2002 ford explorer xls. At 24,000 miles, transmission would not shift into gear:transmission needed to be rebuilt. At 26,000 miles, load whining heard from rear of vehicle. Brought to dealership on three occasions to complain and was told they "could not duplicate the noise" and "it is how it is supposed to sound". On the third return , I produced seven pages of documented complaints from other owners found on this web site and others. They decided that now they might know what the problem is and replaced the rear differential and drive shaft. Problem was fixed for the next 30,000 miles but is now displaying the same noise and is "clunking" in to drive and reverse. Separate problem with the daylight running lights, they flash like an emergency vehicle till I turn the head lights on. I did not notice till I was pulled over by a sheriff and questioned as to why I had emergency lights installed on my vehicle. On a positive note, I do get through traffic jams a lot faster now.
2002 Ford Explorer transmission complaints
Page 44 of 51: complaints 1,271 to 1,300 of 1,502, newest first, as owners wrote them.
5 speed auto transmission on 2002 ford explorer xlt failed at 43000 miles. Transmission was flushed at 40000 and problems began after flush. No financial help from dealer. Service rep told me piston striking transmission case was common problem on this transmission and warned me not to replace it with a used 2002 ford 5 speed auto tranny.
Hard shifting of transmission. Especially going into 3rd gear. Sounds & feels like the transmission is going to break down at any time. In turn, leaving me & my children stranded on the side of the road.
Transmission failure to shift properly into reverse and between 3rd and 4th gears after normal usage for 38 months and 66,00 miles. Repair facility states that this is a recurring problem for this make/model/year between 60 and 80k miles. Transmission rebuild and remilling of transmission case is required.
2002 ford explorer, rear end whining, replaced for the second time. First time at 48k miles. Now again at 57k. Should be a recall on this issue.
So I bought a used 2002 ford explorer (v6) and immediately had a loud vibration coming from the rear end. The mechanic knew what it was before I finished the first sentence. He informed me that I was his fourth 02 explorer this year for the same problem. He further indicated that, in his opinion, using light weight aluminum alloy for the rear end was a very poor design choice. The repairs were made, and, just out of curiosity, I jumped on the internet to see if I was the only one with this problem. I keyword searched "2002 ford explorer" (yeah, just that) and hit number one was a two page tirade from quite a few owners indicating the same problem. Also, every 02 explorer owner I know (6 of em) said they have or had the same problem. How is there not a recall? That '!@#$% cost me 1200 dollars. That was six months ago. There's another vibration in the rear again. Statistically, this sure seems like a cover-up by ford to me.
2002 ford explorer has transmission shifting problems and whine from rear differential. Out of factory warranty. Dealer has to replace rear end at my cost. No way a differential should go out at 48,000 miles. Do not know if transmission problems will be solved at this time.
2002 ford explorer xlt 4x4 control module goes out. There are hundreds of posts talking about this problem in forums. They remade the part 3 times because they knew they had a problem. I got stuck 2 miles on a beach with my wife and 2 children because the 4 wheel drive wouldn't kick in. There is no warning that it is broke until you try to use it.
2002 ford explorer xls original owner 72,000 miles. Have noticed a whining humming ,noise coming from rear of vehicle while driving 50-70 miles per hour. Been doing it since 30,000 miles. Dealer says possible right wheel bearing?
2002 ford explorer xlt transmission problems. Shifting from park to reverse causes a loud clunking noise and the vehicle jerks forward. There is also a problem with the transmission shifting when driving the vehicle.
2002 ford explorer, eddie bauer 4wd 4.0l; 83k miles, for the second time on vehicle has rear axle seal leak. Rear axle seals and pinion seals replaced at 55k; humming noise/whine from vehicle at cruising speeds. Many similar problems reported online, and ford tsb's issued, but no recalls. See, for instance: http://forums.carreview.com/showthread.php?t=93 first repair was over $700 and this one will require rear assembly replacement, in excess of $1200. First repair used 'updated parts' from ford, supposedly designed to prevent problem recurrence.
Dt: the caller said vehicle had problems with the transmission. In september 2002 at 4775 miles when trying to accelerate the vehicle made noise and would not accelerate. In november 2003 at 34,114 miles the lights on the dashboard came on. She could smell something. Both times she was told nothing could be found. Currently, all the lights on the dashboard came on again. While getting on the highway the vehicle lost power and would only go 20 MPH. Dealer told her the transmission needed to be replaced, and the caller would have to pay for it.
Loud humming noise coming from read end on 2002 ford explorer at speeds of 40+MPH...read alot of coplaints, seems to be a differential problem in the 1200-1500 dollar range.
Dt: consumer complained about transmission problems. While driving 65 MPH the transmission locked. The vehicle slowed down, operating at a reduced speed, and then the engine suddenly shut off. The car coasted to the side of the road. Consumer inspected vehicle and found nothing. Got back into vehicle about 10 minutes after the occurrence, restarted the vehicle, and drove to a dealership about 5 miles down the road and the car was making funny noises. Dealership said the transmission had a solenoid problem that caused it to lock. Dealer kept car about week and a half. The solenoid valve shift was replaced along with the transmission pan and gasket. This lasted about 2 weeks and again this problem recurred . The transmission did not lock at this time but the transmission slipped. Vehicle is currently at dealer for an ignition problem. The dealer could duplicate the problem, but they do not know what was causing this.
My ford explorer rear axke to diff. Seals are leaking oil, and the rear end is very noisy. Ford put new seals in at the cost of $340.64 . The day I pickeded up the vehicle they were still leaking 30 miles later with the new designed seals in. I put the 2002 explorer back in the garage to get the seals changed 6 days later. Sthe rear end is still very noisy, but the seals are not leaking for the time being. I called the ford 800 number to complain and try to get my money back with no avail.
My 2002 ford explorer appears to have rear-end problems. Have owned the vehicle for a couple of years and it started out with a whining noise in the rear-end and has progressed to a hard shift and on occasion a clunking when the vehicle shifts around third gear.
Loud niose coming from the rear end of my 2002 ford explorer 4x4 that has not been fixed after repeated complaints or taken seriously by the service department at the ford dealership in simi valley, california.
Dt: the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt. The contact has been having a problem with the rear end. The rear end made an extremely loud roaring sound. Took the vehicle the vehicle to three different repair shops. One said it was the tires, and the other two maintained that it was an expensive rear end problem. She talked to other people with this same type of vehicle and they all had this problem. Also, had a ring and pinion replaced in the rear end not long after she purchased the vehicle. Currently, they told her that this what was needed to be replaced again along with other parts , including the rear axle. This noise originally started at 55-65 MPH, and now it was making noise at 40-70 MPH. After going over 70 MPH could not hear it as badly. Also, the vehicle was leaking fluid from the ring and pinion. A strange sound that was coming from under the hood, like a buzzing sound that sounds like transmission. In addition, the hatchback glass fell on the contact's head. It just popped out. This happened twice. They do not even attempt to open the glass in the hatch. The dealership where she purcahsed her vehicle still has records of what was replaced on vehicle.
I have a 2002 ford explorer. For the past 2 months the overdrive light has come on periodically and blinks until the vehicle is turned off. I took it to lindsay ford in wheaton, md and they charged me $180 for a diagnostic test to determine the problem. They called to tell me I needed a new transmission. My vehicle is 4 years old and only has 63,000 miles on it. I think it's ridiculous that I have to spend almost $3,000 for a new transmission with this low mileage on my car. This sounds like a defective transmission to me.
Dt: contact stated 2002, ford explorer has been having shifting problems. He noticed the problem occurring at 26,000 miles . It was shifting very hard. He will be driving when the car will not shift into second or third gears, it will slip into neutral, the car will slow down in traffic and cause a safety hazard. He had the transmission re programmed. It helped it twice; but then it started doing the same thing. The third time the contact went back to dealer and they would not reprogram it again. He thought the transmission failed. Second and third gears gear were not shifting properly. Found identical problems on the internet. There was 62,000 miles on the car. It started happening around 2003 and has gotten progressively worse.
Dt: the contact was driving the owner's car and pulled over to park. He switched the car into drive just to pull up a few feet and the car leaped forward. He hit the brake as hard as he could but could not stop the car, and hit the bumper of the car in front. This happened on 8-5-05. The owner of the car nor the contact had any prior problems with the car. The contact stated he had no further problems since 8-5-05.
Abs light came on at 19,518 miles, 22,071 miles, and 27,078 miles. More importantly, however, are my issues with the 2002 explorer rear end. 10/1/03: 27,078 miles ABS light came on, the dealer replaced the assembly. Rear differential was leaking, dealer replaced the seals. 7/28/04: 40,541 miles rear end leaking again. Half shafts were worn. Rear locking diff was slipping. The dealer had to replace both halfshafts, seals, and clutch packs. 9/22/04: 43,203 miles rear axle chattering. Replaced whole rear axle assembly. 2/25/05: 54,960 miles rear diff making more noise. Left rear axle bearing was noisy. Replaced left rear axle hub and assembly. On test drive, the dealer found that the bearing they just installed was bad, so they had to replace it again. 8/11/05: 68,000 miles leaking fluid from rear end. The dealer performed the following maintenance: replaced diff seals, replaced timing chain, replaced right front hub assembly, replaced ring and pinion, replaced front end tie rods, replaced both lower ball joints, performed front end alignment. All told, I have had my explorer in the shop at least 10 times. My warranty is about to expire (7,000 more miles) and I'm going to try to get ford to buy the vehicle back. From what I've heard, this is not an easy process and apparently doesn't happen often with such 'high mileage' vehicles. If they don't buy it back I will be forced to take a huge loss on the vehicle. I will then purchase anything but a ford.
My wife was unloading two grandsons from our 2002 ford explorer. She had removed the youngest one when the four year old got into the driver's seat on his knees and pretended to drive. The iginition was off and transmission in park. He pulled on the shift lever, the automobile began to roll backwards. My wife opened the drivers door to stop the vehicle. It began to roll backwards faster and the open door struck her knocking her to the ground. The vehicle struck two trees shhortly after that causing $5675.77 in damages to the vehicle. I called ford motor company 0n august 5, 2005and spoke to tiffany explaining that the "brake-shift interlock' had failed causing the incident described above. Her question to me was, "what do you want ford motor company to do about this." I replied that I wanted compensation for damages and the defect corrected. She said that ford motor company would not investigate this defect, nor make any compensation for damages and that I should handle everything through my insurance company. I called again on august,09,05 and spoke to damian who gave me the same reply as yiffany.
I have had my transmission in my 2002 ford explorer rebuilt by a local ford dealership at 53,000 miles and a ford re-manufactured transmission installed at this dealership at 69,000. This local dealership has replaced the transfer case twice, drive axle, and universal joints between 69,000 and 74,000 to correct an ongoing reported shifting problem with the transmission. My transmission failed at 109,000, again, much to my dismay. The dealership responded that it was a manufacturer's issue and suggested that I contact ford. Upon contacting ford motor company, I was told that it was a dealership issue as the dealership had installed the transmission and may had done so incorrectly. I took my vehicle to an independent transmission specialist who replaced the transmission and indicated that the previous transmission was, in fact, defective.
While driving down the road the air conditioner quit working. I heard the coolant and compressor still working, but no fan blower on levels 1,2 and 3 level 4 still worked luckily. I also have a howling sound coming from the rear end under light acceleration and hard shifting when accelerating and letting off of the gas during a shift. The air conditioner was caused by a faulty resistor, the rest has yet to be determined. I notice a number of complaints on this site for the same symptoms, a recall should be issued.
Transmission case wearing to the point where it has to be replaced for approximately $3000.
April 04 purchased 2002 ford explorer; just over 60,000 miles. No longer under warranty;sold as is. Day after purchase, noticed knocking sound. Returned to dealer. Stated sound coming from the rear AC. Repaired, did not hear after repair. Approximately one week after purchase, noticed delay in gears engaging when going from park to drive , park to reverse also gear shift seemed to be loose. Returned to dealer; told it was normal for this model. Advised to keep in overdrive. Late july 2004, noticed delay seem to be getting longer and jerking suddenly when finally engaged. While driving ,od light flashed on and off erratically. Problem with od light intermittent. Spouse took the car to the dealer; told that it wasn't under warranty, but we could make a service appointment. Spouse took the vehicle to a shop had done business in the past. Thought that it could need transmission fluid. Checked fluid levels not deficient. Problems continued; had them look at it a couple of months later. Could not determine problem, advised to take to a transmission specialist if continued. Problem persisted. Seemed to get worse as the weather turned colder. Late december 04, delays in engaging gears worsened; now making a loud clunking noise and lunges when engages, od light flashed erratically on a frequent basis and engine service light on and gear shift seemed to be coming out. January 2005, spouse took the vehicle to a transmission shop for diagnostic. Transmission shot. Rebuilt at a cost of $2900. Found out that the vehicle had been repaired twice before, while under warranty for the same problems described. Its obvious from the number of complaints that this is a known design defect. When a company sells defective products they should be held liable, especially when they do so knowingly. I stopped making payments on this junk and will notify the lender so that they and ford can fight it out. Any owner who wishes may contact me at 703‑998‑5510.
I have received only one recall notice on my 2002 ford explorer relating to problems with the tailgate window. Tonight, after experiencing problems that caused the automatic transmission to jump to a higher rate of a markedly higher rate of revolution, I was informed by the dealership that I had transmission problems. These problems cost over $815 to repair. The dealership also had to replace a solenoid switch on two different occasions in the automatic transmission. I quickly looked at the vehicle recall database to see if others had experienced the problems I experienced. I was surprised to see a large number of recalls that I failed to receive any notification for. I am filing this to request: (I) ford to require dealerships to notify consumers personally in writing of recalls...if the federal safety agency or the manufacturer deems an issue important enough to issue a recall notice, shouldn't the dealer be required to deliver written notification to the consumer? It is an unfair and deceptive trade practice to do less than this, especially after the consumer has failed to receive the benefit of his or her purchase and may be risking of danger to himself or others; and ii. The federal safety agency to investigate the automatic transmission failures described above. The car literally "jumps" into a much higher rate of revolution and acceleration requiring the driver to immediately hit the brakes. It's too dangerous, especially in city traffic or in areas where small children are playing.
2002 ford explorer [xxx] transmisssion not shifting properly. Rear end noisy at 40 MPH. Not repaired. *jb updated 07/19/2012 *js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)
1) began with whirling noise coming from rear end, ended with a leaking rear end component. Both rear end pinion seals replaced,new synthetic oil added and re-packed with all new gaskets.(new seals were ordered directly from ford) I was told that these particular parts were not available in aftermarket.
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