2002 Ford Explorer: grinding or squealing brakes

Filed Sep 17, 2016 · Transmission · 283,000 miles · MI

Transmission, jerked, stalled and had difficulty shifting while driving on freeway/ highway. Additionally, the o/d (overdrive) light came on and continually flashed prior to the transmission starting to noisily grind with a burning smell. I've had 5 professional diagnosis all stating it's a different transmission problem. A class action lawsuit and ford motor company recall is needed on the transmissions, this is a widespread problem and issue for nearly 20 years.

Filed Jul 16, 2016 · Brakes, Steering · KY · crash

I own a 2002 ford explorer, it's our daily driver everything works except the hubs, this truck has never been wrecked, and we find ourselves@ about every 15,000 to 20,000 miles having to replace the wheel bearings and hub assembly's , last night on the way home the driver side front hub started squealing and came apart and we had to have it towed again, I have owned this truck for 3 years, I have had to replace the bearings and hubs brakes 11 times and now I'm going to have to do it again, wow, these parts are really expensive to have no better quality than that, everytime we get it fixed it cost around $1400, it's a nice truck, and everything else works great, no issues, I transport my family members in this vehicle, and I'm getting tired of fearing for their lives and my own when the wheel hubs break and leave us stranded , it's obviously time for a different vehicle, and I just thought about how many other people drive one of those trucks, and how dangerous that could have been out on the interstate, it's a good thing we were driving 30 MPH on a country rd, if we had been in town when it broke again we I thought that the last time this happened too, there definatly is a problem, when the guy at the dealership says that's a very common problem, but unfortunately, all he can do is fix it, or sell me something else,and that that's the issue that those trucks have and that everyday someone is dropping one of to get fixed for the exact same problem, anyway I think it's time to try something else, but this problem needs to be on a recall list because it's just bad business and a safety hazard, and it's problaby already gotten people and families killed, I'm going to fix this thing one more time and give the people that buy it this website info, ford motor company needs to fix this ever occurring problem.

Filed Aug 10, 2014 · Transmission, Wheels · NV · fire

Was driving on the highway and felt a sharp jerk/pull to the right. At first thought it was a flat tire so got off on next exit. Wasn't a flat tire but could smell something awful. Made grinding sound and still had bad smell, knew we had to drive it back to the place we are staying at. Had hazard lights on and only drove 10-15 MPH because of the sound and because of how scary it was. Knew something bad was happening to our car. Brakes at this point practically went out. Would not have to press brakes to stop vehicle at a red light, the car would just stop. Steering wheel was not even, but more or less 90 degrees to the right. Pulled into the neighborhood and into the driveway and a car leaving the street saw that our vehicle at this point was on fire! Extinguish fire (since it was a gas fire) and looked at the damage. Looks like the front driver side wasn't even connected to anything. Do not know how or when fire started but the flames when we noticed were about 1 foot tall and wide by the internal driver side wheel.

Filed Dec 1, 2012 · Transmission · 125,000 miles · WA

Drive train, bucks, grinds, is slipping. Makes alot of noise. Had the rear end replaced and it did not work, paid $1000.00 or so and did not take care of the problem.

Filed Oct 17, 2012 · Body · 141,000 miles · CA

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximate 10mph the contact heard a grinding noise. The contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the body mounts were deteriorating between the frame. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The appoximate failure mileage was 141,000.

Filed Oct 3, 2012 · Suspension · 73,000 miles · TX

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 68 MPH, the vehicle exhibited a squealing noise and began pulling to the left. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and was told that the wheel bearings were frozen and that he should continue to drive on them until they fractured, in which the vehicle would be fine to drive. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the bearings were frozen to the axle, and that the rear driver's side axle would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 73,000 and the current mileage was 161,000.

Filed Oct 29, 2011 · Steering, Suspension · 85,032 miles · NY

I was driving in town at approximately 30 MPH when I drove over a crack and it felt like a large pothole. I heard a grinding noise and pulled over. My rear springs were both broken. The driver side one at the top and the passenger side one at the top in 3 places. When I turn now it feels like my vehicle is going to roll over. This is a common problem as stated by many others on many internet sites. This is going to cause a serious if not deadly accident. Ford needs to do a recall on this part and replace them for free, since they were the ones who used bad parts in their vehicles. This is a manufacturing defect and should be treated as such.

Filed Sep 27, 2011 · 93,000 miles · GA

The transmission has a 5 second delay when going into reverse or drive. The car transmission jerks forward suddenly and randomly shifts into a higher or lower gear while driving. There is a loud grinding noise while the car is running and while the gears are shifting.

Filed Jul 22, 2011 · Transmission · 101,000 miles · MA

2002 ford explorer , had rear end repaired at 75000.0 miles by ford dealer and again it's making a grinding noise at 101000.0...like all others, they state out of warranty and want customer to pay.

Filed Jan 9, 2011 · Suspension · 140,000 miles · NC

I've had to replace two ball bearings in my 2002 ford explorer xls. First the back left and now the back right. With the latest, the back left, the tire on the back left was almost seizing up from the problem and my car was leading to the left and right from the grinding.

Filed Dec 14, 2010 · Transmission · 260,000 miles · VA

2002 ford explorer, 274k miles. Transmission began making grinding noise; had it rebuilt by a reputable transmission shop. Shortly thereafter, if braking hard, the engine just stops and all power is lost. This has happened several times, yet it starts right back up when I turn the ignition key. Mechanic cannot get any codes to show up. Six months later, overdrive off light flickers or flashes fairly regularly, shifting between gears is rough and it won't stay in overdrive. Once reaching overdrive, it becomes 'mushy' and slips back and forth, losing speed while rpms bounce between 1,500 and 3,000. Transmission shop has checked it again, says it is an electrical issue and that I need to take it to the dealer. Dealer claims that there is only one recall out on this car and it is for the speed (cruise) control and that this would not have any effect on the transmission. 4x4 high light flashes whenever the transmission should be going into overdrive, but that eventually stops. I've had to resort to driving with overdrive turned off, which is the only way I can get the transmission to operate smoothly without all of the lights. This causes me to have to run the car at higher rpms and decreased fuel efficiency. I have an appointment at the dealership tomorrow for the recall and I'm hoping that maybe there is someone there who is honest enough to help. Went to another transmission shop who informed me that this is a very well-known problem, that they rebuild these tranmissions regularly and that ford hasn't acknowledged any form of responsibility or even a repair solution for this.

Filed Jul 12, 2010 · Wheels · 56,000 miles · NY

We own a 2002 ford explorer. It has approximately 56,000 miles on it to date. We took it into the mechanic for an annual inspection and were told that 3 of the 4 wheel bearing assemblies needed to be replaced. We had been hearing a loud, almost grinding noise, while driving. These assemblies, being of poor quality, mean 3 of the 4 wheels on our vehicle were loose. I see a very large number of complaints online regarding this particular issue. Very dangerous.