2003 Ford Explorer: adaptive cruise control problems

Filed Sep 10, 2013 · Acceleration, Engine · 116,800 miles · NC

I have been having issues with the cruise control on my explorer. It works fine for several months and then occasionally it will not engage. Most times if it will not engage, the dashboard light does not show up, but since last week the light has come on, but the cruise control has not engaged. Since this has been an ongoing issue and seems to resolve on its own, I continue to try it occasionally. I tried to set it last friday while I was going approximately 40 MPH. It did engage, but then began to slowly accelerate. I tried pushing the button that should reduce the speed, but it continued accelerating, so I kicked the brake pedal to disengage. I have tried it 3 additional times and each time it accelerates. The last time I tried it, yesterday afternoon, the speed was picking up incredibly quickly. It felt like I had just floored the accelerator. I was able to kick the cruise control off with the brake pedal though but am now concerned that this may happen when the cruise is not engaged.

Filed Jul 26, 2012 · Acceleration · 106,000 miles · NC

Driving on I-26 at 65 MPH. Took foot off gas, car continued at 65, did not have the cruise control on. I pressed brake, car didn't slow, pressed harder, still didn't slow, moved gearshifter to 1st gear, could hear engine revving, realized gas peddle/accelerator was stuck, tapped foot on gas pedal and car finally slowed. Took car to four seasons ford in hendersonville, was told they couldn't recreate the problem but maybe the cruise control cable seemed "possibly not quite snapped in place". They snapped it back. Have not had another problem but am paranoid about driving the car now.

Filed Sep 11, 2011 · Acceleration · 35 miles · FL

I was driving at 60 MPH and approaching a red light 1/4 mile ahead I released pressure on the accelerator but the car maintained 60 MPH and would not slow down, I applied the foot brakes but realized this was not the answer, it felt like the cruise control was not releasing however the cruise control not being used, I placed the car in neutral and braked to a stop the engine was racing. I tapped the accelerator with my foot and the accelerator pedal retracted , the engine slowed,I continue my trip and after driving a few miles found that the accelerator was stuck again,I selected neutral and tapped the accelerator,the engine went back to idle.I pulled over and looked at the accelerator cable where it connects to the accelerator to make sure the accelerator was not caught on the carpet, I opened the hood to check the accelerator cable which was hidden under a large plastic shroud (cover), I removed the shroud in and immediately discovered the problem. A small cheap snap and lock fastener in the end of the cruise control cable had broken allowing the stiff cruise control cable connector to slip from its connector and restrict or lock the retarding movement of the accelerator cable, the throttle cable does not retract and the engine is stuck at a high RPM and a novice driver would not know what to do and would probably panic and eventually the brakes would fade and the driver crash. When the remedy is to 1) shift to neutral and 2) tap and release the accelerator quickly which because the cruise cable is not attached or anchored at it's end quickly frees the accelerator cable in my opinion this cruise control connector and weak metal spring type push in fastener is too weak and suffers from metal fatigue over time. I am just glad my wife was not driving alone when this happened.

Filed Feb 24, 2011 · Acceleration · 111,500 miles · MO

Cruise control often times "takes off" and does not hold the speed as set. I have looked down at the speedometer several times to find myself going well beyond 85mph - after setting the cruise control at 60. I have to disengage the cruise control for my vehicle to stop continuously speeding up. Then, there are times where the cruise control does not engage at all. The green light will come on, but the speed will not hold. In these instances, my speed actually decreases.

Filed Aug 16, 2010 · Body, Brakes · 72,450 miles · MS

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.

Filed Jan 30, 2010 · Acceleration · 39,000 miles · PA

We own a 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer - 4wd at times the cruise control will either work, not work at all, work after being warmed up, work after shutting the motor off and restarting, work with the speed accelerating continuously at dangerous levels, or indicate it is working but is not. After viewing several sites where many other owners are having the same problem, we went to our dealer. Our dealer replaced a defective deactivation pressure switch that caused the cruise control to react erratically. They used ids hook up to locate problem at a cost to us of $325.89. After talking to someone at the dealership, it became apparent this is not an uncommon problem, and it is a defective part that is causing a very dangerous situation to occur. The driver that does not detect the increasing speed or panics when it occurs could have a serious or deadly accident. Ford should be required to replace these parts at no cost to the owners at no cost, especially since our vehicle has just 39,000 miles on it.

Filed Dec 1, 2009 · Acceleration · 50,000 miles · AL

My 2003 ford explorer exhibits most of the symptoms described in consumer advisory dated 13 october 2009. It has an intermittently functioning cruise control, a permanently on ABS indicator light, and it occasionally gets stuck in park. I was wondering why 2003 wasn't included in the safety recall.

Filed Oct 14, 2009 · Electrical · 40,000 miles · WA

I have experienced all of the warnings the federal safety agency listed for ford drivers regarding possible imminent fires including getting the vehicle out of park mode. My problem is the recall only includes 1995-2002 explorers and I have a 2003 explorer. The manufacture date is 02/03. Is it possible the plant still had the texas instrument cruise control deactivation switch in stock from 2002 and installed it in my vehicle? Approximate incident date is the most recent date and the vehicle would not get out of the park mode on that particular date (8/27/2009). The antilock braking system warning has been an on and off problem for at least the last 2 years. Brake light warning on dashboard only a couple of times. The malfunctioning cruise control last happened about 8 months ago and may have happened again but don't remember when for sure. The only item I had checked out was the antilock braking system light on the dashboard. November 21, 2008 they replaced the differential speed sensor, I have yet to find out if that is related to the recalled switch. It fixed the antilock brake dashboard light from coming on mostly. It has come on after that, but only a couple of times and only for a short time.

Filed Apr 14, 2009 · Transmission · 98,000 miles · MN

We were driving the vehicle from wi to mn and the overdrive light was flashing and the ford explorer was not shifting correctly and a few times was stuck at 50+ MPH even though the cruise control was not on. We returned to our home and took the 2003 ford explorer in to a repair shop who said the report indicated that the transmission needs to be replaced. The design of the transmission on these vehicles doesn't allow the owner to check fluid levels. It felt like a very dangerous situation with children in the car and the vehicle not shifting correctly and actually "revving" and staying at 50+ MPH while the cruise was not on.

Filed Dec 15, 2008 · Acceleration · 93,000 miles · MI

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving approximately 70 MPH with the cruise control activated, the contact depressed the brake pedal and the cruise control failed to deactivate after several attempts. In addition, the cruise control activation mechanism failed to respond and the vehicle would not slow down. Immediately, the vehicle was pulled to the side of the road and the ignition key was turned off with the gear shifter placed in the park position. The vehicle completely stopped. The contact was unaware if the warning indicators were illuminated on the instrument panel. The engine revved and the RPM's raced when the ignition was restarted. The contact turned off the ignition and, after several attempts, the engine idled normally. Whenever the cruise control system was not in use, the vehicle operated properly. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 93,000. Updated 3/12/10 *cn updated 06/01/10.

Filed Jun 3, 2008 · Acceleration, Body · 11,330 miles · IN

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving 55 MPH with the cruise control activated, the cruise control failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they stated that the cruise control wiring failed. There is a recall for the vehicle speed control, but his VIN was not included. The recall number was unknown. The current mileage was 11,550 and failure mileage was 11,330. Updated 06/25/08. *lj the consumer stated after the dealer fixed the recalled rear hatch probelm, the cargo hatch flew open while driving down the highway. A

Filed Apr 21, 2008 · Acceleration · 77,335 miles · WA

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving 50 MPH and attempting to engage the cruise control, the speed rapidly increased above 55 MPH. The cruise control light illuminated, which indicated that the cruise control was engaged. The contact depressed the brake pedal and attempted to disengage the cruise control, but was unsuccessful. The cruise control intermittently failed to operate normally. The vehicle was not equipped with antilock brakes. The fuel system and date of purchase were unavailable. The failure mileage was 77,335 and current mileage was 77,392.