- September 16: Ford Mustangs Recalled Over Fractured Rear Suspension Knuckles recalls | 2 days ago
- September 7: Ford Issues Transit Steering Column Intermediate Shaft Recall recalls | 11 days ago
- September 7: Dimple Patel, 23, Charged in Fatal Ford BlueCruise Crash news | 11 days ago
- September 1: Ford Nano EcoBoost Engine Recall: Intake Valves Break recalls | 17 days ago
- August 23: Ford Bronco Sport and Maverick 12V Battery Investigation Closed investigations | 26 days ago
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.
6.7
fairly significant- Typical Repair Cost:
- $1,790
- Average Mileage:
- 106,700 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 3 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
- not sure (2 reports)
- repair/replace transmission (1 reports)
transmission problem
Helpful websites
- No one has added a helpful site for this 2003 Explorer problem yet. Be the first!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Little by little when the car automatically shifted a jolt was felt, especially when braking and the car had to go down to 1st gear. Took it to a transmission repair shop and had to uninstall, repair the transmission and install again. Mechanic said it was due to normal tear and wear.
- A K., Calexico, CA, US