2003 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC Complaints

ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WHILE PARKING WHEN PRESSING BRAKE PEDAL MY FOOT HAS PRESSED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR LINKAGE CAUSING THE ENGINE TO RACE AND THE VEHICLE TO CRIP FORWARD. THE HARDER I PRESS THE BRAKE THE MORE THE ENGINE REVS. ON JUN 6TH 2003 MY SON HAD AN ACCIDENT WHERE THE VEHICLE WENT OFF THE ROAD AND TRAVELED APPROX. 700 FEET BEFORE HE WAS ABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. HIS ONLY COMMENT WAS HE COULD NOT STOP. I BELIEVE IT WAS BECAUSE HIS FOOT WAS PRESSING ON THE ACCELERATOR LINKAGE. MY SON WEARS A SIZE 12 SHOE AND I WEAR A SIZE 14. THE PEDALS HAV ELESS THAN 4" HORIZONAL SEPERATION.THERE IS LESS THAN 1/2" VERTICAL CLEARANCE BETWEEN BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR LINKAGE.

STEERING WHEEL BINDS WHILE TRYING TO MERGE ONTO THE INTERSTATE. THIS BINDING DOES NOT ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO BE TURNED.

I PURCHASED MY 2003 SPORTRACK IN DECEMBER OF 2002 FROM SUNRISE FORD. I DROVE MY SUV HOME, PARKED IT AND WENT INSIDE FOR LESS THAN 20 MINUTES. WHEN I CAME OUT TO DRIVE DRIVE MY GUESTS AROUND THE BLOCK, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I CALLED SUNRISE FORD AND SPOKE WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT. THEY SENT THE SALES PERSON TO MY PLACE RATHER THAN A MECHANIC. HE BASICALLY BELITTLED ME INFRONT OF MY GUESTS BY TELLING ME I DID SOMETHING TO MY CAR. IT WAS EMBARASSING ENOUGH THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START NOW I HAD TO DEAL WITH THE SALES PERSON, WHO AS IT TURNS OUT KNEW ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ABOUT THE SPORTRACK, TELLING ME I DID SOMETHING WRONG TO MY VEHICLE TO MAKE IT NOT WANT TO START. HE FINALLY CALLED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, HAD A MECHANIC COME OUT AND THEY TRIED TO START IT. NO LUCK. LONG STORY SHORT I FOUND SUNRISE FORD'S SALES AND SUPPORT STAFF WERE VERY HARD TO WORK WITH RIGHT AFTER MY SALE. I FELT MISLEADED. FROM ARRANGING A LOANER BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM TO GETTING A QUALIFIED PERSON TO DIAGNOSE MY VEHICLE. I HAD HAD THE CAR NEARLY 1 WEEK BEFORE THE PROBLEM COULD BE COMPLETELY SOLVED. MY NEXT PROBLEM BEGAN IN AUGUST OF 2003, ROUGHLY 9 MONTHS LATER. IT IS NOW STALLING. MOST CASES HAVE BEEN WHILE STOPPING FOR A STOP SIGN OR LIGHT. OTHER TIMES JUST AFTER LEAVING THE STOP LIGHT OR SIGN, IT USUALLY STALLS IMMEDIATELY WHEN I ACCECELERATE. THE WORST CASE HAS BEEN WHILE ON THE ON RAMP TO THE FREEWAY. IN ALL CASES I LOST ALL POWER, EXCEPT FOR THE RADIO, AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE ENGINE. AFTER HAVING THE FORD DEALERSHIP RUN A DIAGNNOSTIC TEST ON MY VEHICLE THE FOUND NOTHING...*AK

I WAS HIT FROM BEHIND AND PUSHED INTO A VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. DURING THE IMPACT, MY SEATBACK (DRIVER'S) MOVED BACK SLIGHTLY AND THE CENTER OF THE SEAT BACK COLLAPSED, CAUSING ME TO INJURE MY BACK.*AK

GASOLINE IS EXPELLED FROM THE FILLER PIPE EVERYTIME I TRY TO REFUEL THE TANK. THE PROBLEM WORSENS WITH EACH ATTEMPT TO REFUEL BECAUSE THE GAS PUMPS CONTINUOUSLY SHUT OFF FOR SAFETY REASONS. DEALER HAS REPLACED A SAFETY VALVE TO THE TANK WHICH TEMPORARILY HELPED BUT THE PROBLEM IS NOW WORSE THAN EVER. THERE IS CURRENTLY NO MANUFACTURER'S RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.*AK

STEERING WHEEL SHAKES WHILE MAKING SHARP, SLOW RIGHT OR LEFT TURNS. DEALER NOT SURE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, SAYS ALL SPORT TRACKS DO THAT, HOWEVER WHEN I BOUGHT IT, IT DIDN'T. I DROVE ANOTHER NEW ONE FROM THE DEALER WHILE MINE WAS IN SERVICE...AND THE STEERING WAS FINE. ALSO, THE A/C COMPRESSOR IS OUT AND BEING REPLACED AND I'VE ONLY MADE ONE PAYMENT.*AK

ON JULY 28 WHILE MY WIFE WAS DRIVING OUR NEW EXPLORER SPORT TRAC IT JUST STOP RUNNING. SHE STARTED IT UP AND IT RAN FOR ABOUT 1MIN THEN CUT OFF AGAIN STRANDING HER IN THE MIDDLE OF A HIGHWAY IN A TURN LANE WE REPORTED IT TO FORD IT TOOK OVER 2 HRS FOR THEM TO GET A TOW TRUCK TO TOW THE TRUCK TO THE DEALER IT ALSO HAPPENED ON THE 27TH. ALSO THE OWNERS MANUAL PAGES ARE NOT RIGHT WHEN YOU LOOK AT ABOUT HOW TO CHANGE A TIRE IT GIVE YOU A PAGE NUMBER AND IT SHOWS SOMETHING ELSE LIKE HOW TO CHANGE OIL.*AK

VEHICLE ENGINE MISSING AND LOST POWER WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE ONTO ON-RAMP. ATTEMPT TO RESTART FAILED. HAD TO CALL FOR TOW. DEALERSHIP COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. *NLM

JUNE 2, 2003 6:40 PM PICKED UP THE BRAND NEW EXPLORER SPORT TRAC FROM TREADWELL FORD AND DROVE HOME TO WEST MOBILE. JUNE 3, 2003 7:20 AM DROVE THE NEARLY 30 MILE COMMUTE TO WORK IN NORTH MOBILE COUNTY. UPON PARKING THE VEHICLE, IT SMELLED HOT, WITH A NEARLY BURNT ELECTRICAL SMELL. JUNE 3, 2003 ~8:40 PM LEFT WORK AFTER LONG DAY. DROVE APPROXIMATELY 3 MILES, WHEN RADIO CONSOLE WENT BLACK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, ENTIRE DASHBOARD PANEL LIGHTING, HEADLIGHTS, AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM STARTED TO ACT ERRATICALLY. PULLED INTO BP GAS STATION, AND VEHICLE COMBUSTION SYSTEM BEGAN TO SPUTTER. BRAKED TO STOP VEHICLE MOTION TEMPORARILY, AND VEHICLE SEEMED TO ACT DRIVABLE AGAIN. ATTEMPTED TO LEAVE BP STATION, BUT VEHICLE STOPPED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. NEEDED ASSISTANCE TO PUSH VEHICLE OUT OF ENTRANCE TO HIGHWAY 43. CREOLA POLICE OFFICER AND ANOTHER MAN WHO BOTH ASSISTED WITH PUSHING THE VEHICLE WHILE I STEERED IT STATED BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ACTING ERRATICALLY. JUNE 4, 2003 ~8:50 AM TALKED WITH DON DAVIS IN TREADWELL FORD SERVICE AND EXPLAINED WHAT HAD HAPPENED LAST NIGHT. JUNE 4, 2003 ~5:30 PM DON DAVIS LEFT A MESSAGE AT MY HOME THAT THEY WERE WORKING ON THE VEHICLE BUT COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. JUNE 5, 2003 ~11:30 AM DON DAVIS LEFT A MESSAGE AT MY HOME THAT BY DRIVING THE VEHICLE AROUND, HE WAS ABLE TO REPRODUCE WHAT HAPPENED TO ME THE EVENING OF JUNE 3. JUNE 5, 2003 ~5:30 PM DON DAVIS LEFT A MESSAGE THAT THE VEHICLE WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP AS THE ALTERNATOR HAD BEEN REPLACED. *NLM

I PURCHASED A NEW 2003 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC THIS YEAR AND THE HEADLIGHTS ARE MADE SO THAT YOU CANNOT ADJUST THEM FOR SIDE VISION. I HAVE HAD THE TRUCK TO TWO DIFFERENT DEALERS AND THE TECHNICIANS SAY THAT IT IS A DESIGN FAULT. DRIVING THIS VEHICLE AT NIGHT IS COMPARABLE TO HAVING TUNNEL VISION. MY TRUCK IS EQUIPPED WITH FOG LIGHTS AND THEY DO HELP WITH THE SIDE VISION BUT THEY ONLY WORK ON LOW BEAM. EVEN WITH THE FOG LIGHTS THE AREA TO THE SIDE OF THE TRUCK ARE BLACKED OUT. IN THE MONTHS THAT I HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE I HAVE ONLY DRIVEN ABOUT SIX TIMES AT NIGHT. I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE ELSE THAT OWNS A SIMILAR TRUCK SO I HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIND OUT IF EVERYONE HAS THIS PROBLEM OR JUST ME.*AK