While I was merging from one road to the next the explorer transmission felt like it popped out of gear. When I continued the transmission would not change gears without me "feathering" the gas. Took it to a repair shop and had to pay $2000+ to repair/rebuild the transmission.
2003 Ford Explorer transmission complaints
Page 4 of 12: complaints 71 to 100 of 335, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was backing up to the garage to unload the stuff in the back and the car made a loud whinning noise and took off fast..I couldn't stop the truck..
It's the transmission. The vehicle is having problems going into gear and jerking. The transmission is sealed so I can not change the fluid myself either. There are many others having the same problem as I am having. How do I go about getting a recall on the transmission?
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explore. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH the transmission failed. The over drive warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact then depressed the brake pedal and everything seized before stalling. The contact restarted the vehicle and the vehicle functioned properly. The vehicle was taken to a repair shop where they stated that the solenoid was defective in the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance because the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was 100,000.
I have a 2003 ford explorer xlt with 105,000 miles on it. Yesterday (4/24/12) it would not go into reverse and had difficulty shifting into 2 and 3 gear + the overdrive light just started blinking on and off. I took it back to the ford dealer where I purchased it and I am told it will cost me $4,000.000 to repair! I have contacted ford motor customer service (fmcs) and they tell me that there are no recalls on this issue nor can they offer me any assistance with the cost. The guy I spoke to at the fmcs was rather shocked at the $4,000 price tag and did agree with me that the trans failed prematurely. However, there was nothing he could do to help me. This conversation was recorded by the ford customer service center out of florida. I have been online looking over several blogs and several web sites and it appears that this is a common problem. It also appears that the ford explorer has a huge problem with transmission failure, mostly from the early 2000s -- especially the 2002 to 2004 ford explorer. Mine is a 2003!
Transmission slipping while driving.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH the overdrive warning lamp was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and did not offer any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that she noticed a fracture on the lift gate window. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where they advised her that she would have to have the panel replaced. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000. Updated 04/26/12*lj the consumer also stated the rear differential was replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that while restarting the vehicle, the gear shifter detached from the steering wheel. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where it was diagnosed with a failure to the steering column that needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 75,900. ..updated 04/11/12 *bf the consumer stated when he put the vehicle in reverse, the entire gear shift came out in his hand. Leaving the vehicle in reverse. He was able to turn the ignition switch off. A cast iron bracket was completely broken off in the steering column. Updated 05/31/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle would not accelerate over 15 MPH and the overdrive light illuminated while the failure occurred. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic and a diagnostic test was performed. The failure was located at the third gear, which would not shift, and caused the transmission to fail. The transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 152,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle has had two rebuilt transmissions. The contact stated that the transmission started slipping again and the torque converter had to be replaced. The failure and the current mileage was 77,000.
Traveling the I-95 corridor in north carolina at approx. 3am the transmission over drive light began flashing and the check engine light came on shortly after. Vehicle began to have shifting problems. Had to ease into 1st gear and play with accelerator pedal to shift out of 1st gear. Not a good feeling when 500 miles from home and in the middle of nowhere. Researched and found that this is becoming a common problem for these vehicles. Brought vehicle to aamco and was informed again common in the explorer. Cost estimate for repair $2500.00. Vehicle had 77000 miles at time of failure. Called ford for "goodwill" repair. Should have talked to a door knob. Standard reply "vehicle out of warranty". Driving over forty years, never experienced transmission failure. This is a design flaw that they are not acknowledging. They may not pay now but in the long run the cost will be great. Drove my last ford.
O/d light flashing and wont go into overdrive. The transmission is a sealed unit.
The transmission slips gears between 1st->2nd and 2nd->3rd gears. The car has never been used for towing and has been maintained by a ford dealership according to the recommended servicing. At only 80,000 miles, it should not be having transmission issues.
Multiple issues with my 2003 ford explorer which include the electronic mother board having been replaced twice (under warranty), cracked liftgage (not under warranty cost $300), transmission rebuild approx 90,000 ($3000), dome lights do not turn off, door ajar lights, electric rear windows do not open, o/d light flashes and now the final problem after having replaced my transmission in july 2011 is a drive train or drive line issue. At approximately 45 MPH after dropping from a higher speed, a thumping happens. Diagnosis for this issue has been 3 days still with no final determination.
Initially happened at 98k miles back in 08. Put in park (vehicle on elevated driveway). Jerked back and heard a clunk- like it was shifting from park into a gear with vehicle pressure- and it started to roll back. Hit brakes- and put it in reverse. Then neutral to start it. Parked it on the curb for an hour, went back out and it didn't do it again until last week. Thinking it might have been the weather this time- parked on my fairly steep driveway again with lots of ice/snow. 189k miles with the orig tranny and regular computer updates/flushes. Been an amazing truck- just thinking it might happen again.
I payed 18,000 for my 2003 ford explorer xlt with the flex fuel in 2006. Its a very nice looking SUV but I only drove it for 2 years before the transmission started to fail. I beleave a transmission should last more than 2 years. My concearn is that its defective all around the transmission and I could still drive it if I wasnt in fear for my life. I have had it to ford dealership and they could not diagnose the problem, they wanted me to pay them to taket out the tranny and wanted way to much for any parts,so I had it looked at by a transmission place that been around a long time and he had no idea what was wrong.replaced the selenoid for like 900 and my it ran fine for like 2 weeks until I put in 4 w/d than my o/d light started bliking again and the transmission slipped, the o/d light eluminated the first time my transmission ever slipped.and if I went and drove it right now it would cause an accident and some people might still depend on there defective explorer to get somewhere.it accelerates by its self it sometimes dosnt want to go in gear and if this is electrical someones vehicle could stop in the middle of a highway with no warning but a blinking o/d light.and worst thing is, if ford would reconize this problem with out selling new transmissions that will eventually have the same problem with I could have it fixed but no one but ford knows what is wrong and they obviously dont know how to fix it or know if they admit their mistake it was a design flaw I want my money back.I bet you they wouldnt even take my explorer on a trade in. And if you just google ford explorer anything from 1999 to 2007 I think....its going to have like thousands of people with the same problem as mine and probaly like from 40,000 miles up, way to early for transmission replacement.
Transmission failure. Transmission does not want to up shift, it will shift hard. O/d light flashing.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving approximately 30 MPH, the transmission began to slip gears in a jerking motion. There was also a hesitation and the engine revved continuously. In addition, the over drive and transmission warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was diagnosed by two different independent mechanics and they informed the sensor solenoid would need to be replaced and possibly the transmission. The vehicle was in the process of being taken to an authorized dealer for a third opinion. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 74,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I called ford customer relations to report my transmission was failing, and discovering that many people were reporting the same issue on the web: flashing overdrive light, constant engine service light, and my transmission was sticking and not shifting properly. I told the representative about my issue and immediately they said I did not have the extended warranty. I told them I did have the extended which was up to 100000 miles, but I was barely over by 3000 miles. I explained that a lot of other people were complaining about the same transmission issue with the same make, model, and year. The agent sounded like he was reading from a script, including his supervisor saying I was out of warranty, sorry, and go to the dealer you bought the car from. When it was clear he was not going to do anything, I asked to speak with a supervisor, but it was clear that she was not going to do anything either. All I was asking for was a goodwill repair discount, and they refused. I grew up with fords; fairlane, falcon, galaxy, maverick, ltd, taurus, expedition, t-bird, and explorer. I am not going to say I will never drive another ford, but I no longer feel loyal to the brand. Honda's and toyota's transmissions last longer and they stand by their product. I am very disappointed about thier lack of customer service and indifference with my problem. This is going to cost $2500 for a rebuild or $3500 for a new transmission.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the transmission would not shift into gear and failed. The check engine and the bs warning lights were illuminated. The contact notified a mechanic of the failure and was advised that the transmission would likely need replacing.the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 148,000.
I went to leave for work one morning & I noticed the rear panel was cracked. It wasn't like that the night before, so it literally happened overnight. My mechanic said it was cosmetic & common problem with these trucks. I was told the window would be fine, but there is a chance of the panel piece falling off. I haven't had it fixed yet due to the expense, but I am afraid a piece may fall off while driving which could injure someone. To add insult to injury, a week later, my transmission started slipping & the o/d light was flashing. I had it towed & sure enough, it had to be rebuilt. It also needed a new hub bearing and both front ball joints had to be replaced.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving 50 MPH, the overdrive and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who inspected the failure and informed the contact that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified who advised that there were no recalls for the failure and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 175,024.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. The contact was driving 30 MPH when the overdrive warning light illuminated and the vehicle became hard to shift. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing where it was diagnosed that the overdrive band was fractured and possibly had caused damage to the torque converter. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 34,029 and the current mileage was 64,846. Updated 11/22/11*lj the consumer stated the shifting was erratic at steady speeds, there was a hard bang when shifting. The PCM was reprogrammed. There was a clunk noise when coming to a stop. The dealer replaced the transmission fluid. The overdrive light illuminated and 95% of the time, the vehicle would not shift out of 1st gear. Updated 03/12/12
While entering the highway, my SUV would not shift into gear. The fastest it would go was 35mph, the tachometer was pegged out, the o/d light was flashing on and off and transmission would not shift into the next gear. Almost got hit by vehicles traveling the speed limit which is 65mph, because the transmission would not shift properly for me to merge into traffic.
Transmision failure, replaced at dealership. New transmision failed within a week, replaced at dealership also replaced all hub bearings, excessive noise. Rear end also has excessive noise. Rear back up sensor frequently turns off and does not work.
Transmission failure....o/d light flashes and service engine light stays on.
The transmission on my 2003 ford explorer is gone.
O/d light spontaneously came on. Can not be turned off. Transmission takes off slow. First gear slams into second, with slow takeoff causes cars behind me to stop short because my takeoff is very slow.
My 2003 ford explorer had a "thunk" noise from day one. Ford dealership "could not duplicate" the complaint even though I took it back multiple times. Had to replace the torque converter at 70k miles and now at 135k miles the whole transmission and another torque converter for rattling again. Od/off blinking light and check transmission notice came on with erratic shifting and loss of 2nd and 5th gears. Replacement of trans eliminated "thunk" and my $4600. Similar complaints without any acknowledgement of faulty materials or engineering by ford has plagued hundreds if not thousands of explorer owners. Where is the expected investigation of these problems? Why do we have to wait until accidents or injury to have faulty autos recalled? Why are spark plugs ejected more of a safety concern than transmissions that leave drivers without proper moving capability on the highway? Where is the recall for these units?
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