CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2003 Ford Explorer one of our worst vehicles 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
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,500
Average Mileage:
139,000 miles
Total Complaints:
1 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
remove transmission and replace harness (1 reports)
On the hottest day of the in stop and go traffic, the engine just stopped. It would not turn over. All the electrical acc. still worked so it wasn't the Battery. After having the car towed to the dealer, it was discovered that the harness had melted and shorted against the heat shield, blowing a fuse and shutting down the engine. The harness couldn't be replaced w/o removing the transmission because of space limitations.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
On the hottest day of the in stop and go traffic, the engine just stopped. It would not turn over. All the electrical acc. still worked so it wasn't the Battery. After having the car towed to the dealer, it was discovered that the harness had melted and shorted against the heat shield, blowing a fuse and shutting down the engine. The harness couldn't be replaced w/o removing the transmission because of space limitations.
- Steve A., Tacoma, WA, US