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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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
98,984 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.

2004 Ford Explorer engine problems

engine problem

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2004 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #44

Jan 192023

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Back windows fell off track and windows fell down, cannot roll them up. AC and Heater broke and won't work at all. Fuel system is too lean. Transmission is going out Timing Chain and tensioners making loud knocking noise. Burning oil.

- Las Cruces, NM, USA

problem #43

Nov 042021

Explorer

  • miles
On two incidents this week when steering wheel is cut to maximum left or right in tight parking lot and narrow road while making tight turns at legal speeds the engine (V8 4.6L) stalls. Brought to non-Ford mechanic for inspection(NYS ANNUAL) and passes but mechanic looked for a power steering pressure sending sensor or switch that is to give signal to EMC to increase idle to compensate for more power steer demands. Part is $35 at Partgeek but mechanics dont know where the harness the sending switch is located, if one exists or is it in power steering pump. Call Ford NADA! Call two local Ford dealers. One says dont work on cars 15 years old, other says go to liabary to get diagrams, Ford says obsolete parts in 10 years.Bummer! Husband ordered 8/10/20 New 2021 Bronco. Pushed into 2022 due to supply chain. Found out Bronco built at MAP same as Ranger, will not get stronger 10r80 transmission, but Explorer 10r60, 25% weaker ; and gets Explorer 2.3L EgoBoost non- Ranger improved 4×4 engine, although they say same transmission and improved engine as Ranger in ads. Ford Buit Tought? MY2022! PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ISDUE. NO BRAKING NOR STEERING WHEN SENSON IN POWER STEERING STALLS 4.6L ENGINE. Cannot apply gas and brake to keep from stalling when making sharp turns. I am 75 years old and with COPD. Serpertine belt replace before incidents.

- Miller Place, NY, USA

problem #42

Nov 122020

Explorer

  • 220,000 miles
Engine dies when driving with cruise control operating and heading down slight hill at speed of around 35 mph. Cruise is designed to maintain driving speed going down the hill (up or down hill for that matter). The tachometer indicates a slowing of engine RPM. At higher speeds, the slowing of RPM does not fall too low. However, at the slower speed around 35mph, the RPM drops below 500 RPM and the engine stalls. I lose power steering and breaks. I have a difficult time steering and breaking. This is a safety problem on a curve or if a red light is ahead. I can't steer the car on the curve. I may not be able to stop the car at the traffic light and end up in an intersection and be hit by vehicles with a green light. I may hit a car in front of me that has stopped at a light or stop sign. I may not be able to stop for a pedestrian crossing at the intersection (with the light). I may not be able to avoid a child... who darts into the roadway. This is a problem for many owners of the 2004 Explorer. There are many complaints about it on the web. It is a problem that has been noted for years. I complained about it to dealers several times. Dealers dismissed it as nothing can be found, replicated or just not a problem. It is time to recalll the vehicle to fix this safety problem. This is an ongoing problem. I try to avoid using cruise control control at the 35mph range. It seems ok at highway speeds. The last of many instances was in November 2020. The problem first happened when there about 30,000 miles on the car.

- Colo Spgs, CO, USA

problem #41

May 262018

Explorer

  • 212,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In 2004 Ford Explorer with V8, the cruise control turns off engine when traveling 35~45 mph and going down a hill or decline. This affects power steering and brakes making it difficult to control and slow down the vehicle. This has happened repeatedly for the past 10 years, so I am used to this defect. My workaround is to put the vehicle in neutral and restart the vehicle and then continue.

- Wichita, KS, USA

problem #40

Jul 122017

Explorer

  • 141,459 miles
2004 Ford Explorer traveling 40-45mph on a rural road. Driver lost control of the vehicle at a "S" curve and hit an utility pole with the front end. The pole was snapped in half. Airbags did not deploy. Driver was the only person in the vehicle. 35 lb dog was on the passenger seat. Driver was wearing a seat belt. Driver hit his chest on the steering wheel bruising his lung. Driver also hit his head on the windshield causing a laceration (approximately 1.5") down to his skull. Driver was transferred via ambulance to the nearest hospital and admitted for 48 hours. The canine broke her back and had to be put down the following day.

- Wpafb, OH, USA

problem #39

Jun 262017

Explorer

  • miles
Transmission shifts harder and shakes the entire SUV. When I press the gas and get to about 35-40 it will start knocking really bad and feels like it's losing power. When I stop the exact same thing happens with the knocking. I was going 35 around a slight curve on I-45 freeway by little york shepard gulf bank area to be exact and the SUV was driving fine. I was just getting onto the freeway at this time. Hints the reason I'm not going so face. When I started picking up speed the transmission jerked so hard I flew into the next lane. Luckily no one was around me but image if I was in traffic and this happen.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #38

Mar 052017

Explorer

  • 164,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have already put a complaint in about my throttle body issue. This evening I went about a mile and a half, and my wrench light came on and my truck started to not to be able to move. I pulled over, turned it off. Waited a bit and restarted it. This time it took a bit to get it to start up. I then proceeded to go back home because of how it was acting a mile and a half after driving, not often two minutes later it happens again, and the engine started chugging, I couldn't move, and I almost got rear ended again! I then again turned it off and waited and then started the truck up. It took sometime once again to start. I finally made it back home in tears. I was able to get codes off, since I picked a up a code raffia few days prior. I got code P2104, P2111, and P2112. This issue needs to be addressed. I will be calling Ford tomorrow!

- Jefferson, WI, USA

problem #37

Feb 212017

Explorer

  • miles
I was driving on a highway going 60mpg, out of no where my Ford Explorer stops moving and decreases in speed fast. At that same time a wrench symbol popped up on my dash. I almost got rear ended due to the speed dropping so fast, I could not pull over fast enough. Once pulled over, I turnoff my Ford for a few minutes. After a few minutes I started it back up. The wrench symbol was gone, I was able to then accelerate and get to the correct speed for the speed limit. Once I got home I stopped at my local shop and they scanned the computer to see what was going on. I was told that it was my throttle body. I was not giving any codes and the shop owner cleared the codes out of the system. He told me that if it comes back he did say that if it comes back I would have to replace my throttle body. This is very dangerous I know there are recalls that are being petition on other Ford vehicles and I have read many complaints on other websites in regards to this issue Ford should really replace these because they can cause a very hazardous accident when it the throttle body stops performing. I hope this can be looked into and corrected in a reasonable amount of time I know that I am not the only one with this issue. Thank you

- Jefferson, WI, USA

problem #36

Nov 022016

Explorer

  • 170,000 miles
Transmission failure with overdrive light blinking.no first gear, shifts hard, sometime it wont shift without letting off gas.with codespo731, PO733, PO734, PO745 needs total rebuild this happened while driving down the road at 40 miles a hour, ABS light is on. Codes show wrong line pressure.engine knocking, timming chain issues.

- Corydon, IN, USA

problem #35

Aug 162016

Explorer

  • 180,000 miles
While driving down the street I activated the cruise control feature, but when I deexcellerated using the the steering wheel cruise control buttons down to a speed below 40, the engine shut off and power steering off, while I was still in motion on the street. I had to put the vehicle into park and crank up again (which almost didn't crank back up), to get back running. This is the first time using my cruise control feature and have read other horror stories of their Ford Explorer shutting off mid drive due to using the decel button during cruise control. Must be recalled for highway and interstate safety hazard immediately.

- Milton, FL, USA

problem #34

May 102016

Explorer

  • 97,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Problums with timing chain the guides and tentioner always braking or the timing chain it self braking, it is all I hear about the 4.0 motors, I my self this is the second one that it has happened to

- Jackson, MI, USA

problem #33

Jun 032016

Explorer

  • 31,155 miles
The throttle would not respond after starting. Electronic throttle control and engine service warning lights lit on dash. Engine would not rev over 1000 RPM. Had to get electronic throttle body replaced at a cost of $875 plus $65 towing. Electronic throttle control failure has been common Ford going back to 2002. Ford has replaced over 1.6 million units under their consumer satisfaction program. However, there was no recall. Called Ford, and was assigned a case #, however, Ford would not assist with payment. Vehicle out of warranty. 31,155 actual mileage

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #32

Jan 222016

Explorer

  • 78,000 miles
Came home from work Friday evening and sat. Morning the vehicle would not start. Took battery in and tested, it was dead. Replaced the battery and the car still would not start. Only clicked, relay and starter were fine. Had to tow it to a mechanic who has determined that the anti-theft system has shut down my engine for no reason. The key no longer connects to the system. Why is there not a recall on this issue?? I have seen online forums and many complaints about this issue. Now I have to tow my vehicle to a dealer 40 miles away and pay to have my vehicle and keys reprogrammed. Over $120!!! this issue left me stranded with no vehicle for over a week. I think Ford should be responsible for the repair and tow costs!!!

- Coffeyville, KS, USA

problem #31

Dec 262015

Explorer

  • 155,000 miles
The contact owned a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact heard a loud boom and discovered that his parked vehicle was on fire. The fire department extinguished the flames. The insurance company determined that the vehicle was destroyed. There were no injuries. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

- Virginia Beach, VI, USA

problem #30

Jul 232015

Explorer

  • miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled and various unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine timing belt failed and the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Rogersville, MO, USA

problem #29

Oct 012014

Explorer

  • 140,000 miles
Car starts but will go forward when shifted in reverse. Turned the car off then back on, but when I would put the car back in reverse or drive, it stalled out. Had it towed and then it was fine after that. Now its about 6 months later, now my orange wrench light pops up and cruise control shuts off at 65mph. Then it jerks a couple times. Have had it checked and came back with 14 codes mainly for transmission.

- Whitehall, OH, USA

problem #28

May 172015

Explorer

  • 109,000 miles
Complete engine failure while driving. Service engine soon light appeared 2 days previous but did not yet make it to the mechanic. Computer reading suggested a sensor problem. Engine shut down, lost power steering and all systems. Engine restarted but now idles rough.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #27

Feb 152015

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While driving at approximately 55 mph, the service engine soon warning indicator illuminated and the engine stalled. The vehicle restarted and started blowing fuel fumes into the driver's cabin. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the spark plug blew out of the cylinder and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. MA 08/06/15 updated 10/11/2017

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #26

Feb 252015

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 139,939 miles
Had my used 2004 Ford Explorer for a week and I noticed the transmission jerking when it shift into the last gear. Sometimes when I put it in reverse, I have to wait for a full minute for it to finally reverse. Sometimes it jerks hard when I put it in reverse or drive. I'm sure the dealership knew about all this but never revealed it. Of course when you buy as is, your screwed.

- Lorain, OH, USA

problem #25

Feb 252015

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • miles
I've have my vehicle for 10 years. Paid the dealership $450 to have a warranty for the power train and when I went to the dealership for them to fix it they wouldn't. I find out that my major issues are the mechanical differential. Still having the this issue to this day and can never have my transmission cleaned or flushed because of that. Also, my fuel system gets clogged a lot and gas mileage is horrible. Also, my antifreeze leaks after I paid money to have the cracked seal fixed. This is just scratching the surface. I have many things wrong with my vehicle I feel should be covered by the manufacturer but I would like to know what defects are out there for my vehicle.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

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