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.
8.8
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,080
Average Mileage:
127,950 miles
Total Complaints:
24 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
not sure (10 reports)
repaired with insert (5 reports)
rethread and install helicoil in cylinder (5 reports)
I'm on vacation traveling across country from California to the east coast having a great time; until my spark plug is spit out of my engine head. Total pain. I had plans in Vegas to watch some great shows. No such luck....thanks alot Ford.
so im driving back to school from visiting my family in Arizona btw im driving to Colorado. went to get gas turned the car back on drove bout 500 ft and the engine sounded like it was going to fall out. what happened was the treads for the spark plug are pretty much gone. also btw im stuck in Las Vegas new Mexico its been 5 days and sitll not fixed ive missed a week of classes and ford will not do anything about this. they say its a common problem. AND NO RECALL!!! this is sorry for the language but f*cking insane. its this is a regular problem shouldn't there be a recall. this is my second ford product and i will never go back again cant wait till ford is out of business.
I am really upset that I am told by a certified mechanic that the cylinder head spark plug should never just POP out like that and the coil where you thread the spark plug into was incorrectly manufactured. Ford will NOT stand behind this with a recall and tells me too bad, so sad! It will cost me approx. $2000 to replaced the cylinder head and there is no guarantee that the the other side cylinder head will not do the same. These cars should be recalled!! The repair is very expensive leaving me with no transportation and 2 small children in school. Its not wear and tear. Its a non moving part and is FORD's Fault its happened. Stand UP and Behind your product! Bad word of mouth is the worst kind for your business.
My spark plug blew out on my 2002 Ford Explorer EB 4.6L V8. I replaced it and no more then 30 minutes of driving the plug blew out again. This time I do not believe I have any threads left. Doing Internet searches I found out that this is a known problem and Ford (or NHTSA) will do anything about it. This is an great example of poor customer relations and is a good example of poor management. The Ford dealer offered a $3,000 fix for this. They must be crazy. Their vehicles are becoming easier and easier to produce and becoming more and more expensive. This is unacceptable. I have been a Ford fan for almost my entire driving career - this episode is probably going to make me change my opinion of Ford and their vehicles.
- William B.,
Lombard, IL, US
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I'm on vacation traveling across country from California to the east coast having a great time; until my spark plug is spit out of my engine head. Total pain. I had plans in Vegas to watch some great shows. No such luck....thanks alot Ford.
- highwayman, Lemoore, CA, US