Ford Explorer

"All I had to do was change the sensor after my buddy plugged his diagnostic machine onto the vehicle."

"intermittent dashboard warning light on and off after 90000ks. Would "light" for a hundred Ks, then disappear for a period then on again for short period. Dealer traced problem to "cracked sensor" on first experience, then to "rust" and "grunge""

"ABS light is on. Cost to repair is too high considering age of the vehicle"

"Work vehicle only. Both differentials have metal in the fluid. Would cost more than $2000 including brake work and other fluids needed but the vehicle is not worth it. Waiting to buy a new vehicle"

"abs braking system no longer works"

"2017 replaced brakes and rotors. Decided to replace calipers in 2018 due to noise/performance."

"THIS is a 4-wheel drive explorer, thetas occasidonallyused to tow a 2-horse trailer,"

"With only 6000 miles per year of service, brake replacement seemed excessive."

"Pads wore out after prolonged use."

"Can not use parking brake, will freeze and can not be driven"

"total rust out"

"Entire parking brake assembly had rusted and needed to be replaced in order to pass inspection."

"This has been a consistent issue since we bought the vehicle in 2003"

"pads lasted only 5,000 miles"

"A sticky rear brake caliper caused the pad to wear unevenly, resulting in the pad backer damaging the rotor. I replaced the problem caliper and both rear pads and rotors, at a cost of about $250 in parts."

"It was a recurring problem until all calipers, rotors and pads were replaced. Also, it had a significant failure of the axil seal."

"Warped rotors that caused pedal pulsating and vehicle vibrations"

"Rotors had to be replaced as I live a block from the ocean and the salt air corrodes the metal over a 4-5 year period"

"It was thought they were original equipment so getting 190K miles from them was probably good"

"The front rotors rusted out prematurely as California roads are not salted in the mountains to melt snow during the winter"

"car did not start due to no gas from fuel pump"

"Failing fuel pump resulted in intermittent crank/no start problem expensive repair"

"drove the vehicle all day. stopped to pick up dry cleaning and when I came back the truck would not start. did not like that feeling..... not able to keep going with my evening, had the truck towed to a repair shop...it was ready to roll by noon the next day. it was the original fuel pump, 16 years old. was not disappointed....glad it was me and not my wife....."

"It has gone out twice and once it caused me to leave the car for several days since they could not find the answer. Apparently when the fuel pump sensor went it also weaken the fuse and this also later went and when I went to pick up the car, the ca"

"Attempted to restart vehicle after dropping off a friend, and could not do so. Had to flatbed it home. Mechanic replaced fuel pump"

"Fuel pump failed"

"Awfully expensive to repair. Failed without any prior warning or indication of a problem"

"Fuel system won't hold pressure due to failed check valve in fuel pump. Pump is in gas tank, so it's a big repair expense. Living with the issue, I have to crank the engine once to pressure the fuel system and then a second time to start the car"

"Intermittent non start. Had to have towed three times and when delivered to dealer would start so they could never tell exactly what was wrong. Ended up a back yard mechanic had a portable device to plug in when it would not start one of the times i"

"Fuel pump failed Replaced"

"Car just would not start. then was ok for 3 weeks then stopped and had to tow to shop for fix"

"Driving on the freeway and the engine would just shut down. Definitely not getting any gas to the engine"

"Fuel pump started to fail so was replaced"

"Would start and run fine, but on trips with multiple stops I.e. Shopping, would on the third or so restart, not turn over at all"

"Mass air flow sensor failed at 128000 miles"

"The oxygen sensor went at125000 miles. It was expensive to replace but necessary due to enviromental restrictions"

"O2 sensor and bad gasket. parts not that expensive but labor is"

"Continual problem, fix one thing then another goes. Planning on replacing the vehicle"

"Transmission totally failed, had to tow, est. repair $3000"

"Had to rebuild transmission at 90,000 and again at 130,000. None cover by warranty."

"Transmission went out suddenly. When I bought the vehicle, was under understanding it had rebuilt transmission. If so, this one only lasted 30K miles over 7 years."

"Would not shift out of low!"

"Transmission solenoid "blew" out the side of the casing, needed new housing as well as total rebuild"

"Third rebuilt transmission on this vehicle"

"Transmission went at 90,000, cost $2200"

"Transmission used aluminum bushings in the original design which wear and cause the transmission to skip gears during shifting. Replacement is all steel"

"Rough shifting and OD light was flashing"

"We replaced the transmission with a rebuilt one about 4 months ago. This is the first time we had any major problem with the transmission, although it was acting up periodically so we knew it would have to be replaced eventually"

"Surprised had to replace transmission at approx 80k. Apparently, is a known weak spot in vehicle. Friend has had 2 transmissions in 150k"

"Installed rebuilt transmission which had to be repaired 11 months later"

"I had to have the transmission rebuilt not only once but a year later I had to have it rebuilt again, there has been other problem areas but the transmission has been the most costly in repairs"

"On a cross country trip a tire was replaced and I was told that this contributed to a transmission failure because the tire did not match the other three and caused stress on the computerized system"

"Needed a complete rebuild of this tranmission. This is the third time I've had my 2002 Explorer replaced or rebuilt"

"shifting erratically worn out -replaced"

"At 110,000 miles this vehicle required a complete rebuild because it is a closed transmission. As others have said before me...who was the genius that came up with this idea"

"Transmission died with about 17k miles on the ODO. Installed a rebuilt engine because while expensive, the cost was not absurd and the engine had a decent life left. Obviously reliability will depend on your mechanic and luck of draw, but transmission has been fine except for some slightly rough shifting in low gear."

"Stopped working"

"The 4WD stopped working. It needs the entire module replaced"

"After replacing the transmission that they rebuild transmission I was still experiencing a shuddering when I accelerate it and decelerated I was told it was due to the drive shaft propeller shaft and differential which I not had to replace which was just as bad and expensive as replacing the transmission"

"jerky and lots of noise. common problem with ford. 2001 model is consider one of the worst cars built. many problems"

"Service technician at the dealer failed to read the instructions for the new style axle seals that caused seal damage when the differential was rebuilt, causing two returns to the dealer to correct (at no additional cost to me except time lost)."

"The Differential locked up and would not move from reverse to forward."

"Whining noise in the differentials"

"very loud noise and vibration"

"diff needs to be replaced"

"Differential clutches- Bearings. The entire rear axle assembly was totally rebuilt by an authorized Ford dealer. 11,000 miles later I have the very same problem and the dealer will not correct. I have spent $7,863 dollars over the lifetime of the car"

"fluid leaked and differential failed. Rear wheel bearing failed"

"not kicking into gear after backing up. sounds coming from the rear end"

"Front driveshaft developed vibration & was replaced (likely its CV/universal joint). Not unreasonable @ approx. 290,000 miles."

"car occasionally won't start. it's infrequent, but it's a big pain when it does happen"

"Some vibration necessitated a $1,200 repair"

"Transmissions had to be completely rebuilt."

"Would not change from 2x4 to 4x4, and was very loud and grinding. Had to be replaced"

"replacement of tem"

"fail because of alternator, service personal did not catch the real problem"

"When driving the vehicle it would run rough. Had to be replaced 2 times."

"Ignition coils started failing , replaced all of them"

"Coil did not actually fail but the connections to the coil did fail - not enough contact to energize the coil. (#1 cylinder)"

"Had to replace the #2,3,4, and 8 coils"

"Had the number 8 cylinder ignition coil fail leading to a very rough idle and operation. Part not terribly expensive or hard to replace."

"The engine harness for the ignition coils was dried up and deteriorated. The harness was obsolete so it was partially rebuilt. It took time to receive the parts. Parts and labor was approximately $1200"

"Key is difficult to insert"

"spark plug wires need to be replaced & throttle body (fuel system) needs cleaning out"

"Had to replace the #2,3,4 and 8 spark plugs"

"This vehicle has always needed a new battery after somewhere between 36 and 42 months after installation. It also was always terribly hard to jump start. The starter apparently was the cause of that - now that the starter has been replaced the vehicle starts with less noise and apparent effort than since I bought it in 2003."

"Front driver side seat will not move forward or back..."

"The sunroof would have a pressure leak see a ring of moisture around it during the rain ordering any thunderstorm and then when the sun came it would dry up you never dripped in the cabin but it was very annoying it ruined the headliners around the Sunroof"

"Almost all Ford explorers around this age have cracked tailgates...there are websites devoted to this problem...it has to do with the plastic body and metal ford emblem expanding in cold weather and cracking the tail gate....ford has not owned up to this problem because its so massive they would take a hugh loss....very dissapointing. I see ford explorers every where with this same crack...i had it replaced twice at 500.00 a time"

"Trim came loose inside tailgate which interfered with latching tailgate. I could not get it back in myself, but dealer got it back together and sealed with adhesive. It works correctly now."

"The tailgate shocks are becoming weak & don't hold the lift gate high enough. It will stay up if I lift it up"

"the tailgate window does not stay open in cool/cold weather"

"Cracking plastic on tailgate. Ford will not own up to the defect. Almost 2002 Explorers have this problem"

"lift gate crack in body panel ,ford aware of issue as seen on-line but refuses to correct this happens to all 2002 thur 2006 explorers"

"driveway plower backed into shelf in garage causing major damage"

"Defective design acknowldged by Ford- will fix once free of charge; after that,customer responsibility to fix their design flaw when it recurs- on 4th now!. Outrageous!"

"I've had to replace all four of the inner workings of the windows. They stopped working completely. And, after replacing the insides, I had to replace a switch that stopped working"

"The power window motors have needed to be replaced"

"The ABS has direct control over the cruise control"

"Speed control deactivation switch recall"

"Had to replace the 4x4 module. Had to replace the key cylinder the key could not insert into the key cylinder to start up the vehicle"

"Fuel gage does not work. Overhead inside light remains on after start up. Open door remains on after start up"

"The electric odometer, clock and temperature works intermittently but mostly off. The dealer quoted $700.00 to repair. I did not have it repaired"

"Headlight control stalk failed. Replaced for $299.00. Fist could not change between beams, hi and low. Then would turn lights on when the car had been sitting with no one in it draining battery totally"

"AUTOMATIC HEADLIGHT CONTROL STOPPED WORKING"

"I have had lots of electrical problems, one the horn just goes off by itself and cannot even shut it off w/o disconnecting power it burned itself out"

"Have to be very careful the interior lights turn off or the battery will go dead"

"Afer fixing key issue the keyless entry no longer works"

"Door ajar warning (light and sound) intermittently displaying. Not a serious problem, but very annoying."

"Must disengage overdrive as truck will shudder above 50 mph as gear and torque converter don't lock in"

"Trouble shifting when cold"

"Continuing transmission issues even after rebuild"

"I had the oil in the transmission changed and the slipping problem went away"

"after sudden stops (auto transmission car) can sometimes be briefly unresponsive to accleration"

"takes a few seconds from 1st gear to 2nd Have to ease off gas to make switch"

"Within a few weeks of putting on the tire that did not match the other three, the car began making lots of noises which got louder and louder, and within a short time, the vehicle quit moving altogether"

"The Explorer was not shifting through the gears properly after a long period of slow and abrupt shifts. It started flagging transmission trouble codes and the shifting very poorly. Got to where it really wouldn't shift out of first gear. After an extensive search, came to the conclusion that the servo bores had worn out due to the design and materials. Then found a reasonable potential fix with AJ1E Superior Solutions that required removing both servos to be removed and replaced, which seems to have fixed the shifting and code conditions for at least a few thousand miles."

"pipe from cat leaked. garage was able to weld a sleeve over it"

"exhaust pipe broke between catalitic converter and rear muffler. replaced it with a pivoting repair kit"

"Have had one leak behind cataletic converter and pipe.Had it repaired"

"Spring 2019, pipe deterioration between manifold and catalytic convertor."

"just time to replace"

"Rusted out needed to be replaced"

"see prior answer"

"Exhaust pipes are not stainless and rotted out, I was able to splice in repair"

"The timing chain has an interior tensioner that will suddenly go out, which it did. It costs nearly 3K to replace and parts are only available from dealer. For 2K more I replaced the engine"

"Engine developed serious knocking sound that was enough to vibrate the vehicle. Replaced engine with used engine from salvage yard at 168,000 miles"

"Intake manifold cracked, coolant leaked out had to replace entire manifold. They showed it to me was metal and plastic together they said they replace all the time"

"Noticed oil leaking and found out it was the gasket. Replaced it myself and everything was good after that."

"tensioner of the timing belt was knocking. engine removed to replace tensioner and timing belts (front and rear). Belts were due to be replaced."

"The timing chain is going, it hasn't gone yet. I'm not sure if I will sink the money into that repair when it happens."

"Timing chain failed with no warning, disabled vehicle, damaged interior engines parts, required complete engine rebuild."

"The seals around the front doors allow water to get in and freeze during the winter. This will not allow the doors to open and if they do, the locks freeze so they can not be shut. An ongoing issue with this vehicle"

"Squeaks and rattles quite a bit probably due to age."

"See previous"

"I hear road noises and sqeaking from back axle occasionally. I have been told the shocks need to be replaced"

"Rattles in back"

"I was informed I needed a new oil pan gasket, it's leaking badly all away around. I told them there are no oil spots on my driveway and the technician I spoke with at Express tire in National City, made me feel like I was lying. Upon my return home, there were light oil spots of the driveway, nothing as major as he made it sound. Parts and labor was approximately $365"

"oil leaks from the vehicle & the mechanics cannot find where it is coming from"

"The oil is leaking around the pan gasket but is not bad. I check the oil weekly and have not had to add 1 quart since Jan 2015"

"Needed to replace engine manifold gasket"

"Intake manifold leaking antifreeze, needed replacing"

"For an unknown reason the engine started overheating. I had to go to the mechanic right away."

"Thermostat an housing had to be replaced due to leaking"

"No longer tells mileage or direction , flashes on maybe once or twice a year"