2008 Ford Explorer: engine overheating

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 Oct 26, 2015 · Electrical · 76,194 miles · AL · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 ford explorer. While driving approximately 55 MPH, a strong burning odor emitted inside the cabin. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The contact inspected underneath the hood and noticed that coolant leaked continuously onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the thermostat housing was replaced. In 2014, the thermostat and thermostat housing were both replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 76,194.

Filed Jan 16, 2012 · Visibility · 30,000 miles · SC

Driver & passenger mirror lids on sun visors have broken apart. It is clear that the plastic used was of inferior quality. Lids break off, mirror light stays on and: 1) runs battery down or 2) potentially causes fire due to overheating of materials.

Filed Jan 9, 2012 · Visibility · NC

Driver & passenger mirror lids on sun visors have broken apart. It is clear that the plastic used was of inferior quality. After reading many online posts I can see I am not the only one with this problem. Lids break off, mirror light stays on and: 1) runs battery down or 2) potentially causes fire due to overheating of materials.