2002 Ford Explorer: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Jul 6, 2017 · Acceleration · 108,742 miles · WI

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. On several occasions, while driving, the 4wd auto high or low failed to operate. While accelerating, the contact attempted to use the cruise control and, although the green cruise control indicator illuminated, the vehicle failed to engage. A dealer was not notified. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,742.

Filed Jun 14, 2016 · Acceleration · 103,000 miles · TN

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving approximately 50 MPH with the cruise control activated, the vehicle would not disengage from the cruise control while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle spontaneously accelerated to 70 MPH, the emergency brake did not work, and the cruise control was still active. The vehicle was shifted into park and pulled into a parking lot. The vehicle was left there. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Filed Apr 6, 2015 · Acceleration, Suspension · 220,000 miles · CA · fire

I got a knock on my door by the fire department telling me that my car set on fire I filed a claim with my insurance and they told me to file a claim with ford because they have reason to believe it was the cruise control button that set the car on fire .

Filed Sep 24, 2013 · Acceleration · 70,000 miles · TX

Approximately 30% of the time, the coast button on the cruise control will actually function as the accelerate button. This can be disturbing if you hit coast to increase distance between you and another vehicle. When this does occur, I am able to hit the brake pedal and deactivate the cruise control.

Filed Jan 18, 2013 · Electrical, Engine · 157,000 miles · FL

My ford explorer has had so many ridiculous problems. This one is extremely inconvenient. The car has trouble shifting gears, it spins from 1st to 2nd gear and then I have to let go of the accelerator for it to shift again, it skips 3rd gear altogether and jerks into fourth after pressing and depressing the accelerator a series of times. Once it's in 4th gear, it doesn't go past 50 MPH. My mechanic says his monitor detected a faulty solender and the entire pack has to be replaced, but that may not be the only problem. If that doesn't do the trick (even though it needs to be replaced regardless) he will have to open the transmission and possibly rebuild or replace some of the parts. I have encountered hundreds of other 2002 ford explorer owners with the same problem. Aside from this, I have a list of other dangerous issues that this car has had and that has endangered my family's and my life numerous times: - gear shift breaking off the steering column as I shifted from reverse to drive in the middle of a busy intersection. - ignition cylinder/switch breaking - possible spontaneous explosion recall related to the cruise control - rear latch breaking and inability to use the rear latch. - electrical system failure - doors not closing properly & draining the battery - faulty alarm system - faulty temperature gauge and radiator - ford not allowing customers to buy just the parts needed for replacement and repair and forcing their customers to purchase entire packages only in order to get the necessary parts at extremely high prices. Ford should be incriminated for selling these vehicles knowing full well that they are flooded with life threatening issues to their customers.

Filed Jan 14, 2013 · Acceleration · 93,200 miles · MI

Cruise control electrical disengage switch failed. Cruise control could only be disengaged by stepping on the brake very hard or by manually turning off the cruise control on/off switch.

Filed Dec 1, 2012 · Electrical · 120,000 miles · WA

Alarm goes off when set and no one is around, cruise control does not always work, light inside do not turn off and sometimes do not turn on, radio does not turn off when opening the front doors, but will turn off when back doors are opened.

Filed Jun 13, 2012 · Electrical · 193,261 miles · NJ

Fords taillight/stop switch illuminates the brake lights, is used to disengage the cruise control and is used to enable the operator to be able to put the vehicle into gear once the brake pedal is depressed. Roughly a year ago I had some intermittent issues with trying to disengage the cruise when using the brakes plus I had trouble taking the vehicle out of park without having to step on the brake multiple times. Lastly having a friend follow me home I was told my brakes lights did not always illuminate when I was slowing down or at a complete stop! Going back to my local ford dealer I bought a replacement switch that had instructions to cut the oe's plug off of their harness and to hard wire the new switch in it's place as ford had experienced some "issues" with those original components. Just 13 mo's later I had the same problem but this time it failed completely so the vehicle was locked in park in my driveway. Having seen recalls on several other ford and mercury products for a similar problem and expected ford to give me a free replacement. However, after entering my VIN # they said there were no recalls but they would reduce their normal price from $93.44 to $76.00 as their compensation. Contacting my local napa supplier I bought another switch from them for just $44.49 which resolved my problem for even less money. I returned to the dealer to report my finding and strongly suggested that they contact their ford rep. As I believe this brake switch issue is a bigger problem then ford is aware of or has owner up to knowing about. I was actually lucky to have the switch fail at my home as had I been on the road I could very well have been rear-ended due to my brakes lights not coming on. I question if ford will ever take my warning seriously so I felt obligated to pass this information along to an independent source.

Filed May 30, 2012 · Engine · 125,000 miles · CA · fire

I was driving on the freeway when I looked back in my rear view mirror and noticed smoke billowing out the back of my car. I pulled over. My husband got out of the car and looked under the front. I smelled fire and he said it's on fire. My husband saw a liquid dripping from the car that was clearly on fire. I turned the car off. We immediately got ourselves and our 2 young children, ages 7 and 5, out of the car. The fire stopped once the car was off. Fortunately, no one was injured. I was told by the tow truck operator and the mechanic that fixed the car that a transmission hose was sitting on the exhaust pipe, causing a leak in the hose and the resulting fire. I am also concerned that my car may be subjected to a recall regarding a faulty cruise control after reading on the internet.

Filed Jun 27, 2011 · 131,000 miles · AL · fire

I was riding along the highway in my 2002 ford explorer with my two kids on vacation. We had been driving for about 4 hours . I was using the cruise control. I came to a red light then continued on for about 2 miles than all of a sudden the check temp gauge came on and the gauge was all the way hot. I waited for a safe place on the side of the rode to pull over. As soon as the truck was put in park smoke started coming in through the glove box and the hood. My son who was sitting in the passenger seat said his legs felt hot. A passerby pulled over and yelled get your stuff and get out of the truck. We had enough time to get what we could and run. The truck started to burn and all we could do was watch. We were stranded 4 hours from home. Luckily for us the good samaritans probably saved our lives. The truck went from hot to fully involved in a matter of a few minutes. By the time the fire dept. Came the truck was a total loss.

Filed Dec 10, 2010 · Transmission · 128,500 miles · OH

I was traveling to mt. Washington, ky. From lorain, ohio, ( approx. 330 miles). We stopped at the rest are at the halfway mark, between washington ch, oh. & jeffersonvlle, oh. When we came back out, started the car, & it wouldn't go into reverse. Pushed it out of the parking spot & it wouldn't go in drive either. About 30 miles before, it made some clunking noises & it felt like we had a flat tire. I took it out of cruise control & it drove normally until the rest area. I had to have it towed to washington courthouse & then back home on monday, nov., 29th, (at my own expense). Approximate cost of repair to date was $2969. I had my daughter & 6 yr. Old great granddaughter with me & I feel this could have possibly ended with disastrous results. Ford has known about these faulty transmissions probably from day 1. I'm not trying to just blast ford, happen to be an employee. I feel they need to man up & take care of this problem before it leads to serious consequences.

Filed Aug 10, 2010 · Acceleration, Brakes · 73,000 miles · TX

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