Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The vehicle was leaking coolant due to a failure within the intake manifold gasket which was cracked and corroded. The exhaust system was also faulty due to the gasket problem. The dealer informed the contact that there was a class action suit for the intake manifold. The VIN was unavailable at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were 74,225.
2002 Ford Explorer engine complaints
Page 4 of 8: complaints 71 to 100 of 213, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2002 ford explorer limited 4.6l v8. Spark plug ejected from head upon start-up. Third time this has happened.
I have a 2002 ford explorer that ejected a spark plug. The spark plug was original (it came with the vehicle and had never been changed). My wife was driving to church when the spark plug was completely ejected and broke the coil mount. This allows fuel vapor to escape from the cylinder head and could result in an engine fire. Luckily, my wife didn't experience an engine fire since she was pulling into her destination when it happened and shut off the motor. The spark plug ejection stripped the threads from the cylinder head.
My wife was driving her 2002 ford explorer to church sunday morning 4-18-10 when the engine blew without warning !! Bits of a piston and rod came right thru the block, leaving a hole big enough to put your fist in ! This explorer only has 63,000 miles on it, and has always been serviced regularly since I bought it with only 25,000 miles on it from a ford dealer. With all the problems this year and model have had, why has ford not had a recall??? It is absolutely a lemon - and I feel like suing them !! Can you help me??
My 2002 ford explorer burst into flames while we were moving, in it were some belongings.
Engine knock in all 4.6 ford explorer engines-know by ford, due to faulty cylinder heads
Spark plug blown out of cylinder head under normal driving conditions. Threads and spark plug both blown out of top of cylinder head.
Spark plug blew out on ford explorer xlt 2002 model year with 4.6l engine. Has 145,000 and original plugs (platinum). Car started to make a ticking sound and then the plug popped off.
Number 8 cylinder spark plug blew out of engine today on 2002 ford explorer 4.6l.
I was driving down the road and then out of no where the engine started to sound extremely loud and spitting smoke I pulled over and after inspection of the motor I found a spark plug laying ontop of the engine block and the coil laying next to it. The spark plug blew out of the threading. This has happened twice to me in the last 1.5 years the first time it was under my warranty from used car dealer and they replaced the complete motor with a new one. And the current incident happened today and per my mechanic he is going to put in a helicoil to try and resolve the issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving his vehicle caught on fire without warning. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire report was available. The vehicle was completely destroyed. The ford manufacturer has not been notified. The failure mileage was 160,000.
There is a knocking noise in the back of my explorer which is a 2002 and my friend has a 2003 expedition and hers is doing the same thing it has something to do with the heat in the back but it knocks all the time and when you turn the rear heat on it gets really loud. It knocks all the time and it is annoying and loud I know of 3 vehicles that are ford and they are doing the same thing why has it not been recalled could it not catch fire or something.
August 10,2009 while driving notice smoke wasn't sure if it was me then pull over to notice when hood was lift up their was fire. I then call fire department along with police. My insurance nationwide then had it place in to auto body shop which it couldn't be fixed.
2002 explorer first rear end went and was replace only to find its gone again after 20,000 miles, then 4.6 v8 engine has a knock in it, ford is aware of it but wont replace or fix it, now both rear springs are broke which ford also knows and wont replace.
In may 2005, the car would not go into reverse. The o/d light had been going on and off for a number of days. Transmission has to be replaced at a cost of $4500. Car had approximately 60000 miles. In january of 2008, the engine had to be replaced due to because the timing belt went at a cost of $3000. Car had 75000 miles. In august 2009, both rear spring were discovered to be broken when the car was taken in for a whining in the rear, which was the rear axle bearing. The car had 94000 miles, cost of repair was $1200.
Maintaining a steady freeway speed. A loud pop emitted from the engine followed by a succession of small pops in relation to the engine speed. It was observed that the number 4 spark plug (passenger sided) had ejected from the engine. The car was towed to a service garage. A new threaded insert was installed in the spark plug hole along with a new spark plug and coil.
April 2007 1. Just bringing the car up to freeway speed. 2. A popping noise emitted from the engine, passenger side. Unable to determine the problem as it was dark, the vehicle was towed to the repair shop. 3. It was determined that the 3rd plug had blown out of the engine and also destroyed the coil attached to it. A new threaded insert was installed in the spark plug hole. A new spark plug and new coil were installed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving 10 MPH, the contact noticed smoke entering into the vehicle from the front windshield. When the contact stopped the vehicle, the smoke became darker. The fire appeared from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire, but they could not determine the cause. The vehicle was destroyed, but there were no injuries. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Spark plug blew out of 2002 ford explorer limited. I've had two ford vehicles blow a spark plug this year.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the service engine soon and check gas cap indicators illuminated and caused the vehicle to shut off. In addition, the gas tank was very difficult to fill up while placing fuel in the tank. The contact called the manufacturer regarding these issues. He feels that it is a safety hazard for the vehicle to shut off without warning. The VIN was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 171,000.
My 2002 ford explorer - 4.6 v8 has the popular blown spark plug issue which has caused me a lot of problems on pretty much the worst weekend of my life that this could have happened in. This is apparently a very popular complaint about fords w/ this engine and I can't believe that there has been no recall for this issue. It is an obvious design flaw w/ the aluminum and metal heating issues causing the spark plugs to break off or just shoot out of the engine. I believe that there was a small fire under my hood for a short time as well. This is a very dangerous problem that should be addressed by ford. In my case, I did hear the infamous "clicking" noise that happens just before the plug blows and then right after, it blew, sounding like somebody was starting a harley under my truck. I was under my hood looking and hearing for the noise that I thought was a belt issue when this blew. This thing sounded like it was going to blow my head off while I was under the hood and luckily I was not hurt, or ford would have a law suit on their hands. We were able to remove the broken plug and get a new one to thread maybe one thread deep to get me home safely. There is only one thread grabbing and I will more than likely have to have the $1500 - $2000 job done or trade this pile in before it happens to the other plugs, which I hear is inevitable, due to ford never addressing or remedying this issue. This being my second explorer w/ severe issues that ford should have taken care of, this will be my last. Thanks.
I have a 2002 ford explorer with a 4.6 liter v8 was driving to work this morning and the engine ejected a factory installed spark plug I have read on the internet that this is a common problem and was informed by the dealers there was no recall on it.
2002 ford explorer 74,000 miles. Heard a banging noise coming form motor. Took to repair shop - stated to me that this is a timing chain issue. Timing chain needs to be replaced and will cost $1500.00 - $2000.00. Dealer said that ford is aware of this issue and has had several complaints. (see car complaints.com). They said to call ford and see if they will rectify. To no avail ford said no. The dealer stated that ford used cheap parts for the timing chain and will not back up their work. What a crock. Please investigate this issue as it should be considered a recall.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the spark plugs were blowing out of the engine while driving various speeds. As a result, the engine shuts off and the vehicle loses complete power. On two occasions, the dealer repaired the vehicle at the cost of $2,000. The dealer has not explained what caused the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Timing chain rattle on a 2002 ford explorer. Had the fronts replaced once under warranty at about 25,000 miles and again at 80,000 miles at my expense. Now the rear chain is making noise, this is after having the rear tensioner replaced last month at 94,000 miles. The rear cassette seems as if it is ready to go. I don't know how ford can get away with producing such a poor product. There a thousands of complaints about this problem and ford won't do a thing about it.
3/4/08 motor sized no steering no brakes at 62000 mi. Bht rebuilt motor from ford 3yr/75000mi warranty 2/8/09 motor sized no steering no brakes at 71000mi -11mos /9000mi later 2/16/09 towed to malouf ford s.b.nj need other motor no rebuilt motors available from ford I have no car-ford will not give loaner or rental.
I was driving home from a friends came to a stop sign. Began to accelerate, I was going 25 MPH and all of a sudden my 2002 ford explorer sounded like my 4 wheeler. My spark plug had shot out of its threads and blew the coil to pieces. This is the second time this has happened in the last 6 months.
I own a 2002 ford explorer and for the second time 5 months the same spark plug that was repaired by the ford dealership has blown out of the engine. There was a loud pop and very loud repetitive engine noise. There was a very strong smell of gasoline, and loss of power. Ford says that this is a common problem and refuses to fix the problem. This is an outrage!!!!!!
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.
Was hearing a banging noise in the hood, my husband found out that the spark plug blew out and stripped the head.
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