2008 Ford Explorer engine problems

Filed Jun 7, 2026 · Engine · AL

Stalling in mid traffic. I was told it is poor quality of timing components. The vehicle has less than 200,000 miles and has had routine maintenance as it was a police investigation car

Filed Apr 27, 2025 · Engine · PA

I got the car from my landlord, my husband never checked the oil or fluids even though I was on him, it died 2 months after we got it, the guy said before we purchased it that it still was under warranty for transmission, so when it died I thought ok it's covered, so the landlord said it was the motor it seized he said had no coolant and was 2qts of oil over I said well he never added anything & I said it never overheated, he said I don't know how it was done but it will cost $3800 to fix, so I was hoping that there might be a recall that can fix this or also he puts new rear in the car a week after I got it, does any of this sound like it is his side that is reliable to fix it?

Filed Jan 10, 2024 · Acceleration, Electrical · MI

Report #1 - My grandma brought this 08' Explorer back in 2014, and after she passed, my mom drove it for the next 2 years. It started having general maintenance issues, then the cats were stolen, but then, one night my mother was coming home from a relative's house, when she was trying to keep up with the flow of traffic on [XXX] , and she noticed that the vehicle was not accelerating at all and the vehicle stalled out. She had it towed home and it sat on the streetside for some time. After digging through the internet, I figured that Ford designed the throttle-body wiring to settle next to the cooling hoses, and after time, the wires rot from the hot temperatures of the hoses and crack/snap causing the vehicle to either stall, or possibly have unintended acceleration. Ford never recalled this issue! Also, it had a massive coolant leak, from which was believed to be the cheap plastic T-Stat housings that Ford never recalled, and to top it all off: the right rear turn-indicator failed from the faulty wiring harnesses... As a result, we ended up having it scrapped/junked. It was sad to see her go, but obviously Ford doesn't care about their customers safety and will find any loophole to avoid recalling a vehicle... Ford needs to get their stuff together or they need to be shut down!... INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Aug 1, 2020 · Acceleration, Engine · 140,000 miles · MO

Engine light and traction control light and wrench light all came on and car went to idle and would not rev up like it was stuck om idle--this happened while driving 60 miles per hour in heavy traffic and I was almost rearended over it.

Filed Jul 13, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 190,000 miles · TX

My friend let me use his vehicle but he altered it and it is malfunctioning . He explains as if when I don't "behave" I have repercussions. He has altered the vehicle tremendously. If we get an argument he will tell me I have x amount of days and in those exact x amount of days the car ends up messing up and stopping. I was driving from the hospital one day and all of a sudden the vehicle started smoking and he told me because its his vehicle that he will fix it him self. He is a chemical engineer not a licensed mechanic to touch the obd on the car. He claims he is better than general motors.

Filed Aug 5, 2017 · Airbags, Engine · NC

There is a suspect driving a sea green ford explorer in buxton, north carolina for several years now without a registered vehicle identification number inside the dashboards of her vehicle and therefore it is obviously a threat to other vehicle on the highway and could incur long time damages to another vehicle or pedestrian on the road at any given time plus the space where it is supposed to read the VIN it is painted yellow and reads in big white letters air bag.

Filed Jul 19, 2017 · Electrical, Engine · 117,809 miles · FL

I've had my 2008 eddie bauer ford explorer just over a year. As I'm driving on a local road, it starts acting like it's about to cut off. I get to a red light and as I'm about to take off, it shuts off. I placed it in park and restarted it then it sputters and then catches. A few minutes later this error message comes up on the dash with a wrench. I took it to the nearest auto store, they placed it on the machine and said it looks like my engine wiring harness or ECM/PCM. I had the harness replaced (almost $900) and a week later the wrench error message returned and the problem has returned as well.

Filed Dec 2, 2015 · Engine · 128,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford explorer. While driving 45 MPH, an abnormal noise was heard from the engine and the radiator warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the thermostat housing failing and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 128,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Oct 27, 2015 · Engine · 80,000 miles · NY

I smelled a strong odor of coolant while driving my vehicle during my work day. Suddenly, steam came pouring out of the engine compartment, and I stopped and let the vehicle cool off. Upon inspection, I found that the seam on the plastic thermostat housing had split, pouring coolant all over the center of the engine. Parts needing to be replaced were the thermostat, rubber gaskets and the entire thermostat housing, upper and lower. I replaced this part myself, as I used to be a ford mechanic. I did this repair myself, and it cost approximately 200.00 with the coolant replacement cost. Again, this can create a hazardous condition, and should not be happening on a car with 80k and only 7 years old.

Filed Apr 30, 2015 · Electrical, Engine · 80,416 miles · MI

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford explorer. While driving approximately 70 MPH over a bump, the brake pedal was applied and the front driver side power seat independently moved backwards. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road with caution. The failure recurred when driving over a bump or an uneven road surface. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who stated that the ignition switch would need to be replaced. In addition, the exhaust manifold would also needed to be replaced. The vehicle was schedule to be repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 80,416.