CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2003 Ford Explorer one of our worst vehicles on record. "Avoid like the plague" is putting it lightly.
The 2002-2005 Explorer has a very well-established record of expensive transmission failure at under 100k miles. The Explorer has an enclosed transmission which is typically replaced with a rebuilt transmission at a cost of almost $3,000.
Another common problem for the 2002-2003 Explorer is wheel bearing failure at around 90k miles, with a typical repair bill of $500 to $1000 depending on how many wheel bearings failed.
Adding insult to injury, the 2002-2005 Explorer also has a massive problem with the rear panel cracking. While it's a minor annoyance compared to transmission failure, ironically the crack usually goes right through the Ford logo.
Well I just bought my truck (I regret it!!!) and not even 40 miles after I bought it already started to have problems with the transmission and electronics. The compass is broken and calibrating it doesn't work so every 30 secs the computer beeps! The drive home was 3 hours long so I had to turn the radio up so I wouldn't hear the darn thing!!!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Well I just bought my truck (I regret it!!!) and not even 40 miles after I bought it already started to have problems with the transmission and electronics. The compass is broken and calibrating it doesn't work so every 30 secs the computer beeps! The drive home was 3 hours long so I had to turn the radio up so I wouldn't hear the darn thing!!!
- Samuel C., Quebec, Quebec, Canada