2007 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC Complaints

ON 8/10/10 I NOTICED WHILE DRIVING MY 2007 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG WITH THE ENGINE. I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE TRANSMISSION, BECAUSE WHEN ACCELERATED IT WOULD BECOME SLUGGISH AND MAKE A LOUD ROARING NOISE. I CALLED THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND ASKED FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO BRING MY TRUCK IN. THEY SUGGESTED I BRING IT ON THE MORNING OF 8/11/10 FOR THEM TO CHECK IT OUT. AROUND NOON ON 8/11/10 THE SERVICE MANAGER CALLED ME TO INFORM ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT MY TRANSMISSION, BUT THAT I HAD A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR. HE ALSO SAID THAT HE HAS HAD SEVERAL OF THE SAME TYPE VEHICLES COME IN TO HIS SHOP WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR RADIATORS. HE SUGGESTED THAT THEY REMOVE THE RADIATOR AND TAKE IT TO A REPAIR SHOP TO SEE IF IT COULD BE REPAIRED. ON 8/12/10 THE SERVICE MANAGER PHONED ME TO TELL ME THAT THE RADIATOR COULD NOT BE REPAIRED DUE TO MORE THAN ONE LEAK IN THE RADIATOR. HE ADVISED ME NOT TO PURCHASE A NON FACTORY MADE RADIATOR AND SUGGESTED THAT I ALLOW HIM TO ORDER ONE FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND REPLACE MY DEFECTED ONE. ON 8/13/10 I WAS ABLE TO PICK UP MY TRUCK AFTER PAYING $583.05 FOR A NEW RADIATOR $15.52 FOR A NEW CAP AND $14 FOR ANTI FREEZE, NOT TO MENTION THE $75 FOR THE COST OF LABOR. ON 8/17/10, I PHONED NHTSA TO SEE IF THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THE RADIATOR THAT I NEVER RECEIVED. NO RECALLS HAVE BEEN ISSUED AT THIS TIME, BUT THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM THIS SAME MODEL VEHICLE WITH RADIATOR ISSUES. I WAS TOLD TO CALL FORD AND ISSUE A FORMAL COMPLAINT BY PHONE. I DID THIS AND WAS GIVEN A REF # [XXX]. I WOULD LIKE FOR THERE TO BE AN INVESTIGATION AND IF POSSIBLE A RECALL ISSUED FOR OWNERS OF THIS SAME TYPE VEHICLE. I WOULD ALSO LIKE SOME REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE EXPENSE I WAS OUT GETTING A NEW RADIATOR FOR MY VEHICLE. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, THESE RADIATORS COULD HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE AT THE TIME OF ASSEMBLY. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

NO ACCIDENT YET BUT....BRAKES ON MY VEHICLE ARE VERY SOFT. BRAKE PEDAL WHEN APPLIED GOES BELOW THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. ACCELERATOR AND BRAKE PEDAL ARE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. UNLESS OPERATOR IS VERY CAREFUL TO MOVE RIGHT FOOT COMPLETELY OVER TO BRAKE PEDAL THE PROXIMITY OF THE TWO PEDALS AND THE SOFTNESS OR AMOUNT OF BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL BELOW THE ACCELERATOR, THE OPERATOR PRESSES THE ACCELERATOR AND THE BRAKE AT THE SAME TIME. NO AMOUNT OF PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES WILL STOP THE VEHICLE BECAUSE THE HARDER THE BRAKE IS PRESSED THE MORE THE ACCELERATOR IS ACTIVATED. I HAVE PERSONALLY COME CLOSE TO HITTING VEHICLES AHEAD OF ME DUE TO THIS CONDITION. CORRECTIVE ACTION TO RELEASE PEDALS AND RE LOCATE FOOT ON BREAK IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE IN STOP MANY SITUATIONS. I HAVE RETURNED THIS VEHICLE TO A NUMBER OF FACTORY DEALERSHIPS WHO ADVISE BRAKES ARE WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO CUSTOMER SERVICE TO ONLY BE TOLD TO TAKE IT TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP. I HAVE WRITTEN THE COMPANY. I AM TOTALLY IGNORED. FORD HAS TO BE VERY AWARE OF TOYOTA BUT IGNORES THIS PERHAPS IDENTICAL SITUATION. YOUR NEXT ENTRY DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO ACCURATELY IDENTIFY A DATE BECAUSE IT HAPPENS ON A REGULAR BASIS SINCE I PURCHASE THE VEHICLE NEW IN 2007. I JUST PICKED A DATE. *TR

WHILE CROSSING AN INTERSECTION (EASTBOUND) IN MY FORD EXPLORER ON A DRY, FLAT STRAIGHT PAVED ROAD (I WAS STARTING FROM A STOP SIGN, WHEREAS THE STREET I WAS CROSSING HAS NO STOP SIGN FOR THE NORTH AND SOUTHBOUND INTERSECTING ROAD) ... WITH MY FOOT ON THE GAS AT A VERY SLOW SPEED (UNDER 5 MPH), THE VEHICLES BRAKES ENGAGED ON THEIR OWN AFTER I WAS PARTIALLY THROUGH THE INTERSECTION, BRINGING MY VEHICLE TO A STOP. MY FOOT WAS SOLELY ON THE GAS PEDAL, AND I WAS NOT APPLYING THE BRAKES. FOUR DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS THEN ILLUMINATED; INCLUDING THE (1) STABILITY CONTROL, (2) THE 4X4, (3) THE ABS AND (4) THE WRENCH. I APPLIED THE GAS PEDAL FURTHER TO TRY TO GET OUT OF THE INTERSECTION, BUT THE BRAKES DID NOT RELEASE. THEN I TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND THE BRAKE RELEASED AND THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME OFF. THIS HAPPENED 3 TIMES! I WAS THEN ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE BUSY INTERSECTION WITH JUST THE IDLE MOVING THE VEHICLE FORWARD. ONCE OUT OF THE INTERSECTION I AGAIN PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL, AND THE BRAKE ENGAGED AGAIN, STOPPING THE VEHICLE. AFTER HAPPENING ABOUT ANOTHER FEW TIMES I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THERE I LEFT THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN BROUGHT TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP, WHO PUT THE VEHICLE ON A COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC DEVICE, AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE BRAKE SENSOR IN THE LEFT FRONT WHEEL WAS SENSING A PROBLEM AND AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGING THE LEFT FRONT BRAKE. I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT I WAS NOT BROAD-SIDED BY ANY ONCOMING VEHICLES WHEN THE FAULTY BRAKE SYSTEM BROUGHT MY TRUCK TO A STOP IN THE ROAD INTERSECTION. BRAKE PROBLEM ALSO HAPPENED THE NIGHT BEFORE, BUT IN THAT CASE I WAS DRIVING IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD AT ABOUT 30 MPH AND COASTING AS I APPROACHED A STOP SIGN. WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL DID NOT WANT TO DEPRESS AND THEN WITHIN A FEW SECONDS ALL THE SAME 4 WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. THE BRAKE PEDAL MADE A SOUND SIMILAR TO WHEN ABS DEPLOYS, BUT THE BRAKE PEDAL RESISTED GOING DOWN; IN FACT THE BRAKE PEDAL BARELY MOVED. *TR

2007 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC (2WD) AT COMPLETE STOP. REAR ENDED BY A FORD FOCUS AT ABOUT 40MPH. IMPACT CAUSED THE SPORT TRAC SEATS TO RECLINE FROM AN UPRIGHT POSITION TO 45 DEGREES BACKWARDS/RECLINING), WENT INTO "PARK" AND ENGINE "SHUT OFF" AUTOMATICALLY! *TR

COMPUTER CONTROL FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANS. MALFUNCTIONS CAUSING UNEVEN SHIFTS AND ENGINE REVS TO THE REV LIMITER ON THE HIGHWAY. LASTS A COUPLE OF DAYS UNTIL THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATES AND THEN IT SHIFTS NORMALLY. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES OFF AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS AND THE TRANS. SHIFTS NORMALLY FOR ABOUT A WEEK UNTIL THE CYCLE STARTS AGAIN WITHOUT WARNING. HAPPENED WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC AND THE TRANS DISENGAGED CAUSING THE ENGINE TO HIT THE REV LIMITER AND ALMOST GOT HIT FROM BEHIND. HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN ON AND OFF SINCE THE TRUCK WAS NEW BUT IT'S BECOMING MORE COMMON NOW. *TR

TL*-THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STARTED THE IGNITION. THE GEAR SELECTOR WOULD NOT SHIFT FORM THE PARK POSITION. THERE WERE SEVERAL ATTEMPTS BEFORE THE GEAR SELECTOR FUNCTIONED PROPERLY. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON ONE SEPARATE OCCASION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMAL. THE VEHICLE HAD PRIOR RECALL REMEDY REPAIR INVOLVING A POTENTIAL PROBLEM THAT WOULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO LOCK IN THE PARK POSITION. THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE OCCURRED A FEW WEEKS AFTER THE RECALL SERVICE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 19,259.

AT APPROXIMATELY 40000 MILES I NOTICE A LEAK IN THE RADIATOR ON THE LOWER LEFT SIDE. THE DEALER SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME THAT THEY HAD SEEN A NUMBER OF THESE AND THAT IT WAS LEAKING ON A SEAM AND THAT IT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF OVER $500. I HAD THEM ORDER A REPLACEMENT AND IT IS DUE TO BE REPLACED 03/29/2010. IF THIS IS KNOWN TO HAPPEN WHY IS THERE NO PARTLY TO FULL COVERAGE FOR A DEFECTIVE ITEM?

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 FORD EXPLORER. THE DRIVER STATED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE DRIVER STATED THAT WHEN HE APPLIED THE BRAKES AT TIMES THE ACCELERATOR WAS ENGAGED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE DRIVER SUGGESTED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL BE MADE SMALLER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 26,000. UPDATED 3/24/10 *CN UPDATED 05/05/10.*JB

2007 SPORT TRAC,V8 WITH 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION, 2-WHEEL DRIVE. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE AT TIMES IS SLOW TO RESPOND. THE ENGINE REVS BUT YOU DO NOT MOVE AS FAST AS YOU SHOULD WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. SEVERAL TIMES I'VE MANUALLY DOWNSHIFTED THE TRANSMISSION TO FIRST OR SECOND GEAR TO OBTAIN PROPER ACCELERATION. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION WHEN PULLING INTO TRAFFIC. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT SO YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHEN IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. THE TRANSMISSION HAS THE CHARACTERISTICS OF LOW TRANSMISSION FLUID LEVEL. THE TRANSMISSION DOES NOT DOWNSHIFT TO THE PROPER LOWER GEAR AND THEREFORE TRIES TO ACCELERATE WHILE IN HIGH GEAR WHICH ACCOUNTS FOR THE SLOW ACCELERATION AND HIGH REV. I'VE BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN THREE TIMES TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS FOR THIS PROBLEM AND BOTH STATE THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. AGAIN, THIS IS INTERMITTENT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID AND IT WAS FULL. WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW THEY WERE ABLE TO DO THIS SINCE THIS IS A SEALED TRANSMISSION -- YOU CAN'T CHECK THE FLUID LEVEL. I KNOW OF THREE OTHER PEOPLE WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND BOTH LOCAL DEALERSHIPS GAVE THE SAME RESPONSE SAYING THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION THEREFORE; THEY CAN NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. IF I KNOW OF THREE PEOPLE WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS ON THIS PAGE ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION, THEN THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG. BOTTOM-LINE, A PROBLEM EXISTS WITH THE 6-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AND FORD (OR ALT LEAST THE DEALERSHIPS) REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGES IT. *TR

THE VEHICLE LEAKING FLUID FROM THE RADIATOR. CAUSING ENGINE TO RUN HOT. ALSO THE LUMBAR IN THE DRIVERS SEAT EXPLODES PUSHING YOU IN TO THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE DRIVING. *TR