Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while traveling 45 MPH, the vehicle made a loud popping noise and the vehicle shook. The also contact stated that the check engine light, over drive, and message centers lights illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle had not been to the dealer or a mechanic. The failure and current mileages were 126,000.
2002 Ford Explorer engine complaints
Page 3 of 8: complaints 41 to 70 of 213, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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.
Three months ago the overdrive light began flashing on my dashboard. The automatic transmission made a loud noise when changing gears. Sometimes the RPM's will rev but the car will not increase in speed.the light will not turn off and the transmission continues to shift harshly.
Transmission failed for the second time. Failed originally at 65,000 miles and had to be replaced. Failed again 3 years later at 130,000 miles and had a rebuilt transmission installed. 10 months later at 140,000 miles the transmission is leaking and starting to slip. I don't anticipate paying for a 4th transmission on this vehicle. Obviously there is something wrong with the design.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the timing chain belt tensioner failed and caused the vehicle to sound like a diesel truck while driving. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told the engine needed to be replaced. The contact stated the noise had been a problem for over four years, but the dealer could not find anything wrong with the vehicle. The failure mileage was 62,000 and the current mileage was 101,000.
While coming off a freeway my car suddenly jerked and the transmission failed. Causing my vehicle to stop. When trying to move forward the car began to try to roll backwards into the car behind me. I was lucky I was coming to a stop rather then going full speed on the freeway. After much research I have found that this is an all too common problem with this make model and year. The transmission now needs to be completely rebuilt according to 2 mechanics.
Transmission failed on the highway at 70mph pulled off exit and continued on city roads to our jobs parking lot and is no longer drive able.
When accelerating on a start, car doesn't shift into 2nd and 3rd gear....unless there is a push or jump into it.
While driving car would not shift passed 3rd gear. I had to pull over on a busy highway because I was afraid the engine would explode. I later found out, after researching, that the risk of it shifting into reverse is a common problem with the po745 error code in 2002 explorers.
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.
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.
The problem is a sudden cracking of the intake manifold causing slow coolant loss. When the intake fails the engine coolant pours out and the engine quickly overheats.
Due to a defect, we had to have the transmission replaced (thank god it was still under warranty)...then had to have the door ajar sensor fixed because alarm kept going off for no reason. About two years ago we were abut to go out of town for thanksgiving. I stop at a red light, and then we try to pull off when the light changes and hear the loudest popping noises...we're wondering how in the world did the spark plug pop out with so much force that it also rips the ignition coil...(fast forward to 1yr later, same thing happens while leaving home to go to work). Once again, on march 12, while on my way to work, sitting at a traffic light. Light turns green...I start to pull off and begin hearing a popping noise...wth...not again!!! (this is the third time this has happened in 2 years). Come on ford...fix the lemons!!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While attempting to shift from park to the reverse, the contact noticed that the column shifter had separated from the steering column. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The current and the failure mileage was 228,000. Updated 04/11/12*lj the hear shifter broke and the key would not come out of the ignition. The serpentine belt was cracked and had to be replaced. Updated 04/20/12
I have a 2002 ford explorer that is in the shop right now with a torn down engine. I went out to start it one morning and it had a hard start then it started ticking. Come to find out it the timing chain. From what I have read online it is a very common complaint and I am really surprised that this truck has not been recalled again for this problem. I am having to pay for something that ford made a mistake on. The pulley on the truck is plastic, and it is failing. I also have problems with my electrical parts on it. The lights inside will stay on after I turn it off and get out and if I turn on my rear defrost my truck dings and says door ajar..... This truck is awful.
Timing belt tensioner......my car is making noises and every mechanic I take my truck to either tell me to get a new motor or sell it and no mechanic wants to work on it because its so complicated... :/ as a single mother either option is not an option....both my driver and rear passenger window motors broke, I already put in a new transmission 3 months ago...and now this.....I took it to the dealership on 11/10/11 and its funny how they kind of laugh about this model of vehicle and give me the same look that other mechanics give me about how the tensioner is on the back of the vehicle and they'd need to take the entire engine out to repair it, and if you don't repair it there is a chance that the tensioner will break and cause the entire back part of the motor to break......this needs to be looked into and recalled since there are so many drivers with the same problem on the same model. Please help..please refer to the thousands of complaints at the following site... Http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/.
#3 cyclinder plub blew. Had towed to dealer. Dealer said they could fix easily by installing a helix coil adapter & could have car ready next day. Dealer calls back and says they fixed it but it was really running bad and that they would not recommend driving it. I asked what the solution was and they said they could pull the head and refinish it but that they would not recommend doing such. I asked about a jasper and they said they would not recommend as jasper has a poor warranty (12 months+limited mileage & no labor) while a new ford engine would have 3 years, no mileage limit & be warranted for both labor and parts. As I needed the vehicle - as it is I had to rent a vehicle. After getting the vehicle back and talking with several other ford dealers - it would seem that there is a strong possibility that the ford dealer installing the helix coil may have dropped debris into the engine - as none of the other dealers said they have ever had to replace an engine for a blown spark plug. Ps: the plugs were the originals from the factory. I have tried to work with the dealer to get some sort of reduction in what I had to pay but they have been less than interested in talking with me. So am trying figure out what my next step should be. All advise would be appreciated as apparently the plug blowing problem is common! This is a serious safety hazard - there could have been a fire.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the timing chain was fractured and the engine would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and current mileages were approximately 177,000. The VIN was unavailable.
2002 ford explorer spark plug ejection issue on v8 4.6l engine. This is now the second time that I have had spark plugs eject for the engine. From what I understand ford reduced the number of threads for the spark plugs to save machining time and costs in the manufacturing of the engine. This is clearly a safety issue. The first time I was lucky enough to get the spark plug threaded back in and was able to drive it somewhere for proper repair. I am not so lucky the second time as the threads in the head are destroyed. Now I have the extra cost of towing the truck for repair. I have read many forums on this issue yet ford continues to ignore the safety of it's customers. It is time for them to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their design defects.
I own a 2002 ford explorer with the towing package and 4.6l v-8 motor. I have 181,457 miles on it and have maintained it well. The motor does not burn any oil and has not given me any trouble until this morning, when I started my car. This morning when I started my car, I heard a loud bang and my car engine was loud and running very rough. Upon inspection, I noticed that one of the spark plugs had been blown out of the right side cylinder head, breaking the mounting harness off of the coil for this cylinder. I tried to screw the spark plug back into the cylinder, but the threads were stripped out. After looking this up on-line, I learned that this is a common problem with ford v-8 motors used in f-150's, expeditions, explorers, etc. I have heard mechanics call explorers "exploders" before, and now I know why. I have never had a spark plug blown out of a cylinder head before and after reading all of the information on-line, speaking to the auto repair manager where I have my cars serviced, this is a common problem that they have seen frequently with ford v-8 motors. When I mentioned this to the tow truck driver today, he said that he has towed alot of fords that had the same issue. I feel that this is a manufacturing defect and the ford motor company should stand behind their product and do what is right. Issue a recall and/or offer assistance with vehicle repairs of this nature.
2002 4 x 4 ford explorer, while driving in rush hour traffic the timing chains went on this truck. Of course the engine stopped working and I had the huge problem of pushing it off this 3 lane busy highway. Did get it off and now waiting to raise enough money for replacement engine. Yes the oil was changed every 3200 - 3400 miles, default with the ford engines, plastic sprocks. So I am without a truck until money is raised or ford does a recall. I know! There was no sign other than a slight noise starting and called the garage and never got there. My truck is in great shape, no rust, no accidents and I love to drive it! The gas is not bad at all if you don't horse it!
O/d light flashes for a few days then at around 25 MPH the gear switches into neutral and runs very rough then the car is thrown forward. Had a rebuilt transmission (we were told we were getting a brand new transmission and paid extra for it!) at 83k miles on oct 15, 2010 then feb 5, 2011 the same exact thing happens. The dealer cannot take the truck for another 5 days and refused to give me a loner car because it is not under the warranty. Please note: below I put in the first incident date, feb 2011 is the second incident date. In may of 2009 I was told my engine failed at about 76,000 miles. We did buy the extended warranty and we were covered. The ford dealership told us we were not covered. They had our truck for 3 weeks until the warranty people called the dealership and let them know it should be fixed. We also had a rental car or a loner car under the warranty. They refused to pay for a rental car and said they did not have a loaner car available. It took 4 more weeks (in total 7 weeks) to get the truck back and never paid for the rental.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt(na). The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to a local shop where the contact was informed that the catalytic converters failed. The manufacturer was contacted who stated that they were not able to help because the vehicle was out of warranty. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileages were 107,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. Whenever the contact started the vehicle, he noticed a clunking noise from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The current mileage was approximately 135,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 40,000.
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.
Long list of repairs made this summer including computer, airbag sensors, A/C whole system, main window controls and now my transmission.
Timing belt plastic gears was slung off and cracked a rear valve. Had to replace valve and having to replace the plastic gears. Cost approximately $2000-3500, mostly in part because engine removal is necessary to access the timing chain. Many dealerships suggest buying a new engine. If not fixed, could potentially harm shafts, and/or other components of the timing belt/chain compartment and further replacement parts will need to be purchased.
Spark plug blown out of 2002 ford explorer.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving at approximate speeds of 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. She pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road and the vehicle began smoking and caught on fire from under the hood. The vehicle was destroyed. The police and fire department arrived on scene however; the contact was unable to confirm if a fire or police report was filed. The failure and current mileages were 145,000. Updated 8/2/10 *cn updated 08/09/10
My 2002 ford explorer has blown the timing chains in the engine. Plastic parts that wear out easy and caused the chains to fail. Now I am looking for a replacement engine. The engine is v6 and it only had 95,000 miles on it. This truck has been well cared for and this should never have happened. Ford is using faulty parts and causing this damage to their product and now the consumer will have to pay big bucks for repairs due to their cheap and shoty parts used by ford. The truck started making noise and thought that it was the converter and a very short time after that first noise the engine froze and stopped running. Their really was not alot of time from noise to failure of engine. The oil was changed every 3,000 miles, so it was not from failing to change the oil, it was changed regularly. I love this truck, it drives great, comfortable and for me not bad on gas at all. I will replace the engine somehow. The cost of any new truck is out of my range, so I have no choice but to try and fix it. Does anyone have anything to offer me on this subject? Thanks
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Ford Explorer?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history