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.
I had a spark plug blow out of this engine in February 2016 and had it repaired with a HeliCoil insert. 2 months later, another plug blew out of a different cylinder. A quick search on the internet reveals that this is a common problem on Ford 4.6 and 5.4 engines, but Ford will not address it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I had a spark plug blow out of this engine in February 2016 and had it repaired with a HeliCoil insert. 2 months later, another plug blew out of a different cylinder. A quick search on the internet reveals that this is a common problem on Ford 4.6 and 5.4 engines, but Ford will not address it.
- jskiba, Colorado Springs, CO, US