2002 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

THE TRANSMISSION ON MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT SUDDENLY BEGAN TO REV HIGHER THAN NORMAL. THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT INDICATOR ON THE DASH BEGAN TO FLASH AND 2ND AND 5TH GEAR SEEMED TO HAVE STOPPED WORKING. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 FORD EXPLORER THAT IS IN THE SHOP RIGHT NOW WITH A TORN DOWN ENGINE. I WENT OUT TO START IT ONE MORNING AND IT HAD A HARD START THEN IT STARTED TICKING. COME TO FIND OUT IT THE TIMING CHAIN. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ ONLINE IT IS A VERY COMMON COMPLAINT AND I AM REALLY SURPRISED THAT THIS TRUCK HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED AGAIN FOR THIS PROBLEM. I AM HAVING TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT FORD MADE A MISTAKE ON. THE PULLEY ON THE TRUCK IS PLASTIC, AND IT IS FAILING. I ALSO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH MY ELECTRICAL PARTS ON IT. THE LIGHTS INSIDE WILL STAY ON AFTER I TURN IT OFF AND GET OUT AND IF I TURN ON MY REAR DEFROST MY TRUCK DINGS AND SAYS DOOR AJAR..... THIS TRUCK IS AWFUL. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT UPON SHIFTING INTO REVERSE AND APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL, THE PEDAL DEPRESSED TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE SURGED BACKWARD. THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A TREE. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. BOTH THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED AND WERE IN THE PROCESS OF ASSISTING THE CONTACT WITH AN INVESTIGATION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 184,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE SHIFTING FROM PARK TO REVERSE, THE GEAR SHIFTER FRACTURED. A LOCAL MECHANIC INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND LOCATED THE FAILURE AT THE GEAR HOUSING UNIT. THE MECHANIC ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER HOUSING WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED.THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 143,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE DEALER MADE FOUR ATTEMPTS TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE BY REPLACING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS HOWEVER, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 165,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 01/10/12*LJ

THE BODY MOUNTS HAVE DETERIORATED TO A POINT THAT THEY ARE CRUMBLING AND ARE NOT SUPPORTING THE FRAME TO THE BODY AND NEED TO BE REPLACED FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND HAD TO BE REBUILT. NEITHER OF THESE PROBLEMS SHOULD EXIST ON A VEHICLE THAT IS WELL MAINTAINED AND HAS ONLY 52,000 MILES. THESE PROBLEMS APPEAR TO BE COMMON WITH THIS VEHICLE AND NEED TO BE ADDRESSED BY FORD. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR TO WORK, I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AT THE END OF MY ROAD, LIKE I DO EVERY MORNING. HOWEVER, ON THIS MORNING, AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE FROM A COMPLETE STOP, MY CAR BOGGED DOWN WHICH LEFT ME IN THE ROAD FOR SECONDS LONGER THEN WAS SAFE. THERE WAS A CAR SPEEDING AROUND THE CURVE, AND MY CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE LIKE IT SHOULD. FINALLY, AND THANK GOD, IT JAMMED INTO GEAR, AND ME AND MY ONE YEAR OLD SON WERE NOT INJURED. ALSO, ON THAT SAME DAY, MY CAR STARTING SKIPPING WHILE IN FIRST GEAR, WHICH ALSO WAS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE IT WAS JERKING SO HARD, IT WAS HARD TO KEEP IN UNDER CONTROL, PLUS IT ALSO SLOWED MY PROGRESSION ACROSS HIGHLY CONGESTED AREAS DOWN, WHICH ALSO PUT MY SAFETY AT RISK. WE TOOK MY CAR TO THE SHOP, AND THE REPAIRMAN STATED THAT MY TRANSMISSION WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH FIRST GEAR AND OVERDRIVE. THERE HAD BEEN NO PREVIOUS WARNING OR INDICATORS THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH MY TRANSMISSION UNTIL THE DAY OF. WE HAD THE FLUID CHECKED AND THE ENGINE CHECKED. NOTHING WAS WRONG THAT WE COULD HAVE PREVENTED. *TR

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES AT APPROXIMATE SPEED OF 3 TO 5 MPH, ANTI LOCK BRAKES ACTIVATE. FORD DEALERSHIP HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 7 DAYS, REPLACED THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE SENSOR AND ADVISED ME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS FIXED. AS SOON AS I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP, I NOTICED THE SAME PROBLEM. TO DATE, FORD HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM, OR REFUNDED MY MONEY FOR THE REPAIR THAT WAS NOT NECESSARY (ANTI LOCK BRAKE SENSOR.) *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 60 MPH WHEN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE TIRE DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THERE WERE THREE LUG NUTS THAT HAD BECOME LOOSE AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A LOCAL MECHANIC TO HAVE THE WHEEL REPLACED. LESS THAN ONE MONTH LATER, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE LUG NUTS HAD BECOME LOOSE AGAIN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LUG NUTS WERE BECOMING LOOSE FROM THE VIBRATION OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT DID NOT TAKE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS OR REPAIRS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

MY NAME IS[XXX] AND I OWN A 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT (V6). I HAVE OWNED IT FOR ALMOST A YEAR NOW (WILL BE IN JAN 2012) AND LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT UNTIL RECENTLY. ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO, I HEARD A STRANGE LOUD WHINING NOISE. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND FOUND THAT REAR WHEEL BEARING WAS GOING. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT IF I WOULD HAVE TOOK THE INTERSTATE TO WORK THAT EVENING I COULD HAVE POSSIBLY DIED OR CAUSED SERIOUS INJURIES TO OTHERS ON ROAD. VERY SCARY! MIND YOU THIS BEARING WENT WITH NO WARNING. IMMEDIATELY AFTER I HEARD THE NOISE I TOOK IT IN. WELL THE BEARING GOT FIXED AND I COULDN'T HAVE BEEN HAPPIER. HOWEVER, ABOUT A MONTH AGO I WAS ON THE INTERSTATE WITH MY TWO YEAR OLD DAUGHTER DOING ABOUT 70MPH WHEN MY TRUCK BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. I ASSUMED I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING A TIRE BLOW-OUT AND BEGAN SLOWLY BREAKING AND LOSING CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. LUCKILY I MADE IT ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE INTERSTATE. MY TIRE HOWEVER WAS NOT AS LUCKY. ALL 5 STUDS ON MY RIGHT REAR TIRE SNAPPED CAUSING THE TIRE TO COMPLETELY FLY OFF AND PROCEED DOWN THE ROAD AT A FAST SPEED JUST PASSING THE TURN RAMP AND MISSING SEVERAL OTHER VEHICLES. IN THE PROCESS OF LOSING THE TIRE, IT ALSO CAUSED DAMAGE TO REAR END OF MY SUV. IT LOOKED AS IF THE TIRE GOT CAUGHT AND CAUSED THE REAR TO DENT IN.REPLACED STUDS AND EVERYTHING SEEMED FINE. TODAY (DEC.15TH) NOT EVEN AN ENTIRE MONTH LATER, VEHICLE STARTED SHAKING AGAIN. OH HOW I REMEMBERED THAT SCARY SHAKE. EXAMINED TIRE AND ONCE AGAIN, STUDS SNAPPED. 2 THIS TIME WITH A THIRD ONE MISSING THE CAP. THE TIRE WAS ONLY HELD BY 2 STUDS. THANK THE LORD I NOTICED THIS PROBLEM BEFORE GOING ONTO THE INTERSTATE AND ONCE AGAIN HAVING MY TIRE FLY OFF! I HAVE BEEN DOING RESEARCH THIS EVENING TO FIND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE 02-04 EXPLORERS. PLEASE MAKE A RECALL FORD AND OTHERS HELP ME TO GET ONE MADE! THIS IS A SCARY AND DANGEROUS SITUATION! IT CAN CAUSE THE LOSS OF MANY LIVES AS IT HAS ALMOST DONE MINE AND MY DAUGHTERS. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION A