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2.2

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,826 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.

2008 Ford Explorer lights problems

lights problem

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2008 Ford Explorer Owner Comments

problem #10

Jul 122019

Explorer

  • 128,000 miles

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

Interior dome lights turn on while driving. This has happened intermittently for about a year and has happened at various speeds and even when the vehicle is not moving. This is a safety issue when it happens while driving at night as it makes it much harder to view the road and external surroundings.

- Point Venture, TX, USA

problem #9

May 042015

Explorer

  • 70,000 miles
The air bag indicator light is on and stays on. I took it to my Ford dealer and they are saying I need a new module in order for my airbag to deploy properly. After researching on line, I see hundreds of similar complaints with no results. I am concerned that this is an ongoing problem that Ford is turning a blind eye to. This is a safety concern that should be addressed and soon. There are complaints on models from 1999-2014, and the bottom line is that customers are having repairs made that are not fixing the problem. I went to the official Ford site to review this information and have been shocked that this issue continues to rear its ugly head.

- Marianna, FL, USA

problem #8

Nov 012014

Explorer

  • 56,000 miles
I purchased this truck in Sept 2014 about 2 months after I purchased it, as I was driving the dome lights go on and the seat moves back as it does when it lets you out. It will do this more so with one set of our keys then the other. It's continually getting worse. It will sometimes happen 1-15 times in a car trip.I have almost gotten into an accident a number of times because of this. I have visited my dealer who has estimated about $500 in repairs and was amazed when he seen this going on. He stated he never seen anything like this and probably wouldn't have believed me if he didn't see it with his own eyes.it also happens every time you hit a bump and now I fear my car shutting off because it thinks I'm getting out by moving my seat back and turning the lights on which my dealer says is a good possibility.I drive with 2 small children in this vehicle daily. I've researched online a seen a good amount of the same complaints, how can this not be a safety recall"? are you going to wait for someone to die to recall it?" and if you need to see it for yourself my truck will do this without fail for any technician. It's a lot of money for a repair that I don't feel we should have to make. When you purchase a vehicle for that amount of money it should be safe to drive! wear and tare is one thing safety should be at the expense of the manufacture. I think I can speak for most people that the number one quality you look for when purchasing a vehicle is safety & reliability.

- Depew, NY, USA

problem #7

Sep 012014

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • 100,000 miles

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

I was driving my 2008 Explorer at about 30-40 mph. All of a sudden the interior lights pop on, the drivers seat goes all the way back, and this all happened when I was driving. How can this not be a recall"?" this has obviously happened to a ton of other people and is probably one of the most unsafe things to ever happen inside a running vehicle. If my wife was to drive my truck, and this happens, she would have lost control of the truck and possibly injured herself or one of my kids. Something must be done. Calling Ford and rectifying this.

- West Warwick, RI, USA

problem #6

Dec 062014

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
Ran over a slight bump after which the dome lights came on and the driver's seat moved all the way back simultaneously. After a few minutes the lights went out but I had to manually move the seat back forward. This same situation happened again about 5 minutes later. Both the dealer and Ford customer care people said they had never heard of this problem before, although I see numerous complaints on the internet about the same problem and that they had reported it to the company.

- Hagerstown, MA, USA

problem #5

Oct 062014

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 63,256 miles
While after going over a bump or uneven ground, key fob will rock back and forth slightly, which is normal, but the ignition on this vehicle is malfunctioning. This fob motion triggers the courtesy features of the seat, which flies back and lowers at the same time( because it senses the ignition is being turned off). The interior lights also come on, because it senses the ignition is being turned off. This is a huge hazard to the driver and occupants and either action ca cause a loss of control. As a former Ford technician, I was able to pinpoint the source of the problem, and promptly called Ford Motor Company and reported the issue. I let them know I was a former Ford technician as well. The woman on the other end of the line said shes " never heard of that problem being reported " this issue is all oer the internet in the Ford forums......not impressed with Ford response to this obvious and serious safety issue.

- Gansevoort, NY, USA

problem #4

Jan 112014

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 101,000 miles

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

When driving over a bump in the road my seats go back, the lights come on and the key comes partly out of the ignition. This has been going on for months now and luckily I haven't had an accident. I have to push the key back into the ignition while trying to keep my foot on the pedal because of the seat going back I am too far from the pedal.

- Randolph, MA, USA

problem #3

Jun 012009

Explorer

  • 8,000 miles
The exterior and interior dome lights turn on and off while driving. Driving over bumps, dips in road, etc. Triggers the event.

- Berkley, MI, USA

problem #2

Dec 012012

Explorer

  • 40,000 miles
The exterior and interior dome lights turn on and off while driving. First few incidents were spread apart however the problem has progressed now to almost every other minute while driving. Driving over bumps, dips in road, etc. Triggers the event. I have narrowed it down to any "jiggle" of the key causes the lights to go on and off. Ford wants $250-$500 to fix. Google the problem and you will find hundreds of others with this same problem, ignition switch is faulty. This is extremely unsafe especially when the lights come on at night, it can be startling and prevents me from seeing out of my mirrors because the light reflects off of it. Also I have seen cars swerve on occasion when they are beside my car as the exterior lights under the mirrors turn on and I assume catching them off guard. I am always afraid I might get pulled over as it looks like I am sending out an S.O.S. distress call with my lights flashing on an off constantly. I have never had more than just the key and fob on the key ring same as it was the day I bought it new, I cannot stand a ring full of keys so to say that excessive weight caused the problem is not true in my case and of course this problem surfaced only a couple thousand miles out of the warranty. Ford also has a tsb out on this issue as it is a common complaint.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #1

Feb 022014

Explorer

  • 72,000 miles
While driving, the driver power seat starts to move backwards and forward, dome lights came on like if when I turn off the car. But the car is on and moving. And then two occasions while on the freeway driving the vehicle turned off. Pulled over and restarted the car and it turned on like if nothing happened. I had taken the vehicle to the dealer several times they have run diagnostic test and are not able to find any thing wrong.done some research on line and found more people with same issue. Extremely dangerous!!! do not feel safe driving especially in traffic. Its an accident waiting to happen.

- Paramount, CA, USA

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