CarComplaints.com Notes: 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 $3,000.
Adding insult to injury, the 2002-2005 Explorer also has a massive problem with the rear panel cracking. While it's a minor annoyance compared to transmission failure, ironically the crack usually goes right through the Ford logo.
My mother bought this Ford explorer new in 05 and I was not happy with this purchase but it was too late. No I can't say I told her so since I am her son this thing is falling apart and her horrible experiences with the Coos Bay, OR ford dealer has made this a horrible experience. The latest problem is the transmission. Just like everyone else has experienced, when it is cold and you put it in R or D and push the accelerator it will rev up and engage at high RPM and then lurch forward or backward violently. After it warms up this problem goes away but this was the last straw. We traded it in on a Honda CR-V and she will never buy a Ford product again and, not that I would have ever considered, but I will also never buy a Ford product. You would think in a time when people are hesitant to buy an American vehicle that they would be kissing our bean bags. Instead you get A**holes at the dealerships and continual poor manufacturing.
I bought this car from DON SEEYLE FORD - first MISTAKE!!! They are a bunch of unhelpful, scandalous A-HOLES! I had paint problems with them prior to the transmission problems. When I called them about the transmission, several times, I NEVER got a call back. Anyhow, I barely had 60,000 miles on the truck and had it for only 7 months at this point. It cost me 2200 to fix, and FORD refuses to reimburse me even a penny of this as they say it is NOT A FORD ISSUE; even though this is a problem reported by several people with the same year and transmission. HOW THE F#$! is it not a Ford problem?????!!!!!!!!!!!
I have the same issue as other owners of the 2005 Explorer with the sealed transmission.
It slips, lurches, bangs into gears....I found, by accident, that by letting the vehicle warm up until the idle speed drops down under 1000 rpm, the problems rarely occur. I can no longer jump into the truck and drive off, as even with a warm engine it takes :15-:30 to drop down, but it is a less expensive solution than replacing the transmission.
I had ford look at it and replace a soleniod, which did not fix the problem.. they then said, we could try the computer module...Ok the soleniod was $800.. the computer about the same... better off replacing the tranny..... so I walked away disappointed and out $800
This is my 4th explorer... loved all the pre-2002 models and they were reliable. Not so much on this one. My wife drives imports and loves to tell me what a dope I am for driving American....still hanging onto hope Ford will take care of this problem.
I seem to have had the same problem that everyone else on this list is having so why hasn't anything been done about it!!!!! About 2 weeks ago my truck started slipping when it was shifting gears, then when putting in reverse it would jump real hard before going into gear. So my fiance a MECHANIC attempted to look at my transmission fluid and come to find out there was no dipstick for him to check! Apparently ford did not make one for that year, remember this truck is only 4 yrs old! So that now means there is no way to fill it and it would need to be replace because after draining the fluid and finding out that was the problem!!! Just today my check transmission light on the info screen came on and my O/D off light started to flash it will not shift gears at all and if you try to shift manually it will not lock into gear!!! This is absolutely ridculious and pisses me off my truck only has 58,000 miles on it that was the reason for getting it the low miles less likely for something to go wrong just yet oops guess I was wrong.!!! If I thought I could win I would sue Ford its just ridculious someone needs to make this right for all the 2005 Explorers having the same problem. Now after reading these other complaints it seems that I have to look forward to replacing it again in a couple thousand miles!!! I love my explorer and would prefer not to do that so maybe someone could come up with a solution to the problem instead of making money off of everyone everytime they bring it in! Luckily I have someone that can replace it for me and not cost my labor just the cost of the transmission but not everyone is as lucky as me so FORD do something.
I bought my car new and at 13,000 miles the transmission began slipping between 2nd and 3rd gears and hesitated going into reverse. The dealership replaced the valve body. Then, the same thing happened at 43,000 miles, 70,000 miles and again at 90,000 miles. The dealership has replaced the same part each time. When will Ford stand behind their products and fix the problem for good?
- Stacy P.,
Dora, AL, US
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It's a shame that Ford builds inferior products. This was my 1st American brand car in over 15 years, bought it new thinking it would last a lot longer than this. I've always serviced it as recommended and now that it's off warranty the tranny dies. This along with the "big three's" inability to manage their companies... this is the last American car I will ever own. Even my cheap little Suzuki Aerio SX is still running strong and it is one year older.
2005 explorer with 40,000 miles and it needed a new transmission (rebuilt). It cost $2,600 to have it repaired. Seems absolutely ridiculous for a car that has only 40,000 miles on it.
I know it is not normal for a transmission on a <3yr old truck to go bad with only 41,000 miles on it. How long has Ford been making the explorer? Long enough to make a transmission last longer then 41,000 miles!!! I keep very good care of my truck all service done before it even states in the book. The transmission is not even serviced or looked at until 40,000 miles. This is a flaw in the truck and FORD should stand behind their product. I don't care that times are tough for people. Stand behind your product or get out of business. Don't get me wrong I love my Truck but for a transmission to go bad at this millage is beyond me!
Add me to the list for the Ford tranny problem. My '05 Explorer has right around 61k miles, and the other day the CHECK TRANSMISSION came up in the info center, a few minutes later, the "O/D off" light started blinking. I had noticed a couple hard shifts in reverse, but maybe twice and more than a month apart, so it didn't set off any bells or whistles. But more recently I did notice a little slippage in the lower gears, and I made a note to remind them to check it when I dropped if off this coming Saturday for the 30k service (which I do regularly!) ... but once that light came on, it was like I was forgetting to shift a standard transmission ... the truck did a Jekyll and Hyde on me! Scared out of my wits, I took it to the dealer ... they said something about a valve cover and solenoid ... silly me, aren't those things in the engine? Never mind that the only reason I was given for it happening was "parts wear out". So I politely picked up my vehicle and took it to Aamco ... he called back and said they got a P075 error, Pressure Control Solenoid Malfunction ... and the complete fix to keep it from happening again would be a rebuilt transmission ... about $2200 - $2400! Holy cow! He also said he sees a lot of it with the Explorers and F150's ... go figure. So naturally, hoping to find a painless way out, I looked for recalls and tech notes ... but Ford has published nothing. Aamco still has the truck, I'm trying to decide if I want the tranny rebuilt ... I asked about just putting in a new one, and get this ... he said there aren't any new ones! Clue, Ford stopped making it because they know its crap! I agree ... something needs to be done ... a three yr-old vehicle with less than 75k miles has no business needing a new transmission! I'm no little old lady driver, but I don't run it on an NHRA track, either. No doubt Ford knows about the problem ... so then why aren't they doing anything about it?
At just over 8000 miles my 2005 (which was built in 2004 with all the other crappy transmissions) started slipping going from 2nd to 3rd and slamming into reverse. They replaced the solenoid and said you're fixed. I am now at just over 11000 miles and it rocks when I put it in park and remove my foot from the brake. So I will have to take it in again. I have also had problems with the door locks and the rear windows. I will not be buying another Ford. Ever.
This is very common problem with the 2005 transmission. Get it fixed soon. Very common in 27,000-29,000 mileage area. The dealership know what it was immediately. One person had done nothing but that problem the week I brought the vehicle in.
My 2005 Ford Explorer transmission has been slipping when shiftting from reverse to park and from drive to reverse. It takes 2-3 seconds before it finally gets into gear.
The transmission shutters when accelerating and shifting in to or out of (I think) 3rd gear. Whether starting out or on the freeway shifting in to passing gear. It also shutters when shifting up as in after you pass someone and it is going back in to overdrive. Also, it has about a 4 second delay when going from Park to Reverse or Drive. I hear this is typical of these transmissions in 2005 and 2006? What is up with that?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My mother bought this Ford explorer new in 05 and I was not happy with this purchase but it was too late. No I can't say I told her so since I am her son this thing is falling apart and her horrible experiences with the Coos Bay, OR ford dealer has made this a horrible experience. The latest problem is the transmission. Just like everyone else has experienced, when it is cold and you put it in R or D and push the accelerator it will rev up and engage at high RPM and then lurch forward or backward violently. After it warms up this problem goes away but this was the last straw. We traded it in on a Honda CR-V and she will never buy a Ford product again and, not that I would have ever considered, but I will also never buy a Ford product. You would think in a time when people are hesitant to buy an American vehicle that they would be kissing our bean bags. Instead you get A**holes at the dealerships and continual poor manufacturing.
- Travis B., Seattle, WA, US