Suddenly the transfer case started jerking and the SUV was shaking badly that I almost couldn't drive it home. I was lucky to have this happening at 1/2 mile from my house and at about 20-25 miles per hour! It was no code to indicate where the failure occurred within the power train. I took a part the rear end, I found nothing wrong with it. I started to troubleshoot the transfer case and I noticed that the electrical motor with actuator does not spin the shaft from transfer case, reason that the transfer case can't select firmly the position of hi, low or 4wd!!!!. Observing that the motor of the transfer case sifter does not spin, I purchased a new motor from ford,. After replacement, the problem persisted; so, I replaced the transfer case module, behind the glove box; no result. To be able to move the car around I unplugged the transfer case motor shift from the main harness and the SUV stays now in 4wd with blinking lights on my dash for ABS and 4x4 wd!!! I am still wandering what could happened to me if the jumping and grinding was to happend when I was driving the car with 65-70 miles per hour and the power train could snap and the driveshaft could fly out... Who shall be responsible for my life or somebody else's that I could hit? I consider that the manufacturer shall recall the explorer's affected and address the transfer case issues. The old parts that I have replaced are available, they are functional. I still don't know what is wrong because I couldn't find any advise from any ford sites\, neither from a qualified diagnostic specialist. If I go to ford dealership they will be charging tons of $$$ until the car runs again; they don't care how many parts will replace and I will have to pay ford's mistakes from my pocket; this is not right!
2003 Ford Explorer transmission complaints
Page 5 of 12: complaints 101 to 130 of 335, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The transmission on our 2003 ford explorer had to be replaced. It could have left us stranded on the road. Ford knew of this problem with the transmissions on the 2003-2004 explorers. I think they should make an adjustment on the cost of the repairs. Transmission are supposed to last longer than 71,000 miles. We did not mistreat this vehicle in any way.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH the over drive light began illuminating on the instrument panel and the vehicle began to shift into a higher gear. The contact turned the vehicle off and upon restarting it, the vehicle began to function normally. After driving for a few miles, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 111,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the door ajar light illuminated frequently and the dome light stayed illuminated even when the doors were closed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for a manufacturers recall and the dealer stated that the repair had previously been performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated intermittently. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The current mileage was approximately 72,000. The failure mileage was approximately 49,000.
First I must say I love this truck. Its my second one and both had same problems. While driving home from work all of a sudden truch lurched forward then o/d off lite started flashing then check engine lite flashing.took it to my mechanic and it came up with a po775 code, he said its very common and not the first one hes seen do this. Pressure control solenoid b needs replacing for about $400.00 then after removing pan whole transmission needed overhaul now $2200.00 later. I think ford knows of this problem and should stand behind it. Also blend door stopped working and all 4 calipers seized up. Dont know if ill ever buy another ford.also power windows quit working, broken wire in door. Nothing but trouble with this vehicle.I think a class action suit should be started against ford for repairs on these transmissions.I cant afford to dump hundreds of dollars into this truck after paying thousands of dollars for it.
My 2003 ford explorer was parked in my driveway and it somehow rolled down approx 150 feet and smashed into a tree. There was no one in the vehicle it was parked and the keys were in the house. I immediately called my insurance (state farm) and they had me call a collision garage to come out and they came within the hour. They have stated that the vehicle is a total loss. The next morning I called ford and they disregarded anything I said and said my insurance should take care of it. I am still paying on a loan for this car and I do have full coverage but I am now without a vehicle and I am scared to think of what might of happened if my daughters would of been playing in the backyard.
Vehicle transmission slips out of gear and sometimes wont engage. Frequently occurs at stop/start movements. Ocurrs in forward and reverse. "o/d off" light is frequently displayed. Unsafe to drive anywhere!!!
Transmission problems started around 100k miles; high RPM shifting between 1st and 2nd gear with subsequent flashing o/d light. Many times transmission will "clunk" into gear either from going into reverse, stopping completely, then shifting into drive and/or when putting in reverse or drive. Appears this is a common problem for my model year explorer (03) and same code many others receive (p0775) which really does not describe the problem or lead a not so mechanical inclined person to try and troubleshoot/buy parts to fix. I'm career military man w/family and my truck is paid off next month--owned 5 years and really sucks to have to possibly dump $3k into a truck that ford has known contained issues with the 5r55w transmission.
Explorer od light came on and truck would not shift gears properly. Check engine light appeared and the truck just made it to the mechanic. The truck needed a new transmission at the expense of $3000. It is obvious that the ford explorer is known for this type of failure. Sent an email to ford and they will not assist on the expenses or admit there is a problem with these vehicles.
I have a 2003 ford explorer and my o/d light keeps flashing I took it to the dealer to get it checked and they said I need a new transmission because I have no 2nd or 5th gear they also said this is a common problem with that year. They said the shift sealnoid went out so now I cant drive my truck tell I can afford 3400 dollars to get it fixed so that has made it harder for me to get to work and to get my family where they need to be.
Transmission went out.
Accelerator defect ; the car atuomatically sped up without my foot on the gas pedal. Caused damages to 3 other vehicles, 1 of which was totalled.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle began to decelerate independently with the illumination of several warning lights. The failure would recur intermittently and the either the vehicle would restart immediately or the vehicle would be towed. The vehicle was inspected by an independent mechanic and they advised her that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000. The VIN was unavailable.
I own a 2003 ford explorer, I have owned it for almost 5 years and took care of it. I also paid alot of money for it and after about three years out of nowhere my o/d light started blinking and my car started shifting wrong. I had the solenoid on tranny replaced soon as I put it in 4wheel drive my o/d light started blinking again and shifting wrong. This is making the car accelerate to much at times and almost not wanting to shift others.so while waiting thinking I need a new transmission my engine light comes on followed by a light ticking noise, that got louder and louder over about a month.so the car was taken to the dealership an put on a computer they said I should junk it, yes its 5 years old but I bought my car from their and I paid alot for it.so no one knows exactly what's wrong with it I myself believe but ford.I been told I need a new transmission and my timing chain is bad on the engine.the car still runs although I wont drive it completely unsafe. Its a nice looking car but I seen alot of people with this same problem with the same year make and model how is that and its dangerous? Me and my daughter wrecked after sudden acceleration thankfully the airbags deployed and burnt her but we were both fine otherwise. I just now this is dangerous,ford knows about it and why it happened and how to fix it.
Well this will be the 2nd transmission for my 2003 ford explorer, the first was at 88700 miles about 4 years ago. It took the dealership almost 2 weeks to figure out what was wrong. Then 2 weeks after that heard a loud ping while driving home, at 9:00 at night, took in to dealer and the drive shaft had water in it. Now I am the original owner, truck has never been off road, never towed anything, highway miles. So, I fix all that( about $3,000.00 in one month) now this past weekend coming home on the interstate truck gives a large shudder 3 times, I almost get run over by a tour bus because truck is getting ready to die. Limp home can't drive over 60 miles an hour, went back roads home, did not like going up small hills. When 1 mile from home o/d off light came on and transmission started acting bad. Pulled into driveway, barely. Now I'm pissed because here I go again pouring out money to fix and almost got hit on interstate.
I recently encountered problems with my vehicle's acceleration. The vehicle then began to buck, make loud noises, the check engine light came on and then the o/d light began to flash. I took my vehicle to the dealer to have a diagnostics test performed which determined that my transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle that I am referencing is a 2003 ford explorer with 73,859 miles (at the time of the diagnosis). I did research which revealed that this has been a common issue with 2003 ford explorers with approximately the same number of miles. I did get the transmission replaced in my vehicle, however the complaint is that these vehicles are requiring transmission replacements at such low miles. With all of the complaints involving this issue, it seems to warrant an investigation into the matter........please investigate.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact was traveling 45 MPH when the over drive warning light illuminated and the transmission failed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the torque converter, servo pack and clutch would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 100,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the over-drive and engine service warning indicators illuminated. The warning indicators remained illuminated until the engine was turned off. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where a diagnostic test was performed which detected that the gear ratio and pressure control solenoid were defective within the transmission. The contact was awaiting the parts for the vehicle to be repaired. The failure mileage was 94,583. Updated 03/31/11*lj updated 04/05/11
The transmission went out several months after the warranty expired and the company did nothing to address this...the car was only 5 years old when this happened and we had to get a new transmission.
I was driving my 2003 ford explorer xlt v6 4.0l on i40w, when all of a sudden the vehicle began to decelerate while the rpms were constantly going up. This put me in the interstate with no power as the gears weren't shifting. I took it to my local ford dealership and they put it on the diagnostic machine and told me they really didn't know what was wrong with it and that they would have to break the transmission down in order to know for sure. I searched online for any common transmission problems and came across a site where people with vehicles just like mine having the same exact problem. As of now I'm still waiting on ford to let me know what's going on with my truck, but with hundreds of other people having the same problem I see no reason for them not know what the problem is as well as have a recall on the vehicle to fix the problem.
No second gear.
Like every other day, I started the SUV a few minutes before I had to leave to let it warm up because ny is cold, and then left to run some errands. I realized right away that the truck sounded a little funny when accelerating, so the radio went off so I could listen. I found that when shifting from first to second, in this automatic vehicle, the overdrive was kicking on prematurely. Then the o/d light started flashing. I came home and started researching it and found hundreds of complaints, so here I am, in the same boat as everyone else, about to look up numbers to transmission specialists because the dealer is definitely not going to make any money off of my with this one.
I own a 2003 ford explorer and have never had any problem with my vehicle. I do not drive it hard and make sure that it gets the proper upkeep. As I was driving down the road one day my check engine light came on. The next day on my way to work I noticed that the transmission was having trouble shifting and the time I got home that evening the transmission was shifting very hard if it would even shift at all. My o/d off light also started flashing. I thought that it was just a fluke with my transmission until I checked online to find that there is alot of other people having the same problem and that ford is doing nothing to fix the problem. My car is currently in the shop and they have said that it will cost atleast 3200 or more to fix the transmission. I have contacted my ford dealership and they were well aware of the problems with this transmission but stated there was nothing they could do and ford hasn't accepted responsibility for the problem. They also stated that there was an obvious defect with the transmission. I would like to know if there is or was a defect investigation seeing that there are so many people with the same problem and if anyone can tell me if there is a class action lawsuit for this matter.
Engine revs to nearly 5000 RPM before slamming into 2nd gear. Had several mechanics tell me that these transmissions are junk.
I was driving my 2003 ford explorer, and all of a sudden when merging onto the highway, my overdrive light started flashing, and the transmission won't shift out of 1st gear. Absolutely unacceptable! An 03?! Please!
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The vehicle experienced difficulty changing gears while driving at any speed. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the transmission was rebuilt. Approximately 3 years later the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the transmission was rebuilt. The failure mileage was 54,655 and the current mileage was 111,260.
Some sort of transmission failure dealing with the shifting solenoid. This leads to sporadic shifting between the lower gears. This lead to very hard driving in slow and icy conditions. The car would be at such high rpms at slow speeds such as 20-30 MPH that the car would loose traction, so far I have had no accidents with this problem but the potential is very apparent.
Service engine light appeared, then the od (overdrive) light began flashing. Then the explorer had difficulty accelerating. The engine was running higher rpms than usual, especially when accelerating from 0 to 30mph. I took the explorer to the ford dealer where the explorer was purchased and exclusively serviced since when I bought it new in july 2003. They would not acknowledge that this is a persistent problem with 2003 explorers. They told me that I have no 2nd or 5th gears, int. Servo failed and case bore damaged. They want over $3,600 to repair (and that, they say is a discount!). I then took it to a transmission shop, who was well aware of this problem and there were 2 other explorers currently there being repaired for the same thing. An investigation needs to be done for a recall. This is a safety issue and a consumer rip-off!
My 2003 ford explorer xlt only has 70000k and the transmission is completely in need of rebuild. It doesn't drive in reverse and doesn't go faster than 25mph without sounding as if the engine is going to fall off. It kicks back while attempting to change gears and the RPM is working hard with the truck going nowhere fast. I cant afford to repair the problem as im still making monthly payments on it. This should not be happening with an eight year old vehicle. This little bit of information on how there is no dipstick to check the transmission fluid should have been revealed at time of purchase I think.
"od (overdrive)" light blinking in dash. Then "service engine soon" light on 12-31-10. Higher RPM's in engine then usual, to shift gears in automatic transmission. Trans having thumping sounding when placed into park, drive or reverse. Broken servo sidearm inside transmission.. Vehicle only has 62,000 miles on it. Taken to local transmission shop. Estimate of $1,475 to fix.
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