I was driving home from work thank god I was almost home at this time, my ford explore was driving fine all of a sudden I herd a pop and a bang and then the motor started stumbling and shaking. As it was running the motor kept on popping I got out and seen a spark plug next to driver side fender under the hood also the coil that was plugged on to the plug was there too.I tried to grab the coil but got shocked because the rubber on the coil was broke from the plug flying out like a bullet and hitting the coil braking it in four or five places thats y I got shocked so much.the hole point is that the plug striped out of the head and did all this damage. Now I have no way to fix this issue one of the ways to fix it can be to replace the heads on the motor witch will cost lots of money.what can I do im desperate so it would be nice to have a helping hand by the dealer but they claim it's not there fault but this has happened to so many fords because of the heads they have used on this motor please make a recall for this issue it is a defect I do believe it is. I found over 50 people online having trouble with the same issues as me. Please help us.....
2002 Ford Explorer brakes complaints
Page 2 of 6: complaints 11 to 40 of 132, newest first, as owners wrote them.
This is the third time I have to replace brakes (full job) with ABS concerns.
This is the second time I had to replace brake pads and other brake parts on this car within the same year (2012-13).
August 27,2012. Huaband driving howm from work. Going down hill to traffic light. Car suddenly, with no warning, stalls out completely. Loss of power steering, power brakes.etc. A/s contuinued to work. Engine ligh came on. Wrestled car to verge of road. Turned car off and it restarted on forst try. Stated that the following day as he attempted to pull away from stop sign, car would not initally take gas but then suddenly accelerated ( " I peeled rubber!") recalled that thatsame incident had had happened approx. 2 weeks before at a diffeent stop. Car taken to repair shop, somputer shows no issues. Believe car unsafe to drive if affected with sudden, unexplained stalling with no apparent cause. Bought car as "certified, pre-owned" used car from ford dealership in dec. 2012. They have no answer, no suggestions as to problem cause. Internet search shows multiple complaints for this same problem with the ford explorer.
We were driving down the highway and we heard a clunk and so we pulled over right away and looked and thought it looked like the rear passenger side was sagging but wasn't sure, we drove home and then realized it was def sagging. I took it to the car lot I bought it at and their going to check it all out to see what's going on.. Just be looking at it the car lot mechanic said looks like suspension issue as if something broke. Also the check engine light came on and we had it checked out a few times and it appears to have o2 sensor issues located on the exhaust which seems to be a issues with alot of ford explorers which makes gas mileage terrible and vehicle stalls out and dies, not to mention the piece of plastic under the rear hatch window that always breaks.
As I was driving home from work my fuel gauge went from full to empty and the check gauge light came on then the vehicle died and I lost power steering and the power brakes.
I was on the highway doing 65 as posted, I started to feel shaking from the tires and it got to the point I couldn't control the vehicle, lucky I was able to get off the side of the highway and call aaa for a tow, a state police officer pulled behind me and said let me guess hub bearing. The police dept also has the same problem. This is my 8th repair I am doing and next week I am doing the opposite side. It is costing me 600.00 dollars for every side I am doing. I made a complaint to ford company and they told me there is no recall. Then why is my mechanic telling me he gets numerous repair jobs on the same vehicles. Plus I spoke to a co worker that has the same year and vehicle doing the same thing. When is something going to get done. Or is the company going to wait till someone gets killed. Bbb and bluminthau was told about and still no response from no body.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, she noticed smoke and flames coming from under the hood. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire and the origin of the fire was unknown. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic where the failure was located at the master cylinder. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was contacted and a claim was filed. The contact was awaiting further instruction by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 68,000.
I have a 2002 ford explorer I bought about a year ago. Everything was working fine..I have my ABS light on..when I try to stop the car my brake engage but when it come to the final stop it gives and the pressure on the truck is no longer there.. I feel like I am going to crash in to the car in front of me.. I brought the truck to the mechanic and checked everything and didn't find anything wrong with it.. No leaks or anything.. But didn't know what was causing it... I noticed that there are many of the same issues regarding the brakes not working properly.. Please address this issue before someone gets killed.. Thank you
I have had many problems with my 2002 ford explorer. I started getting the crack in my hatch by the rear window in 2005. It has spread and gotten worse and I still have not fixed it. Last year in 2009 our ABS light has been coming on and off and when I go to brake at times it feels like they kick on at irregular times, but I also feel I do not have the braking power I should. In june 2010 I was driving the explorer and the o/d light starting blinking and the explorer was shifting out of control. We had to have the transmission replace and the u-joints and the rear axle fixed for around $2900. We also had to replace the battery in july 2010. I called ford motor company and told them all of my issues and they told me that since they did not have enough complaints they could not do anything about it. To this point I was aggravated and couldn't believe the way they had treated me and let alone others who I am sure made the same call. I feel this is a safety issue because even now when it is in gear in park the car seems to move back and forth.
Purchased 2002 explorer xlt v6 4.0l already transmission slipping solenoid or whatever out.. I have read reports and wonder why this transmission is not recalled? I have it in shop now having to have it rebuilt and everything changed. Also right wheel bearings bad, upper and lower ball joints bad, suspension shot. And the records show the previous owners maintained everything well. But also had transmission replaced and had problems at 99,000miles. Please doing something for all of us out here. Also coolant leak, engine leak, power seat failure, and on.
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
2002 ford explorer with defective emergency brakes, they premature corrosion causing the pads to fall up leaving someone with out a secondary braking system. From mechanics I have spoke to happens a lot and ford doesn't cover them. I have an explorer and one wheel has only one pad left the other doesn't have any remaining. Have not fixed due to the expense repair bill on something that doesn't get used that often.
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.
Broken rear coil springs on 2002 ford explorer xlt, 85000 miles. Also need front and rear wheel bearings, seat belt tensioner, emergency brake repair.
Heard a grinding noise coming from the rear of the vehicle, had brakes changed, noise continued. Found out it was the driver side wheel bearing and the passenger side front both going bad. Repairs not done too expensive.
2002 ford explorer with broken coil spring, crack under rear window, and transmission slip, broken parking brake shoes in assembly. Same complaints that seem to be common. And same with everyone else, no help from ford.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While approaching a stop at approximately 35 MPH on normal road conditions, the brake pedal extended to the floor when it was depressed. The engine idled roughly and the check engine warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The indicator remained lit until the engine was turned off. When the ignition was started, the engine would automatically idle without acceleration. The failures occurred on a separate occasion. The vehicle has not been repaired and cannot be driven. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 111,000 and current mileage was 114,000.
2002 ford explorer used for non business driving. No heavy loads or trailers. No off road use. No incidents with objects in road, pot holes, obstacles etc. Both rear suspension springs broken. One spring broken in 3 places. Noticed @ 56,500 miles. Springs had been broken for a while(rust on breaks). Didn't notice it until recently broken spring on other side asymptomatic. The only immediate consequences to me were a large repair bill. It could have been a lot worse if I was presented with a need for an emergency maneuver and the faulty suspension caused an accident. I replaced both rear springs and struts. Parts in repair shop trash. Won't last there too long. Repair shop reports seeing similar problems with explorer and related ford models. Internet search revealed many people had same problem with no history of abuse reported. Had rear brakes serviced at the same time. Had to replace shoe pads on parking brake because the pads both fell off. Use parking brake infrequently. Repair shop reported seeing this problem previously also.
Purchased a 2002 ford explorer in 2003 with 30,000 miles on it. Almost instantly a humming noise came from what I think is the front driver side, may be more areas, and was unsure what to do with it. Replaced brakes a few years later and mechanic told me bearings were warped and needed to be replaced. I asked the mechanic what the consequence would be if no repairs were made and he stated none. I read a message board about the 2002 explorer and this seems to be an issue for many owners. I also researched the consequence of a bearing not being replaced and the consequences can result in death. Please take the time to research this issue before someone really gets hurt.
Paint is blistering and chipping on the hood and fender of my 2002 explorer. Abs light comes on and airbag light stays on.
2002 ford explorer, o/d light is blinking, check engine soon light stays on continuously. Rear end makes noise, ABS light stays on. Truck shifts hard from reverse to forward. Shifts hard and makes cluncking sound from 2nd to 3rd gear and will not go in to over-drive at all.
Was driving my 2002 ford exploder, when I excited the vehicle I saw smoke and flames coming from the driver side rear wheel. I grabbed my son and got him from the vehicle. A passerby came over to help get my son from the vehicle. He informed me that my emergency brake had seized on. I would like to know how this happened when I have not used my emergency brake. Fire dept called and vehicle is now sitting in a parking lot. Until I can get the money to repair it.
Both rear spring crumbled.
At 51,894 we were surprised to find that our rear wheel bearings and hub assembly had to be replaced this started as a whine and clicking noise total charge to fix approx 750.00 -- according to others on this site this could have caused an accident. At this time we also had a very loose parking brake, but was told by the dealer that it couldn't be tightened until the grooves wore out?
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???
Continuous problems with transmission, and e-brake. E brake replaced and bad again. Had transmission repair at dealership a 400 miles before 75,000 mile warranty ended. Taken back 100 miles later transmission problem again. Past warranty now and still having problems. I will not buy ford again, it has been a nightmare. Also air bag light keeps coming on. -please ignore equipment part of this complaint, I misunderstood.
Problems with this explorer over my ownership include: -rear glass replaced -front brakes replaced -rear wheel bearings have required replacement, -parking brake issues, -new tires, etc.
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!
After normal driving I began to hear a loud grinding and humming noise coming from the rear drivers side tire of my 2002 ford explorer. After going to my mechanic he had said my rear bearing and hub are bad which also made my rear tire unstable. He began to tell me it is a major problem with this vehicle and the bearings, hubs, and brakes were defective due to the fact that they cannot handle the braking load of this vehicle. After researching the problem online it would seem he is correct. This is a major safety problem in that all the bearings and hubs eventually go bad and can fail at anytime making the tires unstable and could fall off during driving. This is obviously a defective design and /or parts installed in this vehicle. There are many complaints of the same events happening to other owners. Since this is a major safety issue and a very expense fix for unsuspecting owners I hope you look into this issue and make ford issue a recall. Thank you.
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