Ford definitely has an engineering problem. Is the federal safety agency gonna deal with it or, are we going to wait till we have another wilderness tire issue. My explorer has consistently shown severe skip/miss for the past 2-months. At first indication....I scheduled it in to my local dealer (rochester auto collection - a division of ford), who determined that it needed new ignition wires. (mind you, this vehicle only has 42,000 original miles, as I bought it new). Three hundred bucks later, I notice the vehicle performing no better on the day I picked it up. So....we schedule a second visit. During that visit, they "dink around" with the throttle. Again, the day I picked it up, I noticed it was no better. So....in we go for a third visit. During that visit I am advised that the timing chain tensioner has broken off and that they will need to pull the engine out to repair. So, we schedule that 3-day service visit. And here I am today.....after having picked up the vehicle, and now it is worse!! This is a $30,000 vehicle with 43,000 miles that runs worse than my son's '95 cavalier. As I review the database of consumer complaints, I note many, many issues relating to this timing belt tensioner. So......when is the federal safety agency gonna step up to the plate, and make ford get their "ducks in a row" and fix this issue. As it is right now, between the tire incident and then this, I sincerely doubt I will ever buy a ford again.
1997 Ford Explorer engine complaints
Page 4 of 8: complaints 71 to 100 of 202, newest first, as owners wrote them.
When vehicle is sitting or moving there is a ticking noise coming from engine. Vehicle was at repair shop, and mechanic told consumer that vehicle needed a cam chain guide. Dealership was aware of problem.*ak dealer replaced the timing chanin, also the brake light was inoperative.
An unknown cause lead to the head gasket cracking and the cyclinders blowing-out on the vehicle, which now requires a new engine. Vehicle was purchased with 46m miles and the return of a lease orignated with the delaership that sold the same vehicle to us. This was ford certified lease vehicle we were told, which means it supposedly wnet through the highest inspection upon it being turned in from the lease. The vehicle broke-down on 8/12/01 on busy interstate 84 at the juction of the merge of interstate 91 and 84, stranding my wife ( who ws driving) between two heavily used highways. Both the dealership and ford have refused to take responsibility for the inherent defect in the manufacturing of the vehicle. Acordig to the dealership a their ford representative, taryn, stated ford refuses to pay fany part of the repair becuse the vehicle was bought used and we did not do our service (oil changes) with the dealership, although we did do so at other places. We want ford and the delearship to pay for the full cost of repairing this vehicle.
Ever owner I know who owns a ford explorer has a failure on this valve. I feel this should be recalled by ford.
While driving pressed on gas pedal to accelerate, and vehicle would die. When car was in park it did not cut off. But, soon as consumer pressed gas pedal it shut off. *ak
While driving vehicle heard a loud noise and vehicle stalled. Also, opened hood to check, and found a hole in engine block, size of a silver dollar. Consumer had gotten notices for camshaft guide and retentioner, but was not honored because vehicle had gone over the mileage. Contacted dealer, could find nothing, but did see metal shavings.
Vehicle had shutdown while driving. Dealer was notified, and informed consumer that camshaft had failed. Part was not covered under a manufacturer's recall, and was out of its warranty. Feel free to provide any further information.
Consumer was starting vehicle in the morning and there was a loud boom with a toxic smell. There were no flames. Started it again, and it didn't do anything. There was a small mini explosion underneath hood. Dealer stated that uper intake had blown to pieces. Undetermined of the cause, but assuming a missed fire. *ak right rear gasket intake manifold failed and was replaced. Spark plugs were replaced. The fan belt were replaced.
30 MPH, camshaft breaks. Dealer says new engine required, $4500 est. Ford contacted and offers $2000 assistance. This should be a safety recall and ford should be forced to pay for all damages b/c the forceful stop caused by engine failure could have caused serious injury to passengers or other vehicle due to skidding. This is not normal wear on a vehicle, is obviosly a ford defect.
Ford is aware of a recurring problem, the particular problem being a worn or broken cam chain guide which creates a noisy symptom which my vehicle has, then ford should be willing, if not liable, to fix it.
Consumer states after vehicle was shut off, the locks would not work, lights would go on and stay on, and the alarm would go off at all hours, possibly an electrical problem.
Cam chain tensioner failed, as described in technical service bulletins 00m12, 01m01, 12150, 6926. Ford customer relations refuses to cover the repair. They claim this is not a safety issue. I claim it is. When mine failed, I was nearly run over by a semi tractor trailer following behind me due to instantaneous loss of power without warning. Ford should be compelled to issue a general recall on all such engines with this known defect.
Consumer was starting to accelerate almost reaching speed of 25-30mph when engine shut off due to crankshaft that fell off. No prior warning . Dealer has to replace motor, but cannot determine cause.
Vehicle overheated while driving. When checking the cooling system fluids were turning into slush. Contacted dealer, and the dealer was not willing to help.
Vehicle overheated, when checking vehicle fluid was turning into slush. Contacted dealer, and dealer was not willing to help.
Timing chain belt broke while travling at 35 MPH with no prior warnings . Has not contacted dealer.
After cutting car off and parking for a while, consumer tried to restart car and it would not start. *ak
Engine failed while driving, causing vehicle to stall due to overheating. Cause unknown, dealer does not know why vehicle overheated. Complete engine needs to be replaced.
Ongoing problem with defective engines. Dealer / manufacturer notified, and replaced engine. Later on, problem reoccurred again. Engine needs to be replaced again. Feel free to provide any further details on this matter.
While driving about 65 MPH engine malfunctioned. Then, stopped and found that crankshaft was out of engine. Vehicle had to be towed, and engine had to be replaced at dealer.
While driving engine will overheat without a prior warning. Had been taken to dealer, but no repair had been made.
While driving the vehicle shut down and lost all power, the dealer replaced the timing chain, 2 days after this repair the vehicle broke down again, this time it was determined that the vehicle needed a new engine. Nlm
While traveling at low speed, engine seized and car stopped abruptly, consumer had vehicle towed and was advised by mechanic that crankshaft broke and a new engine was needed. (check odi # 740940)
Consumer was driving less than 30 MPH and stalled. All lights came on. Towed to dealer who found crankshaft had broken. Crank pulley had broken off engine. No prior warning.
Two firestone tires had belt separation, the consumer had all four tires replaced, one of the replacement tires experienced belt separation, the consumer requested reimbursement but the claim was denied because the tires were purchased prior to august 9, 2000 on a non pro-rated basis (firestone wilderness at). Nlm
While driving all lights on dashboard came on, humming sound, had vehicle towed. Crankshaft had broken.
I am sending this information as requested but my major concern is that I have not been personally informed for the recalls to the ford xlt explorer except the one for the firestone tires and the one for the motor oil pump. My wife and myself contacted bayamon ford dealer for information on other recalls that appeared in the news and no response was received from the dealer. Could you update me in this issue? Should I contact the ford company?
While traveling at low speed in light traffic, the crankshaft on my 1997 ford explorer broke causing the vehicle to stop quite abruptly. The motor must be replaced at a cost of $4500. This is a part failure that places individuals at considerable risk. Had this incident occurred at high speed in relatively heavy traffic, e.g. Freeway traffic at 55 MPH or higher, there would certainly have been serious injuries and probably fatalities. To date, ford motor company steadfastly refuses to acknowledge any responsibility for the problem and, further, refuses to participate in paying for any portion of the necessary repairs or associated costs such as towing bills and car rentals while the necessary repairs are being made. *ak also see 560357.
While accelerating from a traffic signal, the engine siezed and the vehicle came to an immediate stop. Unable to restart the engine, I had the vehicle towed to a service station where inspection by a mechanic revealed that the crankshaft had broken. The vehicle was then towed to conlon-collins ford in crystal lake, il where they confirmed that the crankshaft was broken and the engine must be replaced at a cost of approximately $4,500. I reported the matter to ford motor company's customer assistance center. They indicated that this problem has not been reported previously and no recall notices or service bulletins have been issued with regard to this problem. Ford motor company has been reluctant to discuss bearing any part of the cost for repairs or incidental expenses such as towing or rental of a replacement vehicle while repairs are under way. A crankshaft should never break and one certainly should not expect it to fail after only 52,000 suburban miles. In my opinion, this represents a significant safety hazard. There is no question that had this incident occured at high speed or in heavy traffic, there would have been injuries and/or fatalities.
Consumer was informed by dealer that the chain tensioner broke and the engine needed replaced, consumer had used engine put in vehicle, consumer received a letter (o00m12) extending the warranty on the camshaft chain tensioner (00m12) and lower intake manifold gaskets, if any repairs were performed because of a faulty camshaft chain prior to december of 2000, ford would give a full reimbursement, the used engine that was installed has the same defect and consumer is requesting a new engine be installed plus refund of the used engine, ford stated they would not replace the engine, only give reimbursement for the used engine.
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