CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2002 Ford Explorer is hands-down our worst vehicle on record. "Avoid like the plague" is putting it lightly.
The 2002-2005 Explorer has a very well-established record of expensive transmission failure at under 100k miles. The Explorer has an enclosed transmission which is typically replaced with a rebuilt transmission at a cost of almost $3,000.
Another common problem for the 2002-2003 Explorer is wheel bearing failure at around 90k miles, with a typical repair bill of $500 to $1000 depending on how many wheel bearings failed.
Adding insult to injury, the 2002-2005 Explorer also has a massive problem with the rear panel cracking. While it's a minor annoyance compared to transmission failure, ironically the crack usually goes right through the Ford logo.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 14
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
89,858 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
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.
The issues that I'm having is the exhilaration (picking up speed) on a public street as well as in the expressway it hesitates to do so. When the vehicle is parked and I go to switch gears it does not want to switch. The gauge indicator comes on and the gas idle be stuck on empty when it has a full tank of gas. While the vehicle is in motion the radio volume goes up and down on its own. And the vehicle did not want to start for me one day the very next day it started right on up (like it want to start but didn't catch). All of this started happening at the beginning of October 2020
Was driving on hwy and my vehicle just shut down as I was turning off the main road, lost all control of steering. When I raised the hood I saw my radiator smoking and all of a sudden it popped. Had to have it towed in to the shop and was told that the radiator had exploded and the engine seized up! how could this happen? I never even had it to over heat or the light never even alerted me. Just blew up and left me stranded. I was told after the fact that there is a recall on the radiator!
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the transmission independently switched to 4 wheel drive and the vehicle stalled. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transfer casing and ignition coils needed to be replaced. The ignition coil was replaced and the transfer casing was repaired however the failure recurred. An unknown dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failures. No assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The radiator started going out on me. I had to fix it twice. The breakes I keep having the continued fixing them every 4 months. Recently October 25, 2019 it started smelling like burnt rubber came thru the air vents. Things with the electricity oe a shortage. With the tires they put wrong tire size. They told me to sign and go because they didn't have my actual tire size. Its always on the smalls streets and on freeway or. Highway it smells like burnt rubber. The owner didn't notify me or bother to tell me it was on recall already.
- Hesperia, CA, USA
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I was driving down the highway I went to make a left hand turn when smoke started coming out of the grill, so I pulled over to check under the hood, smoke started boiling out from under the hood
The consumer stated the home fire hazard created by faulty design of non ul approved personal snow plow use for SUV manufactured by western products. Snow plow electric motor was unfused and overheated not responding to the comman controller shorting out and causing a serious expensive fire.
Blinkers and gauges won't work also bright lights do not work. Everything else works fine including emergency flashers. I've changed relay and checked fuses.
Well I have a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT. It has the trailer brake which I never have used yet. I have a couple issues with it. The theft light blinks as long as the vehicle ain't running. Some times it doesn't like to start and has a brand new battery. Sometimes when put in gear while running it will shut it's self off. I also noticed when I bought it from another private sell that when I was driving the Explorer that I kept smelling a burning smell like plastic and wires as well as smoke and heat admitting from the center console area. I dropped a piece of plastic in the center console area. I pulled up the center console area plastic and witnessed the factory wiring that runs to the center console lighter and else where sparking and smoking. I got it to stop and noticed that the fiberglass cloth thing the factory put around it was badly burned as well as almost halfway through all the center console are wires about an inch long as well as the plastic bottom area to the center console cup area. The burned plastic area is also started to melt. I have pictures on my cell phone. I showed the pictures to the reception guy at the jamestown NY 14701 Ford dealer service desk. He gasped and looked genuinely scared that, that happened. I'm scared that this happened. I don't want it to catch fire going down the highway with my kids and newborn baby in it. This is a manufacture issue which I feel should be fixed at Ford expense not ours.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the overdrive warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled several times. In addition, the vehicle was difficult to shift into second and third gear as well as drive, which was when the intermittent stall failure occurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was parked and unable to be driven due to the intermittent failures. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
The door locks lock and unlock all by themselves dozens of times in a row while I am driving. With this the dome light flashes off and on and the door ajar light flashes and the interior chime goes off constantly. All of this happens at the same time. This is a huge and common issue with thousands of forum posts by other owners who have spend countless $$ at mechanic's to no avail. This can cause wrecks at night it is very distracting. Especially the dome light.
Well the electrical has to do with doors and window controls and locks and driver gauge panel sensors having never worked properly. The body issue has to do with failed paintand polymer coatings along with cracked body panel on rear liftgate.
Door ajar light is always on and alarm goes off constantly from it. Seat belt light is always on even when seat belts are in use. ABS light is always on and off. Always issues with heat and coolant.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While driving various speeds, the door ajar warning indicator illuminated, which caused the door locks to consistently lock and unlock. The failure caused the battery to drain and the security alarm to sound. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
The door locks lock and unlock all by themselves dozens of times in a row while I am driving. With this the dome light flashes off and on and the door ajar light flashes and the interior chime goes off constantly. All of this happens at the same time. This is a huge and common issue with thousands of forum posts by other owners who have spend countless $$ at mechanic's to no avail. This can cause wrecks at night it is very distracting. Especially the dome light. Why is Ford ignoring this obvious safety design flaw? liability is yours.. there are too many complaints of this same problem for you to claim you are not aware. If someone gets car jacked while locks are freaking out you might get sued. It happens the most if someone is in passenger front seat.
I just bought my vehicle on 5/17/20 at a lot called grant motors 2744 fowler St fort myers fl, 33901 during the daytime, they keep pushing, and pushing me to buy it took my id to copy we left without my id, had another vehicle I wanted to buy but had to go back to grant to get id, when pete started at us again and keep coming down on price, till my brother told me it was worth it to buy it, so I did, well during the day in bright sunshine you couldn't see the taillights, nor the dashboard lights, and as driving it home turned on radio to listen to it, all's it would do is flicker, wouldn't change stations, wouldn't do nothing at all, and they put a carfax folder on my dash for me to read at home, that is when I seen the info about the recalls and figured it had something to do with my lights outside and in the dash and the stereo not working at all. Them my brother said he wondered why they continued to drop the price to way more then they first asked for as if they new ahead of time the issues and didn't tell us about any of it. So could someone please let me know what is going on, I now have nothing to drive and no money to buy another I'm old raising two grandbabies one with autism, the other with bipolar please help me out. Sitting in walmart parking lot, and in motion to go home family had to stay behind me to get home safely,
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Chicago, IL, USA