Vehicle frequently stalls and starves for fuel. Consumer has had this problem for the past two years. Dealer has inspected vehicle several times and found nothing wrong .
1998 Ford Explorer engine complaints
Page 3 of 8: complaints 41 to 70 of 194, newest first, as owners wrote them.
1998 ford explorer, 4.0sov has a repeated engine hesitation problem when engine is warm and accelerating from a stop. Dealer says after numerous complaints he can not find the problem. I have had this problem since the vehicle was new it now has 100,000 miles and still hesitates on acceleration.
1999 ford explorer experiencing high idle.*mr vehicle experienced high idle for 1 year. *ts
4.0l sohc engine failed within 9,000 miles of replacing timing chain cassette under ford program oom12. Towed to a ford dealership and was told that I would need to pay 5,800 for a rebuilt engine and there was nothing they could do with regard to oom12 which is a known problem with the ford 4.0l sohc engine failing prematurely.
Engine light illuminated and the vehicle was driving "rough." dealer determined that the cam chain guide broke, and engine had to be replaced.
2nd time this happened...tensioner pulley failed (broke off) while driving on the highway. Serpentine belt came off, car overheated/engine failure/etc. First time was ay 40,000 miles. This time, at 102,000 miles. Towed to a texaco station in aberdeen, md. Service manager says tensioner pulley failure common in explorers. Had to replace pulley/belt. Once I returned home to nj, I started to notice minor dripping of radiator fluid. 2 weeks later, it all gushed out, causing me to also replace my radiator. To know this has now happened twice, caused secondary damage both times, and that you get left stranded on a highway each time is very concerning.
Have been hearing loud tapping noises from engine-brought it to stadium ford and was told it was front timing chain and gaskets which they replaced for $300 (no discount) noise has continued so never brought car home from dealership same day. Left car at ford service center (stadium auto mall rutherford, nj) and now being told it is the lower/rear tensioner and was advised ford has a program for this defect yet was advised that they will not cover this for me. They want me to pay $2100 minimum to repair this defect with camshaft tensioners. However this defect/problem has previously shown to cause engine dmage other than w/the tensioners. Also read many complaints about this issue where was covered. Made complaint w/ford customer relations and was advised that car w/either 7 years or under 100,000 miles is covered. Yet the dealership will not cover it and my truck is under 7 yrs and under 100,000 miles...at this point has been 3 weeks and still have not come to resolution and my truck is still in the dealership service center. Still waiting for manager/owner to contact me back...
Defective alternator, rear axle seals, and oxygen sensor.
Vehicle stopped dead in traffic on weems creek bridge in annapolis maryland during a rainstorm because the crankshaft broke.
After sitting idle for an hour the vehicle caught on fire. The fire department determined the fire started in the engine.
The thermostat on my 1998 ford explorer has had to be replaced for the second time in two years with no definition of why it has broken.
Broken crankshaft on 1998 ford explorer with only 83,000 miles. No help from ford. Seems to be a materials defect.
Front end felt loose and vehicle was veering to the right due to cracked ball joints. Engine check light appeared, and a red brown liquid was leaking from driver's side because power steering rack was defective. Also, dealer replaced timing gear, and upper and lower intake manifolds.
The engine stalled off while driving.
Rear chain guide tensioner broke - part of cam chain guide assembly. Engine died in morning rush hour, but car coasted safely to emergency lane.
The crank shaft broke in half, which caused the vehicle to be disabled.
The blend actuator door is stuck in the open position which means that I can't set the temperature in the passenger compartment to a comfortable level. After searching this problem on the internet it's apparent to me and others that this has got to be a defect based on the number of complaints.
When reducing speed from 60 MPH to a stop the vehicle stalls. *ts
Consumer states that theres a noise coming from the engine while driving, when the accelerator is pressed the noise stops, the vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that the mass air flow sensor was the problem, 4x4 sensor is defective. Mr *nlm
Vehicle stalled and shut down without prior warning. All of the lights appeared on dashboard, and vehicle would restart. Dealership was aware of problem.
While driving on highway vehicle completely lost power and stalled. Vehicle was checked by dealer who advised consumer that crankshaft had broken, and vehicle needed a new engine.
While turning onto an intersection vehicle shutdown without prior warning. Vehicle had to be towed.
Vehicle stalls intermittently at 50 MPH. Mechanic cannot find cause.
Torque converter did not disengage when trying to stop the vehicle. Vehicle went through a stop sign and stopped when braking stalled the engine. Ford recommended replacing the solonoid that controls the torque converter. This is a safety issue. This failule is totally without warning and makes the vehicle difficult to stop. Stopping occures only when the brake is applied hard enough to stall the engine.
When making turns, especially right turns, vehicle slides and almost turns over.*ak. Consumer states vehicle is experiencing acceleration problems,and there was a humming noise coming from the engine, signals are not working, dealer replaced a defective connector and multi-function switch, firestone tires have experienced tread separation, which were replaced in july 2001, the rear seats move/bounce when driving, the rear seat belts were inoperative, the dealer replaced the buckles, there was smoke coming from the steering column, dealer replaced the multi-function switch, the windshield was chipped, the alarm would not chut off at times, dealer replaced a bad loose wire.
Vehicle would not start and was towed to dealer. Dealer determined crankshaft had broken and needed to be replaced.*ak.
Without warning engine is overheating and caused vehicle to stall twice.*ak
Vehicle accelerates while consumers foot is on the brake pedal, it will accelerate when going forward and when going in reverse with the wheel turned, dealer installed a throttle plate, however that did not remedy the problem, they also installed a battery that did not remedy the problem.
Consumer stated thermostat and valvebody gasket failed.
Rear timing chain failed and caused cylinder head damage. Not covered under extended warranty for front timing chain. The vehicle lost all power while driving 45mph, stranding driver and small child. Vehicle was towed to dealer. Engine was pulled out of truck and the head and timing chain replaced. Cost was $2800. Ford gave "goodwill" warranty of 50%.
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