9.4
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$937.00
Average Mileage:
94,597 miles
Total Complaints:
7 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (5 reports)
- pay $2000 for a new head (2 reports)
engine problem
Helpful Websites About 2002 Ford Explorer spark plug spit out
2009Mar 06
Explorer Limited V8
- Automatic transmission
- 148,000 miles
The Ford Explorer is not what it's cracked up to be...don't buy this vehicle! The engine is defective in that the spark plugs blow out of the engine causing you to buy ignition coils that hold the spark plugs in place. I never heard of or had spark plugs blow out my engines before. All together, 5 spark plugs blew out my 2002 Ford Explorer and it cost me about $3,500 to fix! Ford should have never designed this engine to be defective so that consumers would be forced to spend more money on Ford's auto parts.
What a scam, it's a shame that Ford, an American company, does this to it's own citizens when American families are struggling to take care of their families. Of course, there will be no apology or retribution to the common citizen of the United States, therefore I urge every single American to honk their horns when they pass Ford and maybe they will recall the garbage they sold us!
2009Jan 12
Explorer 4wd Limited 4.6L V8
- Automatic transmission
- 118,134 miles
For the second time now my 02 Ford Explorer has blew a spark plug out of the head. About a year ago, the first time it happened, the dealership supposedly replaced the head with a new Ford head. I am now starting to think all they did was put in a healy coil, and charge my warranty for a new head. I have not taken it back to the dealership yet to see what they say but i will soon find out. Seeing as the vehicle no longer has its extended warranty i do not know what i am going to do.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2007Jun 25
Explorer Limited 4WD 4.6L V8
- Automatic transmission
- 91,047 miles
I'm on vacation traveling across country from California to the east coast having a great time; until my spark plug is spit out of my engine head. Total pain. I had plans in Vegas to watch some great shows. No such luck....thanks alot Ford.
2008Mar 23
Explorer Eddie Bauer V8
- Automatic transmission
- 61,000 miles
so im driving back to school from visiting my family in Arizona btw im driving to Colorado. went to get gas turned the car back on drove bout 500 ft and the engine sounded like it was going to fall out. what happened was the treads for the spark plug are pretty much gone. also btw im stuck in Las Vegas new Mexico its been 5 days and sitll not fixed ive missed a week of classes and ford will not do anything about this. they say its a common problem. AND NO RECALL!!! this is sorry for the language but f*cking insane. its this is a regular problem shouldn't there be a recall. this is my second ford product and i will never go back again cant wait till ford is out of business.
2008Mar 11
Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.6L V8
- Automatic transmission
- 86,000 miles
I am really upset that I am told by a certified mechanic that the cylinder head spark plug should never just POP out like that and the coil where you thread the spark plug into was incorrectly manufactured. Ford will NOT stand behind this with a recall and tells me too bad, so sad! It will cost me approx. $2000 to replaced the cylinder head and there is no guarantee that the the other side cylinder head will not do the same. These cars should be recalled!! The repair is very expensive leaving me with no transportation and 2 small children in school. Its not wear and tear. Its a non moving part and is FORD's Fault its happened. Stand UP and Behind your product! Bad word of mouth is the worst kind for your business.
2007Nov 24
Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.6L V8
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
My spark plug blew out on my 2002 Ford Explorer EB 4.6L V8. I replaced it and no more then 30 minutes of driving the plug blew out again. This time I do not believe I have any threads left. Doing Internet searches I found out that this is a known problem and Ford (or NHTSA) will do anything about it. This is an great example of poor customer relations and is a good example of poor management. The Ford dealer offered a $3,000 fix for this. They must be crazy. Their vehicles are becoming easier and easier to produce and becoming more and more expensive. This is unacceptable. I have been a Ford fan for almost my entire driving career - this episode is probably going to make me change my opinion of Ford and their vehicles.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Feb 13
Explorer EB Limited 4.6L V8
Problems started right away. We've owned the truck for just about 3 years now. Bought it with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty.
1. Passenger Door completely off track - wouldn't close - covered under warranty.
2. 4X4 failed. Loud creaking noises when turned on 4X4 high - covered under warranty.
3. 1st Spark plug spit out of engine - not covered under warranty. Didn't have Ford replace due to high cost - found effective spark plug re-threader kit at auto part store that worked - total cost to fix $250.
4. Wouldn't stay on - problem with the accelerator - which caused us to drive the truck like a 5 speed, with a foot on the gas and the break at the same time. Found a simple solution - banging a wrench on it worked! Something was junking up in there and needed to be pushed along - however, the shop wanted to charge me about $500 to fix!
5. 2nd Spark plug spit out of engine - not covered under warranty. Didn't have Ford replace due to high cost - found effective spark plug rethreader kit at auto part store that worked - total cost to fix $250.
6. 3rd Spark plug spit out of engine - not covered under warranty. Didn't have Ford replace due to high cost - found effective spark plug rethreader kit at auto part store that worked - total cost to fix $250.
7. 4th Spark plug spit out of engine - not covered under warranty. Didn't have Ford replace due to high cost - found effective spark plug rethreader kit at auto part store that worked - total cost to fix $250.
8. O/D Light started blinking - then trouble switching gears - then trouble going in reverse - transmission failed - not covered by warranty - total cost for a Rebuilt transmission - $1300.00
9. 5th Spark plug spit out of engine - not covered under warranty. Didn't have Ford replace due to high cost - found effective spark plug rethreader kit at auto part store that worked - total cost to fix $250.
10. Rocking noise heard after correcting 5th sparkplug incident. (Currently at 118,000 miles) Found out that Piston Arm was bent and would cost thousands to replace - so, NEW ENGINE (one with 72,000 miles) was purchased. Total cost - $1750.00 (This is currently being worked on)
Lucky for us - a very good friend is our mechanic and does the majority of the work for us - with the exception of rebuilding the tranny. He warned us at the beginning to get rid of the truck - but owing so much on it, there was no way to do so. When the tranny was going, we looked into trading it in and the most we could get was about $3000 - considering we owed $7,500 at the time - it was impossible - now, we owe about $6,200 so, it's still not an option. Hopefully with the new engine - we'll be in the clear for a while.
Brian D.
Lawrence, MA, USA
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