2003 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

I HAVE A 2003 FORD EXPLORER AND MY O/D LIGHT KEEPS FLASHING I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO GET IT CHECKED AND THEY SAID I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION BECAUSE I HAVE NO 2ND OR 5TH GEAR THEY ALSO SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THAT YEAR. THEY SAID THE SHIFT SEALNOID WENT OUT SO NOW I CANT DRIVE MY TRUCK TELL I CAN AFFORD 3400 DOLLARS TO GET IT FIXED SO THAT HAS MADE IT HARDER FOR ME TO GET TO WORK AND TO GET MY FAMILY WHERE THEY NEED TO BE. *TR

MULTIPLE EPISODES OF LUGNUTS ON 2003 FORD EXPLORER TOP-OF-THE-LINE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT CHROME WHEELS LOOSENING OVER TIME. TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WHEN SERIOUS VIBRATIONS HAVE OCCURRED. ON EACH OCCASION, LUGNUTS WERE LOOSE OR MISSING, WITH ONE OR MORE LUGS COMPLETELY SHEARED OFF ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. ON THIS REPORTED OCCASION, LUGNUTS WERE VERY LOOSE ON ONE WHEEL. MOST LOGICAL EXPLANATION APPEARS TO BE THAT WHEEL MATERIAL IS NOT CAPABLE OF PERFORMING AS DESIGNED, AND THAT DELAMINATION/OXIDATION OF WHEEL SURFACES ARE PRIMARY CONTRIBUTING FACTORS. *TR

ACCELERATOR DEFECT ; THE CAR ATUOMATICALLY SPED UP WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL. CAUSED DAMAGES TO 3 OTHER VEHICLES, 1 OF WHICH WAS TOTALLED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE INDEPENDENTLY WITH THE ILLUMINATION OF SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS. THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR INTERMITTENTLY AND THE EITHER THE VEHICLE WOULD RESTART IMMEDIATELY OR THE VEHICLE WOULD BE TOWED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY ADVISED HER THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 67,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I OWN A 2003 FORD EXPLORER, I HAVE OWNED IT FOR ALMOST 5 YEARS AND TOOK CARE OF IT. I ALSO PAID ALOT OF MONEY FOR IT AND AFTER ABOUT THREE YEARS OUT OF NOWHERE MY O/D LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND MY CAR STARTED SHIFTING WRONG. I HAD THE SOLENOID ON TRANNY REPLACED SOON AS I PUT IT IN 4WHEEL DRIVE MY O/D LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AGAIN AND SHIFTING WRONG. THIS IS MAKING THE CAR ACCELERATE TO MUCH AT TIMES AND ALMOST NOT WANTING TO SHIFT OTHERS.SO WHILE WAITING THINKING I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION MY ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON FOLLOWED BY A LIGHT TICKING NOISE, THAT GOT LOUDER AND LOUDER OVER ABOUT A MONTH.SO THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AN PUT ON A COMPUTER THEY SAID I SHOULD JUNK IT, YES ITS 5 YEARS OLD BUT I BOUGHT MY CAR FROM THEIR AND I PAID ALOT FOR IT.SO NO ONE KNOWS EXACTLY WHAT'S WRONG WITH IT I MYSELF BELIEVE BUT FORD.I BEEN TOLD I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION AND MY TIMING CHAIN IS BAD ON THE ENGINE.THE CAR STILL RUNS ALTHOUGH I WONT DRIVE IT COMPLETELY UNSAFE. ITS A NICE LOOKING CAR BUT I SEEN ALOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE SAME YEAR MAKE AND MODEL HOW IS THAT AND ITS DANGEROUS? ME AND MY DAUGHTER WRECKED AFTER SUDDEN ACCELERATION THANKFULLY THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED AND BURNT HER BUT WE WERE BOTH FINE OTHERWISE. I JUST NOW THIS IS DANGEROUS,FORD KNOWS ABOUT IT AND WHY IT HAPPENED AND HOW TO FIX IT. *TR

WELL THIS WILL BE THE 2ND TRANSMISSION FOR MY 2003 FORD EXPLORER, THE FIRST WAS AT 88700 MILES ABOUT 4 YEARS AGO. IT TOOK THE DEALERSHIP ALMOST 2 WEEKS TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG. THEN 2 WEEKS AFTER THAT HEARD A LOUD PING WHILE DRIVING HOME, AT 9:00 AT NIGHT, TOOK IN TO DEALER AND THE DRIVE SHAFT HAD WATER IN IT. NOW I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER, TRUCK HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD, NEVER TOWED ANYTHING, HIGHWAY MILES. SO, I FIX ALL THAT( ABOUT $3,000.00 IN ONE MONTH) NOW THIS PAST WEEKEND COMING HOME ON THE INTERSTATE TRUCK GIVES A LARGE SHUDDER 3 TIMES, I ALMOST GET RUN OVER BY A TOUR BUS BECAUSE TRUCK IS GETTING READY TO DIE. LIMP HOME CAN'T DRIVE OVER 60 MILES AN HOUR, WENT BACK ROADS HOME, DID NOT LIKE GOING UP SMALL HILLS. WHEN 1 MILE FROM HOME O/D OFF LIGHT CAME ON AND TRANSMISSION STARTED ACTING BAD. PULLED INTO DRIVEWAY, BARELY. NOW I'M PISSED BECAUSE HERE I GO AGAIN POURING OUT MONEY TO FIX AND ALMOST GOT HIT ON INTERSTATE. *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING TO MERGE INTO HIGHWAY, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. MY SON HAD TO MANUALLY PULL UP ON THE GAS PEDAL ON THE FLOOR TO CORRECT THIS. WE WERE ABLE TO RECREATE IT AGAIN BY PRESSING DOWN HEAVILY ON THE GAS PEDAL - AND THIS TIME WE WERE READY TO MANUALLY PULL UP ON THE GAS PEDAL. WE VERIFIED THAT THE FLOOR MATS WERE NOT OBSTRUCTING THE GAS PEDAL IN ANY WAY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 FORD EXPLORER XLS SPORTS. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED THE HATCHBACK LIFTGATE HINGE BROKE AND THE GLASS FELL BUT DID NOT BRAKE. HE STATED SOMEONE CAUGHT THE GLASS. HE CALLED THE DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE FAILURE. HE REFERENCED RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 04V442000 (STRUCTURE:BODY:HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE:HINGE AND ATTACHMENTS) AND WAS ADVISED THAT HIS VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 77,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 77,100.

MY TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE TRYING TO CROSS A BUSY INTERSECTION. IT WOULD NOT SHIFT AND I WAS UNABLE TO ACCELERATE. IT WAS A SCARY MOMENT; LUCKILY THERE WAS NO CRASH. FORD KNOWS ABOUT THE HIGH FAILURE RATE FOR TRANSMISSIONS IN THE 03 EXPLORERS, BUT REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING OTHER THAN OFFER TO PUT IN A NEW TRANSMISSION AT AN EXORBITANT RATE. THEY SHOULD HAVE ISSUED A RECALL ON THESE TRANSMISSIONS, BUT HAVE REFUSED TO DO SO, IN SPITE OF MANY COMPLAINTS.

I RECENTLY ENCOUNTERED PROBLEMS WITH MY VEHICLE'S ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE THEN BEGAN TO BUCK, MAKE LOUD NOISES, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THEN THE O/D LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTICS TEST PERFORMED WHICH DETERMINED THAT MY TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE THAT I AM REFERENCING IS A 2003 FORD EXPLORER WITH 73,859 MILES (AT THE TIME OF THE DIAGNOSIS). I DID RESEARCH WHICH REVEALED THAT THIS HAS BEEN A COMMON ISSUE WITH 2003 FORD EXPLORERS WITH APPROXIMATELY THE SAME NUMBER OF MILES. I DID GET THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED IN MY VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE COMPLAINT IS THAT THESE VEHICLES ARE REQUIRING TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENTS AT SUCH LOW MILES. WITH ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS INVOLVING THIS ISSUE, IT SEEMS TO WARRANT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE MATTER........PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *TR