The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle shut off. The contact was able to coast off the freeway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called an independent mechanic, but the mechanic declined to service the vehicle. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
2002 Ford Explorer engine problems
213 complaints (6% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 89,900. 3 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 213
- of this car's complaints
- 6%
- typical mileage
- 89,900
- crashes
- 3
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Engine50
- Engine: gasoline25
- Exhaust system10
- Exhaust system: emission control: catalytic convertor7
- Cooling system6
- Exhaust system: manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe3
- Exhaust system: emission control3
- Exhaust system: emission control: gas recirculation valve (EGR valve)2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Ford Explorer engine problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2002 Ford Explorer engine
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Check engine light 89Stalling 68Engine failure 27Knocking 26Loss of power 22Won't start 14Overheating 13
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Spark plug ejection from cylinder head
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton v-8 and v-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi is not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi is aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it is possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect is very low.in view of the foregoing, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition is denied.
DP05005
What 2002 Ford Explorer owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the steering wheel intermittently seized while driving at various speeds without warning. After finding a replacement part at a salvage yard, the contact had the steering wheel replaced by an independent mechanic; however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that an abnormal ticking noise was coming from the engine with the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
Was driving on hwy and my vehicle just shut down as I was turning off the main road, lost all control of steering. When I raised the hood I saw my radiator smoking and all of a sudden it popped. Had to have it towed in to the shop and was told that the radiator had exploded and the engine seized up! How could this happen? I never even had it to over heat or the light never even alerted me. Just blew up and left me stranded. I was told after the fact that there is a recall on the radiator!
The radiator started going out on me. I had to fix it twice. The breakes I keep having the continued fixing them every 4 months. Recently october 25, 2019 it started smelling like burnt rubber came thru the air vents. Things with the electricity oe a shortage. With the tires they put wrong tire size. They told me to sign and go because they didn't have my actual tire size. Its always on the smalls streets and on freeway or. Highway it smells like burnt rubber. The owner didn't notify me or bother to tell me it was on recall already.
I was driving down the highway I went to make a left hand turn when smoke started coming out of the grill, so I pulled over to check under the hood, smoke started boiling out from under the hood
Motor is over heating after driving for about 30 mins on highway
The timing belts broke and damage the engine. Truck has less than 100,000 miles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the overdrive warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled several times. In addition, the vehicle was difficult to shift into second and third gear as well as drive, which was when the intermittent stall failure occurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vehicle was parked and unable to be driven due to the intermittent failures. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Transmission out for 3rd time
Door ajar light is always on and alarm goes off constantly from it. Seat belt light is always on even when seat belts are in use. Abs light is always on and off. Always issues with heat and coolant.
Questions about the 2002 Ford Explorer engine
Does the 2002 Ford Explorer have engine problems?
Owners have filed 213 complaints about the engine of the 2002 Ford Explorer, 6% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Explorer engine problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 89,900 miles.
Is there a recall for the 2002 Ford Explorer engine?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
Other 2002 Ford Explorer problems
Transmission 1,502Body 486Suspension 422Airbags 162Steering 155Acceleration 152Electrical 148Visibility 138Brakes 132Wheels 78Fuel system 72Locks 50Tires 38Seat belts 34Seats 30Lights 25Driver assistance 4
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