9.2
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$2,886.00
Average Mileage:
80,025 miles
Total Complaints:
278 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replaced with rebuilt transmission (77 reports)
- call Ford customer service and complain 800-392-3673 (58 reports)
- replace transmission (45 reports)
- transmission needs to be recalled (37 reports)
- not sure (27 reports)
- local mechanic fixed, not giving dealer any more business (16 reports)
transmission problem
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.
Helpful Websites About 2002 Ford Explorer transmission failure
2009Dec 21
Explorer XLT V8
- Automatic transmission
- 102,000 miles
Ford needs to recall this Transmisson. i have nothing else to say about it, I'm sick and heart broken over this :(
1920Jan 05
Explorer LS V6
- Automatic transmission
- 99,000 miles
Much the same as others. O/D light blinking, loss drive train power......Per Mr. Transmission:Overdrive ring failed resulting in the loose parts destroying the rest of the transmission....This has to be a design/ engineering fault by Ford. Who's handling the class action?
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Dec 18
Explorer 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 57,000 miles
transmission failed at 57000 miles, never towed a thing! on the phone with ford right now listeIng to how they do not care. The delership is a complete rip off. they wanted $400 to fix brakes that had already been replaced 5000 miles before with new pads, they just "stumbled upon this brake wear issue" during one of their "inspections" the dealerships near military installtions try and rip off soldiers WAY TO GO FORD!
2009Nov 27
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 168,000 miles
I bough my 2002 Explorer a year ago.. never had a problem with it.. until black Friday.. yea that is right.. i have 2 kids i love dearly and on my way xmas shopping for them and my family.. what do u know. my o/d light started blinking a bout 5 mile after i left my house... then it stopped shifting and kept jumping into natural.. as we got further down the road it wouldn't go at all had to have my dad come tow me home.. now i am having to take xmas money and buy a new transmission and have it put in.. looks like xmas this year for a single hard working mom with 2 kids wont be as great as i thought.. Also the person that i am having change the transmission says it looks like this is not the 1st time that transmission has been changed in this car..
2007Aug 10
Explorer XLT 4.6L
- Automatic transmission
- 55,000 miles
the usual transmission failure starting with loss of third gear then the o/d light blinking
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Nov 11
Explorer EB V8
- Automatic transmission
- 123,000 miles
My Daughters dream car just had to be a 2002 FORD Exploder! I have been a FORD fan (owned a '68 Ford Van, '76 Mustang Cobra, '91 Explorer, '98 Expedition, '01 Excursion)...and now an '02 Explorer. Ford Company, this is the last time I will visit your car lot or service group. It's absolutely shameful that you know of big serious dangerous and expensive problems like the 2002 transmission on the FORD Explorer...and your dealership allowed my 18 year old daughter to drive it off the lot. My daughter (I co-signed the loan) saved for a down payment & insurance...had a picture out of a magazine on her desk. Eddie Bauer, loaded, sleek looking, comfortable, sounds good...but you knew that the transmission would probably break real soon (I see many complaints posted with similar issues). She's had it 4 months...only 4 months! Sure as heck, 2nd gear is gone and it shifts like a kick in the ass going into od. Catastrophic failure...codes PO733 & PO745...and according to the hundreds of inquiries I have performed over the last week, the only real fix is a rebuilt transmission at over 4000 dollars. Any attempt to do the individual part replacement will only prolong the next portion of the degrading transmission's failure...next week or 3 months down the road. And, the new tranny probably won't make it past 80,000 miles...what kind of product is this? I can't let my daughter pull out into traffic with that uncertainty in the drive train. I'll pay the bill (at a local shop) because that's what dads do when needed. FORD has lost my future business...and I'm sure my kids won't step foot on your car lots either.
2006Apr 16
Explorer XLT 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
when we first test drove the explorer we noticed the shifting was harsh and mentioned to the sales rep. that if we were to buy the truck the transmission needed to be fixed or replaced he told us he would get it in their shop and see about it. A couple of days later we were looking at a Durango and i received a call from the ford dealership they said that was normal for that transmission and there were no problems with so we went and with it and it was the worst choice of my damn life that truck has been nothing but a pile of sh*t since the first month we owned it. Now we are out of a vehicle and my wife is a rural mail carrier and is having to depend on my family or hers to supply a vehicle to us when she works until we can afford an expensive piece of sh*t transmission that ford apparently didn't pay attention as to what the hell they were doing. Bottom line I will never give ford another red penny from my damn pocket but of course they already have all of them.
2008Dec 15
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
This car should be called the Ford ExploDer! This car has horrible transmission problems. the car makes clanking noises when shifting gears. I am Never buying a ford ever again! I had to get the transmission fixed three times!! I have a car note on this truck.The first time I brought it to Ford's attention, my warranty had just expired the month before. They said they could not do anything to help me and that I should look at their inventory and buy another one of their cars!! Are they crazy!! why would I buy another Ford after what they did to me!!!
2009Oct 15
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 95,000 miles
Im another sad story of a 2002 Explorer.The transmission started slipping,clunking and the o/d light is flashing.Just paid this piece of junk off and now waiting to here from the dealer where we bought it for that oh familiar quote of 3000.to 4000 to fix. Transfer case of me 58000 mile F250 puked along with my ford Taurus transmission that was replaced just 2 months ago.Why cant ford build a decent transmission! My Explorer is my last Ford i will buy
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Dec 01
Explorer XLS 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
I have read thousands of complaints about this issue and did some investigation. I called Fords main office and gave the lady on the phone my information. I asked about issuing a recall and she told me that I needed to go through National Traffic and Safety Administration to file a complaint. If anyone wants this issue to become a recall, I urge you to call Fords head office (800-392-3673), and then go to http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/index.cfm and fill out the online form. it takes about 10 minutes.
2009May 01
Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
Can't believe that Ford has had thousands of complaints about this problem and hasn't taken an action to make owners whole
2006May 08
Explorer Sport
- Automatic transmission
- 45,000 miles
I don't think I can add much more to the words already posted about the 2002 Explorer. The transmission was replaced at 45,000 miles and had a 2 year warranty but of course it expired just before the transmission went out AGAIN! This time I have an estimate of approximately $2400.00, or $2650.00 will include a one year warranty, to get the transmission repaired. Overall I'm very disappointed in the quality of the Ford Motor Company. At 90,000 miles now, the truck should have a lot of life left and should be recalled. I am leary about purchasing another Ford at all at this point.
2009Aug 29
Explorer 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 77,000 miles
same as everybody else. I was driving down interstate and o/d light started to blink. I stopped cut ignition off and started again.Transmission started to slip until I would have to pull over several times and cut car off and restart. It was a terrible experiance being that I was alone and several miles from home. I managed to make it home but have not attempted to move it since.From the looks of this site I will not be able to financially be able to move it for a while.If anyone comes up with a way we can get ford to make this right count me in!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Jan 15
Explorer EB Limited 4.6L V8
- Automatic transmission
- 110,000 miles
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 rethreader 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.
2008Apr 02
Explorer XLS 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
What a crappy product. Absolutely hate this car and Ford altogether. Never will buy Ford!!! Tried to support the economy and bought American, WTF! I wish I've seen this page before I bought this crap. Like all the other hundreds and thousands of unlucky Explorer owners, my transmission has problems switching to 3rd gear. Will cost several thousand dollars. Have been delaying the work for a year. One day, I guess I might just die on the road. But what can i do until I have extra thousands to spare? Seeing this many number of complaints, Ford should really consider recalling/exchanging. Surprised that no one started a legal complaint. Wish I knew anything about law.
2009Jun 14
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 61,116 miles
My brother in law has the same car and has had the same exact problem, now researching it there are hundreds of people with this problem. Obviously something is wrong with the the quality of workmanship, and Ford needs to step up and assume responsibility. I will never BUY FORD again!!!!! There is no reason a car with only 60K miles on it should need an entire transmission rebuilt or replaced!
2005Jun 01
Explorer Eddie Bauer V6
- Automatic transmission
- 70,000 miles
After replacing the transmission, luckily while under extended warranty, after 50,000 more miles the transmission has failed again. I am beyond pissed. when you pay for a vehicle you expect it to be worth the money. I can say when I trade this vehicle I will never own another Ford
2009May 27
Explorer LXT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 89,000 miles
This transmission should be recalled - this is the second time it has failed (first at 58,000 miles). Ford will never get any of our money ever again....FYI, my husband has owned Ford trucks since 1975. Ford's CEO was on NBC's Today show this morning praising the company and crediting Ford's success to the 'quality of the vehicles it builds'. As a long time customer this is my analysis of their 'success: Ford profits by putting cheap, poorly manufactured, outsourced parts in their vehicles, and then walking away from their product. Their dealerships profit from selling, repairing and replacing these less than industry standard parts. The hard working American customer is left footing the bill. FYI, in addition to the transmission we have replaced all 4 wheel bearings, CV joints, rear differential and oh yes.......the gearshift lever snapped off in my hand. Ford.......is this what you are calling a 'quality product'?
2007Dec 11
Explorer LXT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 58,000 miles
Never buy a Ford....ever, unless you want to be stuck with a piece of junk that will fail as soon as warranty has expired. At 58,000 miles the transmission on my 2002 explorer failed (hard upshifts, hesitation-particularly when shifting into reverse, slippage, have to let foot off gas to make it shift into third....then total failure, unable to shift into any gear). Cost $1700 to replace the third band. Two years and 30,000 miles later........transmission has failed again (same symptoms with O/D light flickering on/off)........this time we have to replace the third band and the servo. Despite same symptoms leading up to failure, dealer says it is a 'different' problem. Ford will not do anything b/c it is out of warranty. Dealer finally said they would take $200 off the 2nd repair costs....come to find out they took this from the mechanic's paycheck! FYI, between 58,000 and 80,000 miles we have also replaced all 4 wheel bearings, CV joints, the gearshift lever snapped off ($800 to replace the entire steering column) and the rear differential (as well as numerous other drivetrain parts that I cannot name). Ford is making money by using cheap, sub standard parts from China, and then refusing to take responsibility for parts that do not conform to industry standards. Dealers are making profiting from selling and repairing these sub standard vehicles. My father owns a Toyota Celica with 250,000 miles...he has only had to replace the brakes & tires (ever!)....this is a truly American car, made to the standards we expect, with parts actually made in America. Please forgive me, if as an American consumer , if I say that Ford no longer deserves the name 'American Pride'....we can officially confer that honor to Toyota and Honda.
2007Jul 19
Explorer Eddie Bauer
- Automatic transmission
- 55,000 miles
What a horrible experience. I have only driven Toyotas. My wife wanted a Ford Explorer. She is driving it, not me, so we purchase a new 2002 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer edition. I purchase the extended warranty, because I want to be safe, not sorry and in the back of my mind, it is a Ford. The transmission completely fails in July, 2007 at 55,000 miles and 2 months after my extended warranty expires. Ford says, too bad, so sorry. We paid $3,600 for a rebuilt trans. It just failed again on June 7th, 2009. I think I have at least a 2 year warranty from the dealer on this, so they will be seeing my very angry face tomorrow. So sorry we purchased this vehicle. NEVER again!!!!
2009Jun 01
Explorer Eddie Bauer
- Automatic transmission
- 76,000 miles
Add me to the list of unhappy 2002 Explorer owners. Bought the car for my son 1 year ago. As a new driver, I wanted to put him in a bigger, more reliable car for safety. Needless to say, he comes home yesterday and says his transmission light is on. Took it to a local mechanic whom I trust (those are hard to find these days) who told me the transmission is shot and needs to be replaced at a cost of $2700. So we decide we aren't going to put the money into the piece of crap car, so we go to look at buying a replacement car thinking we may be able to trade this one in. Our BEST trade-in offer...$800. Hell, the tires are worth more than that. And they wonder why people don't buy American. I have a 2000 Lexus that I just rolled 120000 miles on and have only had to put front and back brakes on once. Solid as a rock and expecting another 120000.
I will NEVER buy another Ford. Ford needs to man up and recall these transmissions before they find themselves in the say predicament as Chrysler and GM.
2009Apr 29
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 77,300 miles
I purchased my 2002 new. At 39900 miles May of 06 the transmission went out and needed to be completely replaced. I had an extended warranty so painless for me basically. The new transmission warranty is 3 year 36,000 mile. I am within the time limit but 2,000 miles over the warranty miles and they will do nothing. The last time I checked it did not seem like normal wear and tear for the transmission to be replaced every 39,000 miles.
When I asked the Ford service jerk, all he said is these things happen and my car is at the end of its life. Really! I guess so if you drive a Ford. I will not accept this kind of service. If I have to go to court, these idiots will do their part in getting my car back on the road. The bummer is I really love my car. I am not asking for something for nothing and I just do not see how Ford and their dealers can turn away when there are so many problems. From day one I have taken my car to the dealer for service and have taken good care of my car. This is bull!!!
Please people we must do something. We can not let them get away with this. My next car will be a Honda.
2008Aug 03
Explorer Eddie Bauer 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 140,000 miles
First off, let me start by saying that from what I've learned after researching the problem that i'm one of the "lucky" ones simply because I was able to get 140,000 miles before having any trouble. So I'm told. BUT! the fact remains I just finished paying the car off and this happens.Well I guess I should say what "this" is. Transmission failure, surprised so was I. I'm a truckdriver by trade was on a 2 day turn in Jacksonville,Fl. when my wife called me and said the car is acting funny. Me being the typical man asked the dumb question; what did you do? and she says "i did nothing" (to put it nicely).So I told her to described what it was doing, and she said that it would not change gears, the O/D light was blinking on and off,and there was a really hard knock when she put it in gear. So I cut my trip short to come home and try and take care of the problem. When I got in the next day I called my local Aamco shop, we said our hello's, and he said "what can Ido for you". I said "I got an '02 explorer", and before I could say anything else he started describing the symptoms to a "T", and I was like so you've heard this before. His next question was; how many miles? I told him 140,000, he was in shock! By this time he told me he would'nt be doing his job if he did'nt have me bring it in to do a free dyno- even though he knew the problem- so I did, and low and behold there were four '02 explorers parked in the back with the same problems (miles ranging from 40,000-86,000). To make a really long story short, he said every other explorer that year has transmission problems, and the price to repair is between $2900 and $3100. So I did some research myself and that s how I came across your sight, and was literally floored at the number of problems (identical problems at that). needless to say we fixed the problem drove it for about 4 months, AND THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. This time we fixed the problem (still under warranty), and sold the damn thing. To put it in a nutshell FORD made a crappy transmission I know it, you now know it, and FORD knows it.They should be held accountable and recall every last single one until this is resolved.
2009Apr 10
Explorer Eddie Bauer V8
- Automatic transmission
- 101,000 miles
Well, they got me too... Argh! Explorer began shifting hard/soft at various times, especially between 2nd and 3rd. Also, experienced a mild shudder when pulling out from a stop and a high pitch whining noise when stopping and starting -- sounded like an electronic motor spinning up and down. I took it to Mr. Transmission and they diagnosed it for "free" and told me it would be $1500 for parts and labor to rebuild it (plus any "hard" parts that needed to be replaced). After they had it completely torn down, they called to tell me that it would be almost $3000 due to other damaged parts -- and that I could either pay them to fix it or come get my transmission in a box and have my vehicle towed. It would have been cheaper to order a remanufactured transmission (the entire transmission) from everdrive.com and pay someone to install it. Also, Mr Transmission only offers a 12 month warranty. Everdrive.com offers a 36 month warranty. I guess hindsight is blah blah blah...
2009Apr 04
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 81,203 miles
Wow if I knew what I know now about ford and their price of sh*t explorers I would've Neva even spit on that piece of sh*t my tranny went out at 82k if I didn't have an extended warranty the price to rebuild the tranny would've been $2700 I still had to pay 700$ out my pocket, that's a down payment and a couple of notes on a new ride...ford sucks ass!!! And their shitting on the small people aka uneducated consumer
2003Nov 18
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 0 miles
This transmission was taken in for repairs several times. They refused to find any problems the first 2 visits. The car would accelerate and take off by itself, jerk, slow down when you are trying to accelerate and it makes clunking noises. The final results, I stepped out of this car to put a 4 year old in his car seat, and the transmission engaged itself in reverse. The door knocked me down and the tire ran up over my pelvis. I've been in rehab, and with several doctors dealing with permanent nerve damage to my left leg for 6 years now. BE CAREFUL! Turn it off before stepping out of this car.
2009Mar 30
Explorer XLT 4WD 4.0L V6 Sohc
- Automatic transmission
- 64,000 miles
Adding this to the transmission section but basically front axle differential went in the poop bucket way before its time but well after warranty. Pinion/bearings most likely, and lots of metal in the differential. I had to stick a magnet in since it didn't have the magnetic cap. Looks pretty common for Ford. I barely used the 4WD and owned it since new. To boot, I have already had to complain about several of their service shops... changing the tires the batteries and doing other maintenance that was not required while I was deployed. Since my wife doesn't know much about vehicles she would tell me about it afterward and I was powerless to do anything about it from overseas.
2009Mar 16
Explorer XLT 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 71,000 miles
I bought this stupid crappy exploder in may of 2008, immediately had the rear differential/bearings replaced ($1500.00 of which the warranty covered $500) and this month after only owning the used truck for 10 months and 71,000 miles on it the transmission goes out. I had NO WARNING. The O/D light went on as the transmission went out. I have a 7 year child and I could have been stranded with this lunk of junk. I took this truck to a trusted mechanic before purchasing the truck and the transmission was checked on the machine and there was no indication that the transmission would go out. I want Ford sued as this is clearly screaming for a recall and compensation. As a single mother I have put $3,500 additional dollars into this truck and there is still something wrong with it. It stalls sometimes when putting it into drive. Who knows what that will lead to. I am driving it into the Mississippi River! I hate this truck.
2009Jan 18
Explorer 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 64,000 miles
Purchased the vehicle new 8/02 and by 1/03 started hearing a rattling noise. Took vehicle to Rice & Holdup, NJ(dealer) 3 times before someone found(or would acknowledge) the problem - the transmissions. Did some repair and vehicle seemed fine. Now 1/09, only 64,000 miles on it, warranty expired 8/08 and the transmission is totally shot - it just died - and they tell me there is something wrong with the rear but it can't be checked since the vehicle can't be driven. Rice & Holdup, NJ gave a price of $3550 to fix the transmission and at first offered nothing for our troubles and then came back with a crappy offer of 10% off - and the $3550 doesn't include whatever is wrong with the rear. Emailed Ford customer service and got the same "sorry, your warranty expired - nothing we can do" bull. Ford has to be taken to court!!! I cannot believe all the people having the same problem. It was obviously a defect and Ford needs to pay up - I don't care if they go out of business paying everyone back. They are a bunch of @#s%a#@s!!! Took the junk pile to a private shop to be repaired - don't know what the charge is yet but Ford will never see another dime of my money.
2009Mar 06
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
Took my dads explorer on a little 2 hour trip skiing...car full of friends, boards, skis, and bags...halfway there white smoke begins cloud from behind the truck like its Nascar or something...get out as huge tractor trailers fly by to take a look under the truck to see tranny fluid spilling from the housing...an hour later I'm sittin in a ford dealer in the middle of no where instead of riding a ski lift....thanks ford for your incredibly reliable vehicle...there truly needs to be a recall on this!!! just think of all the people that own this truck and have not posted on here!!!! I love the truck and so does my dad but holy crap...it shoulda came with a 4 foot bed to haul around all the problems...what a shame...all i can really say and think is WHERES THE FREAKEN RECALL!!!!!
2009Mar 05
Explorer EB 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 67,400 miles
Add me to the list of '02 Explorer blown transmission. Classic slip 1-2 shift, no 5th, clunks loud going into "R" & "D" Tranny light on, "check transmission" on in message ctr and now "service engine soon" now glowing. Last Ford I'll ever own/buy.
2008Jul 04
Explorer LX V6
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
I don't think I can add much more to the words already posted about the 2002 Explorer. Cost us just a tad over 3K to get the transmission replaced. The new transmission has a 3 year / 30K warranty but I doubt we'll own it that long. The A/C is also broken and the vents do not work properly. When rotating the vent control the air will sometimes be directed the way you want it. Overall I'm very disappointed in the quality of this vehicle. At 80K miles the truck should have a ton of life left and should not be causing so many headaches. I will not buy another Explorer and I am leary about purchasing a Ford at all at this point.
2005Apr 29
(reported on)Explorer
- 62,000 miles
I bought the 2002 Ford Explorer with 19,000 miles in 2004. I figured a fairly new car should not have any major problems except the normal wear and tear. WRONG! Within the first year of me owning this vehicle several problems occurred. Just to mention a few, the window regulator failed which caused the window not to go up in the dead of winter. The airbag light kept coming on, and finally the transmission is completely shot and needs to be replaced. Called the Ford dealership and they said "These things happen, Sorry". Called the Ford company, they said "You are not covered under warranty and we can't help you at this time, Sorry!". So what have I learned about Ford, which stands for (Found On Road Dead and Fix Or Repair Daily), Fix airbag light $50. Fix driver side window $350. Fix the transmission, $3500. Realizing that Ford makes inferior cars and you will never buy another Ford again, Priceless.
2005Apr 28
(reported on)Explorer XLT
- 65,000 miles
Ford should have a recall on this truck... maybe if we get enough people to complain about it or maybe have 20/20 do a report we all can get something back...
thank you.
2008Nov 14
Explorer V6
- Automatic transmission
- 72,000 miles
I bought the used explorer from a Ford dealer in 2006. It had 32,000 miles on it when I bought it. At 72,000 miles while going on a trip for the weekend the vehicle began revving at high RPM's before shifting into gear. I traveled approx. 5 miles to my destination and parked the vehicle for the weekend. I knew it was the transmission, but did not know how extensive it was. I could not check the transmission fluid because that year they did away with a transmission dip stick and the only way to check the transmission fluid was to crack a bolt located on the transmission housing under the vehicle. Boy ford does not make things easy to check easy things like transmission fluid any more!
I had the vehicle towed to a transmission place and they later told me the transmission was destroyed. $2,800 later (Nov. 2008) I am driving again wondering what is going to go next. Won't be buying another Ford again, probably foreign like toyota or nissan. I have only heard good things about their power trains, unlike the fords!
2009Feb 13
Explorer Limited 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 135,000 miles
i bought this nice explorer used but still in great condition so to my suprise the peace of sh*t tranny blew overdrive and reverse and i understand that it is a common problem i think it should be recalled and fixed by the ford motor company and maybe they should make something that last more than a 100000 miles.
2009Jan 01
Explorer XLT V8
- Automatic transmission
- 145,000 miles
I bought the car used and never had a moment of trouble then at around 140000 miles it started to implode, first a hub for about a thousand then almost 3000 on a transmission and the hassle of not having the car.
2008Oct 20
Explorer XLT Eddie Bauer 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
Always had Ford vehicles in the driveway...... NOT ANYMORE! I always bought American made vehicles (FORDS = 90%) and decided that this POS is going to be traded in for a Toyota. I haul my children and others in this vehicle constantly to sporting events and I'm not going to risk it anymore. This vehicle has been in the shop for numerous problems and repairs... wheel bearing failure, rear broken coil springs, valve noise, belt alignment problems, doors locking and unlocking while driving, horn blowing at 3am while trying to sleep, and many many other problems. BuhBye Ford. I'm glad none of my tax dollars went to you in a bailout!
2008Dec 19
Explorer V6
- Automatic transmission
- 167,000 miles
second transmission in 5 years. This transmission was rebuilt a few years ago because of bad servos. I was informed that the servos are bad again. I did not know that this vehicle had this much problems with the transmission.
2003Feb 01
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 1 miles
i dont have a ford or had one
but i have figured out and always heard that foreign cars are the best HONDA is bout #1 their cars last forever i have never had any probs with my Honda civic I LOVE IT
and the other best is Hyundai
and saab
but i never owned hyundai or saab
2009Jan 26
Explorer XLT
- Automatic transmission
- 79,900 miles
Another one bites the dust...My lovely 2002 explorer - paid for and only 79,000 miles is headed to the junk yard. Always maintained as recommended in manual and no warning before the transmission blew and the dealer said $4200 to replace. Not worth it. Went and bought a Honda CRV the next day. Will not ever buy ford again. Have the classic 2002 explorer that also had the rear window motor burn out and the back window hatch broke. What a piece of junk!!!!
2008Apr 17
Explorer Eddie Bauer 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 107,577 miles
My last Ford! The transmission did last over 100,000 miles but I have always taken care of my vehicle and most of the miles are light highway driving to and from work. When you buy an Eddie Bauer you are supposed to get Ford's best, something that you could keep if you wanted for several years. Now I am stuck with this vehicle with a so-called remanufactured transmission that is doing the exact same thing my old one did (slipping between 2nd and 3rd gear). What irritates me most is Fords dishonesty about the problem. I complained about the slipping right after I bought my explorer new and of course since the problem is intermittent the dealership said nothing seemed to be wrong. But they knew something was definitely wrong. Now I have the same issue with the refurbrished transmission and I'm stuck with this piece of junk. I want to trade it in but Ford is the only dealership that I would want to pass the problem off to. The problem is I am not going to but another Ford. Since they are so indifferent about a problem they know is a defect in engineering I assume they figure loosing customers is cheaper that trying to compensate for this horrific mistake. Even if they would have done something to keep the cost down would have probably kept me on but they only wanted to keep the cash flowing. My trust in Ford is gone!
2009Jan 01
Explorer XLT 4.0L 6 cyl 5a
- Automatic transmission
- 103,000 miles
Started with a slight "bumping" feeling while driving that would go away after a few minutes. Then a whining sound from the back. A few weeks later the key got stuck in the ignition, couldn't shift to park, and fluid leaking all over. Found out it was a bad TRANSFER CASE ($1,000) that caused my DIFFERENTIAL ($1,500) to fail. Had to replace both. Above costs are only for the parts,not the labor. Within the last year i have had to replace both rear WHEEL BEARINGS the DIFFERENTIAL and the TRANSFER CASE! I have always owned Ford vehicles and this is the first time I have EVER had any major problems. This tells me the quality and workmanship has gone down hill along with their business. I will NEVER buy another Ford. When I replace the Explorer and Pontiac Aztec we own I will be buying TOYOTA or NISSAN. This breaks my heart but I can not trust the US auto industry anymore. Can't afford all the problems. Why has Ford not acknowledged these problems? CALL THE FORD CUSTOMER COMPLAINT LINE! WE MUST!
2007Mar 27
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
This car is sh*t.
The transmission went out at ~75k miles. Then THREE more times in the next 25k miles. Yes, three transmission failures in 25,000 miles.
My initial failure cost about $2,800. First failure had 734 gear ratio error in fourth (3-4 flair).
One year later they replaced the valve body.
A year after that the direct clutch lip seal failed.
The O/D light flashes, the alarm is constantly going off, I drive without interior lights because they don't reliably turn off when the car is left unattended. The compass perpetually shows I'm going west.
This car is sh*t.
2008Feb 14
Explorer Limited 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 69,445 miles
At 64K I raised the issue with my Ford Dealership, they ignored it. It kept getting worse and when bringing it in for an oil change they dismissed it. Brought it to a Transmission shop to drive it and they did research and found the tech articles about it. Brought that into the Ford dealership and they stated it is out of warranty and we can do three things, sell/trade the vehicle which I own, put in a third party replacement kit (90 day warranty), or a Ford transmission with a three year warranty, chose the latter.
They had to fumble around with getting the engagement to work properly and I literally have to force the vehicle into Drive to get it to engage else sometimes it would slip into Neutral at the worst times!!! Is this SAFE, NO!!!
I just found this site and wish I would have found it earlier as I'm experiencing other issues with wheel bearings replaced and now springs/struts?? The vehicle is not used for off-road or towing...this is not acceptable and did some research and had to write today.
Everyone is griping but everyone NEEDS TO CONTACT FORD else this is on deaf ears. I wrote and others should click the Resources tab or contact them here in writing or Email. I see they did not send me a copy of my Email to them so I would save that 1000 character Email in a word processor file and also write a letter to back it up! Let's organize and get something done on all these 2002 Ford Explorer issues as I'm now 5.9K in the hole if I replace my springs/struts...this is INSANE at 78K!!!
Ford Customer Relationship Center
P.O. Box 6248
Dearborn, MI 48126
(800) 392-3673
https://secure.ford.com/footer/contact-ford/contact-us-email?contactMainTopic=VehicleServiceIssues
2006Mar 15
Explorer XLT 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 81,000 miles
We rebuild the transmission $2100.00 and replaced the front end 700.00 in 2006.
Now in Jan. 2009 we are going to replace the transmission again $2000.00 and I still owe
on the #!* thing. I think Ford needs to pay up and make it right with all the Explorer
owners.
2008Dec 18
Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 116,000 miles
The Explorer started acting unusual when trying to shift from 2nd - 3rd. I Googled the problem and found this website. After reading a few... hundred posts I realized the problem was both common and severe. I asked around and found a local mechanic who also does transmissions. He runs a smaller shop with only a couple mechanics on staff but said this was the 3rd Explorer with transmission issues in less than a month. That is saying a lot considering the town he is located is a predominately Chrysler town because of all the Chrysler and supporting factories located there and they don't see many Fords. He gave me several options including a used transmission ($1,800), a Jasper rebuilt 3 year - 36k mile($3,000), an LKQ rebuilt 3 year - 100k mile rebuilt($2,500), , and a new transmission($3,500). I chose the LKQ. The transmission is still adjusting as we drive it since we don't have 500 miles on it yet. It seems to have solved the problem although the shift from 2-3 isn't as firm as it was when the truck was new. As so many others have mentioned, let me know if there is a class action lawsuit. This transmission was obviously a design defect from the beginning and Ford continued to use it in subsequent years.
2008Dec 31
Explorer Eddie Bauer
- Automatic transmission
- 87,234 miles
There are so many of us having this same problem Ford should pay for the rebuilds. How can we make a class action suit?
2009Jan 07
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 103,000 miles
Awesome Ford exploder. Right up until the trans decided to take a crap. Started with trans od light and 4X4 light starting to flash and stay on momentarily. Then fast forward a few weeks and the trans begins making the most horrific noise when not on pressing the accelerator. Trans shop told me it will be about $3500 to repair. Blue book on the truck is $3000 bucks. I traded it off on a new one they gave me my trade in quote without even looking at the truck so tooooo bad soooooo sad FORD HAD TO EAT IT!!!!!! Anyway I now have a new truck payment that two weeks ago I wasn't even prepared for. AWESOME!!!!!!!!
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010Jan 07
Explorer Limited V8
under 50,000 three wheel bearings, cost, $197.00 a piece for the bearing, 247.00 a piece to have them installed, (have to be pressed off and on) great Ideal from ford! Fourth wheel bearing at 62,000, around the same price. I have not ever had this suv off road the only thing I have pulled with this car is my 18 foot pontoon boat, only in the spring to put it in the lake and in the fall to pull it out, what i am getting at is both rear coil springs broken! Go figure! Four wheel drive module went out, cost, $489.00 at 85,000. and now the transmission went out at 89,000, $2700.00.
Called Ford on all the problems, guess what? Nothing covered under warranty by Ford, so much for the 100,000 drive train warranty HUH? I had a 1997 Explorer put over 135,000 on it and not one problem, this 2002 has some major problems, and ford will not stand behind any of them. My first Ford was a 1959 Fairlane, I think this 2002 Explorer will be my last.
danb1950
Grandville, Michigan, USA
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