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.
6.6
fairly significant
Typical Repair Cost:
$200
Average Mileage:
96,950 miles
Total Complaints:
7 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
mechanic repaired leak at top of engine (3 reports)
Plastic thermostat cover is a known failure point of the ford 4L engine, this thermostat cover failed drastically during a highway trip causing the car to overheat suddenly and resulting in complete engine failure resulting in a costly major engine rebuilt.
I'LL REPEAT, MY 04 FORD EXPLORER IS THE BIGGEST PIECE OF JUNK THAT I HAVE EVER OWNED. I WILL NEVER EVER BUY ANOTHER PIECE OF SH*T FORD AGAIN.......EVER.
FORD SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO SELL A PIECE OF CRAP LIKE THIS.
OVER ALL HARDLY ANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT MY EXPLORER, MECHANICALLY I'VE KEPT UP WITH MAINTENANCE AND ETC. BUT THE LIFT GATE LOOKS BAD, IT STARTED ABOUT 5 YEARS AGO WITH ONE IN CENTER, VERY NOTICEABLE AND LAST YEAR ABOUT 6 MO. AGO HAIRLINE CENTER OF RIGHT HALF.
Was leaking coolant down under car. A small puddle would form. I looked under the engine and was able to trace the flow. A mechanic I know tested it and said it could possibly be a blown head gasket. I took it to another mechanic and he found that the leak was coming from a plastic component which houses the thermostat. He pulled the old part off and replaced it with a new one. That solved the problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
This wasn't a big fix, so I thought nothing of it...however, once this happened, everything else started coming down the tube!
- Scott I., Layton, UT, US