When pressing on the accelerator there is a sometimess a delayed reponse when the vehicle moves it is sudden and unxpected. As result of this I recently backed into a fence causing damage to my car and the fence
2004 Ford Explorer acceleration complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 76, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My SUV shuts off, at full speed!!! I've been in contact with ford's corporate office, dealerships and other mechanics..... It is an issue that tens of thousands of ford explorer owners have had. There are thousands of complaints online! It is so common that mechanics know what you're talking about, before you finish a description of the problem. It's alsoi common for individuals to replace motors and continue to have their vehicles shut off on them, at full speed!!!. I am afraid for my child's safety, as well as my own.
Driving through town was out in intersection and it just took off speeding slammed on brakes and I shut it off. Started it back up and like lost all power no control of foot feet explorer started shaking and died tried to start no success. Towed it home had mechanic put it on computer and got p2111 ford -throttle actuator control system stuck open. And I changed the tps and no luck changed the whole throttle body no luck still won't start. Was doing research and several fords have been having same problem but when I called dealership he said he couldn't do anything about it because my VIN. # wasn't on the list. If other people are having the same thing happen to them that I am having why can't he help me too.
When starting the vehicle, its not wanting to run. Then when I start to pull out it stalls. I mean, u push the gas pedal and it takes maybe four seconds before anything happens, then the tires spin it jerks forward and my kids scream. It jerks u back in the seat. Ok, we're on the road, I don't know if its going to run. One minute its acting like its getting enough fuel. The nexts its like it isn't. Now the service engine light has come on. I call the guy who works on cars, he use to be a head mechanic for has his own shop now, he automatically tells me its the throttle body and says if I cant find a used one, u wont like buyin a new one. An the bad thing is u have to replace them about every 120000 miles. Now isn't that great. The auto parts store says about $725 will take care of the part, what about the labor??? I bought this vehicle because it had a third row seat. I have three kids. I need it to be safe, not a death trap. Ford knows it has a problem, fix it!!!
I was driving at approximately 45 mpg and the vehicle started to slow down on it's own in the middle of traffic. I was close to home and able to get it into my driveway. I had to have it towed to the shop where they diagnosed that the electronic throttle body module was bad and replaced it at a cost of repair of $644.00.
This is a county govt vehicle purchased used from a dealer about 2 years ago. I had been highway driving for about 3-4 hours at speeds between 55-70 MPH. I made one brief stop during that time, and was mostly using cruise control. Just prior to the incident, the speed limit drops from 70 to 55, and then to 35 in a relatively short distance. I used the cruise control coast to reduce my speed from 55 to 35. The 35 MPH speed starts on a bridge- there is a small incline and then a little larger decline. At about the base of the bridge, the engine shut off, I lost steering and coasted to a stop. I don't recall if I had braking. I was with a passenger; it was night, and this occurred in an area that was not safe. I tried restarting the car, and it restarted with no problem. I drove to a nearby gas station. The power steering fluid was low, so I filled that, restarted, and drove the remaining 1 1/2 hrs with no problems. Other employees continued to drive over the next 2 1/2 months locally-very little highway driving, with no issues. On february 21, I was returning from a trip in this vehicle from the same area, with the same circumstances as above. When I was still on the bridge where the speed drops to 35, the engine shut off again. This time I was alone. There was a vehicle following very close behind me but fortunately I continued to coast as this was on the decline of the bridge. I was able to steer slightly to get off the highway. The check gauges; check engine, and battery warning lights were all on. The car restarted with no problems. I drove to the same gas station; checked the gauges-all were normal and no warning lights. I drove the 1 1/2 hrs remaining with no problems. On a web search, I found multiple cases of very similar problems on explorers with no resolution. I could find no recalls on the VIN. This is an extremely dangerous and potentially fatal problem.
When setting cruise control at around 35 to 40 MPH the engine dies. The power steering stops working and is very difficult to steer out of traffic. Turn the vehicle off and then it will restart and run until you try to set the cruise again.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the brakes failed. The vehicle did not stop until after repeated attempts to apply the brakes. The vehicle was restarted after several minutes and operated normally for five miles. The vehicle then accelerated independently, reaching speeds of up to 65 MPH before the contact was able to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was awaiting diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 124,000.
While driving, the cruise control stopped working and car stalled. At the same time the ABS light comes off and on.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that while stopped, the vehicle accelerated independently and without warning. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis where the throttle body sensor unit was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The failure and current mileage was 74,000.
I purchased a 2004 ford explorer in july 0f 2011, and traded in my 2001 oldsmobile of 5 years. I also purchased the 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. Before driving it off the lot I had the dealer fix the ABS system because the light was on. There is a crack going down the back of the trunk but nothing else was wrong at the time so I left the crack alone. In april of 2012 I took it to the dealership for a belt, check trans, shocks, ball joints, and a ticking in the heater when knob was turned to heat (not cool). I told him to just fix what was on the warranty and also give it a oil change. He informed me that the trans was fine. After getting the car back my heat went out and I was told by a mechanic buddy that my brakes, rotters, emergency brake pads and the back tires were shot. So I had him replaced them because this was also not covered on warranty. Just last week my RPM started jumping with miles over 65.(no lights were on at the time)so I took it to 6 different places getting estimates on what could be wrong. All shops said the same thing. "start with fuel filter, oil filters and oil change". The day after I paid for all this the service engine light came on. (egr valve code) the man at auto zone told me to take it off and clean it with spray and let it dry before replacing. I took it to a shop and had them do this. The same day I picked up the car my service engine light came on again, o/d light and the car was driving like I was hauling a bus and jumping. I took it back the next day and he replaced the egr valve new since the same code was showing up. Later that day after getting it back the car started doing the same thing after driving for 5 miles this was friday 9/21/12.
I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden my transmission started slipping and the cruise control kicked it because the vehicle started to slow down so it went into high rpms then the transmission grabbed and shot the vehicle forward and I lost control and we spun in circles off the freeway. Had it not of rained all day the SUV would have flipped. Now my transmission is leaking fluid and it must be repaired by dealership or garage only and I cannot afford this repair and I see that there is a major problem these transmissions in these vehicles and me my child or my husband could have been badly hurt if not killed had this been on dry pavement!!!
Cannot accelerate, feels like transmission is shifting hard. Scares me to be in traffic with two small children in backseat. Put into reverse it jolts into gear after a few seconds. Makes a loud noise when driving down the road. Sometimes there is almost no acceleration making it impossible to get around town.
Traveling with the cruise control set at approximately 58 MPH, traffic 100 - 120 feet in front of the vehicle came to an abrupt stop. Pressed the brake to disengage the cruise control and started applying pressure to the brake pedal. The vehicle seemed to initially start to slow, however, as we approached the stopped traffic, the engine continued to rev and we could not stop, causing us to hit the rear-end of the vehicle in front of us. The vehicle we hit moved forward a few feet and we hit the rear-end again as the explorer's engine continued to rev and drive us forward even with constant pressure applied to the brake pedal. After the second collision, we were able to pull the explorer off to the side of a road, notify the police, and file a accident report. The explorer has not yet been taken to the dealership to evaluate what had happened.
The engine shuts off while using the cruise control.
There is a long hesitation while attempting to accelerate either from a complete stop or while the vehicle is rolling.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. While parked, the vehicle began to roll backward while the contact was standing outside of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a gate and then began to roll forward. The contact was able to enter the vehicle and depress the brake pedal causing the vehicle to stop. The contact shut the vehicle off yet the failure recurred a second time. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 90,000. Updated 9/20/11 *cn updated 2/23/12
Speed control operates only intermittently, disconnects without warning, and occasionally speeds the car up without warning. Rear warning system is also intermittent.
My 2004 ford explorer has had a problem since it was new where the cruise control (speed control) would disengage on its own and at the same time kill the engine. The dealerships could not make it happen again and have never been able to fix the problem. It does it much more often at speeds less than 50 MPH, so I don't use the cruise at slower speeds; however, it has now started doing it above 50 MPH and the ABS light also comes on occasionally. This situation is extremely dangerous because when the engine dies your power-steering no longer works and steering is very difficult. It sounds to me like this should be included in a recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact was driving approximately 5 MPH when the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the technician replaced the fuel pump, throttle body and several unknown sensors in the vehicle. The failure recurred and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technician advised that they would perform extensive diagnostic testing on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure would occur intermittently in cold temperatures less than twenty degrees. The approximate failure mileage was 45,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that when the vehicle was in park with the emergency brake engaged, the vehicle would abnormally accelerate without warning. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was contacted who advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The current mileage was approximately 60,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 59,500.
My 2004 ford explorer caught on fire today. The fire began under the hood. Per the fire department, the fire started around the cruise control and brake master cylinder area. Ford does not have a recall out for this year model, unlike the 2003 and older models, but this is definitely a manufacturer problem. The car was driven to several points, drop the kids of at school, one at daycare, and a stop for breakfast. Nothing was wrong with our car. After arriving to work, my wife got a call that her car was on fire. There were no signs, malfunctions that something was wrong with the vehicle. Regularly scheduled maintenance were always performed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. When the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, the vehicle would not move. When she depressed the pedal again, the vehicle would suddenly take off at a high rate of speed. The contact called the dealer who stated that the problem was common but there was no remedy. The manufacturer had not been notified. The failure mileage was approximately 58,000. Updated 12/30/10 *bf updated -1/10/11
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH, the check engine light flashed on the instrument panel and the vehicle suddenly shut off. The contact disconnected the battery to reset the computer so the vehicle would start. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to a local repair shop where the contact was told that the transmission did not need to be replaced but the throttle body did. The vehicle was repaired at that time; the contact had not experienced any further problems since the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact was driving approximately 55-60 MPH when the electronic throttle warning light illuminated. The vehicle independently began to decelerate and before stalling. The contact shifted into neutral and coasted to the side of the road. She was able to restart the vehicle after ten minutes. The failure occurred twice. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer suggested that the throttle be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 93,830 and the current mileage was 93,839.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact was driving at approximately 20 MPH when the throttle body suddenly kicked back. He turned off the ignition and restarted to regain control of the vehicle. The vehicle had not been taken to an authorized dealership and the contact had not called the manufacturer at the time of the complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000. The current mileage was approximately 82,000.
I own a 2004 ford explorer. Previous models (2002) were recalled for the ABS light and speed control issue (09s09). I have the same problem on the 2004 explorer. The problem is intermittent, it is ok for a while then the problem shows up again. Could this be a fire problem?
I have a 2004 ford explorer (v8 eddie bauer) I recently ran into a strange situation. I set the cruise control at 35 MPH and as I was going down a small hill, the car stalled. I put it into neutral and it started with no problem at all. It is very dangerous when the 2004 explorer stalls whenever the cruise control is set and it is going at a slow speed.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that since the vehicle was purchased it hesitates during acceleration. The dealer confirmed that the vehicle was operating normally and may appear abnormal since it has a v8 engine. The contact stated that the vehicle currently is not accelerating at all. A local mechanic stated the vehicle is a safety hazard due to the lack of acceleration. The contact is concerned of the possibility of a crash occurring. The current mileage was 100,000 and the failure mileage was 25,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. When he activated the cruise control while driving, it deactivated itself without warning. He had to restart the vehicle to re-set the error code. The failure occurred intermittently, and mostly on the interstate. Also when he would turn on the turn signals, the automatic warning system would make an alarm noise and blink until the turn signal would cut off. The automatic transmission appeared to lose fluid, when he shifted into reverse. He heard a roaring noise near the tire area. He was told by the dealer that the hubs needed to be replaced. Lastly, the aesthetic piece on the lower half of the hatch-back had cracked and separated from the vehicle. He took the vehicle back to the dealership and was advised that there was an electrical failure. No repairs were made. The manufacturer referred him to the federal safety agency. The current mileage was approximately 68,000. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
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