1998 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

4.0L SOHC ENGINE FAILED WITHIN 9,000 MILES OF REPLACING TIMING CHAIN CASSETTE UNDER FORD PROGRAM OOM12. TOWED TO A FORD DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD THAT I WOULD NEED TO PAY 5,800 FOR A REBUILT ENGINE AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO WITH REGARD TO OOM12 WHICH IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE FORD 4.0L SOHC ENGINE FAILING PREMATURELY.*AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL#03V281000 CONCERNING FRONT SEAT ASSEMBLY RECLINER. PASSENGER'S SEAT RECLINER LEVER BROKE. PASSENGER'S SEAT HAD TO BE SUPPORTED BY TWO TENNIS RACKETS IN ORDER FOR THE SEAT BACK TO STAY IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION. *AK

WHEN TRYING TO OPEN DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR FROM INSIDE HANDLE HAD TO BE PULLED AT LEAST TEN TIMES BEFORE THE DOOR WOULD OPEN. CONSUMER WAS CONCERNED THAT IF THERE WAS AN EMERGENCY THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. *AK

MULIFUNCTION SWITCH ON 1998 FORD EXPLORER EDDIE BOWER 2WD SMOKING AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. MFS BEGAN SMOKING AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE, POTENTIALLY CAUSING A FIRE HAZARD. NO FIRES REPORTED AFTER NUMEROUS VEHICLE STARTS, HOWEVER, SMOKE BECOMING MORE PREVELANT AFTER EACH VEHICLE START. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEABLE. MFS WAS REPLACED. *AK

ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING "ROUGH." DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE CAM CHAIN GUIDE BROKE, AND ENGINE HAD TO BE REPLACED. *AK

THE INFORMATION FOR THE RADIO WAS VISIBLE AT TIMES AND SOMETIMES IT WAS NOT VISIBLE. *AK *SCC *JB

THE HATCHBACK WOULD NOT OPEN AT ALL. THE CONSUMER FELT IT WAS UNSAFE TO HAVE NO MANUAL WAY TO OPEN THE HATCHBACK FROM THE INSIDE. *AK *NLM

WHEN DRIVING AT 40 MPH TRANSMISSION TRANSFER CASE WOULD MAKE A LOUD NOISE AND IT WOULD BE HARD FOR THE DRIVER TO ACCELERATE FORWARD. *AK

1998 FORD EXPLORER EDDIE BAUER MODEL, CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE PARKED IN MY GARAGE AT 4:00 AM. VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN SINCE 5:30 PM PREVIOUS EVENING. WE WERE ALERTED BY A SMOKE DETECTOR. VEHICLE WAS TOTAL LOSS, GARAGE & ATTIC ABOVE GARAGE BADLY DAMAGED RESULTING IN COMPLETE LOSS OF OUR PERSONAL PROPERTY STORED THERE. FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT STATES THAT THEY THINK THE FIRE STARTED WITH THE BATTERY, WHICH WAS ORIGINAL TO THE VEHICLE. *NLM

BOTH SEAT RELEASE LATCHES HAVE BROKEN OFF. BACK OF DRIVERS SEAT WILL NOT RELEASE(TILT FORWARD) TO ALLOW ACCESS TO BACK SEAT. PASSENGER SEAT WOULD NOT SLIDE OR TILT FORWARD TO ALLOW ACCESS TO REAR SEAT PASSENGER SEAT BROKE ON 3/30/03. PASSENGER SEAT LATCH REPAIRED (SPOT WELD) DRIVERS SEAT BROKE ON..*AK