2004 Ford Explorer: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Aug 25, 2014 · Body, Brakes · 17,000 miles · NY

Exact dates are various , vehicle has 39000 miles on it presently , have multiple vehicles , drive over the road truck driver ... Changed brakes and rotors twice , emergency brake not working , had fixed , had to have ekg replaced and some exhaust sensor , tires wore out at 29000 , exhaust system replaced , both ball joints replaced , pinion gear gasket leaking from rear end , both cv joints leaking , appears right cv joint needs replacing , gets 14 mpg ( 4.0 liter ) paint peeling from roof for quite awhile now , rusting around fuel tank door , as all are ...... Vehicle has been a nightmare , getting rid of this at 39000 miles , ford has a better idea , buy another one !

Filed Aug 23, 2014 · Wheels · 180,000 miles · OH

I had just got on the freeway when the rear of my truck started shaking. I knew something was wrong so I exited the freeway at the following exit. I was driving on the side streets to get home at approximately 25 MPH. I turned a corner and heard and felt the rear end of my truck fall. The rear passenger tire fell off as I was turning the corner. Upon further inspection all the lugs except one were sheared off. We had the truck towed to our mechanic's shop. The mechanic couldn't figure out what had caused this. We have also had to replace all the ball joints with the rear passenger ball joint being replaced twice now. Our mechanic was able to replace all the lugs and pull the rear corner panel back out but the incident ruined the rim which will have to be replaced. A week later I asked my son to check the lugs on the tire and 2 were loose again.

Filed Aug 21, 2014 · Suspension, Transmission · OH

Every since we've financed this lousy SUV 08/2012 we've had a clicking noise from the rear and still cant figured out what that is,but the transmission has been slipping and shifting hard,we have replace front left wheel bearing and ABS sensor just a few months ago and the bearing is bad again and the front right wheel has a bad ball joint and the visibility thru windshield is horrible,always have a hard time seeing, cna only see a few inches ahead!!! This car needs serious recalls the air conditioner stopped working in less then a yr!!! And we bought this car with only 68,506 miles!! We already spend over a grand for a fuel pump!!! This car sucks!!! Plz help we still owe thousands and everytime we blink an eye it's not safe to drive because of wheel problems!!!!

Filed Aug 18, 2014 · Steering · 130,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, it was discovered that the ball joints were worn out. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

Filed Sep 22, 2012 · Acceleration, Body · 106,000 miles · KY

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.

Filed Jan 10, 2011 · Steering · 27,995 miles · NY

Noise in front end, premature failure of tie rod ends.

Filed Sep 10, 2008 · Electrical, Suspension · NC

I have had many, many problems with my 2004 ford explorer. Probably the most dangerous one is the recurring failure of the transmission. This last time that this occurred I was on interstate-85, in morning rush-hour traffic, and all of a sudden my RPM's are flying to the red danger area and I have no acceleration power and am losing speed. There is an 18-wheeler on my rear and I can't pick up speed! Luckily, I was approaching an exit and managed to get the vehicle off of the interstate and onto a less traveled road. This is the second time that I have endured this scenario. Once again the solenoid is gone, with repairs estimated at $1255.00. I have had this problem repaired less than a year after purchase. I have had this problem repaired at 32,567 miles, and I now have this problem again at 76,725 miles. I have had the clutch pack replaced at 24,940 miles as well as the ring gear, pinion, and all bearings replaced at 24,940 miles. At 35,558 miles the lower ball joint had to be replaced. At 64,335 I had to have the pats transponder(security system) replaced. In short I have had the transmission repaired three times the front end rebuilt , the back end redone. I honestly can say I do not feel very safe in this vehicle, especially since I have to use this to transport my children. These problems seem to be the norm for this particular vehicle, as I have done research on this. I don't understand why ford is not made to resolve these issues. I have also had to have my heating and air replaced. This occurred in the winter of 2007 and was a safety issue, as I could not defrost my windows.

Filed Nov 26, 2006 · Transmission · 41,000 miles · NY · crash

We have a 2004 ford explorer with 41,000 miles. In the past 3 months we have had to have the transmission overhauled, universal ball joint replaced, wheel bearings replaced, parking brake replaced. All work has been done by the dealer. On the evening of 11/21/06, we were leaving my daughter's school and I got in the vehicle to back the car up a few feet so that my wife would not have to step in the mud. I started the car, put the car in reverse (foot on brake), and when I took my foot off the brake to move the car a few feet, it surged backwards, like a cannon ball in reverse; it crashed into a neon, which was parked 6 feet from our car, sent the neon flying about 15 feet into another car; (the neon's front end was crushed). I felt I had no control over this vehicle whatsoever. We are thankful that it hit a parked car, rather than traffic coming from behind. What would have caused this? The policemen that responded to our call suggested that we not attempt to drive the vehicle, so we pushed it to the side of the road and had it towed to the ford dealer. The other car in the incident was not drivable and also had to be towed. One of the policemen that responded to our call said that they had a similar accident happen with one of their police cruisers (another ford product); when the car was put into reverse it shot backwards and hit another police car, but they did not sustain damage because the cars were parked so close to each other. Please help us figure this out. We are afraid to get back into the vehicle. As of this date, ford has not figured out what could have happened to the vehicle. We also found on this website similar incidents with this model of the explorer. We are also waiting for our insurance adjuster's review of the incident before the collision work takes place.

Filed May 31, 2006 · Electrical, Suspension · 50,000 miles · MD

Transmission slamming into reverse / drive, took to dealership, solenoid pack replaced 6 months ago, started having same problems and now this time also, rpms shoot up to 7 when accelerating. Took back to dealer, said they had to replace the solenoid pack again. Won't honor warranty after the $800.00 problem was just fixed! Also, have serious suspension problems! Front sway bar bushings, rear shocks (leaking), replace front lower ball joints.

Filed Jan 27, 2006 · Steering · 23,532 miles · MI

Dt*: the contact stated while driving on the highway the vehicle started swaying as if it were in a lot of wind. Two days later the vehicle was taken to the dealership. Upon inspection, the mechanics discovered the rear tie rod ends were packed with mud causing the tie rods to corrode and rust. The tie rod ends were replaced. The dealership explained to the contact the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was alerted.

Filed Nov 1, 2005 · Steering · MA · crash

Dt: the contact stated the tie rod housing that attaches to the wheel failed, causing the contact to lose control of the passenger's side wheel. This incident cause d an accident with no injuries. This occurred while traveling at 15 -20 MPH. The wheel hit the telephone pole which caused major structural damage under the vehicle. The dealership stated they did not know what to do with the vehicle, and urged him to file a complaint with the insurance company.

Filed Jan 27, 2005 · Suspension · MA

*aki went to take my 2004 ford explorer in for a state vehicle inspection. It failed due to faulty ball joints. The explorer has 15,000 miles on it and it is unacceptable for this to happen. Also, if I did not need an inspection, there would have been serious consequences. This is a safety concern that needs to be addressed.