CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2004 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 2002-2005 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.
2.4
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,544 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.
While going to open the rear hatch of my 2004 Ford Explorer, I noticed a crack in the hatch door from just below the window down to the next panel. When I opened the window on the hatch door, I noticed that the left hinge that holds the glass is coming loose. I am unable to utilize the rear cargo area of my vehicle now for fear that the left hinge will break off resulting in the entire door coming off the vehicle and falling or dropping onto me or one of my children, causing severe personal injuries. The mileage on my vehicle is approximately 70,000 miles. Nothing has been done yet to correct this failure because after reading other people's experience with having Ford refuse to acknowledge the problem and the government thus far refusing to issue a recall, my hands are tied. I do not want to pay for the repair myself because I have already been burned by Ford on other issues relating to this vehicle, I.e., the ABS module and the air conditioning system.
Hinge on liftgate glass fractured and broke. 2004 Ford Explorer. See 2003 nhsta recall 04V442000. Liftgate glass hanging off and car unusable. Metal fatigue on hinge/glass attach point on glass. Could my car have received "older" defective parts from previous year as it has a manufacture date of 08/03? numerous previous model year problems with same part.
- Vancouver, WA, USA
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- Cypress, TX, USA