Consumer is complaining of the vibration that is occurring when steering, problems could be due to the firestone wilderness ht tires (p225 70 r15) or the suspension.
1997 Ford Explorer suspension complaints
Page 4 of 5: complaints 71 to 100 of 105, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Ball joints should last for 100,000 miles this along with the tires in question should make you look at ford for the current tire failures . If I had not went to firestone to get the tires checked I would have had a blowout on the front and blamed it on the tires. I took the car to a ford dealer and they told me that it was not there problem that the ball joints are bad but at this time I am dealing with ford motor co. To get the situation resolved. *ak( dot number: tire size: p235/75/15 )
When turning steering wheel,would hear a rubbing noise, like metal against metal. Every time a bump is hit, would have same noise problem. Took to dealer & mechanic indicated it was the lower ball joints that were causing the problem & they were bad. Will be ordering replacement parts.
My wife and I were traveling west on the interstate in the right lane at app. 75 MPH when we heard a strange sound coming from the rear right tire. At that moment, I could feel the back end of the vehicle sliding out from under us to the right, turning the vehicle to the left toward the center median. We went into the median and the vehicle began to roll. After rolling app. 3 complete times, we ended up facing east in the right lane of eastbound traffic - right side up. Miraculously, no other vehicles were involved in the accident. My wife escaped with several bumps and bruises and I had cuts and scrapes which required stitches. Both of us were wearing seat belts at the time of the accident, which is the primary reason we were not more severely injured or killed. We were both taken to the hospital via ambulance for x-rays, bandages, and stitches and released on the same day. *ak( dot number: )
I was driving about 60 MPH, when the I heard a pop, I lost control of the vehicle and rolled over once and I landed upsided down. There was 2 other people besides me in the vehicle. We were all wearing are seatbelts and nothing happen to us. Everyday I thank god I did not have my two girls with me at the time of the accident. We were not hurt, but we were sure terrified. *ak( dot number: )
Pe00020; tire tread separation: while driving at any speed, truck pulled severely to the right. Tire on the driver's right front side continued to shear on the inside. Tires were firestone wilderness, size p23575r15, original equipment sold with explorer. Tires were aligned and switched around, but continued to pull to right, and sheared the tires. *ak
Consumer was traveling about 75mph on highway and vehicle was vibrating.also, rear right passenger side tire separated from wheel, and driver lost control, and vehicle rolled over and landed in the middle of highway.
While consumer was coming back from the airport she heard vibrating noises coming from inside of vehicle . She got out of vehicle to check the tires. Got back into vehicle, decreased speed, and noticed more trembling and vibrating noises. She proceeded to pull over to the shoulder, and noticed that tread came off passenger's tire. Also, the tire tread damaged metal part of the bumper.
Automatic leveling system malfunctioned, causing rear of vehicle to rise about 10-12 inches high without warning, and without pushing any buttons. Dealer could not determine the cause.
Car makes a rattling noise when driven. Also, vehicle has scratches/cuts on its body.
I have a situation with my 1997 ford explorer 4x4. I recently took it in to have an alignment done. I have just purchased this vehicle from the dealer above. When I took it to get aligned the mechanic told me I needed to buy a caster adjuster kit. This amazes me that ford wouldn't have good enough engineers to put the correct size caster adjusters on my vehicle. There has been no aftermarket work done to it .. It is all ford factory suspension, so it is not my fault, it is theirs. This seems like an injustice that I have to buy a $100 kit because ford didn't get it right the first time. I have talked to 3 other dealers, and they don't act surprised, actually I was told by 2 of the other dealer service departments that this is a common problem. I want my complaint on the books, in case ther eare more.
The air ride will raise the backend 10-12" from the top of the tire to the top of the wheelwell. This has happened while driving 70+MPH and makes the vehicle buck violently and is difficult to control. It has been to the shop 8+times for repair and they've replaced everything possible. They replaced the master control panel last month and it's gone up 5 times since then. I have not taken it in each time it happens because my servicing dealer, john markel ford, said it must still be running for them to get codes from the computer and sometimes it raises up after I turn the key off. They are unable to "document" the problem and can't reproduce it so the zone rep won't replace it. He's offered $1500 toward the purchase of a new vehicle but that's it.
When traveling and upon idling, consumer noticed a high pitch sound coming from the front end of vehicle. Consumer has contacted dealer, dealer unable to determine the cause, but has noticed a similar problem on several other explorers. *ak
Front shock absorber was defective from the dealership. When consumer drives she can feel every bump in the road.
While driving at 35 MPH front right passenger's wheel collasped, causing loss of vehicle control. Dealer replaced ball joints and tie rods.
Firestone tires were defective.
Vehicle experienced front end vibration . Problem occurred at take off or slow down speed. Been inspected by three different dealers, and informed that nothing could be found. Also resurfaced front brake rotors and pads.
Excessive wear of michelin tires. Vehicle would make a loud of noise. Took to dealer & was informed the wheel, left front, was out of alignment real bad & needed replacing. The inside of tire was worn through to the steel belting, while the outside showed no wear. The front end was not aligned properly at the factory.
On-going problem with vehicle vibrating in front, vibration would commence whenever taking off from a stop position or whenever transmission would shift gear. Vehicle has been in and out of the shop on five occasions,condition still unresolved. The check engine light also illuminated, had dealer check vehicle and found the cv solenoid, ftp sensor and the o2 monitor were bad.
No summary listed for this vehicle.
Front torsion bar broke while consumer was driving at 20 MPH, and almost lost control of the vehicle. Failure not related to road conditions. *ak
Vehicle drifts or floats at highway speeds.most noticeable in inclement weather -it feels as if the front end was going in two directions at once. Then it pulls to right and if you overcorrect it, then it will pull to left dramatically. Situation is like a balancing act between opposing poles.this vehicle has history of " front end" problems from original owners and myself dating back to 10-23-1996. Tsb # 98-3-11 issued feb 98, speaks of drift/pull with tire wear as I have now. Problem can possibly result in high speed rollover on inetrstate due to operator attempting to compensate for drift/pull. The correction may be such as to create a catastrophic shift in center of gravity, causing rollover.
Bolt holding upper control arm failed causing extensive damage when the control arm separated from ball joint.
Upper ball joint fell apart at 5mph, and driver lost control. Dealer has repaired vehicle.
Pulling into parking space when wheels made a thumping noise. This would happen when turning wheels. Had to have front wheel bearings replaced. Took vehicle to dealer.
Heard a bang & wheel was on its side. Left front suspension caused wheel to tilt while driving about 5mph. Vehicle towed to dealer. Mechanic said bolt was left off or was missing from the suspension.
Vehicle experiences ongoing vibration at high speeds.
Vehicle vibrates while driving.
Hissing/whistling noise under vehicle.
Electrical problems with door control panel continually.
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