2002 ford explorer, wheel bearings went out (pre-maturely as on thousands of this model car)and airbag disconnected (ford made cable too short under driver's seat.) lucky we caught it before wheel flew off and airbag didn't deploy!
2002 Ford Explorer airbags complaints
Page 4 of 7: complaints 71 to 100 of 162, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My daughter was in a collision in 2003 in my 2002 ford explorer. I had it only a couple of weeks. The airbag didn't deploy, and now that it is 5 years later,the air bag light stays on,but I have not been in a crash. I took it to the local dealership in houston, but they were of no help!
Paint is blistering and chipping on the hood and fender of my 2002 explorer. Abs light comes on and airbag light stays on.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving 20 MPH, the side air bags suddenly deployed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for repair. The contact feels that the ford manufacturer should replace the air bags for free due to the failure being technical in nature. The current mileage was 80,544 and failure mileage was 80,400.
On my 2002 ford explorer SUV I have had to replace 3 of the 4 wheel bearings and hub assemblies(approx $250 each), with the 4th not far behind. I have also had to replace the 4-wheel drive module(approx $400-$500). I have had problems with the rear window motors going bad and having to replace these too. The air conditioning unit has stopped working. The passenger air bag dummy light has come on for no reason. The seat belt warning chime often comes on and will not go off, even though you have buckled your seat belt. You have to slam the buckle into place for it to go off and sometimes this does not work either. The transmission is now making a lovely clunking sound when shifting from park to drive and when you try to put it back into park, it does not want to. You have to put it up to park as far as it will go then go back to neutral and then into park from there. We have replaced the emergency brake shoes on both sides because they were completely worn off even though we do not use the e-brakes. These problems are just piling up one after another. I went to an internet site that has complaints about vehicles and found that there are hundreds of others with the same problems on their 2002 ford explorers of all kinds (xl, eddie bauer, special edition, etc.). Why hasn't ford done any recalls for these problems? Does it require multiple injuries or even death for them to take responsibility???
We got in to a head on collision and the airbag did not deploy and we hit at about 45 m.p.h. On impact and nothing deploy soon after the crash the airbag light flashed for several days till we got the repair and they just reset the computer in the truck and now the airbag light is flashing only a week after they reset it and the ford company here has no reasoning or answer to why this happened and they refuse to help us on this situation so we have to turn to you and get this problem resolved quickly before someone gets seriously injured or killed.
Currently own a 2002 explorer xlt with only 65k miles on it. The transmission is in need of a rebuild because is slip from time to time. The rear differential seals are leaking. The entire rear of the vehicle makes a humming noise so I suspect that a rear bearing is going bad. Not to mention the 4wheel drive system has not worked since I bought it a little over a year ago. I've had intermittent issues with the air bag control module and also the backup alarm system. There is nothing but poor write-ups about this truck all over the internet. All the same problems I'm experiencing are problems many other drivers have also had.
On 12/23/07 my in-laws were involved in a rollover crash of a 2002 ford explorer. My wife and I witnessed the entire accident as we were following my in-laws home from church. A cardboard box was in the roadway, and my mother-in-law took action to miss the box. She steered around the box, but when she tried to correct the vehicle it got sideways and the front driver's side tire assembly broke away and the vehicle began to flip. The roof crushed about 15 inches, the airbags did not deploy and of course the front wheel had broken away. My father-in-law escaped with a few broken ribs, but my mother-in-law is in intensive care with several injuries. I know you have had several complaints about ford explorers, but isn't it time to do something about it before someone else gets seriously injured or even killed?
I own a 2002 ford explorer and have had a ongoing problem with check lights coming on. First it was a check engine light which read that vehicle needed new catalytic converter .then couple yrs later came on again this time for a sensor. Now I have a airbag light on it seems like one sensor after another. After reading very simmiler complaints on your site and others I think this should be looked at further. No exact events lead to the problem. All problems have been fixed except airbag light which just happend this week.
On the ford explorers 2002-2003 there is a passenger restraint fault where the airbag light comes on indicating that the passenger restraint and or driver restraint SRS system is at fault. This is concerning me simply because it appears to me that this could cause the air bag to deploy while I am driving.
Had air bag light come on. It was a $44.00 harness that the dealer had a service bulletin telling him of the problem. It cost me 247 dollars to get the vehicle back. I have talked to several other 2002 explorer owners and they have had the same harness replaced at about 60000 miles. A complaint has been sent to the dealer for the labor charges which were or seemed excessive.
Airbag indicator light on the instrument cluster remains on after starting the vehicle.
Tl*- the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The airbag warning light remained illuminated. The dealership informed the contact the driver's front seat pretentioner upgrade harness needed to be replaced. The dealership made the repair. The airbag warning light no longer illuminated. The current mileage was 73,000. *ak update 4/23/07
My husband and I own a 2002 ford explorer xlt. The problem is with the airbag. The airbag light has stayed lit and needed repairs on 2 occasions. The first time this occurred was a year ago. At that time, we took the car to a ford dealership and were told the safety harness needed to be replaced and this was covered under the warranty. The airbag light has recently come on again. Again, we took the car to a ford dealership and this time are told that another harness needs to be replaced and a wire under the seat is not working and the repairs (which are not under warranty) will cost approximately $370. I complained to the service manager that I feel I should not have to pay for these repairs as this problem occurred previously while under warranty and their previous repair should hold some guarantee. I was told this is not the case and that I would have to pay for these repairs. I find this completely unacceptable. I have no choice but to have the repair done as a non-functioning airbag is a serious safety concern. I am notifying the federal safety agency and the consumer product safety commission of this serious safety issue that seems to be a recurring problem with my 2002 ford explorer.
Recently the air bag warning light came on indicating a problem with the air bag system. Also, the driver's seat belt would not retract when the driver exited the vehicle. The onboard computer indicated a code of 33 in memory. This indicated that the mechanism under both front seats was faulty. This problem would have caused the air bags to deploy unnecessarily or not deploy at all. The faulty seat belt retractor would not have prevented the driver from being thrown forward in the event of a collision. The warning light was intermittent at first and eventually stayed on so there was 55,000 miles recorded when I finally took the vehicle to our dealership. The owner's manual revealed that the supplemental restraint system (SRS) is warranted for 5years/50,000 miles, so I realize that it was beyond the warranty period. However, this is my concern and complaint. The SRS is probably the most important safety system in a vehicle and should not require these types of repairs just 6 months and 5,000 miles after the warranty expires. This system should last for the life of a vehicle unless the vehicle is involved in a collision. No one should have to be concerned that their SRS system will fail after the warranty expires. I am not a mechanical engineer, but these parts must not have been manufactured properly. If they were, they would not have failed. As was stated above, this explorer was totally redesigned and sent to the dealer showrooms prior to the start of the 2002 model year. Were things overlooked or not done properly just to rush this totally redesigned explorer to the dealer showrooms? If this was the case, should there be a recall for this model year in order to check this problem and ensure there are no safety concerns? The cost of these repairs is the minor issue of my complaint. The major issue is the safety of the driver and passengers. Safety problems with a vehicle will cause serious repercussions for the company.
Air bag disabled due to design defect in 2002 explorer. A cable harness running under the floor to the drivers seat is too short. Moving the seat back causes the cable to disconnect and disables the drivers side air bag.
Airbag warning light, flashes several times and then stays illuminated
There was an accident. Hit another car at about 40 miles an hour and the front drivers and passenger airbags did not deploy. There were two injured. The frame wasn't bent and the engine was okay. What saved the passengers was an add-on bumper guard I had on the front. Truck was towed to a ford dealership and the service manger said the same thing about the bumper guard.
I bought a 2002 ford explorer eddie bauer in nov 2002. Around oct 2005 my airbag light came on and I was due for an inspection. I took it into a ford dealership and they "diagnosed" it as a faulty seat belt...the seat belt worked fine, it even continued to lock-up during moderate braking. This cost me over $300. Not a month went by and the airbag light came on again. I called the ford dealer, explained the problem and they told me that if it was determined it was a "new" problem I would be charged for that expense as well. I just can't believe that the light would come on after being "fixed" so soon.
Airbag light came on dashboard, thus disabling airbags in vehicle. The ford dealer supposedly repaired the sensor. Less than one year later, the same issue recurred, with the same diagnostic code, and the dealer is refusing to honor the repair warranty. Air bags are now disabled.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 35 MPH the vehicle was hit on the passenger side by another vehicle, spun around and flipped side to side several times. The air bags did not deploy in the vehicle. The vehicle was equipped with side curtain and frontal air bags. Seat belts were in use however minor injuries were sustained. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop for inspection. The manufacturer has not been alerted. Updated 7/13/2006 -
2002 explorer with 95k miles: power windows, airbag and front/rear wheel bearings. Dealer was not surprised by these problems at all. $3k estimated repair cost.
First of all I have a humming sound coming from the rear of the vehicle I notice it most when we are traveling on the hwy at at least 55 MPH or more. In oct. My brake light came on for no reason and now in feb. My air bag light came on for no apparent reason.
2002 ford explorer, well serviced, less than 54000 miles on it. Last week airbag light came on, flashed, then stopped. It didn't come on again until this week. Took it to the torrance power ford dealership & they told my husband that it was a faulty spring that was sliding & coming in contact with the cruise control wire & probably shorted out. Cost to fix, $467.00, called the ford co & they said airbag system was not under warranty & that there were no recalls. Funny thing is, I am not the first person with a ford explorer that has had the same problem. We also asked if not serviced would the airbags deploy? They said they didn't know.
2002 ford explorer. Failed transmission, starter, rear wheel bearings, airbag, pinion, electric window. Now loud sounds from rear of car.
Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 MPH on a paved road, there was a loud noise followed by a burning smell. The side air bags had deployed. No injuries were sustained. Both occupants were wearing seat belts however, after the deployment, the seat belts strap tightened. The contact pulled over and the seat belts released. The police were contacted and a report was taken. The vehicle was towed to a dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the side airbag deployment. Updated 5/16/2006 -
Passenger side curtain airbag deployed upon closing rear door of vehicle. Vehicle was not in motion, nor was it parked near another vehicle. Dealership ran diagnostic, computer code indicated vehicle had been in an accident. Manufacturer initially declined repair via conversation with mechanic, after I pursued claim, was told by dealership that vehicle would be repaired and I would have an expense to do so of $300. I contacted svc manager for explanation of $300, told consumer always shares in expense of repair for out of warranty items. Contacted manufacturer again, asked for review as the federal safety agency website states safety issues should be addressed at no expense to vehicle owner. Yet to be resolved.
Dt*: the contact stated the air bag light intermittently illuminates. The vehicle was seen by a dealer. The service department determined both front seat belts needed to be replaced due to the integrated air bag/seat belt system. The entire front seat belts were replaced accordingly but the air bag light later illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer. The service department suggested replacing the seat belts again. Updated 3/3/2006 - the consumer has also had to replace the rear washer motor, odometer and has had problems with the automatic door locks.
Dt: the consumer stated while traveling 55 MPH on a busy highway, a truck in front of the consumers vehicle started loosing debris all over the road way. The vehicle started to swerve; this in turn caused a four vehicle accident. This was a frontal impact on the driver's side. The airbags did not deploy. Seat belts were in use.
Ford explorer 2002 2 wheel drive was driving at 65 MPH on freeway. A car cut off the ford and anti lock brakes were applied. Brakes locked and driver lost control of SUV. Suv rolled over and off the freeway. Side air bags and front air bags did not deploy.
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