Around 1015am on Saturday July 25, 2015, I was in the process of attaching my boat trailer to the hitch. After opening my drivers door several times, checking on the hitch position, I put my vehicle in park, got out, shut the door, and then heard a loud sound that sounded like a gunshot. I turned around and saw that my drivers side curtain airbags had deployed for no reason at all. The left rear seat airbag also deployed. The vehicle was not moving and did not suffer any side impact whatsoever. I believe this is a safety defect due to the hazardous condition that it could create if a driver is driving and it inflates for no reason at all. This could potentially cause the driver to hit another vehicle or go off the road and potentially kill someone. I know of two other cases files on carcomplaints.com of this same issue.

- Poquoson, VA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while traveling less than 5 mph, the vehicle's throttle became stuck without warning which caused the vehicle to accelerate to a speed above 40 mph. The vehicle crashed thru a fence and into the rear of a motor home causing the front driver's side tire to fracture. The air bags did not deploy. The contact was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09V399000 (vehicle speed control). The contact sustained whiplash, neck and back pains from the failure. A police incident report was filed and the vehicle was to be towed to a yard until it would be able to get inspected and diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 194,000.

- Shoemakersville, PA, USA

While driving on paved highway(clear, dry day) a hissing sound was coming from the steering column. After making a left turn onto another paved highway, the hissing noise increased, then was followed immediately by the spontaneous deployment of the driver's side air bag, prior to any impact. The obstruction of the deployed airbag created a compromised or visionary impairment from my windshield's field of view, causing me to have impact with another vehicle. After impact of first vehicle, the passenger side airbag deployed., then there was a secondary impact with another vehicle. In addition to the airbag braking my nose, two pieces of shrapnel were ejected from the inside of the deployed airbag, one hitting me in the left side mid chest/abdomen, the other to the distal portion of my left forearm. The projected shrapnel tore through a down coat, sweater and two shirts causing injury and 2nd degree burns to my chest/abdomen and forearm. The injuries of the other vehicles inhabitants are unknown at this time.

- Levittown, PA, USA

Rear ended semi that suddenly stopped in front of me. Driver's air bag did not deploy but passenger air bag did. No passenger in car. Basically driver air bag did not deploy when it should. Ford should pay! is there any class action law suit for this? first accident with the vehicle. Owned since 2003!

- Minneapolis , MN, USA

The contact owned a 2002 Ford Explorer. While driving at an unknown speed, another vehicle rear ended the contact's vehicle. The driver side air bag failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The contact sustained unknown minor injuries and the front passenger sustained chest and eyes injuries. Neither set of injuries required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 6/11/15 updated 9/26/2017

- Roseboro, NC, USA

There was no malfunction. I have a Ford Explorer 2002. I want to know if the front drivers side and front passenger side airbags will work properly. I have searched this database but cannot find anything that is applicable. We (wife and myself) have only this vehicle and w we want to know if it is safe to drive. Please help.

- Biloxi, MS, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while in reverse, the vehicle accelerated independently. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond and the steering wheel seized. As a result, the vehicle crashed into trees then went forward independently crashing into shrubs, a fence, and a building. In addition, the air bags failed to deploy and smoke started to emit from the front of the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained bruise and neck and head injuries that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Houston, TX, USA

I was in a accident on August 21, 2014. Two or more deer's ran out in front of my 2002 Ford Explorer and I ran off the road hitting a pole. It crushed the whole front end and my airbag never deployed. My truck is a total loss and I did have on my seat belt but the airbag should of deployed.

- Georgia, GA, USA

First of all the transmission is starting to slip. When accelerating the car transmission slips when shifting into third gear. Took to dealer and they said they need to repair the transmission. The second problem is that the airbag light came on. I have not been in a accident or anything. It just came on. I read online that if the light is on and I am in an accident the airbags wont deploy. This seems really dangerous and should be cover under warranty.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

I have a 2002 Ford Explorer and it has not been wrecked and I had the light that come on in my dash and they said that my seat belt pretentioner was gone in my seat belt.

- Staley, NC, USA

While driving in eve. I switch lanes and came onto an icy part of road do to broken leaking hydrant hit chuck hole in the road and lost control of my truck and hit pole and hydrant and the complete front end was crushed and no air bags deployed at all. I hurt my chest back and knee's and have headaches.

- Eastcleveland, OH, USA

I was traveling in stop and go traffic. As soon as space opened between me and the vehicle in front of me, I accelerated. While gaining speed I looked in my right rear view mirror to see if I could change lanes. While looking in my mirror the vehicle in front of me stopped. I hit the back of his vehicle with the front of mine. The problem I have is that my airbag(s) fired but did no deploy. You could clearly smell that they fired and my airbag light is now on. My seat belt did not cinch up and restrain me either. This car had been well maintained and was never in an accident before this one. As I see it, it was a total failure of the SRS.

- Rochester Hills, MI, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, another vehicle crashed into the passenger's side, causing the vehicle to spin and then crash into a wall. The air bags failed to deploy. The rear driver's side passenger sustained whip lash and minor bruising. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 200,000.

- Detroit , MI, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 4 mph, the air bags inadvertently deployed without the vehicle being involved in a crash. A police report was filed of the incident. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 76,000.

- Dumont, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after shifting into reverse, there was an explosion under the hood. The air bags deployed and the engine caught fire. The fire department was present. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the gears slipping where the transmission was rebuilt but the failure was not corrected. The contact and two passengers suffered injuries but they were unknown. The vehicle failure and current mileage was 291,000.

- Guilford , ME, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver of the vehicle was forced off the road by another vehicle, causing the driver to lose control and the vehicle to roll over several times. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was a passenger in the vehicle and sustained injuries to the head, ankle and ribs. In addition, the contact sustained several lacerations and bruises. The driver of the vehicle was killed and the vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a mechanic or an authorized dealer for the air bag failure. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 38,089.

- Carmichael, CA, USA

While driving down the road my airbag light comes on. On occasion I am just thankful that my air bag has not gone off yet. Also while driving my door ajar light & dome lights come on.

- Thornton, CO, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, he inadvertently stepped on the accelerator pedal and crashed into a pole. The contact suffered a bruised chest, ribs armpit and wrists. He also sustained injuries to the knee and neck. The vehicle was destroyed. All of the air bags in the vehicle failed to deploy. The failure and current mileage was 250,100.

- Tracy, CA, USA

The contact owns 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact was attempting to park and haphazardly depressed the accelerator pedal as opposed to the brake pedal. The vehicle accelerated rapidly, causing the contact to crash into a building. The air bags did not deploy and the contact sustained injuries as a result. A police report was not available. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not inspected for the air bag failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileage was 56,705.

- Lehigh Acres , FL, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while traveling 25 mph, the passenger attempted to secure their seatbelt when the driver and passenger side air bags deployed erroneously and without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was told that the air bags were no longer covered under warranty and provided no assistance.the contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 00V179000(air bags:side window) but was advised by the manufacturer that the recall was irrelevant to the 2002 model year Explorer. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 144,000.

- Hutto, TX, USA