2003 Ford Explorer: won't start

Filed Dec 5, 2015 · Electrical, Transmission · 147,000 miles · PA

I bought my ford explorer xlt back in june of 2015. Since then I replaced my oxygen sensor do to a fault in the system and melting back in aug. 20015. The SUV wouldn't start because of it and had to be towed. Since I purchased and had replaced the oxygen sensor by a ford dealer, I noticed the SUV having power failure even from a complete stop and now the over drive off light flashes; this started in the beginning of nov. 2015 I noticed that there is over 2755 complaints of transmission problems and failures exactly the same as mine, but not one recall. This is a issue with the SUV themselves and not owner error. I have children and don't want to end up stranded in the street or side of the highway due to transmission failure. There has to be something causing the transmission to break down or fail and I refuse to be the the blame nor pay thousands to ford dealership to fix a flaw in there own SUV. A recall needs to be made for this problem and it is clearly a manufacture flaw.

Filed May 7, 2014 · Engine · MD

Submission from constituent re a filed complaint with ford motor company and would like to be reimburse for all the cost by ford. *smd the consumer stated when he attempted to start the vehicle, it would not crank. He replaced the battery, but the vehicle still would not start. The vehicle was towed to a local garage. The next day, the consumer was informed, the engine had seized. There was no warning from the dash indicators, no engine sounds, and the oil was at the proper level. It cost $3,669.98 to replace the engine.

Filed Dec 29, 2010 · Wheels · 105,000 miles · TN

As I was driving to work the other day, I was sitting in a line of cars waiting for my turn to go through a 4-way stop when my 2003 ford explorer suddenly stopped running. I had plenty of fuel and the electrical worked. The engine simply wouldn't turn over. I called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to my local repair shop. After some inspection, the repairman determined that I had blown a fuse. The cause was my ABS sensor continually sending out an problem signal. The cause of that was my wheel bearings going bad. Further inspection showed that at least three of my wheels have bad bearings. The repairs are incredibly costly (well over $1,000). And the mechanical failure is dangerous, including wheel separation, wheel seizing up and brake failure. I was lucky to have been stopped at an intersection. I drive on the interstate daily and if the car had failed there, it could have been incredibly bad. While wheel bearings to fail, the mechanic said it is incredibly rare to see multiple bearings go out at the same time. Well, except for fords. He said the explorer and focus (especially the '02 & '03 models) have a reputation for wearing out. Sometimes, multiple times for the same wheel. A quick google search proved him right. There are hundreds of complaints for this problem on the '02 & '03 ford explorers. I realize we're going on 8 or 9 years since these vehicles were produced, but how could the same issue on hundreds of cars not have been addressed yet? The problem seems to obviously not be due to user error or poor mechanical maintenance. I implore you to investigate this further for the sake of the thousands of people still driving these cars every day.

Filed Jun 30, 2009 · Transmission · 48,000 miles · PA

I bought my 2003 explorer in 2002 at 110 miles. Within the 3 year warranty the air conditioning had a urine smell and knocking noise in the rear but they didn't want to fix it. As a result I have a slow leak which means it has to be charged every year. In feb 2007 a crack formed in the rear panel they didn't want to fix. October 2007 at 45000 miles I needed wheel bearings for inspection. At 48000 miles when I paid my truck off may 2008, within a few days the 0/d light & service engine soon light came on resulting in my gears slipping. I found out through several shops that my 2nd and fifth gears were burned out. The dealership said the solenoid body, then has to go in to check for more. I filed a complaint with the attorney general because I had no extended warranty which was a waste of time because ford wasn't cooperating. So now it's june 2009 and I'm still driving it a whole year later because I can't afford to get it fixed. I learned how to drive the truck but I'm reminded everyday about the problems. Park to reverse is a struggle, it doesn't start easily sometimes, it has no power while driving, ABS and door ajar lights stay on, and reverse alarm when to close doesn't work, and instead of being happy I paid it off it's nothing but a feeling of frustration, anger, and regret for buying from ford.

Filed Sep 16, 2008 · Brakes, Electrical · 50,000 miles · NV

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.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · 300 miles · NY

I have had my explorer since may 27. It had 11 miles on it when I bought it. The first time it would not start it had 300 miles on it. Eventually I did get it started, brought it to ford and they could not find a problem. The 2nd time the same thing happened I had 2300 miles on it. I had it towed to ford. When it got to ford it started and they could not find a problem. This happened again at 2500 miles and 2700 miles. Ford still has it now. They have had it for a week and still do not know what is wrong with it. The problem occurred on june 5, july 8, july 25 and august 21. So far all work has been warranty but I have been without my vehicle 21 days in the 3 months I have owned it.