8.7
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$1,192.00
Average Mileage:
83,127 miles
Total Complaints:
11 complaints
Most common solutions:
- 3rd party repair, no way i'm giving dealer more money (7 reports)
- dealer replaced all the bearings (2 reports)
- not sure (1 reports)
- replaced all 4 wheel bearings and brakes (1 reports)
wheels / hubs problem
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.
Helpful Websites About 2003 Ford Explorer all wheel bearings failed
2007Feb 20
Explorer XLT 4.0L Sohc
- Automatic transmission
- 160,000 miles
OH MY GOODNESS!! THIS NOISE IS ABOUT TO DRIVE ME INSANE. I GET OFF THE GAS CONSTANTLY TRYING TO STOP THE HUMMING NOISE COMING FROM MY REAR END. THIS IS THE SECOND EXPLORER I'VE OWNED AND I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER ONE BECAUSE THEY BOTH HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THE REAR ENDS. THE NOISE WILL DRIVE YOU CRAZY! WE REPLACED FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS AND ONE ON THE REAR BUT THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. FORD YOU'RE JUST NOT DOING A GOOD JOB!!!! I USE TO LOVE U, BUT NOT ANYMORE.
2008Oct 21
Explorer XLS 4.0L L6
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
Just another in my ongoing series of horror stories with this miserable vehicle. Ford sucks... and they know it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Apr 17
Explorer XLS V6
- Automatic transmission
- 67,000 miles
The front and rear wheel bearings failed on my 2003 Ford Explorer all at once. The vehicle is driven to and from work on paved payment with no off-roading. The wheel bearings should not fail at 67,000 miles. I have owned 2 other cars with higher mileage and this never even came up as a possibility. Ford pointed out the problem, but failed to admit it was a design flaw. I asked how many have they replaced around that mileage and they said a lot. I wonder how many Toyota's, Nissan's, and other foreign companies have this problem? I can't seem to find 100 (if not 1000's) of complaints on them, yet, I find them on the Exporer!
I am saddened to say I am no longer buying American. Start making a better product to show you need to make $65 an hour. The only accountability being shown towards this company is it's low stock price and decline in auto sales. Too bad they didn't fix problems like this before people started buying foreign cars.
My advice to future owners. Please do not waste your money. Take it from other people who lost theirs to help you know enough about this vehicle to not waste yours.
2009Mar 01
Explorer 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 62,000 miles
I had to replace all 4 wheel bearings after 62,000 miles. It seemed like such a coincidence that at first I thought the mechanic was trying to pull one over on me until he showed me them one at a time.
It's like Ford put toy bearings on the truck. They look totally undersized for the job. No wonder they failed. The last few miles driven in the Explorer sounded like an airplane taking off, with the wailing and droning sounds especially loud in the front end.
What the hell is Ford thinking---there is no chance anyone who goes through this after just 62,000 miles will ever buy a Ford product again. These are expensive, time consuming, and safety issues. Ford is so shortsighted its unfathomable. My Explorer has been, by far, the most expensive car to maintain I have ever had.
2009Mar 03
Explorer 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
Oh my god! I can't believe the pile of identical problems at the same mileage.
The humming inside my truck is deafening! Sure enough, both rear and the right front bearings are bad. Only 75,000 miles-ridiculous. $650 for both the rear, $500 for the right front due to an ABS connection. From what I read, the other front will go soon.
Oh yeah, pinion seal leaks and the driver's door proximity switch doesn't work (dome light stays on, door locks don't work with the key out). Pull the bulb or you'll have a dead battery some day.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2007Sep 07
Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 78,000 miles
Ok So I bought my 03 explorer in 2004 with 12000 miles on it. It was a gem. At about 65 thousand miles i started noticing a noise that I thought were my tires. So I talked to my tire guy and got "the best tires you can buy" from him. Well that didn't fix the problem. So I go to ford and tell them whats going on. they tested it, said they didn't hear it. I got more specific with it said it happened between 59 and 74 mph. They said they didn't hear it. Well I had them take apart the bearings "CUZ EVEN I KNEW THATS WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS". Well they replaced the front bearings for me for merely 850 dollars. I then drove to NYC to a Yankee game with some clients of mine. Got on the hwy and THE NOISE WAS STILL THERE. an embarrassing drive for me 3 hours of hell each way. Needless to say my clients weren't happy and neither was i. I got on the phone immediately with ford and said WTF, nothing is fixed. I brought it back to them, to have them tell me that the front need replacing another 850 and the car sounds normal. Now 22000 miles later ITS HAPPENING AGAIN. IM SO FREAKING PISSED about htis car, and nobody will buy it cuz of the noise. Thanks ford YOU BLOW
2008Mar 12
Explorer XLT 4.1L
- Automatic transmission
- 70,394 miles
First off...as I looked at the complaints I noticed a majority were American cars and coming from Detroit...I laugh when people bitch about loosing their jobs in automotive...what do they expect when they produce crap. Front and rear wheel bearing shot at 65K miles and finally fixed the front ones at a cost of $750 bucks. The rear ones are next on the agenda...I will never, ever buy a Ford again...their cars suck and so does their football team...both Ford products...but what would you expect in the way of quality...they reward the Lion's President Matt ' I Haven't got a Clue" Millen with another 5 year contract for having the worst record in Football in his first 5 years, so why would they make a better decision when producing cars? I worked at Ford for a while and I have never seen such incompetence in my entire life. And their company worth is reflected in their stock price...in the toilet. The best thing that could happen to America is they go out of business so they can't peddle their crap...and did I mention the paint flying off my hood because the bozo's don't know how to prep galvanized steel before painting...oh yeah...and the air conditioning compressor went out after 3 years of owning it and I lived in Michigan at the time...where the weather sucks as bad as the auto manufactures do...This is the same company that killed their customers with bad tires and covered it up (and I was a cop and worked a fatality of an 18 year old girl that was killed in a rollover, tire failure accident and comforted her while she lay dying in a flipped over Explorer) and they killed cops when their cars blew up from being rear ended (while other manufactures cop cars weren't) and covered it up...this company should be in front of Congress and then closed down for it's shoddy workmanship and leadership.
2007Oct 25
Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 91,000 miles
OK, had 3 bearings go bad this time after already replacing one at 50k. Dealer again indicates this is no big deal and typical wear and tear. When asked if at least we're replacing the remaining 3, they admit one of the failures is a repeat of the one that went at 50k. Totally ridiculous.
2007May 23
(reported on)Explorer LX 4.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
Just put Explorer in the shop, for a noise in the front end, found that both the front wheel bearing were bad, back in February had it in the shop to replace both back wheel bearings, the mechanic told me the front needed replacing also, I told him he was full of crap because there is no way all 4 wheel bearings could fail at one time. Now guess what, 3 months later I am replacing both the front wheel bearing, at my expense.
What are the odds of all 4 wheel bearings failing on a "QUALITY" vehicle. Ford tells me I have to pay for repairs, $500, seems like there is a problem with the wheel bearings, I would understand if I was driving through water and mud, but that is not the case. A poor product and Ford should stand behind their product, but in this case they do not.
"Ford Quality"--hardly the case.
"Ford, a better idea"--Hardly the case.
2003Apr 01
Explorer ES
- Automatic transmission
- 50,000 miles
For the first three years I had to complain and complain to the dealer about the "roar"
in the rear and they finally admitted that they got a bad batch of bearings and they ended up replacing "every" bearing in the vehicle, one complaint at a time. I won't buy
another Ford.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Aug 27
Explorer XLT V6
First my front bearing went, then i'm driving down the road and th erear bearing went. Ridiculous. So many people are having problems and ford is allowed to just keep collecting money from people who can't afford to keep replacing these piece of crap parts.
Joshua S.
North East, PA, USA
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