2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac transmission problems

Filed May 9, 2017 · Fuel system, Transmission · 89,000 miles · OH · crash · 2 injuries

Have had 2 of these 2004 ford sport trac trucks. One which was flipped onto my driver side and totaled in an accident where I was hit doing 25mph down a back road whith a stop sign intersection, no airbags went off the only thing that saved me was my seat belt from worse injures. My current truck which has been well maintained and I still have all receipts for over 5000 worth of work done, recently with over a quarter tank of gas turning left will cut out and die completely in traffic which has almost cause me to be hit a couple times with my child in the car. Also my transmissions went out and lost gears at low mileage. I took my current truck to richards transmission where they told me the ford sport track transmission normally doesn't last past 50,000 miles that ford did not machine the transmission correctly which is a known problem in the ford sport trac. Before the transmission started to slip my o/d would kick on and cause severe jerking out of first gear but only while the o/d was on. I could not get it to turn off unless I shut off the engine. I've had my coolant and transmission fluid mix and have had to replace the radiator twice because of this about 3000 miles before the transmission completely lost second gear. I believe ford should fix this, I enjoy my truck but could have been critically injured a few times due to malfunctioning that ford should fix.

Filed Jan 29, 2011 · Transmission · 92,000 miles · TN

Began to notice transmission slipping about 4 months ago. Ford advised fluid change. Fluid change did not help. Problem is getting worse, now occurs daily. Mechanic says he cannot duplicate problem and no error codes show up when test is run. This problem is very common for this vehicle but the dealerships do not acknowledge it. Problem can result in accident due to no or little acceleration unexpectedly. Transmission replacement is advised at a cost of $3500 for ford rebuilt with 3 year/36 month warranty.

Filed Jun 4, 2009 · Transmission · 37,000 miles · OK

2004 ford explorer, sport trac xlt. Only have 37,871 miles on this truck and already having problems with transmission. Transmission slips in 2ed gear and take about 3 to 4 seconds for reverse to engage. Ford dealer charged me 159.00 dollars to change trans fluids. I told them that the fluid was dark and smells like metal. I call them back up telling them it didn't fix the problem. I talked to another service person and he stated that if there was a metal smell there is something else wrong. And will cost 75.00 to check it out . Thank you ford for a wasted fluid change.

Filed Aug 4, 2008 · Transmission · 85,000 miles · CA

During the acceleration from a stop light the vehicle would slip shifting from 2nd to 3rd. The overdrive off light then began flashing. This caused unexpected poor acceleration and in traffic could result in possibly being rear ended by traffic behind you. Dealer replaced transmission control assembly. $1400. Why should a 4 year old truck need such drastic service?

Filed Jun 13, 2008 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · GA

At 70,000 miles, my truck is starting to slip when shift from 2nd to 3rd. I did some research on the issue and found that this and other major issues with the automatic transmission on my sport trac were very common. I purchased the vehicle new in may of 2004. Within a year, I received a letter stating that ford needed to add some type of fluid to the transmission. When I took my truck in for this, the mechanic mentioned that this was to prevent a major issue with the transmission and also prevent failure due to a mistake at the plant. What concerns me is that now that my truck is out of warranty, I now will have to foot the bill to have this fixed. This amount seems to vary from $1800 to $4000 as others have mentioned on multiple forums. I have contacted the dealership regarding the issue and they acted as if they had never heard of such an issue. Someone needs to look into this as it would seem that there is a safety concern regarding this transmission.

Filed Apr 16, 2007 · Transmission · 31,300 miles · TX

Purchased a 2004 ford explorer sport-trac w/26,000 miles on it nine months ago. Drove it to 31,000 miles, and noticed that the transmission was slipping and shifting hard. Called the dealership and advised them of the problem. Dealership stated that due to the warranty, 3 years or 36,000 miles, the item would not be covered. Took to a transmission repair shop (total cost was $1,800) due to electronics and burnt bands. Thanks but no thanks for ever buying a ford again.

Filed Oct 23, 2006 · Transmission · 36,700 miles · AK

During the acceleration from a stop light the vehicle would not shift from 2nd to 3rd. The overdrive off light then began flashing. This caused unexpected poor acceleration and in traffic could result in possibly being rear ended by traffic behind you.

Filed Oct 6, 2005 · Transmission · 38,000 miles · SC

The truck's transmission slips going from first to second gear. This was a noticeable problem around 35k miles, and has continued to happen infrequently. Ford sent a letter, january 2005, stating that the transmission fluid used at the assembly plant needed to be replaced because, that over time, it could cause delayed/harsh engagements. When I took the vehicle in for the fluid replacement (42k miles approx), I mentioned this problem to the service employee. He said that this would probably fix the problem, and that I should drive it for awhile to see if the problem corrects itself. At 49k miles, I took the vehicle back to the service center due to the same problem. The first phone call I received, the service center employee said that he drove the car on two occasions and the problem did not occur. Then, I explained the symptoms directly to the mechanic. The next day, the service manager said that the valve body on the transmission would need to be replaced at a cost of $1050. Then, two days later, after removing the casing to replace the valve body, they said that they found deposits of metal in the valve body. They informed me that this would require further disassembly to determine parts and service required. The preliminary cost estimate will be an additional $400 plus parts. I am amazed that a new vehicle would have a serious transmission problem like this, and ford is accepting no responsibility. Please let me know if this is a problem for any other consumers, and if there is anything I can do to resolve this.

Filed Jan 7, 2005 · Suspension, Transmission · 19,000 miles · NE

I purchased a 2004 ford explorer sport tracker 11 monthes ago. The first incident was the shocks towers. So, I thought. When I brought it into the dealership, they said it wasn't the shock towers but the sway bar. This occurred around september 2004.. Than I brought it into the dealership again because the transmission was slipping. I was told the transmission was brought into the shop. I only have 23,000 miles on the truck. When I bought this truck it had 23 miles on it when it brought it. I have put alot of highway miles on it. But the transmission should not have need to be rebuilt.

Filed Nov 20, 2004 · Transmission · 14,299 miles · VA

2004 ford explorer sport-trac, tranmission problems. The transmission bucks and the limited slip diferential acts strange.