Ford Explorer Sport Trac transmission failure problems

Filed May 24, 2017 · Transmission · 140,000 miles · TX

The transmission failed and will not shift

Filed Jun 7, 2016 · Transmission · 37,000 miles · MO

I bought the truck new in may 2010. I had all the scheduled dealer maintenance completed as scheduled and the vehicle has never been off road. The four wheel drive has been engaged twice, and the majority of the miles have been on the highway. Thirty miles from ft leonard wood the transmission began slipping. The vehicle was sluggish when accelerating from a stopped position causing a hazard in city driving or merging onto the interstate. The vibration increased on the highway at speeds above 50 MPH making it difficult to steer. When I arrived at my destination, I dropped it at the dealership the next day for service. The service representative called and informed two maintenance lights were on for engine and transmission service. I agreed to move forward with the scheduled maintenance. The dealership called later that day and informed me I needed a new transmission but could not explain what the codes meant or the cost of repair. I asked for clarification, but no one ever got back to me with an update. I received a text my truck was ready for pick up, but the staff could not explain the problem. I am now at day seven and after countless phone calls to the dealership and ford customer service line. No one can explain the issue or offer assistance because the vehicle is not under warranty! My questions. Why is the transmission shot after only 37,000 miles? If it is replaced, what reassurance do I have this problem will not reoccur in another 37,000 miles? Is there assistance for a drive train component replacement that is supposed to last 100,000 miles and likely defective? Why is this a warranty issue and not a quality issue? The staff at the ford customer service center try to keep bouncing back to the dealership and refuse to put me in contact with the regional manager or supervision staff.

Filed Apr 12, 2016 · Transmission · TX

Truck is slipping when shifting from 2nd gear to 3rd gear-known ford transmission issue. The dealer said to replace the transmission as a better one is offered

Filed Jan 21, 2016 · Transmission · NH

Transmission failed on highway

Filed Nov 11, 2015 · 100,000 miles · VA

Ford transmission failed at 100,000 miles. Car stalled in the middle of a busy intersection, could not move. A lot of complaints have been filed about ford's poor transmission and surprised there is yet to be a recall about their poor quality transmissions.

Filed Dec 24, 2013 · Transmission · 73,800 miles · WI

I brought my '07 sportrac with 73,800 miles to the ford dealer to troubleshoot a check engine light and the wrench light, which it displayed for a few minutes and disappeared. After some troubleshooting 2 hrs later, the guy came out and gave me some bad news. I will need to repair my transmission or replace it. He did tell me a new transmission would not be from ford since they don't make those anymore and would be from another maker. The above lights started showing this winter as it got colder and that's when I started to noticed rough idling with the RPM indicator spiking for a few minutes then it would go back to a normal reading. I guess some transmission part was acting up at that point. It also seem like if I let it warm up during startup a few minutes, I usually don't see it RPM spike. The dealer told me during their checks there was yet another coolant leak but apparently it wasn't serious enough to note in the final paperwork. I told him I needed to think about the transmission repairs or replacement. I paid for the diagnostics ($100) and got my ford estimates.

Filed Feb 28, 2013 · Transmission · 117,718 miles · CA

My ford explorer sport trac with an automatic transmission has a common problem that has plagued many explorers, sport trac's, and rangers. A youtube video explains the problem, "uploaded on dec 7, 2011 - ford used the 5r55e in many rear and 4 wheel drive applications. It is a good transmission but is susceptible to the valve body gasket "blowing out." the symptom of this in our vehicle was that the transmission missed second gear under acceleration but found a higher gear when we let off the gas pedal." this happens to me daily, and is a traffic hazard as the vehicle is unable to accelerate as it should. Ford published a tsb(technical service bulletin) on 03-22-10 acknowledging this problem. It is a dangerous occurrence in most vehicles where the valve body separator plate does not work as it should. When I took my vehicle to the dealer, they did not acknowledge the problem but wanted to charge over $4,000 for a new transmission. This is clearly a design flaw and should be addressed to all owners. Please check all complaints regarding ford's automatic transmissions, the 5r55e and help us owners get a reasonably priced correction, before accidents occur. Thank you.

Filed Apr 11, 2012 · Engine, Transmission · 129,001 miles · CA

The rising price of gas discouraged me from using my sport trac (st) often, so it was garaged during the work week. On the weekends, I usually drove the st to run errands around town. On jan 28, 2012, I drove less than a mile when my st began losing throttle response and an unfamiliar clattering can be heard generated in the engine bay. I quickly realized that this was not normal, so I proceeded to pull over. I then took the truck to a mechanic near my location. The mechanic after extensive diagnosis determined that the timing chain tensioner had failed, along with timing chain guides which shattered into multiple pieces (photos available). The timing chain and its components are suppose to last for a lifetime of the vehicle, and hence ford provided no information or provision for its maintenance. The repair was expensive, because it required the removal of the engine which is based on the sohc design having its right camshaft driven by a timing chain located behind the engine near the firewall. A recall of the timing chain guides and tensioner should be made because of the common problem this has been for this engine design, sohc 4.0l after the removal of the engine and timing chain guide replacement, my vehicle began to experience transmission failure. The transmission registered an error on my dashboard, and after consultation with an expert, required a transmission rebuild. The cost of the engine and the transmission rebuild has been very expensive to say the least. The unpredictable nature of this failures would compromise safety during high speed operations. I hope the federal safety agency will review complaints regarding timing chain and transmission failures, which should reveal a pattern of design failures at ford. Interestingly, ford had issued a recall for the timing chain tensioners and engine removal to repair chain guides in the past.

Filed Mar 14, 2012 · Transmission · 75,000 miles · LA

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford explorer sport trac. The contact stated that the vehicle would lunge forward when attempting to shift gears. The vehicle would also stall, shift out of neutral, shift out of over drive or would shift into various gears erratically. A local mechanic replaced the transmission, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer requested to receive information from the dealer before assisting the contact with the failure. The dealer was notified but denied any assistance with repair to the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.

Filed Dec 28, 2011 · Body, Transmission · 52,120 miles · FL

The body mounts have deteriorated to a point that they are crumbling and are not supporting the frame to the body and need to be replaced for safety reasons. The transmission failed without any warning and had to be rebuilt. Neither of these problems should exist on a vehicle that is well maintained and has only 52,000 miles. These problems appear to be common with this vehicle and need to be addressed by ford.