This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
With no warning or hint of anything going wrong on the brake system, as traffic slowed to stop for a light, the brakes went completely out on my Ford Explorer. The pedal went to the floor and pumping had no effect. I was in mid day traffic and had almost 2 car lengths between myself and the SUV in front of me, which unfortunately, was what stopped me. Thankfully, I was only going 20 mph and no one was hurt nor did air bags deploy. After the police arrived and had us pull into a parking lot, the pedal felt like it had the brakes back however, the brake pedal went to the floor after cranking up. I was able to stop from rolling out the other side of a parking space in the back of the lot by using the emergency brakes. Even though the truck has shows high mileage, most of which is highway miles, the truck as been maintained. I had the truck towed to the shop and two mechanics could find nothing wrong. I had the master cylinder and booster was changed even though I was assured it was fine. That seemed to help my peace of mind for about a week until I was stopped at a light and the brake pedal eased down to the floor. I ran an internet search to see if anyone else has had this problem and surprised to see it seems to be a common problem with Explorer. I'm sure everyone who mentioned having this problem has not reported it that should have.
About a mile from an intersection I noticed the check engine light turned on. Approaching the traffic light my brake pedal had lost pressure and went to the floor. I had to pump the brakes to get the vehicle to stop. I noticed some smoke coming from the driver side of the hood but thought it might be from the old pickup truck next to me. The light turned green and the vehicle "sputtered" suffering a loss of horse power but I was able to drive the car about 150 yards and coasted into a gas station where I parked at the far end away from the pumps. At this time I noticed more smoke and flames coming from the driver side of the hood so I went inside to ask for a fire extinguisher but the cashier said he had none. I then asked to him dial 911 because my vehicle was on fire. I went back to my vehicle and removed some paperwork from the seat and waited for help to arrive. I just had the vehicle serviced by covert Ford on March 16, 2011 for the factory recall of the speed control deactivation switch, (brake pressure switch) which is what I believe cause the fire. I believe that when I had to pump my brakes to stop the vehicle the brake fluid was leaking onto the exhaust manifold. According to the fire officials at the scene there was no way to determine the point of origin of the fire but the damaged area is right below the brake master cylinder. (I have pictures and video). Thank god there was no other damage to property or lives. I only had liability coverage so I signed the title over to the tow truck driver and lost my transportation. I bought the vehicle on April 19, 1999, took care of it for almost 12 years without incident and a week after having it serviced for a fire safety issue, it caught fire and burned. I put about 100 miles on it after it was serviced by the dealer before the fire began.
My wife was driving our 1997 Ford Explorer when she saw white smoke come from under the hood. She was parked in mcdonald's parking lot. She called me telling me there was smoke coming from under the hood. I asked her if there was liquid running from the car and she said yes. It was clear and on the drives side. The next thing I heard was the truck was on fire. When I got to the body shop to see what the damages were I found the master cylinder completely melted away and the wire harness burnt. The vehicle is a total loss.
Consumer complaining about grinding noise and pulsing at the brake pedal. Dealership said that sensors are defective and needed replacement. Also, dealership added that it's a common problem on the particular model.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Florence, SC, USA