1998 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

THE LEFT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR'S LOCK BROKE. ONCE INSIDE THE VEHICLE PASSENGER COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE. THE DOOR HAD TO BE OPENED FROM THE OUTSIDE. *AK

DRIVERS SIDE FRONT SEAT BELT GIVES AROUND THE WAIST CAUSING THE SEAT BELT TO LOSE WITH NO RESTRAINT WHILE DRIVING. *AK

CONSUMER WAS UNABLE TO EXIT OR ENTER THE VEHICLE IN THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK

HEADLIGHTS GO OFF UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING. ACTION TO BE TAKEN IS TO HAVE THE DEALER INSPECT AND REPAIR.*AK

TIRE FAILURE ON LEFT REAR TIRE. *MR THIS OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE TIRE WAS COMPLETELY SHREDDED.*SC THE CONSUMER REPLACED THE FIRESTONE TIRES WITH GOODYEAR TIRES BECAUSE OF THE RECALL HE HEARD ABOUT IN JULY 2001. THE TIRES THAT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURE WERE GOODYEAR TIRES AND THE CONSUMER HAS SINCE REPLACED ALL THE TIRES WITH MICHELINS. *JB

1998, FORD, EXPLORER, CONSUMER HAD PROBLEMS AT DIFFERENT TIMES GETTING THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR NOT OPEN AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS UNLOCKED. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED WHILE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING OR WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS OUT OF THE VEHICLE. *AK

THE CONSUMERTHAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL CAME OFF OF THE FIRE WALL, WHEN HE ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE. THE BRACKET CAME OFF. PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

WHILE DRIVING CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THAT VEHICLE WAS RIDING ROUGHLY. WHILE SITTING STILL VEHICLE VIBRATED UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO A CRACKED CYLINDER . *AK ...... *AK

SINCE PURCHASING A USED 1998 FORD EXPLORER I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT. 6 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING THE VEHICLE MY WHEEL BEARINGS WENT OUT AND DAMAGED THE SPINDLE. THIS WAS A $500 EXPENSE AS THE SPINDLE WAS A DEALER PART. WHEN I PURCHASED IT THERE WERE 26000 MILES ON IT...THERE WERE ABOUT 36000 WHEN THE BEARINGS WENT OUT...JUST AS THE WARRANTY EXPIRED. THEN, ABOUT A YEAR LATER, THE UPPER AIR INTAKE MANIFOLD GOT A HOLE BURNED IN IT. AGAIN, FORD COULDN'T OFFER ME ANY KIND OF HELP AND SAID IT WAS A $800-1000 REPAIR. ON A SIDE NOTE, THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WAS A KNOWN ISSUE BY FORD. IN FACT, RECALLS WERE MADE BY FORD TO REPLACE THE INTAKES FREE OF CHARGE TO FLEETS BUT NOT TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC. JUST RECENTLY MY FREEZE PLUGS RUSTED THROUGH AND CAUSED MY CAR TO OVERHEAT. THIS HAS BEEN QUOTED BY FORD AS A $1300 REPAIR. I CALLED FORD TO SEE ABOUT SOME SORT OF GOODWILL WARRANTY AND OF COURSE ANYTHING WITH GOODWILL IN THE EQUATION IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING FORD WILL NOT DO. I CURRENTLY HAVE 2 YEARS LEFT ON THE LOAN FOR A PIECE OF CRAP CAR THAT ISN'T EVEN WORTH HALF OF WHAT I STILL OWE ON IT. I AM REALLY THINKING OF TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND PARKING RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE ENTRY WAY AND TAKING THE KEYS WITH ME AND TELLING THEM TO STICK IT UP THEIR REARS. FORD MAKES THE WHOLE CAR INDUSTRY LOOK REALLY BAD AND IN NO WAY WOULD I EVER BUY ANOTHER FORD. PLEASE HELP US CONSUMERS OUT AND MAKE THE GAME FAIR BETWEEN THE AUTO INDUSTRY AND CONSUMERS...WE ARE GETTING RIPPED OFF LEFT AND RIGHT WHILE THEY KEEP GETTING RICHER AND RICHER. *LA

MY HUSBAND, NINE YEAR OLD NEPHEW AND I WERE DRIVING BACK FROM OUR SUMMER VACATION. THE NIGHT BEFORE OUR ACTUAL ACCIDENT, OUR FRONT RIGHT TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION. MY HUSBAND PUT THE SPARE ON AND WE WENT ON TO OUR HOTEL. THE NEXT DAY OUR LEFT REAR TIRE HAD TREAD SEPARATION AND FORCED MY 1998 FORD EXPLORER SPORT ONTO THE MEDIAN. SOMEWHERE DURING THAT OUR RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. THEN WE ROLLED OVER THREE TIMES. WE WERE TRAVELING THE SPEED LIMIT AT 70 MPH. WE STRONGLY FEEL THAT THE DUNLOP TIRES WERE THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCIDENT. MY EXPLORER WAS A TOTAL LOSS. DESPITE THE EVENTS, MY HUSBAND NEPHEW AND I WALKED AWAY WITH ONLY SCRATCHES AND MINOR CUTS. I THANK FORD FOR THAT. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO MENTION THAT ABOUT A YEAR AGO I HAD TO REPLACE ONE OF THE DUNLOP TIRES FOR TREAD SEPARATION. I RECEIVED ANOTHER TIRE. THAT TIRE WHICH WAS ON THE FRONT LEFT AND THE SPARE (WHICH WAS A FIRESTONE) DID NOT GIVE OUT BUT BASICALLY THE FOUR DUNLOP TIRES THAT I PURCHASED, I STRONGLY FEEL, WERE DEFECTIVE. *JB