8.1
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$870.00
Average Mileage:
443,183 miles
Total Complaints:
24 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replace wheel bearing (13 reports)
- not sure (4 reports)
- Replace wheel bearings and rims (4 reports)
- replace wheel bearings & rear axle (2 reports)
- replace all four wheels (1 reports)
wheels / hubs problem
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2011Dec 05
Explorer Eddie Bauer V6
- Automatic transmission
- 66,000 miles
Ford used light duty bearings instead of the heavy duty ones they could have installed.
Sell your Explorer now, don't wait.
2012Feb 06
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 9,000,000 miles
Took my 2004 explorer to dealership just been told my whole rear end has to be replaced and it will cost me 1,200.00. How does your whole rear end go bad on a vehicle that is hardly driven.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2011Apr 05
Explorer Limited
- Automatic transmission
- 55,000 miles
BOTH front wheel bearings went bad at 50K. Are you kidding me. When Ford came out with an assembly they said it would be more money than just a bearing and race but would last forever. RIGHT. JUNK FORD
2011Apr 06
Explorer Eddie Bower V8
- Automatic transmission
- 130,000 miles
I love my Ford Explorer, but as my husband said, "don't bring it to the dealers." He could have fixed the front wheel bearings but doesn't have the time with his work and all. So, I brought to the dealers and they screwed me by charging $750.00 for the two front wheel bearings. I should have listened to my husband, but I'll never tell him that. After reading on the web that most people paid around 300 for this type of job, I feel really screwed.
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2011Feb 07
Explorer 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 120,000 miles
So, my ABS light came on the other day - "Hmm, that's a problem", I say to myself. I love that my Explorer has automatic 4WD and anti-lock brakes - what a safe car!
Shortly afterward, I'm backing out of a parking space, and the car doesn't want to go... It feels like it's in 4WD... What? It IS in 4WD! How did that happen? I put it in neutral, and push the "Auto 4WD" button, and it comes out of 4WD, but the "4x4 High" light on the dash flashes several times... What's going on?
I bring my car to the dealer that I bought it from, and the next day the service manager calls me. the long and short of it was that I needed the drivers side hub and bearings replaced (might as well do all four, though) for $2,200. "Wow", I said, "that's a good chunk of change." "Well, before you make up your mind, there's some other things", he says, and lists them off - front pinion seal and something else I missed - $410, front lower ball joints - $710 (need an alignment after that - $90), front brakes - $520, sway bar bushings - $176, rear differential service ("you're at 120,000 miles") - $377, air filter, fuel filter, etc.
Total - $6,420.
Pretty good for a car I was driving!
OK, I thought that there might be a bearing problem - it would make some noise when I was turning right, so I suspected... But seriously - $6,400? Who's got that kind of money sitting around? I don't understand the dealer - who would spend that kind of money all at one time? I'm still paying for the car (for next couple of months, anyway). If they hadn't kept piling stuff on, I probably would have spent $2k-$3k, but I can't go $6k.
I've been looking into it, and the front hub/bearings look relatively easy to replace, and I found Timken front wheel hub assemblies with the ABS sensor cable on line for $129.57 each (plus shipping, at www.drivewire.com), and directions on how to replace them (with pictures!) at http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1499806
I was surprised that there were problems with wear, I get the oil changed and the car lubed every ~5k miles, but then I look into it, and I find that they don't do anything with the bearings...
Ah well. It's getting nice outside - time to work on the car, I guess...
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009May 12
Explorer XLT 4.6L V8
- Automatic transmission
- 75,500 miles
Right front bearing went at around 70K. Rear right bearing went at 95K....bearing froze and wheel came off going 70mph, luckily no one hurt. Right front bearing went 100K. Obviously Ford has quality control problems with their bearings. Also experienced hard shifting clunking noise coming from transmission which started around 50K, Ford charged me $100 to reprogram the chip that controls transmission shifting, they said it might or might not work, just had that done, July 2010, seems better for now. surprised Ford didn't fix that one free given the fact this is a common problem. Spoke to one of my work associates has same vehicle and year, 2 bearings gone before 100K. $400 each time one goes. I will never buy another Ford. I own a lexus 2004 GS. Great car. No issues. Best car I've ever owned. Will stay with Toyota. Regan Ford of Haverhill Mass General Mgr. in Haverhill told me I was acting childish when I pointed out the fact the bearings and transmission issues are common and there should be a recall on them and I don't have these problems with my Lexus. I guess you get what you pay for.
2010Aug 13
Explorer XL V6
- Automatic transmission
- 87,624 miles
Was driving the family down the highway. Vehicle swayed from the rear. Thought perhaps blown tire, it pulled us over onto the left shoulder. Was able to get back to right lane and immediately it swayed again. Stopped on the shoulder to discover the right rear wheel base was in flames. Yes, right under the gas tank and where my children were sitting.
Fortunately, the fire was extinguished quickly and no one was injured. We've yet to hear from the shop we had it towed to, but one of the good samaritans who stopped to assist us said he is certain it's the wheel bearing. (He is a mechanic who happend to have 3 two-gallon jugs of water in his car. Our lucky day he was behind us!) I'm not too comfortable now, having read these other complaints. If I didn't have another year or so to pay on it, I'd likely just get rid of it.
2008Jul 10
Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 75,000 miles
We are so tired of this... trying to plan a camping trip with our kids and ofcourse yet again, another wheel bearing is gone. I know we are supposed to put all of our complaints in here seperately, but honestly i would be here all night. this is atleast the 8th time we have had to replace a bearring. This very same bearring was only replaced 3 weeks ago.
I financed this vehicle 3 years ago because it had alot of seating, it was versitile, newer therefore more reliable (so i thought) then my old car was. We got this vehicle for carting children around, hauling a trailer to go camping with, handling our winter driving and because we loved the look and feel of it. well 3 years later and it's just a money pit.
We were always GM fans but we loved this vehicle so much that we ignored my father-in-laws opinion, and our own instincts and gave Ford a chance.... the biggest mistake i have ever made... we are the butt of everyones jokes because we spend more time fixing this vehicle then enjoying it... as they all say "Fix Or Repair Daily".
Ford should really take ownership of their faulty manurfacturing and recall these vehicles before someone gets seriously hurt and just maybe restore alittle faith in their customers. In the hopes of maybe saving a few!
Now tonight instead of changing a tire for our 5 hour road trip, my poor husband is outside removing the bearring to exchange in the morning and to also buy a spare one. We have alway made sure we had a jack and spare tire...never in my life did i think we would have to pay 150.00 for a spare bearing to take with us!!! absolutely ridiculous and unacceptable! Very poor customer service if you ask me! If Ford chooses to ignore the problems with their vehicles i can promise that i will never, ever consider buying another ford after this one is paid off!!!
we also had to replace rear suspension, front lower ball joints, we are having issues with our transfer case and transmission is slipping and banging into 4 wheel drive, our abs light is on, rotors and breaks were done, our 4 wheel drive light flashes, service engine light is one which appears to be an oxygen sensor... what a lemon
2009Sep 15
Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 130,000 miles
The 2004 explorer transmission and rear end bearings are awful, I have spent about 800.00 to 1000.00 on mine with just putting rear end bearings in it, now about 20,000 miles later, the rear axle seal is leaking. Ford dealership says for about 400.00 to 500.00 more. The roaring in the rear end is still bad. What do you do? Buy a Chevelot or GMC.
Also my transmission is sllpping in reverse just to add to the problems. I think Ford should take some responsibility for their transmission problems. Before long it will be a new transmission for about 2800 to 3500 more and all you will get is a thank you very much and we will see you soon. Ford poor quality product and get a new transmission program if you are listening.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2010Apr 04
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 90,000 miles
ive always liked my fords but i have two explorers and im done with fords. im fixing wheel bearings every time i pull one in for a oil change.... junk junk junk. just did a oil change on my daughters 02 with 90,000 miles. jacked it up to check wheels and guess what. another front and back. anyone need one changed? i have it down to about 2 hours for a back bearing
2010Feb 18
Explorer XLT 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 71,000 miles
I've been hearing a roaring noise on the driver's side of the vehicle for the last couple of weeks. I then heard a loud rattling noise in the rear of the vehicle 2 days ago. Took the truck to the shop and discovered the left front wheel bearing is bad and the rear left is worse. Cost estimated to be about $900 to fix both. From reading all of the other complaints, I guess I should expect the other two to go bad next.
2009Dec 17
Explorer XLT 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 62,777 miles
This is the second time I've replaced the left rear bearing assembly since I bought the car new in '04. It only lasted 17,250 miles; Why? Why is it always the left side?
2009Nov 16
Explorer XLS V6
- Automatic transmission
- 47,000 miles
Started noticing extra road noise at speeds above 45mph... over course of a month or so noise gradually increased to where it was obvious something was amiss... tires had ~46000 miles so thought it might be them, had them replaced, same noise...
Ford Dealer repair shop said both front wheel bearings and wheel hubs were shot. Luckily, covered under extended warranty. Tomorrow they will replace those, and investigate whether the differential bearings also need replaced. Seems ridiculous to have such problems at 46000 miles.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Sep 01
Explorer
- Automatic transmission
- 53,000 miles
I have had the front bearings replaced and now I believe the rear needs to be done. I have checked with a friend who works on cars and he checked with other people he knows and no-one wants to touch the rear bearings. The noise gets louder when I step on the gas. I know I need to have this repaired but the cost may be too much for me at this time. I only have 53,000 miles on the car and can't believe that the bearings are bad. Ford should do something about this problem.
2009Oct 14
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 52,000 miles
I took my car for a new set of tires at America's Tire (Discount Tire). After changing the tire, one the technical noticed I have a "loose hub assembly" on my left rear wheel and he suggested that I should get that fixed immediately because it's a safety issue. There is a possibility the wheel may come off at freeway speed.
I took my cars in to my mechanic the next day, and he jacked up my car. The mechanic put one of his hand at 12 and the other at 6 o'clock on the tire, and rocks it. The tire was wobbling back and forth when he did that, which suggested a bad wheel bearing, or possible bad hub assembly. At the end, it was determined that I had a bad wheel bearing, which was replaced for $400.
Usually a hub assembly/wheel bearing should still be in good condition at 52,000 miles. I guess because it's a FORD. I have many problem with this vehicle, the rear right window sometimes doesn't work, the fuel tank system malfunction (changed it under warranty), the "service engine soon" light comes on every 5,000 miles. I'm not buying another Ford. I thought American cars' quality is now comparable to the Japanese, unforturnately they're still lagging.
2009Oct 14
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 52,000 miles
I took my car for a new set of tires at America's Tire (Discount Tire). After changing the tire, one the technical noticed I have a "loose hub assembly" on my left rear wheel and he suggested that I should get that fixed immediately because it's a safety issue. There is a possibility the wheel may come off at freeway speed.
I took my cars in to my mechanic the next day, and he jacked up my car. The mechanic put one of his hand at 12 and the other at 6 o'clock on the tire, and rocks it. The tire was wobbling back and forth when he did that, which suggested a bad wheel bearing, or possible bad hub assembly. At the end, it was determined that I had a bad wheel bearing, which was replaced for $400.
Usually a hub assembly/wheel bearing should still be in good condition at 52,000 miles. I guess because it's a FORD. I have many problem with this vehicle, the rear right window sometimes doesn't work, the fuel tank system malfunction (changed it under warranty), the "service engine soon" light comes on every 5,000 miles. I'm not buying another Ford. I thought American cars' quality is now comparable to the Japanese, unfortunately they're still lagging.
2007Sep 18
(reported on)Explorer Limited V6
- Automatic transmission
- 48,000 miles
Wheel Bearing noise returned. Noise coming from same drivers side front as when I had the wheel bearing replaced 3/07. Dealer claims noise is actually coming from passenger side front and rear wants to replace them though they acknowledge the noise is in the front left. I have no noise on passenger side and believe they are simply trying to milk another $800 from me before replacing the real one that is bad which was replaced on 3/07 and still should be under 12 month warranty.
2009Jun 01
Explorer LTD V8
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
The chrome is cracking and peeling off the inside and outside of all four of the wheels on my 2004 Ford Explorer so badly that the Ford mechanic told me all four must be replaced now as they are a safety issue. The cost to replace the is $810 per wheel.
This cracking began about two years after I bought the vehicle. Ford tells me that this is not covered under warranty or by my extended warranty. One would think that a chrome plated wheel would hold up better than this.
Toyota here I come!
2008Dec 28
Explorer 4.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 63,500 miles
First it started with the ABS lights on. I didn't think much of it because in NJ we have had snow, ice and slush for the past 2 weeks. My husband started noticing that the wheels would lock when we shifted into reverse and the truck would jolt. He thought that the brake pad needed replacing. However driving on the highway back from NY he started to hear serious grinding and rubbing coming from the driver front wheel. Also he felt the steering loose as he was starting to have trouble when going 65mph and had to slowdown to 20mph on the NJ Turnpike. Thank God we (the 2 children and my husband made it home safely. The next day he took it to Pep Boys to get the brakes fixed since that is where he got it done on Sunday during the summer. They said that the vehicle is not fit to drive and should be towed to a repair shop. We brought it to the Dodge dealer where we bought it used May 2007. They said the drivers wheel hub/bearing was GONE and axle. Also the brake pads needed to be replaced and the rotors need to be shaved down. We couldn't believe it. We understand that nothing is forever and these things go but COME ON. It's not even over 100K in mileage. How can they create and manufacture should horrible parts. I forgot to mention that the service manager said the passenger side was bad and soon would have to be replaced.
And Detroit is getting a bailout for products like this? We should have gotten a Honda or Toyota instead.
2008Aug 23
Explorer XLT V6
- Automatic transmission
- 71,000 miles
Rear passenger wheel bearing failed, while on a cross-country commute.
Got it fixed at 3M Auto, West Plains, MO. Bearing was rusted in. Mechanic Mel, had a hard time pressing it out. Hub assembly was not replaced. Cost was $160 ($84 for bearing parts). He felt bad for the delay in work due to the difficulty in extracting the bearing, but felt that replacing the whole hub was unnecessary expensive. And mentioned that this was the second one in a month of lower mileage explorers needing bearing changes.
2007Oct 30
(reported on)Explorer Limited V6
- Automatic transmission
- 49,000 miles
It just keeps getting better.. First at 40k miles as previously reported needed new front wheel bearings. Noise returned. Now I need rear wheel bearings both sides. Now it gets interesting. They can not replace the rear wheel bearing because the threads on the axles have rusted off. Thus I have to replace both left and right rear axle. Wait there is more. I also have to replace the center part of the axle, some limited slip clutch parts and bearings within that center part of the axle. Dealer admits this is common on 2002 and newer explorers. Did I mention this is a late 2004 model with less than 50k miles? For another $2,000 it will be road worth again Incredible....... Did I mention I just paid to have the hood repainted because it simply separated from the primed surface under neath?
2007Aug 29
(reported on)Explorer Edie Bauer V6
- Automatic transmission
- 41,000 miles
I had traded in a 1991 Ford Explorer for this 2004. I never had to replace the wheel bearings. My 1991 had 246,000 miles on it. I had to replace front wheel bearings on this 2004 and it only had 41,000 miles on it. I had to replace rotors because of corrosion issues. The motor on rear window has died; the seat warmer button does not work; numerous of other little things do not work now that my 3 years, 36,000 mile warranty is up. I have read through all the the complaints about the newer Fords. Obviously, Ford is not making its cars the way they used to. I also have the slippage in my transmission when I go into reverse and then put the gar in gear to go forward -- I get a 20 sec hesitation.
2007Mar 24
(reported on)Explorer Limited V6
- Automatic transmission
- 41,000 miles
All four wheels chipping/cracked at center around hub. Font Wheel bearings need replaced. Ford says to bad, pony up the $1,800 for new rims and $425 for each bad bearing. 41k miles and I need a transmission, new rims, new bearings. Give me a break...........
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2012Apr 01
Explorer LS 4.0L V6
Let me say this...I would rather push my Ford than drive anything else...but...this wheel bearing problem is getting annoying! First the front bearing (right) went out but we replaced both. AT 70,000 the rear bearings went out...Ford fixed it. Then at 80,000 they went out again..still under warranty. Now at 96,000 they are making noise again...I hate to sell it cause it's such a great dependable vehicle but it's really getting to be a nuisance.
fordz4ever
Huntley, Illinois, USA
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