Transmission Slipping, Shifts Hard

Problem first appeared in March 2005, we received a letter of recall so we took it in. An additive was put in the tranny and we were off with the assurance that "that should fix it". Sounded reasonable. Since then, the problem has made a few reappearances, but was mostly an occasional annoyance. Today, however, my wife could not get it to shift into reverse for some time, I'm fully expecting it to fail altogether. Called Ford for the 2nd time- the first was inquiry, this time I'm looking for some assurance they will pick up the fix. I mentioned the numerous complaints I easily found, yet the rep was unable to comment. I can buy that. I have to take it in, at considerable inconvenience, get a diagnosis, then call back and hope that they will benevolently honor the problem recurrence. I gather that is a stretch and may have to threaten legal action? I sure hope not. We have always been Ford people, ever since I was a kid dad had Fords and I am on my 5th. Loyalty means nothing to me when the maker decides not to act appropriately though...I hope to update soon.

My wife purchased a 2004 Exploder from the dealer and she has kept up the maintenance and fortunately had the transmission fluid replaced within the first 3,000 miles. She has 53,000 on the vehicle now and last week she ran over some trash on the highway and ruined two tires. She took it to the tire store and had the two new tires put on the rear and the two old (slightly worn) tires put on the front. The next day the transmission started, slipping and refusing to shift from gear to gear. I told her to take it back to the tire store just to see if they may have accidentally disconnected a sensor or something and they told us that this make and model was notorious for BAD TRANSMISSIONS. I did a little research and found several sites with pages and pages of nightmare stories about this vehicle and its transmission.

I took the vehicle to the dealer with my 100k warranty and I was “loaded for bear”. I insisted that the Service Manager take a ride with me just to confirm that we were on the same page. They kept the vehicle overnight and called me first thing and told me that my problem was that I had two different tire types and that the computer was interpreting the difference in RPMs front to rear as slippage and slamming the vehicle in and out of all wheel drive.

I called the tire store and got the owner on the phone and he was shocked and embarrassed that his people did not tell us that you do not put two different tire types on an all wheel drive vehicle. He felt so bad that he sold us two new tires at cost. These tires were the same size just new and a little different tread design.

There is a real “solenoid” problem with this transmission that causes the “slamming into reverse issue” but I wonder just how many of the other issues (slipping and shifting) are relative to the fact that the transmissions are simply wearing themselves out shifting from two to all wheel drive. If new tires on the rear and old tires on the front could cause our problem what happens in just day to day wear. It has been my experience that the front ALWAYS wear faster and if you don’t rotate them regularly would you not have this same scenario? Is the computer not calculating the delta correctly (the ratio of spin tire to tire) ?

I bought this Explorer used and noticed that when I place the SUV in reverse I hear the same "bang" and lurching that's been described by everyone here. This is the first Ford I've ever owned as I've only owned Toyota's since I've been driving. With 141,000 + miles on my Toyota Truck that truck has been reliable and never ever did I have any issues with that vehicle. I should have known better to buy anything other than a Toyota and will never again buy stray from that car manufacturer.

By the sounds of it, I'll be pissing up a rope so to speak to have this issue fixed and will cost me an arm and a leg for a problem that Ford refuses to recognize! Class action lawsuit sounds good to me!!

FORD SUCKS... They knew the 2004 Ford Explorer transmission SUCKED from the very beginning. I bought my 2004 Explorer brand new, and 6 months later, I needed to bring it in for a so called transmission additive that would correct a potential transmission problem. Well, wouldn't you know it...3 months later, I started noticing a sudden "bang" or "jump" when I shifted from Park to Reverse. Took the car in for repair and was covered under the original warranty for a failed "Solenoid Body". A year later... same problem, but this time the "bang" was more severe. Took it back to the same dealership... well this time they wouldn't fix it, because I was out of warranty by just a couple of months. It costs me $650.00 to replace the part that the dealer had already replaced. 6 months later... guess what same same old... same old... The same dealership now tells me that my 4th gear is gone and I'll need a new transmission... cost $3500. What's wrong with this picture? Can anybody bring a "class action suit" against Ford? These guys shouldn't get away with stuff like that!!! That really sucks. That's it... no more Ford for me, and everyone will hear about it.

I purchased a used 2004 Explorer in Feb of 07. One month later, I noticed a jerking motion when putting the car in reverse. I took the vehicle back to the dealer, as it was covered under their warranty at that time. After keeping the vehicle the entire day, of course, their findings were normal and I was told not to worry. As the months went by, I notice the same jerking motion but a lot more severe with a loud sound, that feels as if the bottom of the car is going to drop out. I took the vehicle to a Ford dealer and they too could not find any problems and told me not to worry. However, the problem is worsening. I am taking it to a transmission specialist with the hopes that they will be able to find the problem and fix it. I also hope whatever the problem is, it will be covered under the extended warranty as I feel I should not have to kick out any expenses as I reported the problem immediately after purchasing the vehicle. I now learned that the dealer that I purchased the vehicle from is being sued by another individual, that I just so happen to meet at the auto repair shop who purchased car from them. Although it is a different make and model, the engine blew up after only having the car for two months.

First off, I love my fords...It is evident because I own 5 of them...However, when I bought my 1st explorer in 1996 I fell in love. I had it for about 5 years (88,000) , then had to replace the tranny. Drove it for a while then had to replace it again (148,000), then put a rebuilt one at 204,000. Got my money's worth out of it, but it was a real pain. The tranny's sucked. Now I went and bought a used one a month ago with 52,000 miles on it. It ran great and now the tranny is slipping in it. It grinds when I first pull out from a red light or something and if I try to back up on the slightest incline, you think the bottom is going to fall out of it because it sounds so bad. Took it to the Ford dealer and they said a new tranny. Well, I thought when I bought this one and purchased an extended warranty program on the internet and guess what. They say that it will not cover the problem. I have to shell out for it myself. Well, I called Ford Customer Care team and still haven't heard anything from them. I love my Fords. They are the best looking vehicles on the road today. I just wish that they would fix the tranny problems...

I had the same problem as the other posters. I had purchased my Explorer brand new in April 2004. At 12,000 miles, when I was backing into my regular parking spot at work, it jerked. And at times it would not even move. I would have to put it in park and try again to get it to move. Now it jerks forward as well and I have about 52000 miles on it. I have an appointment scheduled and luckily I purchased the extended warranty that covers a rental car until the problem is fixed. I noticed there was a recall on the vehicle but probably didn't get the letter because soon after I purchased the vehicle I moved to a new home. This is awful! Does anyone know if the lemon law can come into affect on this one. I rather just get a new car, especially since this one runs like an old one!

I purchased my Explorer used, with 29000 miles, in Dec. 2006. A month later I started noticing the harsh engagement or what I would call " jerking my brains out!". I work near a Ford dealership, dropped it off, and they told me it was a Solenoid Body that needed to be replaced, under warranty, replaced, end of story----or what I thought!!!! A week ago, around Oct. 31, I noticed the same thing started happening again, so I stopped by the same dealership that fixed it before, and told them what was going on. Of course, the part was only warranted for only 12 months, and they wanted 69.00 just to look at it and tell me for sure what it was. Another dealership in or town only charges 40.00, so I went there. Guess what? It was the Solenoid Body, again, and they told me that a certain "additive" was supposed to have been added in, when it was changed out. According to my invoice it wasn't. They said the additive was loke "liquid gold", and probably would have prevented this from happening, at least so soon. SO NOW I AM FURIOUS! I call Ford Motor Company and tell them everthing, and that I shouldn't be made responsible for the repair. The estimate was for 556.00. That was oct. 31st and it is now Nov. 5th, and still awaiting their decision to help with repair. I received a fax from the dealership that replaced it in Jan. 06, and it showed their was a recall on the additive, and it was done before I even bought the vehicle. So my question now is--

does the additive need to be put in everytime the transmission fluid is changed or in my case, the Solenoid Body replaced, or is the 1 time enough? I think the damage has done been done. I found a website, or forum that you can link on to info on a possible Class Action Lawsuit regarding this transmission issue. I read where one mans wife was ran over, when there vehicle slipped out of park as soon as she got out. She is now paralyzed.

When I looked in the owner's manual, I found a place where it said that the jerking was "no reason for concern". Now my truck is SLAMMING into reverse. While driving, if I take my foot off the gas to apply the break, it jerks forward. When my truck is shifting from 2nd into 3rd, the truck jerks forward. Fortunately, I purchased the extended warranty on my truck and only have to pay $100. This is the 2nd solenoid to be replaced on my truck. I am very frustrated with this. As I was reading through everyone's complaints....it is as if FORD is replacing solenoids like "putting a band-aid" on the problem instead of fixing it. Like everyone has said, it only fixes the problem temporarily. I have really enjoyed my Explorer until now. I am really frustrated with this problem and will never buy another FORD again.

well i got the explorer at 62000 miles. about a month after getting it found this site and was horrified about the problems with the explorer. well after reading all this i decided to get an extended warranty. well im at 68000+ miles and now my transmission is starting. first it started as a light thump when i would shift into reverse. over the course of 3000 miles it has started to slam into reverse. sometimes when the transmission shifts from first to sec gear it shutters. also sometimes it takes up to 5 sec for the transmission to shift from park to reverse or from drive to reverse. so in about a month or so im going to take it in and call the warranty people. pay my 100 dedcutable and have them fix this mess. im deploying in January so i guess when i get back i will be trading in this exploder. i have loved ford for a long but this will prob be the last ford i ever get. now looking at the Mazda cx-7 or maybe a Subaru. i advise owners of the exploder to get an extended warranty before there exploder starts to act up. the one i found is great. if anybody wants to know the company let me know

After reading some of the comments about the transmission, I've decided that I also have felt the hard shifts that my Explorer sometimes makes. Sometimes you think it's not gonna shift and then it slams into gear...I actually got rid of a brand new Ford Windstar quite a few years ago after owning it for only three months, for the same reason. I ended up with an Expedition that didn't seem to have this problem but then stupidly traded it in after three years for a smaller vehicle which is my Explorer and ended up with the same problem as the Windstar but just not as bad. Looks like Ford seems to have a problem with their transmissions and can't seem to make them right which makes me think I better look at a different company next year when I buy my new vehicle! It will be American made but just not Ford...

We bought our Explorer in 2004 and a year later the fist issue started. The transmission slips all the time but randomly. Every time we take it in for service they "fix" it but it keeps coming back or they "can't find" the problem. It has been a few months over 3 years since we bought it and it just went in again for the 4th or 5th time. We've had no luck with dealer so we're taking legal action against the manufacturer. I love the way it looks and drives when operating correctly but will never buy another Ford again! EVER! NEVER! It's a shame.

This is an update to a previous report I submitted about my explorer having transmission problems shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. When the Ford mechanics took apart the transmission, they found that the transfer case was also scarred and the only solution left was to replace the transmission costing $4000. Since so many people have posted complaints on this site and others on the internet, we called our area Ford representative and requested Ford to kick in more money to pay for the the replacement. Ford agreed to pay $2500 of the cost. I suggest to everyone with this problem to put up a fight and it will probably help to alleviate some of the cost.