2000 FORD EXPLORER Complaints

THIS WAS A TERRIBLE EVENT... MY CAR WAS AIMED DOWN MY 300 FT DRIVEWAY. I DON'T BELIEVE AT THAT POINT OR IF IT WAS STUCK I DIDN'T KNOW THE ACCELERATOR WAS STUCK BUT I SOON REALIZED SOMETHING WAS WRONG. AS I HEADED TO NEW ALBANY HIGH SCHOOL FOR WATER CLASS THE EXPLORER WENT FASTER AND FASTER ON RT 161... THE CLUTCH WOULD NOT ALLOW A DOWN SHIFT AT ALL AFTER THE FIRST TIME OR TWO... I MAY HAVE BLOWN IT OUT... THE SUV WENT FASTER AND FASTER AND IN 3RD GEAR IT WAS REVVING SO HARD... WHEN I COULD I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF... I LET IT COOL AND ATTEMPTED TO START THE EXPLORER BUT IT WOULD HAVE RED WARNING LIGHTS WHEN I STARTED IT IN NEUTRAL AS IT REVVED SO HIGH... I PUSHED IT INTO GEAR AND WHEN I GOT TO THE TWO RED LIGHTS I TURNED THE KEY OFF... ONCE I STOPPED IN THE INTERSECTION AND ABOUT 8 CARS WERE HONKING AT ME. I HAD TO DEAL WITH FIVE TRAFFIC INTERSECTIONS. WHEN I GOT HOME I TURNED THE KEY OFF AND FOUGHT THE WHEEL TO GET TURNED INTO THE DOWNSWING OF MY DRIVEWAY... I RACED AROUND MY HOUSE TO FACE OUT AND TURNED OFF THE KEY... THE EXPLORER WAS SMOKING AND "LAID RUBBER" AND TORE OUT GRASS IN MY HOUSE... IT ALMOST SKIDDED INTO MY POND. I THINK THE CLUTCH IS BURNED OUT AND THE BRAKE ABS LIGHT WAS ON AS I HAD TO BRAKE ALL THE WAY HOME... I TRIED TO DISENGAGE THE CRUISE CONTROL IF THAT WAS IT DURING MY TERROR RIDE BUT IT HAD NO EFFECT... THE BRAKES COULD NOT STOP THE SPEEDING VEHICLE, THE GEARS WERE LOCKED WHILE THE SPEED ACCELERATED SO THERE WAS NO DOWNSHIFTING, THE PEDAL WAS PUSHED TO THE FLOOR AND WOULD NOT CHANGE SPEED WHEN I PULLED IT UP WITH MY HAND OR TOE OF MY SHOE... *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 35 MPH WHEN SMOKE EMITTED FROM THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED FLAMES COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE POLICE AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE CONTACTED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 179,000.

WHILE BACKING UP INTO MY DRIVEWAY, THE TRANSMISSION MADE A LOAD NOISE. THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. THE VEHICLE CAN NOT GO INTO REVERSE. I BARELY GOT THE VEHICLE IN THE DRIVEWAY MOVING IT FORWARD WHEN ANOTHER LOAD NOISE OCCURRED AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING. SOME OWNERS HAVE REPORTED THAT THE REVERSE BAND IN THE TRANSMISSION FAILS CAUSING THIS CONDITION. THROUGH READING ON YOUR OWN WEBSITE, THERE ARE OTHER 2000 FORD EXPLORER OWNERS (EXPLODER AS FORD MECHANICS CALL THEM!!!!) WITH THE SAME ISSUE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE VEHICLE WILL NEED THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED. THE FIRST TIME, IT WAS COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *TR

WE HAVE A 2000 FORD EXPLORER BOUGHT NEW FROM HOLMAN FORD. THE REAR METAL BRAKE LINE THAT IS MOUNTED ON THE REAR AXLE, CONNECTING BOTH REAR BRAKES FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON RTE 42 IN NEW JERSEY. THE SUV WAS SLOWED DOWN BY DRIVING ON THE MEDIAN STRIP OF THE HIGHWAY. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT THE HEIGHT OF MORNING RUSH HOUR. UPON INSPECTION OF THE BRAKE LINE, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE LINE "RUSTED" THROUGH, LETTING BRAKE FLUID TO RAPIDLY SPRAY OUT WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE BRAKE LINE IS MOUNTED TO THE REAR AXLE BY METAL CLIPS ATTACHED TO THE REAR AXLE. AT THE CENTER OF THE REAR AXLE, THE BRAKE LINE FAILED, WHERE IT IS FASTENED TO THE CLIP. THE BRAKE LINE IS MOUNTED THIS WAY BY FORD. AFTER MANY ATTEMPTS TO BUY A NEW OEM BRAKE LINE FROM FORD, FORD INFORMED ME THAT THE PART WAS DISCONTINUED. AND FOR HOLMAN FORD, I WILL NEVER BY A CAR OR ANYTHING FROM THIS DEALERSHIP!! THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

SPARKPLUG SUPER-HEATED AND MELTED LONGITUDINALLY DESTROYING THE OUTERMOST SPARKPLUG THREADS (7 THROUGH THE SEATING SURFACE OF THE SPARK PLUG). INNER MOST THREADS, THE ONES DEEPEST INTO THE HEAD WERE NOT DAMAGED. A SECOND PLUG WAS INSTALLED ALONG WITH A NEW SPARK PLUG WIRE AND WITHIN 20 MILES, THE SPARKPLUG WAS AGAIN MELTED BEYOND SALVAGE AND THE NEW WIRE BURNED UP. DUE TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SPARKPLUG, IT WAS ABLE TO BE REMOVED WITHOUT TOOLS AS THERE WERE NO THREADS REMAINING IN THE CYLINDER HEAD. FORTUNATELY THE FIRE DAMAGE (LIKELY FROM THE SPARK OF THE PLUG) WAS LIMITED ONLY TO DAMAGING THE SPARKPLUG AND THE SPARK PLUG WIRE LABLED #3. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP ABNORMALLY ONCE IN THIRD GEAR. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE VALVE BODY SEPARATOR PLATE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000.

THIS IS TO REPORT A FIRE IN A 2000 FORD EXPLORER: ON FRIDAY, 25 NOV 11, 5 ADULTS (MY HUSBAND, 2 SONS, DAUGHTER-IN LAW, AND MYSELF) AND 2 DOGS, LEFT BETHLEHEM PA FOR OUR FAMILY CHRISTMAS TRIP IN OUR 2000 FORD EXPLORER, PULLING A UTILITY TRAILER. THE INTENT OF THE TRIP WAS TO START AT A CHRISTMAS TREE FARM, CUT DOWN 3 CHRISTMAS TREES, HAUL THEM IN THE TRAILER AND CONTINUE WITH SEVERAL OTHER CHRISTMAS RELATED TRADITIONAL STOPS. MY HUSBAND, DROVE APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES NORTH TO BISSELS CHRISTMAS TREE HILL IN LEHIGHTON, PA. HE DID NOT USE CRUISE CONTROL BECAUSE WE WERE PULLING THE TRAILER. THE TRIP WAS FINE WITH ABSOLUTELY NO INDICATIONS THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. IT ALSO HAD NOT HAD ANY SERVICE DONE TO IT RECENTLY (A QUESTION FREQUENTLY ASKED TO US). HE PARKED THE VEHICLE ALONG AN EMBANKMENT AT THE TREE FARM AND WE ALL WERE IN VARIOUS STAGES OF GETTING OUT OF THE CAR WITH THE DOGS WHEN SOMEONE NEARBY YELLED TO US THAT OUR CAR WAS ON FIRE. SHE REPEATED IT AS WE LOOKED TO SEE WHO SHE WAS ADDRESSING. WE LOOKED AT OUR CAR AND SAW THAT UNDER IT, FIRE BALLS WERE HITTING THE GROUND FROM WHAT APPEARED TO BE THE CENTER OF THE ENGINE. MY HUSBAND ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE HOOD AND SMOKE WAS IMMEDIATELY POURING OUT OF THE ENGINE. WE ALL QUICKLY GOT AWAY FROM THE VEHICLE. MY ONE SON IMMEDIATELY CALLED 911 AND MY OTHER SON RAN NEARBY TO TRY AND FIND A FIRE EXTINGUISHER. THE SMOKE QUICKLY TURNED INTO A FULL BLOWN FIRE. THE COMPLETE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, ALONG WITH THE EMBANKMENT NEARBY, WAS ABLAZE. THE MAHONING VALLEY POLICE CAME, THEN THE FIRE CAPTAINS, THEN 2 FULL FIRE TRUCKS FROM LEHIGHTON AND MAHONING VALLEY FIRE DEPARTMENTS. THEY QUICKLY EXTINGUISHED EVERYTHING, ALONG WITH THE VEHICLE WE LOST MY PURSE, JACKETS, AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS VALUABLES THAT WERE ON THE FLOOR OF THE FRONT SEAT AND IN THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. *TR

THE CAR WAS PURCHASED USED IN MARCH, 2011. THE BRAKE PROBLEM STARTED A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER BUT WAS HARDLY NOTICEABLE AND THEN OVERNIGHT THEY WERE COMPLETELY WORN OUT. I HAD THEM CHECKED AT PEP BOYS TO VERIFY THAT THEY NEEDED REPLACING AND THEY SAID YES, IMMEDIATELY. I DID NOT HAVE AAA AT THE TIME AND COULD NOT DRIVE THE CAR THE 50 PLUS MILES WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR, SO THE REPAIRS WERE DONE AT MY HOME. I HAVE A COPY OF THE PEP BOYS RECEIPT FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE BRAKES, AND ONE BRAKE PLATE THAT NEEDED REPLACING. I ALSO HAVE PICTURES OF HOW POOR THE CONDITION OF THE BRAKES WERE IN, AND I WAS SOLD THE CAR THIS WAY. ALSO, THE CAR DOORS DO NOT LOCK, AND THE DEALER SAID THEY HAD REPLACED THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR WITH A NEW MOTOR FOR THE LOCKS, BUT THE DOOR STILL DOES NOT WORK. I HAVE RECEIPTS FOR ADDITIONAL PARTS THAT PEP BOYS USED TO FIX THE PASSENGER, FRONT DOOR. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER SPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HAD A MOMENT OF SUDDEN ACCELERATION. WHEN THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND AT 20 MPH THE VEHICLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN UP TO 60 MPH. SMOKE WAS ALSO COMING FROM THE BRAKES BECAUSE THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SLOW DOWN. THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE PLACED IN NEUTRAL IN ORDER TO SLOW IT DOWN AND TURN IT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 115,000. UPDATED 01/24/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAS SINCE REMOVED THE CRUISE CONTROL SERVO UNIT THAT ATTACHED TO THE THROTTLE BODY UNIT. UPDATED 01/25/12

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SMOKE WOULD EMIT FROM THE STEERING COLUMN INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND DENIED ANY ASSISTANCE WITH THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 142,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 152,603.