My first car ever was a 1999 Explorer sport, which gave me absolutely NO problems, even at 124km (I totaled it). Figuring the explorer was a good car, I bought my next car, a 2000 explorer sport, at 84km with a clean carfax (I was an idiot and didn't take it to an independent mechanic first). This car has been nothing but problems, since about, o a minute after I drove it off the lot, literally. The first problem was the radio decided to turn on, by itself, at full volume to some awful country station, and would not turn off no matter how many times i tried. The first thing that went really wrong (literally the first 2 miles I drove it) was the rear windshield wiper wouldn't work. I immediately drove it back to the dealership (country music, which i hate, blasting and all), and they said they would fix for free, since it was a safety concern, when it came in for it's first oil change. This sounded sketchy, but I (stupidly) believed them, since they were a "reputable" dealership, and we don't get much rain in AZ. They ended up charging me $237.00 to fix the windshield wiper, and called me a liar when I brought up that they were suppose to fix it for free. Since my after-market warranty (a much better investment than the car itself) forced me to have it repaired by them, I had no choice. Since the day I bought it, it has made an odd 'clicking" noise that appears to be coming from the tires rubbing on something (I have had it for a year and a half, don't go out romping in it or anything, and have had it re-aligned 5 times, and I've only put less than 8km on it!), plus it constantly has the radio (which chooses stations, I guess from the prior owners pre-sets) turning on and off by itself at terrible volumes, and the emergency blinkers turn on every time I put it in reverse. Then about a month after I bought it, it started stalling, and making a horrendous grinding noise when i turned, so I took it in. The dealership told me (a repeated answer from their so-called mechanics) that I was hearing "old car noises" and that women tend to worry more about noises then men (the nerve of them!). After bringing it in 2 more times, they finally replaced the fuel pump. This temporarily cured the problem. Then about 4 months after that, after driving it to Phoenix and back (about a 200mile rd trip), the check engine light came on. Being a little more wise this time, I had Autozone put in on a computer diagnostic, which came back as a code for- I needed new head gaskets. I took in the paper, with the codes, and are you ready for this one, they re-set the computer, and told me old cars reacted funny to the altitude change from Prescott to Phoenix (about a 5000 foot change), and that the computer had registered it wrong!!!!!!! I didn't really believe them, but what was I suppose to do? Then about 6 months after that, the door latch broke, and now we couldn't open the passenger door. Back to the dealership, who told me I had to replace the whole door ($1500.00), which wasn't covered by warranty, and which I certainly couldn't afford. My fiancee had to climb through the window or over my seat, until friend told me (and helped me do it) all I had to do was replace the latch mechanism (under $100.00!). Then the grinding and stalling started up again, and after 3 trips to the dealership (who told me all 3 times, it was "old car noises" and not to worry so much), the check engine light came on AGAIN! I took it to Autozone again (bless them for free diagnostics), it was the same code as before, only this time, I was to scared to drive my car on the highway, let alone to Phoenix again, so they couldn't tell me it was an altitude change. In to the dealer, and yet again, they told me it was "old car noises" and it wasn't registering the computer codes right. Now I'm usually a pretty laid back person, and it takes A LOT to get me pissed but this was THE FINAL STRAW. It took me screaming like a crazy person, telling everyone who walked in that service center what a bunch of inconsiderate, incompetent, dishonest mother f*s they were for them to finally "fix" my car (it needed head gaskets, a coolant flush, a fan belt, and yet another fuel pump). After all of that youd've thought they would've given me a brand new car, instead it's still the same piece of crap they sold me, with the same problems which are getting progressively worse (stalling and grinding plus the "little problems" like the wheels clicking and the radio and blinkers). I don't even believe they fixed it at all, I think they just said they did to get me to go away. Screw this car, I can't wait to get rid of it. And the parts that takes the cake about this whole nightmare, I paid $8,000 for it a year and a half ago. Because of all of it's current problems, plus it's absolutely unexplainable problems like the radio and blinkers, it's only wort *drum-roll please $400 trade-in. Srew Galpin Ford of Prescott for selling the worst car ever and being the shistiest MOTHER F*S EVER!
This summer (May '08) my truck started giving me some problems trying to start, as if it were out of gas. Ever since then, without warning, sometimes the truck will start but then refuse to idle. Upon ignition, the engine revs to 2-3K RPMs and then as it falls back down it just kills. The engine will not idle unless I put it into first gear manually and operate the truck like a manual transmission. Sometimes the problem will correct itself if I keep my foot on the throttle for a while or start driving, however I once had to drive it like a manual transmission for the duration of a 50-mile trip before it would idle on its own. As soon as I reached my destination the symptoms went away and when my mechanic inspected the truck there was nothing apparently wrong with it. HELP!
my check engine light has been on for about 3 months. i had the code ran but all auto zone told me, was that it was a fuel problem. well this morning i went to go to work and most mornings it takes a few seconds to turn over. this morning was different. i had to turn it over 4 times and when it did kick over it acted like it wanted to die. but i gave it gas and i went on my merry way. i hope its not my fuel pump, but i guess ill have to spend a arm and a leg just to get it looked at.
Dangerous vehicle.. NEVER buy a Ford again. Have spent thousands trying to fix this POS!!! Parking it and driving my Mercedes-which flies and always starts.. even in freezing weather!!! Electrical problems on the Explorer.. you must keep foot on the gas & brake at ALL times just to keep it running... SCARY!!!.. Loose Power brakes when she dies..3 times last night alone.. At least the flashers work, because you will surely need them! Huffs and puffs like a train when starting in cold weather.. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL NEVER DIE.. NOT MATTER HOW MUCH MONEY I OUT INTO HER.. FIX & SELL AND GOD BLESS WHOMEVER BUYS IT.
- strader,
Cordova, TN, US
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My Explorer is difficult to start some mornings but not every morning. When you do get it started by touching the gas pedal, it will stall everytime you let off the gas pedal. Makes it great if you are driving through town and have to slow down to turn a corner!
Explorer stalls repeatedly on cooler mornings or on colder days after sitting for a few hours. Have taken it to several shops but no one has been able to solve the problem. This will be my first and last Explorer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My first car ever was a 1999 Explorer sport, which gave me absolutely NO problems, even at 124km (I totaled it). Figuring the explorer was a good car, I bought my next car, a 2000 explorer sport, at 84km with a clean carfax (I was an idiot and didn't take it to an independent mechanic first). This car has been nothing but problems, since about, o a minute after I drove it off the lot, literally. The first problem was the radio decided to turn on, by itself, at full volume to some awful country station, and would not turn off no matter how many times i tried. The first thing that went really wrong (literally the first 2 miles I drove it) was the rear windshield wiper wouldn't work. I immediately drove it back to the dealership (country music, which i hate, blasting and all), and they said they would fix for free, since it was a safety concern, when it came in for it's first oil change. This sounded sketchy, but I (stupidly) believed them, since they were a "reputable" dealership, and we don't get much rain in AZ. They ended up charging me $237.00 to fix the windshield wiper, and called me a liar when I brought up that they were suppose to fix it for free. Since my after-market warranty (a much better investment than the car itself) forced me to have it repaired by them, I had no choice. Since the day I bought it, it has made an odd 'clicking" noise that appears to be coming from the tires rubbing on something (I have had it for a year and a half, don't go out romping in it or anything, and have had it re-aligned 5 times, and I've only put less than 8km on it!), plus it constantly has the radio (which chooses stations, I guess from the prior owners pre-sets) turning on and off by itself at terrible volumes, and the emergency blinkers turn on every time I put it in reverse. Then about a month after I bought it, it started stalling, and making a horrendous grinding noise when i turned, so I took it in. The dealership told me (a repeated answer from their so-called mechanics) that I was hearing "old car noises" and that women tend to worry more about noises then men (the nerve of them!). After bringing it in 2 more times, they finally replaced the fuel pump. This temporarily cured the problem. Then about 4 months after that, after driving it to Phoenix and back (about a 200mile rd trip), the check engine light came on. Being a little more wise this time, I had Autozone put in on a computer diagnostic, which came back as a code for- I needed new head gaskets. I took in the paper, with the codes, and are you ready for this one, they re-set the computer, and told me old cars reacted funny to the altitude change from Prescott to Phoenix (about a 5000 foot change), and that the computer had registered it wrong!!!!!!! I didn't really believe them, but what was I suppose to do? Then about 6 months after that, the door latch broke, and now we couldn't open the passenger door. Back to the dealership, who told me I had to replace the whole door ($1500.00), which wasn't covered by warranty, and which I certainly couldn't afford. My fiancee had to climb through the window or over my seat, until friend told me (and helped me do it) all I had to do was replace the latch mechanism (under $100.00!). Then the grinding and stalling started up again, and after 3 trips to the dealership (who told me all 3 times, it was "old car noises" and not to worry so much), the check engine light came on AGAIN! I took it to Autozone again (bless them for free diagnostics), it was the same code as before, only this time, I was to scared to drive my car on the highway, let alone to Phoenix again, so they couldn't tell me it was an altitude change. In to the dealer, and yet again, they told me it was "old car noises" and it wasn't registering the computer codes right. Now I'm usually a pretty laid back person, and it takes A LOT to get me pissed but this was THE FINAL STRAW. It took me screaming like a crazy person, telling everyone who walked in that service center what a bunch of inconsiderate, incompetent, dishonest mother f*s they were for them to finally "fix" my car (it needed head gaskets, a coolant flush, a fan belt, and yet another fuel pump). After all of that youd've thought they would've given me a brand new car, instead it's still the same piece of crap they sold me, with the same problems which are getting progressively worse (stalling and grinding plus the "little problems" like the wheels clicking and the radio and blinkers). I don't even believe they fixed it at all, I think they just said they did to get me to go away. Screw this car, I can't wait to get rid of it. And the parts that takes the cake about this whole nightmare, I paid $8,000 for it a year and a half ago. Because of all of it's current problems, plus it's absolutely unexplainable problems like the radio and blinkers, it's only wort *drum-roll please $400 trade-in. Srew Galpin Ford of Prescott for selling the worst car ever and being the shistiest MOTHER F*S EVER!
- aprilaz, Prescott, AZ, US