Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that when the brakes were depressed, the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 105,000.
2003 Ford Explorer brakes complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 45, newest first, as owners wrote them.
93,000 miles and ABS light and loud grinding noise (in addition to applique crack in rear). Need to replace both rear hub bearings, brake pad rotors, and parking brake shoes. Search the web on these problems, and over 3 hundred complaints seen on just one site for 2003 explorers alone.
I keep reading about 2 complaints that people need to know about and ford should take action on; the first being the back tail gate... Ford do the right thing. The second has to do with the transmission, overdrive light, the parking brake and the cruise control. I use the cruise control when driving long distances and while on a few trips the overdrive light would come on for no reason, at least I thought, I then found out that I had an ABS problem and wheel bearings problems. All happening at the same time? As if that wasn't enough my transmission was dripping fluid on my new driveway! This was while I only had only 70,000 miles, it wasn't right, I checked out the brakes, they had been replaced before however when I pull off the rear drum / disk to check the parking brake that's when I found the problem. I never use my parking brake, it rotted and delaminated and was dragging hence the od light, the overheating of the transmission which blew out the seal, the excessive brake dust which was partially the cause of ABS sensor malfunctioning. The last part impacts the bearings, when the ABS sensor malfunctions it can apply the brakes as in skidding or in tire slippage adding to early unnecessary wear on bearings and again overheating of the transmission. Ford needs to install a few "smart" sensors, one which could track parking brake malfunctions, also one for fail safe temperature readings for the transmission. (that is before it is compromised.) do the right thing ford, your sales depend on it.
I have a 2003 ford explorer. I have had several incidents of it not easily changing from park to reverse, and reverse to park. Last night, I was unloading some items from the explorer. The car was in park, and the emergency brake was engaged. I was standing in the right side passenger doorway. I reached over to turn off the ignition. Upon turning it off, the explorer immediately began to roll into reverse. My mother was sitting in the backseat at this time as well as my two babies, who were strapped in their car seats. My driveway is an incline, so the explorer rolled backwards. I tried to run with it as I was trapped in the doorway. The explorer gained speed going down the driveway, causing me to be knocked down, unsure of whether or not I was about to be run over, or whether my mom and children were going to be injured. I was thrown down, landed on my buttocks which has caused severe bruising, hit my head on the concrete, and was left with painful, open cuts on my left arm. My mother was tossed about causing pain to her back. My kids were thankfully restrained in their car seats. They rolled backward into a neighbor's yard, then proceeded to roll forward back across the street into my yard. When the car finally stopped, the emergency brake was still engaged, and the gear shift was stuck between park and reverse. It would not come out of this position. It took quite a lot of work to get the car to go into reverse or drive so that the explorer could be properly moved. I am very upset at the incident which could have left myself, my kids, or my mom critically or fatally injured. I am very afraid to drive this vehicle now, and I am very afraid to park it. If I had another vehicle to drive right now, I certainly would be driving it instead of the ford explorer.
The vehicle is a 2003 ford explorer. Has 142,000 miles. Had tire rotation at 137,000 miles in jan 2010. On 3/6, we drove 120 mi from home to baltimore, parked in parking lot for 6 hours. Drove 50 mi to tyson's corner va, parked in hotel parking lot. On 3/7, we drove 15mi to daughter's home in arlington. Left car there for 7 hours. Drove back home along routes 66, 495 and then 95. Went about 60 mi when I noticed the steering wheel was shaking a bit. Kept driving for maybe 5 mi before I heard a noise from the front end near the wheels. Decided to pull off the highway and get to a service station to check tire pressure. Checked tire pressure and began to back out when the right front wheel fell off. There was only 1 lug stud remaining that was broken off about 1/2 " above the brake drum. The other 4 lug studs were missing, and seemed to be sheered off about 1/2" below the drum. Thankfully, the wheel did not fall off on route 95, else we and, most likely others, would have been seriously injured or killed. I had the car towed to my body shop, also the dealership that I bought the car from and had the tire rotation done. Looking at some forums, it seems like this is not the first/only time that a ford explorer has lost a tire by broken lug studs disappearing. I will get the vehicle repaired and then will sell the vehicle. I will also have the other lug posts inspected, but who knows if anyone will see anything. I believe that this issue warrants further investigation, if none have already been done. Thank you.
I was driving on the freeway at approximately 60 MPH. When I depressed the brake, the car accelerated to 70 MPH first, then to 80 MPH. I tried applying the emergency brake, but it did not slow down the vehicle at all. To avoid colliding with the vehicle in front of me, I forced the transmission gear into parking. This momentarily slowed down the vehicle, and I tried to move it into the far right lane of the freeway. Then suddenly it started driving in reverse at a very high speed, causing me to collide with an oncoming truck on the freeway. Unable to control the car and fearing for my life, I turned the ignition key, which brought the car to a halt. The high patrol arrived within only a couple of minutes. When one of the officers turned on the car so as to determine what the problem was, the car immediately accelerated to 80 MPH. He turned off the car and directed everyone to step away from the car, cautioning that the car was dangerous. Two officers disconnected the battery and said that there appeared to be a problem with the accelerator. They then pushed the car off the freeway to the nearest gas station. Fortunately, I did not get hurt. But there was significant body damage to my car and to the other truck with which I collided. However, the driver of that truck drove off, thus I was unable to get his information. I had the car immediately towed to my neighborhood ford dealership, which determined that the accelerator pedal was defective. When I advised them that the emergency brake had failed, I was told that nothing works when the accelerator pedal breaks. This is a serious problem. The car was out of control on the freeway, driving in reverse, and it could have injured many people and caused a lot more damage. Ford refuses to pay for the body repair, and is charging me nearly $1,000 to replace the accelerator pedal. I would appreciate your investigating this problem. I would be happy to provide a copy of the letter that I sent to ford.
I purchased a 2003 explorer in august 2006; mileage was approximately 45,000. By october the car would not start and the alternator was replaced. A few weeks later, I was back because my car was jerking. Nothing showed up on the diagnostic tool at that time. However, I was told the starter would have to be replaced as would the recently installed alternator. I returned less than a month later with the same jerking issue, only this time I notified the repair shop that the o/d light had been coming on. Furthermore, my car had actually stalled in the middle of traffic. Again, nothing was found. By early december, I was back. My car had stalled on a few more occasions and would not "pick up". That is, even though the RPM's would reach anywhere from 2500 - 4000, my car could not accelerate above 25 - 30 MPH. Several days later I was told that the transmission needed work. I got my car back a few days before christmas and decided last minute to head to the mountains. As soon as I reach a slight elevation, the car ceased to accelerate and what's more, a thick heavy cloud of black smoke came out of the rear and persisted for at least two miles. I headed back down the mountain for home. I took the car back and they kept it for at least a week and a half to repair the torque converter and other transmission related issue. In early fall 2007, I took the car to my local ford dealer for some strange noise coming from the engine. It ended up costing $2500.00 to repair. I returned in november for more work, this time for the same torque converter and solenoid issue as a year ago. During this two year period, my vehicle was under extended warranty. The total repair cost for the first year of ownership is anywhere from $5000 - $9000, of which I paid at least $2500 out of pocket. My warranty has since expired and I am worried that these same issues will recur, as I have read they have. This is not an isolated incident and should be investigated and a recall issued.
Brake pads completely disintegrated when inspecting pads, front edge of rotors have completely rusted. Pads were in good shape thickness wise in some areas and rotted in other areas. Pads and rotors were replaced now 5 months later it's starting again. Parking brake pads delaminated again. Abs light came on during trip for no reason?
Loss control of my SUV, and found out my spindle, bearings and everything was shot!
Brake rotors corroded to the point that the front surface was flaking off.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the two rear rotors rusted two inches from the top. The rear rotors, rear brakes, and parking brake disintegrated due to the corrosion from the rotors. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the corrosion; however, all the components were replaced. The failure mileage was 18,000 and current mileage was 19,000. Updated 03/14/08.
Brake & accelerator pedals too close together. Many times applying brakes will hit accelerator at the same time and the accelerator wins. Primarily going from reverse to drive or drive to reverse, but has also happened in traffic. (v8 2003 ford explorer) .
Dt*: the contact stated during heavy braking, the ABS light illuminated and the brakes vibrated. The dealership replaced the ABS sensor 7 times, but the problem persisted.
4 items 1 - have owned the 2003 ford explorer for 7 months. While test driving, I noticed a hum noise coming from rear tires. Was told it was tread noise. We took it for oil change at very well respected national automotive service shop. I was informed I needed to replace the rear hub assembly that is was critically broken. Waiting to contact local ford dealer for resolution based on tsb research I have done. 2 - whining noise from air conditioner when accelerating. Don't really know what is going on. Saw this also on tsb. Contacting local ford dealership. 3 - ABS light randomly comes on. Don't know why and no pattern to when. Contacting local ford dealership. 4 - cruise control not working. I was driving down the road this weekend, using cruise control. Stopped quickly for a car in front of me. When I started going again, the cruise control wouldn't work and hasn't worked since then. I don't know if it has to do with the brakes. I noticed ford recalled some cruise control mechanisms in other vehicles but not in the 2003 explorer.
Abs speed sensor failure at 63,000 miles. This also happened on my son's 2003 explorer and 2002 mercury mountaineer.
I have a 2003 ford explorer xlt 4x4, I have had nothing but problems with it, a few months ago I took it to the dealership because the ABS light was on and the 4x4 was not working properly, they supposedly fixed it and told us they replaced a speed sensor, they also found 2 rear axle seal leaks and supposedly fixed those, then in october of '05 I took it in to the dealership because it was jerking between 30 and 40 MPH and upon acceleration on hills not mention that I could hear something happening underneath my vehicle, they put it up on the rack and came back out and said the clutch in the rear end was scorched and needed to have the whole rear end replace, so I did but when I was driving it back home after the repair it started jerking again, and after several weeks of worry and wonder another dealership tells me that the transfer case is bad, my explorer is trying to engage itself in 4x4, so now I am having the transfer case replaced! My explorer has 41,000 on it right now and ford has not been much of a help, I have to pay $1500 for the transfer case, I will never buy another ford product, I will buy a foreign car. Ford really needs to look into all of the complaints and technical service bulletins on these vehicles and I will do anything I can to promote that.
Emergency brake would not engage in november, 2003. Dealer "oiled" the pedal. On july 28, 2005, loud squealing sound coming from rear, and emergency brake would not engage at all. Dealer had to replace rear drums, rear shoes, and pads at a cost of $390. Emergency brake is considered a "maintenance item" and was not covered under warranty. If brakes were to fail, emergency brake would not have worked either.
Because the ABS light comes on during long drives and remains on until we stop the vehicle, our explorer has been in the shop on 3 times in 3 states. We''ve been told that we shouldn''t worry if the light goes off after stopping. A ''grinding'' noise checked in colorado for 3 days last year wasn''t a problem until our rear differential suddenly went "out," in ohio. In illinois, the ABS light came on and stayed on for the first time. We went to the closest ford dealership, and since it didn''t remain lit, we were told to get it repaired in iowa, since it wasn't "major." the ABS rear sensor was replaced. The mechanic said that explorers with differential replacement were having sensor problems. When the differential was replaced in ohio, the service rep mentioned a "kit" to replace the differential. Both garages seemed conversant with the ABS sensor and differential problems. The SUV has been maintained at ford dealerships to ensure systems serviced by mechanics and technicians well versed in ford products. The ABS sensor light problem recurred in may after a 200 mile road trip, going off after we stopped. My brakes failed when I tried to stop while traveling between 5-10 MPH,about 550+ miles into an extended road trip. No citation was issued as the sheriff's deputy said there were no skid marks on the pavement to indicate that I had "jammed" on the brakes. I had pressed the brake pedal to the floor and had no brakes when I hit the back of a penske moving truck. The ABS brakes and "auxiliary" brakes failed on the vehicle, with over $11,000 worth of damage to the front end of the vehicle, even at a low rate of speed, which seems to be a pattern of problems with the ABS. The air bag didn''t deploy. I reported this to ford's customer care center on 7/18/2005, got a reference number, and was told I would hear from the consumer advisory group within 3 business days, haven''t heard from them, yet.
I was driving at freeway speeds when a collision occured in the lanes next to me and the vehicles swerved into my lane. I slamed on the brakes and the ABS system started working, then failed. The back wheels locked up and I fish-tailed, ending up in the dirt center median. When I looked at the dash, the ABS warning light was on. The dealership checked and found that the rear ABS sensor failed (open circut).
Abs light has been activated twice. I have taken my vehicle to the dealership. The dealership has replaced both rear ABS sensors on the vehicle.
When braking brake pedal went to the floor, causing extended stopping distance. Dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
When applying the brakes the pedal proceeded to the floor without warning. The dealer stated this procedure was normal. Please provide additional information.
While stopped with foot on brake, the brake pedal went to floor when applied. *bf consumer was told that the vehicle was functioning properly.
I was approaching a stop sign and began to brake, when the brake pedal started to make a grinding noise and then went all the way to the floor. I began to pump the brake and luckily enough I stopped before entering the intersection. If there would have been a vehicle in front of me, I would have hit them because the brakes would not work. I called the ford dealership where I purchase the explorer and they had me call road assistance to pick up my vehicle. Of course, they were not able to "duplicate" the problem. I was told that the ABS probably locked up because the street may have been wet, which it was not. Then they said that maybe I was on a gravel or dirt road, which I was not. I was told to keep an eye on it and if it happens again to call roadside assistance and they will look into it again. If there is a next time, I hope there will not be anyone injured.
The ABS light comes on and there is no ABS saftey feature. This is happened 3 different times. I took my car to the dealer and they said it was the rear wheel speed sensor. It has been replaced 3 times. This is unacceptable and they said ford released a new sensor the 2nd time I was there and I had the problem again. What is ford going to do, if the ABS fails again. I have drafted a complaint with ford and I am awaiting for a reply. This is unacceptable for the same problm 3 times.
Problems with ABS braking system on 2003 ford explorer.*mr when making emergency stops and ABS initiated, brake pedal suddenly decreases, and travels downward past the gas pedal stopping close to the floor. In some cases, consumer has the tendency to press both the gas and brake pedals due to the proximity of the two pedals, which resulted consumer to rear end another vehicle.
2003 ford explorer recall regarding the travel on the brake pedal. *mr on a number of occasions when it was necessary to brake hard to avoid an accident, the consumer had simultaneously engage the accelerator and brake pedals. This resulted in the consumer hitting a vehicle that had suddenly stopped in traffic in front of him. The brake pedal never passed the accelerator pedal, including panic stops. The problem could not be fixed. *sc the consumer requested that the dealer adjust the brake pedal to stop higher than the accelerator pedal. The dealer stated it was impossible as in older models due to ABS.
Numerous problem: brakes, rear window opening, seat belt retraction, heater, rear defrost, body work, etc.. *ph while braking the brake pedal went to the floor and caused extended stopping distance. The rear window hinge failed which caused the window to open while the consumer went through a car wash. The seat belt retracted slowly which caused the belt to become hooked onto the door lock system. As a result the passenger could not get out of the vehicle. The left wiper was not clearing the windshield. The left rear door would not close all the way unless it was slammed hard.
Brake pedal goes down to the floor intermittently.this is a major safetty issue.the dealership has not fixed the problem yet.took in the shop for more than 3 times.also the oil leak from the rear main seal,harshe shift in transmission ,power steering pump failure,oil pan gasket leak ,master cylinder leak ,coil (spark plug) failure.
While driving 20 MPH consumer applied the brakes and pedal went to the floor. Consumer was unable to maintain control, and hit another vehicle on the left front rear. Upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. No injuries were reported. Consumer's vehicle was towed to dealer.
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