Air bag wiring harness to short : every time you move the seat the air bag light would come on $683.00 repair service technical service bulletin from ford no compensation for repairs miles 22,000. Front wheel bearing failure left and right 60,000 miles. Rear spring failure 75000 miles front spring failure 75000 miles. Fuel tank registers 1/4 tank when tank is empty 45000 miles transmission cellinoid failure 28000 miles and 800000 miles heater control module 70000 miles. Intake leak 80000 miles. Rear wheel bearing and axle seals 100,000 miles. Other than that great car. If ford cared about its customer it would have fixed the transmission problems they had six flaws from day one of production from 1990 ---- why ford if you had a real transmission it would make up for all the other failure built into this car. You make great real trucks like the f150 other than that your entire fleet is junk.
2002 Ford Explorer suspension complaints
Page 2 of 15: complaints 11 to 40 of 422, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The rear suspension is broken on either side of vehicle, the rear passenger side bearings were replaced, now the drivers rear wheel bearings are shot.
Inspection found both rear coil springs broke and driver front coil spring also broke. 3 broken springs. Never heard of spring breaking, ever. Seems to be a problem with ford exployers
My ford explorer started making a sound like there was something rolling around in back gate. First mechanic couldn't find problem. I worked on this for three months. Looks as if it is the bushings are worn and body is touching frame. I also understand that several others have had this problem.
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 .
Utah I-15 south bound, inside lane next to concrete barrier with tour bus in lane on my right. My vehicle began to drift to the right as I was passing the bus. I corrected by slowly turning the steering wheel to the left; not hard or fast but slowly and evenly. The explorer (4-door, 2002, xlt) began to whip back and fourth violently. It took me several hundred yards to get the car under control after coming within an inch or two of both the barrier and the bus. This is not the first time the whipping problem has happened. I bought the vehicle four months ago from a private seller. I put new "big-o" bigfoot tires on it and had the front end alignment checked; it was fine. If I hadn't done some fancy driving the vehicle would have rolled (at 80mph) and I probably would have been killed. I am getting rid of the explorer and never buying another ford product again.
Rear spring broke on left side, not even rusted. Car only has 32000 miles on it. Have been seeing that this is a known issue with this model but no recall was ever instituted. A travesty.
Bearing keep have to be replaced, an the rear coil spring is cracked an the tire came off while driving my truck, have replaced the wheel bearing 3 times already. An I have replace the transmission 2 times.
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.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance when the dealer stated that the rear coil springs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 118,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 68 MPH, the vehicle exhibited a squealing noise and began pulling to the left. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and was told that the wheel bearings were frozen and that he should continue to drive on them until they fractured, in which the vehicle would be fine to drive. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the bearings were frozen to the axle, and that the rear driver's side axle would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 73,000 and the current mileage was 161,000.
Heard a clunk noise in the rear of truck...come to find out both rear strut coils were rotted out and broken..trucks has never pulled a trailer or been off road!
Rear coil springs are rusted and cracking, piece fell off. It appears that inadequate or deficient metal was used. Mechanic says very rare for coil springs to rust like this, springs look as though they have been in a junk yard for 30 years.this vehicle is a family car, not used for off-roading and kept in a garage. According to my research many other owners have had the same issue, some have even had the pieces puncture tires causing a blowout while driving. I can only assume that ford is not concerned with consumer safety, but only with their own profits and are waiting for people to die before taking responsibility. This is just one of many issues with this model and ford needs to step up.
Ford dealership and local mechanic have witnessed dozen of cases with ford in which the vehicle is vibrating at higher speeds. We have tried replacing tires, balancing, and wheel alignments. I have read hundreds, if not thousands of people complaining about this issue online, but ford has done nothing to educate their staff or public about this issue. Most common identified issue has been the rear differentials, but those who have had them replaced has had the vibration come back after time.
My name is[xxx] and I own a 2002 ford explorer xlt (v6). I have owned it for almost a year now (will be in jan 2012) and loved every minute of it until recently. About 4 months ago, I heard a strange loud whining noise. I immediately took it to my mechanic and found that rear wheel bearing was going. I was also told that if I would have took the interstate to work that evening I could have possibly died or caused serious injuries to others on road. Very scary! Mind you this bearing went with no warning. Immediately after I heard the noise I took it in. Well the bearing got fixed and I couldn't have been happier. However, about a month ago I was on the interstate with my two year old daughter doing about 70mph when my truck began to shake violently. I assumed I was in the process of having a tire blow-out and began slowly breaking and losing control of the vehicle. Luckily I made it onto the shoulder of the interstate. My tire however was not as lucky. All 5 studs on my right rear tire snapped causing the tire to completely fly off and proceed down the road at a fast speed just passing the turn ramp and missing several other vehicles. In the process of losing the tire, it also caused damage to rear end of my SUV. It looked as if the tire got caught and caused the rear to dent in.replaced studs and everything seemed fine. Today (dec.15th) not even an entire month later, vehicle started shaking again. Oh how I remembered that scary shake. Examined tire and once again, studs snapped. 2 this time with a third one missing the cap. The tire was only held by 2 studs. Thank the lord I noticed this problem before going onto the interstate and once again having my tire fly off! I have been doing research this evening to find that this is a common problem with the 02-04 explorers. Please make a recall ford and others help me to get one made! This is a scary and dangerous situation! It can cause the loss of many lives as it has almost done mine and my daughters. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information a
I am a mechnical engineer, and do a lot of my own car repairs, when I was adjusting the emergency brake I noticed that my rear coil spring was broken in 2 places and rusted through, I went online to buy replacement springs and struts, and I came upon a website with others also with this issue of broken springs on this ford model. This is a serious safety issue, a broken spring could drop and puncture the tire. At highway speeds this could lead to serious injury and fatalities. The federal safety agency should hold ford accountable for this serious manufacturing flaw I am lead to believe that the springs where manufactured in china. The federal safety agency should get some guts and expose this serious safety issue. As a personal note this vehicle has never been off-road .
Rear spring cracked at 100,000 mil transmission failed at 120,000 mil body electrical not sealed well and keeps shorting in different places cruise gets stubborn and scared to use it , im afraid of it getting stuck in cruise.
I went to perform brake pad replacement and found passenger side rear coil spring broken. When I got around to the drivers side to no avail that rear coil spring is broken as well.
I was driving in town at approximately 30 MPH when I drove over a crack and it felt like a large pothole. I heard a grinding noise and pulled over. My rear springs were both broken. The driver side one at the top and the passenger side one at the top in 3 places. When I turn now it feels like my vehicle is going to roll over. This is a common problem as stated by many others on many internet sites. This is going to cause a serious if not deadly accident. Ford needs to do a recall on this part and replace them for free, since they were the ones who used bad parts in their vehicles. This is a manufacturing defect and should be treated as such.
Rear coil springs broke and had to be replaced ford would not warrenty.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for replacement of the rear wheel bearings when the mechanic noticed that the driver and passenger side rear coil springs were fractured and would have need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
I recently had the dealer install 2 new rear wheel bearings (2nd time in 2 years) and was told that both rear springs are broken. I was told that the broken pieces can come out while driving and puncture the tire. I did an internet search and found over 100 complaints of the same broken springs on other explorers.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated he noticed that the front tires were wearing excessively. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the front passenger coil spring was fractured, causing the excessive tread wear. The vehicle was not repaired. Both rear coil springs also fractured since the failure occurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 96,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I have a 2002 ford explore with 47,000 miles. Was told both rear springs were broke during vehicle inspection. Don't know when they broke. Daily driver only, no towing. Should not happen at 47,000 miles should have a recall with all the complaints with springs.
2002 ford explorer had all coil springs broken and some may have been for quite some time. This is a common problem that ford will not acknowledge. I pulled into my driveway and I heard something clunk in the back and sure enough it was completely cracked. Took it into get repaired along with struts and ball bearing plate. Total cost for the failure of these springs = $1750!
Both rear coil springs (strut assembiles) broken on 2002 ford explorer xlt. Breaks in steel coil springs discovered during dealer inspection in 2010. Vehicle is used for standard daily driving on paved roads. Resulted in sagging rear of vehicle and degraded vehicle control in bumpy terrain. Parts likely broken for some time before detection. Replacement parts have been installed to correct problem. Photos of broken parts available.
This complaint is in regards to the 2002-2005 ford explorer/mercury mountaineer models (4 doors). I own a 2002 ford explorer 4 door xls with 150,000 miles. Recently my vehicle became very dangerous to drive. When I accelerate and then release the pedal the vehicle would "push" to one side or another. Also going around curves I would get a "death wobble" where the vehicle would "push" from side to side in almost a swinging motion and when you attempt to correct it, it continues to swing excessively back and forth. Tonight I went to check my wheel bearings thinking this was the problem, and I found 3 out of the 4 coil springs on the struts were broken. Both rear coils were shattered (easiest way to describe it) at the top of the spring. I could literally pull pieces of coil spring out of the coil. The front right spring was also cracked all the way through, near the bottom of the coil. I have spent alot of time working on cars and I have never see 3 coil springs fail at the same time especially since they are less than 10 years old!!! I also did a google search and read where other owners have had spring failures as low as 75,000 miles!! Please look into this issue there are so many of these on the road. I work in law enforcement and this I feel is a significant safety risk after experiencing the loss of control you have when driving the vehicle in this condition. If this would have happened in the illinois winter with ice on the roads it could have been disastrous. I will be replacing the entire strut/coil spring assembly sing the rear springs have collapsed in such a way that the spring is rubbing on the strut bodies. One of the issues is, with exception of the handling characteristics, the vehicle sits level and close to its normal ride height and its is very difficult to tell 3 springs are broken. I will be taking pictures to document this failure and I will be willing to provide this to you. I may also save the old parts if you would like.
Rear cracked/crumbling strut springs both sides.
Upon taking my 2002 ford explorer for a routine oil change. I was informed by the ford dealer that my left rear spring was broken. My explorer only has 26,116 miles, how could the springs break? I never carry anything heavy, usually only one person is in the vehicle. Iv'e been reading on the internet and there are hundreds of other people with the same problem. Why hasn't the federal safety agency looked in this issue since it is a safety problem? Ford motor co. Knows this is a defect since they changed their design after it was discovered. Can the federal safety agency re-examine this issue and order a recall before someone jets injured.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving various speeds the contact heard a buzzing noise in the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians stated the rear passenger side wheel bearing needed to be replaced. After the repairs were performed, the contact was driving approximately 5 MPH when the vehicle began to shake and wobble. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technicians stated the hub and the wheel bearing needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 98,000.
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