Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked outside of his residence. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire but by the time had arrived, the vehicle and the contacts residence were destroyed. There were no injuries. The origin of the fire was deemed as the vehicle speed control. A fire report was available. The vehicle remained in the contacts driveway. The manufacturer was not contacted to report the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
2002 Ford Explorer acceleration complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 152, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving 25 MPH the engine surged and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. When the brakes were depressed and the gear shifted into neutral the rpms would increase excessively. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test but could not duplicate or determine the cause of failure. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls or warranties on the vehicle and they offered no additional assistance. The failure mileage was 76,000.
Accelerator pedal was hard to press, RPM remained high 3000 - 4000. Eventually the car would not stop, accelerator was stuck - go was going 70 MPH. Had to strut of engine mechanic replace accelerator cable - noted cable was kinked and frayed - very dangerous and that I should report it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that when he depressed the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The rpms would rise when the failure occurred. Because of the failure, the contact was involved in two accidents. There were no injuries as a result. No police reports were filed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership so the dealer could inspect the brakes but the dealer could find nothing wrong. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current mileage was approximately 43,500. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Major transmission problems at 106k miles on my ford explorer xlt 4.0l. This was not due to poor maintenance or up keep! Shifting into neutral going 75 miles an hr down the freeway, shifting out of place, rough, scary shifts, shimming from the transmission jumping allover the place is just the beginning. After 5 trips to the mechanic, first I did wires, then plugs, then updated computer, full tranny flush and finally had to rebuilt the transmission due to the solenoids in the transmission being defective and faulty per a ford service manager in owatonna, mn. The service manager informed me that ford was looking at making it a recall, but it wasn't the top of their priority list and maybe they would eventually get to it! He has seen many of these trucks in the shop with their "busy" transmissions, and the same issues! This was the issue all along..after all of the service appts, and money spent nothing was resolved, until the transmission was rebuilt! $4k later just for the tranny repair! For their faulty defective transmission solenoids! As if the truck didn't already cost enough! And the troubleshooting "bandaids" (which between the tranny, diagnostics, labor etc total well over $5500!!) I contacted ford after directed to due so my (their) technician and employee of 25 yrs. I read all the posts of duplicate complaints (I see there are several other consumers in my situation!), to inform them of the money I've lost, time incurred into this headache, and all the days I went without a vehicle for my family that I had nothing to do with it was their equipment! That it was their fault! Curious about what their compensation was, if any, going to be. Or what they planned on doing about it! And after several service appt, $5500 loss and numerous complaints that ford is aware of the rep stated basically said oh well! Its ur problem not ours!!! Lol!
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving with the cruise control engaged at approximately 70 MPH pressure was applied to the brake pedal and the vehicle surged forward until repeated pressure was applied to that pedal. A pop noise was also heard coming from the passenger side firewall. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where he was informed there was a wire malfunction within the brake pedal switch. The authorized dealer was in the process of installing a new brake pedal switch. The failure and current mileages were 73,000. Updated 10/21/10. *lj updated 10/25/10
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt. The contact was driving with the cruise control set to 70 MPH when the vehicle abnormally began to accelerate over 80 MPH. The contact then depressed the brakes to disengage the cruise control yet the vehicle continued to accelerate. The contact then drove to the shoulder and shut the engine off. When restarting, there was an abnormal increase in engine rpms from 5,000 to 6,000. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure but recommended replacing all components of the cruise control mechanism. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 8,000 and the current mileage was 8,200.
2002 ford explorer transmission failure and uncontrollable accelerator. The transmission had been shifting hard for months but it is considered by ford to be a "sealed" unit and it is not recommended that the customer maintain the fluid level, so there was nothing I could do. In jan 2010 the accelerator stuck while entering the freeway and we were out of control, I thought I was going to die and had to turn of the car on the freeway with no shoulder after brushing the guard rail and was subsequently rear ended. The o/d off light began blinking that day and it was tough to reach 60mph. Service engine light came on and I shopped around for diagnostic. Independent trans. Guy said it needs complete rebuild, ford dlr agrees but for twice the cost. New parts are not available. It makes no sense why this car just started to fail on me like this, I'm the first owner and now its just decided to die and ford has been no help what so ever. Now I'm looking at a repair that is 80% of the bluebook value. Each mechanic I've brought it to says this problem is endemic to this model/year and there should be a recall. Why would they put in a trans. That cannot be reasonably serviced and maintained and dies just after 100k mi. I have a very difficult time believing this was not planned by ford and I will never buy their products again! My car is no longer safe enough to drive to the grocery store let alone the freeway. This is a clear case of irresponsible manufacturing practices on fords part and warrants a recall!
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. She applied both feet to the brake pedal but the rear tires were smoking and the vehicle began spinning out of control until she turned off the ignition to regain control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing but the failure could not be duplicated. The VIN was not available. The current and failure mileages were approximately 63,000.
2002 ford explorer cruise control would not release, the car accelerated each time after trying to release the cruise control. I had to ride the brake to stop the car. I shut the racing engine down and tried to restart and found the engine raced as soon as it was started. If we were in traffic, we may have crashed. I stayed calm but thinking about my wife and son driving the car at times, they may not have reacted as I did. This was a very scary and dangerous situation.
2002 ford explorer recall notice*cw the consumer stated the vehicle is in the repair shop for unrelated repairs and has been there since august 2009 due to lack of parts. The consumer received the recall notice regarding the speed control deactivation switch and according to the recall, the vehicle should not be parked near structures as a fire could occur. However, the repair shop informed the consumer that the vehicle could not be lowered or moved because the engine was loose.
2002 ford explorer 1. Going to full acceleration (pedal to the floor) when passing car or entering highway from side road 2. Accelerator pedal stays pressed on the floor even when foot is removed. This happened twice on the last 2 times that the pedal was fully depressed. 3. Failure is avoided by not pressing accelerator pedal all the way to the floor.
My cars cruise control failed to disengage when I applied the footbrake, pushed the off switch, the gear shift would not move and the key would not turn off. The car was checked by police and when it was tested they were unable to find a fault in the failsafes however they are still suspicious of the vehicle. I had to call police and was in a runaway car on the freeway for 30mins. When I hit a median strip I lost enough speed to be able to use the little braking power I had left, as each time I applied the brakes the engine would accelerate back to the set sped and the brake pedal became hard to push. When I stopped I also pulled the handbrake as ordered by the police over the phone to avoid a headon, the left shoe of the handbrake snapped and the car skidded to a stop. The police disconnected the battery when they did testing. So I've been told any fault codes or faults either with the cruise control or the ecu may now be lost. Ford are claiming this could never happen, but im starting to read on other sites the same things are happening to other people. I could be dead along with alot of other people that day. The police also had issues moving the gear shift that day on my car to get it onto a tow truck, so its not just the driver.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While reversing out of his drive-way, the vehicle rapidly accelerated into the garage. The garage was severely damaged. While attempting to exit the garage the vehicle accelerated forward into the neighbors yard, and then knocked over a tree. The vehicle was towed to a local repair facility. The vehicle will be towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. The ford manufacturer was notified. He was advised that since the warranty expired, no assistance would be provided. The failure mileage was 87,264.
I was accelerating away from work and when I attempted to come to a stop I was unable to because of the throttle being stuck in the on position. I was able to stop the vehicle and avoid a collision by shifting into neutral and applying the brakes. The temperature was 5 degrees fahrenheit. This was the first time I experienced the problem and the throttle cable required replacement.
Vehicle speed control reactivation problems to ford truck.
Recall notice 09s09 on 2002 ford explorer.
2002 ford explorer xlt: rec'd recall notice about cruise control switch with fire hazard and brake fluid leakage driving or in park. Called dealer 'armstrong ford in homestead ford twice. Once sent to voice mail of service manager with no return call. Following day 11/17 spoke with service advisor who stated to call back on fri or mon 11/20 or 11/23 as part was unavailable. I find this unacceptable. In addition I have electrical problems that consistently create shorts with parts or displays in console which this dealer has been unable to resolve thus costing me hundreds of dollars each time. Thank you.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving 35 MPH, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. The driver applied maximum pressure to the brake pedal, which slowed down and eventually stopped the vehicle. The dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for the repairs. The vehicle has not yet been repaired. The failure mileage was 73,000 and current mileage was 85,000.
It was an extremely cold day in wisconsin and my son went into town, while approaching a stop light the gas pedal accelerated. He applied the brakes and it kept on accelerating until he shut the engine off. This happened again on the highway, once again the weather was cold and this time he kept tapping on the accelerator and pulled over and shut the vehicle off. This was a frightening experience, any suggestions to rectify this problem.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving approximately 20 MPH and approaching a turning lane, the contact applied pressure to the brakes to slow the vehicle down. The vehicle accelerated on its own and she had to turn the vehicle to the right in order to avoid a rear end crash. The vehicle jumped the curb and the vehicle stopped. An hour later, while exiting the freeway, the vehicle accelerated on its own again. The contact turned off the vehicle in order for it to stop. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not notified. A mechanic informed her to park the vehicle. The cause of the failure could not be determined. The current mileage was 114,450 and failure mileage was 114,337. Updated 11/25/08. *lj updated 11/25/08.
Erratic operation of cruse control.
While parking my car between two other cars, I shifted from reverse to forward to adjust my car to the middle of the parking space. I had my foot lightly on the brake so that the idle speed would inch my car forward a little. When I shifted to forward, my car lunged forward 2 to 3 feet. Because my foot was already on the brake, I was able to hit the brake hard. The car stopped within a few inches of the car in front of me.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact received a recall notice for the vehicle speed control. Ever since the vehicle was purchased approximately 1.5 years ago, she has had to tape the rear passenger side door shut to keep it from opening while driving. The failure occurs at speeds of 35 MPH or lower. The dealer claimed that they would repair the door at the time of purchase. The recall number was unknown. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving 55 MPH and accelerating to 60 MPH, the engine suddenly roared and began racing. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle, which caused other vehicles to swerve around her to avoid crashing. She activated the hazard lights and pulled off the road. She attempted to shut off the vehicle, but even with the keys removed from the ignition, the engine still raced for approximately another 30 seconds until it finally stopped. The contact grabbed her children, exited the vehicle, and waited for someone to come pick her up. She later called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to her house. The vehicle remains at her residence and has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 51,761. Update 06/10/08
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact received a notice for recall number 05s28 for the vehicle speed control: cruise control in august of 2007. As of march 26, 2008, the part for the recall repair is still unavailable. She feels that this length of time is unlawful. She called the manufacturer and was denied to speak with a supervisor. There had been no failure to date. The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage was 62,000. Updated 04/14/08. *lj updated 04/11/08
Where to start... Broken cruise control, headlight switch has a short, driver side passenger window doesn't roll down, trouble going into gear, car suddenly dies at interstate speeds, loud grinding sound from the engine bay (like an electric knife sharpener) that is getting increasingly more frequent, service engine soon light will not go off, brakes squeal and don't stop the vehicle properly, support for the hatch (which is cracked 8 inches or so in two places) doesn't lift hatch completely, and the fuel economy is down to 4-6 mpg in the city. I hate it! I don't feel like my girlfriend is safe driving it, and I think ford should be forced to make their wrongs into rights!
While traveling on the freeway my cruise control was acting up, it kept turning itself off, and not keeping a set speed. I got it to turn back on and set the speed to 80 MPH. After a few minutes it felt like we were going faster than we thought , I looked down and noticed the cruise control had surged from 80mph to 105mph on its own. This really frightened my and I immediately put the brakes on to slow down and turned off the cruise control feature for the remainder of my trip. I had my husband and my three young daughters in the car and was pretty shaken up about how quickly things could have gone terribly wrong and someone or all of us could have been killed if we were to crash because of this incident.
Speed control does not engage even though it shows that it is on, on the dash board. Once engaged after numerous attempts, the speed will then increase on its own.
Cruise control will not always engage, even when indicator light shows it is on. Initial failures were failure to engage or unexpected disengagement. When it does engage, the speed continually accelerates and does not disengage with brake pedal, must use off button on steering column. All buttons are free. Contacted dealer and manufacturer, and they report no recall on this VIN. Search of the federal safety agency site shows 3 similar complaints.
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