Rear springs are cracked and my mechanic and friends said its a common problem among 2002 explorers. Also saw many complaints and photo's of the same problem online.
2002 Ford Explorer suspension complaints
Page 3 of 15: complaints 41 to 70 of 422, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Our 2002 ford explorer xlt with 109,000 miles has serious transmission slippage between 2nd and 3rd gears. The local dealer and an independent repair shop state that the transmission needs replaced at a cost between $2,500 and $3,500. It is dangerous to drive in its current condition because there are times when it will not accelerate. The rear differential and ball bearings also need replaced according to 2 separate mechanics. There is a random thumping coming from the back of the vehicle daily. The cost to repair is between $2,000 and $5,000. They cannot tell us exactly until they actually get in there to do the repair.
Read strut springs fail and crack. This issue has been reported in the past and many owners have experienced the same issue. This has happened on both the rear driver and passenger side of the vehicle. Ford has been notified many times with no response. I have been doing a lot of research into this issue, and realized that hundreds of owners ar claiming the same problem.
Both rear coil springs on my 02 ford explorer broke. There wasn't any indications prior for us to know it would happen.when it did it fell onto rubber stops but tracted crooked and spring almost hit tire.I went to dealer they said no recall call ford. I called ford rep said nothing they could do not enough complaints to justify a recall or fix my explorer. I went to local parts store and bought monroe quik strut.. Installed myself.saved old parts just in case because ford said get rid and save my receipt for parts in case of future recall.vehicle mileage at time was about 46,000 miles.
Rear coil spring. After having tire rotated was informed that driver rear spring was broken. Had both rear coil springs replaced since this seems to be an eventual problem down the road.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle failed state inspection because the rear coil springs were fractured. The vehicle was repaired by a local mechanic. The dealer was contacted and stated that there were no related recalls to the failure. The manufacturer was not been notified. The current and failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
I took my car to a local repair shop to have the front & rear struts replaced. They found that all of the springs were broken. About 1/2 to 3/4 of the top coil had separated from the rest of the spring.
2002 front wheel bearings failed at 80,000 miles.
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.
While inspecting the left, rear wheel bearing a broken spring was found. It was determined that the wheel bearing was also in a stage of failure. A load noise like the vehicle had "truck tires" was coming from the rear. The spring was fractured at the top in multiple places and partially collapsed
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. There was a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle which caused the back wheel to fail. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who stated that the rear differential system, rear wheel and back hub needed to be replaced at a cost of $3,600. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted but stated that there were no recalls and offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 140,816.
2002 ford explorer hub assembly/wheel bearing failure. The left rear tire completely locked up and had to be towed. Upon inspection the bearing had ripped apart so bad you could see the metal coming out of the rear side of the tire, where the axle shaft connects. In addition to that, right rear hub assembly was very loose and had to be replaced. 2 weeks later, the front left hub is so bad that it's roaring and thumping and feels like it's also ready to lock up. 88k miles on explorer, this is the second time the rear hub were replaced. There is obviously either a flaw in the design or just substandard dangerous defective parts produced by ford.
The contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to replace rear brakes where a technician noticed that both rear coil springs fractured. Repaired brakes and rear springs. Was informed by shop that this is a very common issue with 2002 ford explorers. The failure mileage was approximately 76,000. Added note, this vehicle has never been used to tow or carry heavy loads, only used as personal transport.
I've had to replace two ball bearings in my 2002 ford explorer xls. First the back left and now the back right. With the latest, the back left, the tire on the back left was almost seizing up from the problem and my car was leading to the left and right from the grinding.
Left side coil spring snapped suddenly while car was parked in driveway.
2002 ford explorer. Consumer states problem with tires *tgw the consumer experienced a tire blow on the right rear tire. When triple aaa arrived, the consumer was informed the rear coil spring along with 3 lug nuts had failed. In july 2010, three more lug nuts broke again.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where a technician noticed that both rear coil springs fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
During the 90,000 mile servicing of this vehicle, it was discovered that the rear coil springs on our 2002 ford explorer xlt had rusted completely through and needed to be replaced. We do not reside in a coastal area resulting in exposure to the salty ocean spray nor do we drive this vehicle in off road situations that would cause water to accumulate under the vehicle. For these reasons there is no apparent cause for the coil springs to prematurely rust through. I don't want to think what would have happened to my wife or I if these springs would have fallen completely off while the vehicle was being operated.
2002 ford explorer ltmd...90k miles front wear bearings completely blew out, rear struts leaking massive oil and rear springs fractured....had front bearings replaced when it disables brake usage from tires being crooked in next couple of days need to have rear end done with struts, springs and bushings....all new parts no choice and $2600.00 later in all the springs are the biggest issue, they should not break.
Broken rear springs. My ford service manager said that there is a known problem with broken rear springs on explorer's as well as other ford's. This is very dangerous as the driver has lost the functionality of the truck. Mine broke while sitting at a stop light and my daughter and I heard a loud bang. I thought a tire blew. $800 to fix, for just the 2 rear springs, but service manager said he would recommend replacing the fronts as well. Until I can get truck in for service I am afraid to drive the truck as the bottom of the spring landed on the rear suspension and may cause further damage as it rubs. I drove truck slowly home as the truck now leans to the right (side that failed) and I have definitely lost the handling characteristics to this truck.
2002 ford explorer. Rear springs/coils rusted, broken, on both sides didn't know until I had estimate done for noise in front end which turned out to be uv joint. I understand to repair back springs it will cost about $325 each side and the other things I need uv joint, wheel hub, strut,etc...another $400 this is sad!!!
Noticed fluid on rear passenger side lower control arm. Upon closed inspection, noticed fluid coming from rear shock and both rear coil springs were broken. Repair estimates to replace both rear coil spring assembly range from $655 to $800.
2002 ford explorer xlt 4wd rear coil spring broke under normal driving condition. Created bad situation with car swaying left to right. Had to replace spring and strut. Also all 4 wheel bearings had to replaced in 5 years.
Rear springs both cracked-front & rear wheel bearings bad needed to be replaced ford should recall these vehicles before someone seriously if not already has been hurt or killed in an accident.
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.
Left rear "permanently sealed" wheel bearing failure.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact was rotating his tires when he noticed that the rear passenger coil springs had fractured. The contact replaced the coil spring. One year later while having the vehicle inspected by an independent mechanic, the mechanic advised that the rear driver and front passengers side coil springs were also fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 139,994.
Vehicle started to make terrible grinding/rubbing noise while 50 miles from home. On exit ramp to my city, it swayed... The next morning my cousin examined the vehicle finding the right rear spring broken, and the left in terrible condition as well. I am just thankful nothing bad happened on my way home. I have never had this vehicle off road nor used it to pull anything. After viewing all the complaints of the same issue on the "car complaints" web site, I cannot understand what has to happen b/f ford is forced to make a recall on this item????? I had to have the parts replaced, and I do have the old springs! Good thing I did not hit a huge bump or pot hole on my way home or have to swerve quickly, I hate to think of what might have occurred!
Rear coil spring found broken during routine brake inspection.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving approximately 35 MPH and attempting to make a sharp left turn and the rear of the vehicle swerved out of control. He was able to bring the vehicle to a stop without incident and noticed that the passenger's side rear tire was shredded which caused him to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop. The mechanic stated that the two rear coil springs were fractured which shredded the rear passenger side tire. The mechanic also replaced the two rear tires, spring set with standard suspension, pinion shaft seal, two rear rims and both rear coil springs. All repairs were made at the owner's expense. The failure mileage was 51,898. Updated 06/29/10. *lj updated 09/21/10
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