8.6
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$2,232.00
Average Mileage:
89,420 miles
Total Complaints:
25 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (12 reports)
- fixed at repair shop (9 reports)
- replace transmission (4 reports)
transmission problem
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.
Helpful Websites About 2000 Ford Explorer transmission failure
2009May 20
Explorer Sport 4
- Automatic transmission
- 81,000 miles
I don't think I will ever buy another Ford. Barely 80k miles and the transmission dies. Luckily I was able to ease it over to a repair shop where I found out that it would be 2300 dollars to fix. The O/D light was flashing too. I'm told the overdrive, which I've never used caused the whole thing to fail.
2009Apr 03
Explorer Sport 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 86,000 miles
What a piece of crap! I didn't even get to 100,000 miles. I feel completely ripped off! What a bunch of crooks! My next vehicle will be a foreign import or a Saturn. I think American car companies are a bunch of lazy, over-paid, crooks who don't deserve to be bailed out. They deserve to fail just as they create their cars to perform!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Mar 01
Explorer XLS 6 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 150,000 miles
I have a 2000 Explorer and I have heard of 5 other Explorers, same year, having the same transmission failure.
2009Jan 10
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 98,000 miles
So all of a sudden, out of no where, my transmission misses 3rd gear. It came with out any warning. Luckily I was about 1mile away from home. I took my pos exploder to 3 different mechanic shops and not one of them could figure out how to check the tranny fluid. Get frickin design ford!! So I got it into a transmission shop today...where the guy informs me that he has had 5 (yes I said 5) 02 exploders and/or mountaineers in his shop in the last week! all for tranny failures! Isn't that wonderful! But it gets better...I called the local ford dealership and talked to the mechanic there and he says to me "I don't know what your talking about ma'am, I can't recall ever having a 02 ford explorer in here that had a transmission problem, but you really should take your vehicle to a dealership, not an independent shop." I should have told him to kiss my ass, but I didn't. So, after all these complaints and issues with exploder transmissions, ford still does not do any recalls or offer any kind of compensation. And then people wonder why ford is going under?? I will never buy another ford again and I wouldn't recommend that you don't either.
2002Mar 15
Explorer XLT 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 33,000 miles
My transmission went out of this dung heap before the thing was off of warranty. That was one of numerous problems that I had with the thing even before the warranty expired. The stereo had to be replaced almost immediately and the driver's door never sealed properly even after several attempts by the dealer to fix it. I bought this thing brand new and I will tell you that I will never ever purchase a Ford or Ford related vehicle again. It blew one head gasket and I'm sure that it has blown a second one. The spark plugs keep fouling out and it overheats. The stabilizer bars underneath had to be replaced and the plugs and spark plug wires have been replaced numerous times. The O2 sensor has gone out at least 3 times and I'm thinking 4 is more accurate. The transmission has now gone out for the second time. It has 137,000 miles on it and has been taken care of. I have never towed anything with it and it hasn't been driven hard. I contacted Ford's "customer care" division and they told me that Ford would do nothing about it. Recently, I saw a couple trying to leave a store parking lot in their Ford Exploder and one of the rear wheels kept locking up on them. I thought, "I share your pain, buddy! I made the mistake of buying a Ford, too!" I have always been very conscious of buying American made vehicles due to loyalty to American workers and American companies. Thanks to Ford ingenuity, I no longer feel that loyalty. I have a friend who drives a Honda SUV and has over 175,000 miles on it. Other than routine maintenance, she hasn't had to do anything to it. Nothing. I tell everyone that I come into contact with to never buy a Ford. They're whining now because they're not making it financially. During all of this bailout hoopla, I contacted one of my U.S. senators to tell him that I opposed the bailout. I also told him that with the discussion about the "Big Three" CEOs going to Washington in their private jets the first time and then in an ACT of contrition carpooled in a hybrid the second time that they should have taken my Explorer. They'd have never made it. I doubt that they would have even gotten out of Detroit with it. Fortunately, a very sweet little lady backed into my driver's door about a year ago and the door had to be replaced. It finally seals up and I don't freeze to death in it during the winter months! Ford has long known that they have had transmission problems with the things. Add my name to the class-action lawsuit!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Dec 01
Explorer 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 107,000 miles
ok so many f you have already herd the story well all i have to say is..seriously ford is the wackest fu(king car company ever always finding ways to screw you over and taking advantage. its bull$hit. "I hate ford" my trans was supposedly bran new it had 4miles yes FOUR miles on it from the dealer so i get it home about109 miles later it wont go into 3rd and the o/d light is blinking. so i very very fu(kin slowly cruse back to the a week later, mind you and what to they say well we cant be responsible for any off road use because i had some mudd from my job site on it any ways i fixed it but..excuses are like a$$holes they always stink and nobody likes them
http://i193.photobucket.com/albums/z60/ds70chevynascarlo/Ford.jpg
2008Oct 28
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 135,000 miles
Well first let me say I love my truck (Dora) she hasn't given me much of a problem since I bought her used in 04. I of course had minor repair problems like brakes and taillights and things of that nature but nothing over a couple hundred bucks. That is until the other day when I backed out of the driveway to go to work and there was the noise, anyone who has ever had a transmission go out knows the noise. Anyway I dont like taking her to Ford dealerships because they all suck. So I go to several mom and pops, they suck to so right now my car is at AAMCO. They seem to be taking their time doing things right but its still gonna cost upwards of 1800 to fix. Ford should really fix this problem. With the Explorer being the top selling SUV in the country you would think they would put quality parts inside it. ATTENTION everyone with an Explorer, service your vehicle two times more often than suggested or go get a Chevy.
2007Jun 20
Explorer 4DR LX 4x4 V6
- Automatic transmission
- 99,000 miles
O/D Light coming on. took to repair shop to get codes and drop the trans pan. Paid $300 for changing fluid/ filter plus new plug wires (told me that could be why it is "skipping"). O/D light still flashing on and off. Trans slips between 2nd and 3rd. I believe O/D is out? Trans shop says $2500 to fix.
2005Oct 20
Explorer Eddie Bauer V6
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
The O/D light started flashing until the engine was restarted and once in a while the engine would rev between gears without engaging. Several times after backing up it would not go into gear and would just rev up and go nowhere. The transmission shop said that sometimes it only costs 600 or so if you take it in early enough but the bill was close to 3000 because the thing ground itself to pieces quickly once it started downhill. The transmission guy said there is a kit upgrade that has much better quality hydraulic parts that will last longer, but no one tells you about this until it costs you 3000 for a complete rebuild. He went on to say that he gets a lot of Rangers and Explorers in with this problem. The torque converter ate itself 30K miles later and cost 1800 even with a 30% discount, what a piece of junk.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Feb 11
Explorer 4DR XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
HI, I BOUGHT A 2000 EXPLORER FROM A PRIVATE SELLER SINCE MY WIFE NEED NEW CAR. I PAID $4500 FOR THIS TRUCK AND THE MAN SAID IT DRIVES GOOD SO I TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE AND EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE OKAY. I PAID FOR THE TRUCK AND MY WIFE WAS SO EXCITED CAUSE IT LOOKS SO NICE AFTER DRIVING FOR 20 MINS. IN THE FREEWAY THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT START FLASHING BUT THE TRUCK SEEMS TO DRIVE FINE. BUT I WAS TRYING TO PUSH THE SWITCH NOTHING HAPPEN SO BEFORE I WENT HOME I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP AND HAD IT CHECK OUT, THEY TEST DRIVE THE TRUCK AND BROUGHT IT BACK AND HOOK IT UP ON A SCANNER CODE THEY FOUND WAS #2 AND #5 GEAR INCORRECT RATIO. AFTER THAT THEY SAID THEY WOULD NEED TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION FOR $1800. THIS HAPPEN ALL IN ONE DAY OF BUYING THE TRUCK. I KNOW IM NOT GETTING MY MONEY BACK CAUSE IT WAS A PRIVATE SELLER. NOW IM STUCK WITH THIS TRUCK AND NEED TO COME UP WITH A $1800 TO GET IT FIX. THEY SAID IF I KEEP ON DRIVING IT THIS WAY I MAY DAMAGE SOME MORE STUFF INSIDE THE TRANS. I HOPE THAT FORD WOULD COME UP WITH A SOLUTION FOR THIS. CAUSE I OWN A 99 F-150 EXT. CAB 4X4 OFF ROAD AND IM GETTING MY TRANSMISSION TUNE UP REAL GOOD BECAUSE OF THIS F!@@##$ PROBLEM ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION. I USED TO LOVE FORD, I GREW UP AROUND THEM CAUSE MY DAD ALWAYS OWNED FORD'S. BUT NOW, I HOPE KARMA WOULD TAKE CARE OF THEM.........WHAT GOES AROUND, COMES AROUND. BELIEVE THAT!!!!!
2007Jan 01
Explorer Sport 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 108,000 miles
It began with the transmission slipping between first and second gear. The tachometer would shoot up until it caught 2nd gear. This happened a few times, so I took it in for service. They ran fresh transmission fluid through it and replaced the previous fluid and put some expander on the O-rings. It fixed the problem for awhile, but then the problem returned after less than 750 miles. I finally got it in for service this winter and finding parts for it was awful. It was estimated to take a week, but a sensor that needed to be replaced could not be found anywhere and took an additional week. I'm two weeks into the repair, and it's estimated that it will be finished in another day. Hopefully everything goes well and its fixed. I've always driven conservatively and never ran it hard, but after seeing all the other complaints, I now know that this one isn't user error. It's the product of cheap parts on Ford's behalf. I see a class action suit coming in the near future.
2007May 22
(reported on)Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 54,700 miles
I purchased this piece of crap 4 years ago. I put 36k miles on it. Changed the oil regularly, had a tune up, took very good care of this car. At only 55,000 miles the transmission started to go. At first we thought it just needed a tune up. Nope. It started to slip while going into third gear and only when going into third gear. We had a tune up. No such luck. So we took it to a local mechanic who knew the second he drove the truck that the transmission was going. Oh... did I mention that he had 4 other Ford Explorers in the lot with the same problem!!! anyone see a pattern? As much as I know that complaining to the source won't do me any good, I did anyway, and you should too!!!! I will never buy or recommend a Ford.
2007Nov 21
Explorer V6
- Automatic transmission
- 136,842 miles
I purchased my first new car ever in 2000, a Ford Explorer. First thing, the tires were recalled and my local dealer kept putting me off on replacing them until the time had expired and then said I had to pay for them. I went elsewhere and bought tires. Next, between 45-48 thousand miles, the Overdrive light would flash on then go off for no reason. Dealer couldn't figure out why. Eventually, the transmission failed. No longer covered by Ford warranty. Luckily I had an extended warranty through my insurance company so the new transmission only cost me $1,000. Next it would stall out or not start, was told it was everything from a gas cap not on tight to a sensor in the engine. Had numerous "repairs" done at a number of places in town, none of them quite got it running right. Next took it to the local high school auto shop, figuring how much damage can teenagers do, it's already a piece of crap vehicle. They replaced tons of stuff under the hood, showed me bare wires where I was on the edge of an engine fire due to crappy parts and using plastic parts against metal parts (supposedly a cheap Ford trick for built-in repairs for the life of the vehicle). The high school only charged me for parts, no labor, good thing, it took them a full week of fixing one thing after another until they got it running right. Ran good for awhile, then the check engine light came on, took it back to the high school, it was the transmission, they don't do transmissions. That was around 120,000 miles and my thought was, this vehicle is already on its second transmission and it's never been worked hard or had to tow anything, this is ridiculous. So I figured I'd just drive it until it died because I wasn't putting another cent into it. Well, it's now over 130,000 miles and it's dying more than it is running, so I have it at Ford now to make sure it's the transmission, before I trade it in for a foreign SUV. I want to make sure I'm able to tell the poor person that gets this, everything that's wrong with it. Class action lawsuit, oh yeah, sign me up, I know there's a paper trail on these transmissions from all the mechanics I've spoken to over the years, we just need someone to get the ball rolling.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2007Nov 04
(reported on)Explorer XLT 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
We are going through the beginning stages of the same problem that most people are having. It started out with the transmission slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear...its getting worse by the day. I told my wife that the o/d light would start flashing and sure enough this is happening. I hope that enough momentum will build up and Ford will take responsibility for this problem
2007Aug 26
(reported on)Explorer XLE V6
- Automatic transmission
- 87,450 miles
The second gear went out on me with only 87xxx miles on the Exporer. I am not hard on the transmission and before I get it paid off the transmission screws up.
2007Aug 16
(reported on)Explorer LX V6
- Automatic transmission
- 117,000 miles
I RECENTLY BOUGHT A 2000 FORD, I MADE THE FIRST PAYMENT ON IT WHEN THE TRANSMISSION STARTED SLIPPING, I HAD A POWER TRAIN WARRANTY ON IT, BUT IT HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP FOR 2 WEEKS, EVERYDAY THEY TELL ME THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE WRONG AND IT WILL BE MORE TIME. THEY HAVE REPLACED SLIP PLATES, MODULE, BODY VALVE, GASKETS, AND IT STILL SLIPS IN FOURTH, I AM NEVER GONNA GET THIS CAR BACK, I THOUGHT I GOT A GOOD DEAL BUT WHAT I GOT WAS A PAIN IN THE @#$. FORD TOUGH, MY @#$. FOUND ON ROAD DEAD MORE LIKE IT, NEXT TIME I WILL BUY A TOYOTA.
2007Jun 26
(reported on)Explorer XLT 6 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
yesterday i dropped my child off at day camp and returned home. ten miles tops. garaged the car as usual. left out again 4 hours later to pick my child up. i got off the freeway within a mile of the camp, stopping at a red light. the light turned green, i pressed on the gas pedal and my explorer with 80k miles on it said, "you talkin' to me?!" then lurched forward. then i thought i was hearing noises of the car in the next lane (poor guy), but as i made the final turn toward the parking lot i discovered it was coming from my 2000 explorer xlt. what the......? i rolled in slowly and picked the first spot i could find to back into (i felt a tow coming on). i stopped my car, put 'er in reverse, gave 'er a little gas, and she replied, "no you didn't just try to make me back this thing up!" and refused to budge. i put my ford into park and then back into reverse to try again. this time she went back but not without resistance. a sick feeling came over me. i went inside and made 3 calls: aaa for a tow, a tranny shop for their address and a heads up, and a ride to get us back home. the hurting thing is that i took such good care of this car and like other folks my extended warranty recently expired. no recalls and no recourse with ford or my trusty dealership that did all my maintenance work--up until now. and i just got back a week ago from an 800+ mile road trip in unfamiliar territory. thank the LORD we were in town when this happened! i feel now that i'm caught between a rock and a hard place because i can't afford another car now but i'm sure i won't be able to swing another repair of this magnitude anytime soon. this car was well maintained, garaged, and low miles for a seven year old car. and let's not forget it's supposed to be FORD TOUGH, right? it's more like: got a FORD? TOUGH (LUCK)! this is the third time i've bought "american"--a plymouth, a mercury, and this ford-- and it will probablly be my last. can you say t. o. y. o. t. a.?
2007May 03
(reported on)Explorer XLS 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 57,000 miles
Transmission slipping going into 3rd gear. Was hoping for something simple, but my jaw dropped when Ford told me I needed either a factory rebuilt transmission at about $3000 or have my existing transmission rebuilt for about $2800. And they charged me $166 just to tell me this.
The only reason I went to the dealer and agreed to the diagnositic charge was that the "service advisor" told me that sometimes Ford will help with major repairs even if you're out of warranty. Certainly, I thought to myself, if the transmission is shot at this low milage, Ford will kick in. Nope. Even though I bought the vehicle new from this dealership and had most of my maintenance done there (including transmission at 28K miles), they refused any assistance whatsoever.
I haven't had it fixed yet but I definitely will never give Ford another penny.
I noticed the 2002 model year has many many more transmission failure complaints than the 2000 model year. Somehow I suspect its the same (or very similar) transmission.
2007Jan 18
(reported on)Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
We bought this 2000 Ford Explorer with 56,000 miles & got a good deal (or so we thought) after pulling a trailer 600 miles the valve body gasket let go. Fortunately our son was taking an automotive technician program at the time so we only had to buy the gaskets and fluid. The labor was free. now at 99,000 miles it is acting up again. I thought that the gasket was letting go for a second time, until my wife found this site. Also I just put almost $1000 worth of repairs into the front end as well!! Found On Road Dead? I think not... more like F**ked Over Road Disaster! I'm trading it in for a Dodge!
2007Jan 08
(reported on)Explorer LX 6.0
- Automatic transmission
- 95,000 miles
My 2000 ford explorer engine started slipping at 25mph. It had 95,000 miles, cost me 1,500 for a used transmission with a 1 year warranty. I swear I'm driving this truck to the ground.
2006Dec 06
(reported on)Explorer XLS 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 64,000 miles
It was completely unbelievable for me that the transmission on my shiny, fairly new Ford Explorer would completely give out with just a little over 60,000 miles on it. This car was only three years old (in 2003) when the transmission went out on it.
The first symptom was that the car wouldn't catch into certain gears, but eventually it became all but undriveable. Took it to a national transmission repair shop, and they fixed it for $2,300 with a two year transmission thrown in.
A year and half later (in 2005), the transmission went out a second time, and a local branch of the same national transmission shop rebuilt the transmission again.
The worksmanship and quality of a Ford Explorer transmission is deplorable, truly. After some searching on the internet, and speaking to the mechanics, apparently Ford decided to cut costs and use an undersized transmission in this model. I would have never purchased this car knowing this information.
2006Dec 05
(reported on)Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 96,000 miles
There was no warnings what so ever, Also the vehicle has been well maintained. One day the overdrive light started flickering and transmission slipping at 25 mph. Took it to the dealer where I purchased and was told I could get an "overhaul" or a "Ford rebuilt" transmission for almost the same money, only difference was the warranty. Horrible problem!!!
2006Nov 23
(reported on)Explorer XLT 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 61,000 miles
Transmission start slipping while coming home from a road trip, and by the time I made it home, the tranny was all but gone. I only had 61,000 miles on the clock, and had two transmission services that was by the book since new, and the damn thing failed 3 months after the warranty ran out!!
I went with an aftermarket company that had a 5 year / 60,000 warranty, and not another Ford tranny. The company that installed the new tranny says that they beef up their transmissions better than Ford and that is why they can offer a better warranty.
2005Apr 22
(reported on)Explorer XLS
- 58,500 miles
I have a 2000 Ford Explorer and the transmission went out before 60,000 miles! I had been hearing that around 60K miles you could expect transmission problems, but I didn't think it was actually true. There is obviously a defect with the transmission to which the repair should be included in a recall.
We have partnered with JustAnswer to offer online auto repair help and advice from expert professional automotive technicians. You describe your transmission problem or ask your question and they try to help you figure it out. The fee is typically $9 to $15, but you can offer to pay more for really tough questions. You will usually receive an answer in 10 minutes or less, and you do not have to pay anything unless you accept the answer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Sep 13
Explorer V6
The OD light started flashing and the transmission started slipping. I had my five year old daughter in the car and she was terrified. I did make it home and my husband looked at this and could not find the transmission dip stick. We checked the manual and found there is no dip stick. My husband and a mechanic friend of his said they had NEVER heard of such and it must be another way for Ford to get these vehicles back into the dealership for service. I have been the main driver of this vehicle and have enjoying driving it but now I just want to get rid of it and NEVER buy Ford again. The vehicle has 86,000 miles and a transmission should last a lot longer than this.
Paula E.
Brentwood, TN, USA
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