AND FORWARD TO THE DASH RENDERING THE SEAT UNSAFE AND USELESS. ON 2/6/04, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO SOUTH BAY FORD, 13900 HAWTHORNE BLVD, HAWTHORNE, CA 90250 PH 310 644-0211 FOR THE RECALL WORK. I ALSO ADVISED THEM THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT HAD COME FREE BECAUSE OF A FAULTY RELEASE HANDLE. I WAS CALLED LATER AND ADVISED IT WOULD COST OVER 400 DOLLARS TO REPAIR THE FAULTY RELEASE HANDLES ON BOTH THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS SEATS. THE SERVICEMAN INFORMED ME THE DRIVERS SEAT RELEASE MECHANISM WAS ALSO ABOUT TO FAIL. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT FORD DEFINITLY HAS A SAFETY ISSUE HERE INVOLVING THEIR SEATS IN THIS VEHICLE. FORD HAS ALREADY ADDRESSED ONE SAFETY ISSURE INVOLVING THE RECLINING SEATS WITH THE RECALL INVOLVING THE FAULTY BOLT. THE BOLT WAS REPLACED IN ORDER TO PREVENT EXACTLY WHAT IS OCCURRING WITH THEIR FAULTY RECLINER RELEASE MECHANISM. THE RECLINER HANDLE FELL APART WHEN MY WIFE SIMPLY TOUCHED IT AND THE OTHER, ACCORDING TO THE SERVICEPERSON, IS ABOUT TO FALL APART. I WOULD HATE TO IMAGINE IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A MATTER THE NHTSA SHOULD INVESTIGATE. *AK UPDATED 07/27/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)