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CarComplaints.com Notes: The previous generation of Explorer was so awful that the redesign in 2006 was greeted with much optimism. That didn't last long.

The transmission continues to be the Explorer's worst reliability problem. Owners report shifting hard & lunging, typically starting as low as 40k miles with a $1,600 average repair bill. On top of that, the radiator is prone to failure around 60k miles. Repairs for the radiator run $500 to $1,000 & many owners report they've had to replace the radiator multiple times for leaks, indicating a possible design defect in the OEM replacement parts.

Ford did make some significant changes to improve handling and safety. Electronic stability control was added in addition to side impact air bags, but beyond that this is a vehicle that should be avoided at all costs.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
70,112 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2006 Ford Explorer drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2006 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 8 of 9)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #32

May 012012

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 94,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I have a 2006 Ford Explorer XLT and this will be third transmission to go into the vehicle. In addition, I have replaced the radiator three times and an engine block seal. These are very costly fixes for a car that is only a couple of years old. I have reached out to Ford customer service and they are not helpful or sympathetic at all and claim that they are not aware of any transmission problems. Meanwhile, when you search the web it is an issue across the board. I feel their customer service is horrible and so are their cars. I would never recommend a Ford to anyone, not even my worst enemy. I could have bought two cars for the money I am putting into this vehicle.

- Port Chester, NY, USA

problem #31

Apr 052012

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 56,785 miles
Had complained about a hesitation in 2008, after several times at the shop they did something to the throttle body. Now the transmission slips in 3rd gear. At only 56785 miles this is terrible.

- Monroeville, PA, USA

problem #30

Mar 012011

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
I have done a tremendous amount of research and notice that hundreds of others are having the same issue with the 2006 Ford Explorer. The transmission is giving numerous issues. Hard to shift into reverse, roars, slips when changing gears, etc. The most disturbing problem is the transmission just jumps into gear without moving the gear shifter lever. The transmission stalls at red lights and then just jerks forward after several seconds. Please help before there is an accident.

- Hartselle, AL, USA

problem #29

Mar 192012

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 96,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was shifted into park with the engine on and the vehicle rolled away as the contact attempted to exit the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a tree, injuring the contact. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was notified and was in the process of assisting the contact with the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 96,500 and the current mileage was 96,934. Updated 07/13/12 the consumer stated when she stepped out of the vehicle, with the engine still running, she was knocked on the ground by the door. The vehicle rolled down the street backward and hit a tree. Updated 07/31/12

- Pompano, FL, USA

problem #28

Dec 272010

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 44,000 miles
2006 Ford Explorer with less than 40,000 miles started to hesitate while driving on the freeway. After checking out all the fluids, I have noticed that the radiator (antifreeze) was way below level. I had to fill up the radiator with 1-1/2 gallons of coolant. I have taken my vehicle to the Ford dealer every time for a oil change and was never told that the coolant was below level. At 44,000 miles, the leak was so bad that the radiator had to be replaced. Just after a year later another failure to the radiator. Had to replace the radiator a second time at 65,250 miles. This to me is a safety concern, if the radiator fails which could cause the engine to seize and possibly cause an accident.

- Garden City, MI, USA

problem #27

Aug 042010

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 75,000 miles
Transmission would slip, temperature gauge shoot to height for 5 seconds then drop back down discovered low coolant. Leak got worse. Cracked radiator discovered this is common problem replaced radiator, now having thermostat housing replaced. 6 weeks after repair took to Ford due transmission fluid leaking Ford said it was in quick connect because I used an after market radiator said only way they could fix it was to replace my entire radiator again for $1300. Could not replaced fittings had to get it all together. Asked them why I would want a Ford radiator since they fail. They said yes this is a common problem.

- The Colony, TX, USA

problem #26

Feb 082012

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 122,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2006 Ford Explorer is a lemon. Thousand of problems across the nation. Take one to a garage and the mechanics tell you which problem you have before you tell them, one of three. Transmission failures, radiator replacement every 30000 miles and bad wheel bearing causing tires to come off during driving. Lucky for me only two encountered so far. Transmission failure. Getting on interstate and stalling in traffic is a danger to my family and other members of the motoring public. Average cost for transmission repairs are $2500 to $4000. Ford should have recalled these vehicles for safety issues.

- Conover, NC, USA

problem #25

Jan 092011

Explorer

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle would sporadically decelerate to 40 mph without warning. Later, the transmission warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who stated they would assist him at a later date. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 104,000. The VIN was not available.

- Lexington, SC, USA

problem #24

Jan 042012

Explorer 8-cyl

  • 47,422 miles
The air bag malfunction light and wrench light both lite up on the dash. The car appeared to be running strange, shifting hard. After turning off the vehicle, it would not restart for approx 20 minutes. It would run fine for a day or so then the lights would come on again. Took the car to the Ford dealership, they drove it for approx 23 miles and the lights wouldn't come on. The battery tested low so they replaced the battery. When test driving after the battery replacement the wrench light and airbag light finally came on. They turned off the vehicle and it wouldn't start. After waiting 15 minutes to an hour it would start but the lights would come on again and once again after turning it off it wouldn't restart. They charged me an additional $759 to fix the instrument cluster (after around $300 for the battery and diagnostic testing). Very frustrating - my 2006 only has 47K miles and is rarely driven.

- Tigard , OR, USA

problem #23

Feb 212010

Explorer

  • 86,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle would not shift out of park. The contact received an unknown safety recall letter from the manufacturer regarding the shift lever circuit board. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to have the shift lever circuit board replaced but the repair did not remedy the issue. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer a month later but the dealer did not find a problem with the shifter. The dealer suggested to the contact to apply the emergency brake before shifting the vehicle out of park. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the shifter and the manufacturer stated that it was up to the dealer whether the vehicle would be repaired under the recall a second time. The failure mileage was 86,000.

- Friendsville, TN, USA

problem #22

Dec 012009

Explorer

  • 43,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was leaking transmission fluid and radiator coolant. And as a result, the radiator failed. A private mechanic made three attempts to repair the failure by replacing the radiator but to no avail. The dealer did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, did not offer any assistance. The current mileage was 78,000 and the approximate failure mileage was 43,000.

- Greensburg, PA, USA

problem #21

Aug 012011

Explorer

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when the gear was placed in reverse it engaged with force, and the vehicle stalled. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but a diagnostic test was not performed. The vehicle was not repaired nor did the dealer replace any parts. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 80,000 the current mileage was not available.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #20

Aug 012011

Explorer

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when the vehicle gear was placed into reverse the gear engaged with force, and the vehicle also lost power. The failure was experienced several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but a diagnosed was not performed. The dealer did not replace any parts. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN information was not available. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was not available.

- Fort Worth , TX, USA

problem #19

Aug 122010

Explorer 8-cyl

  • 39,750 miles
At random times and not often, when I put the SUV in park, and turn off the truck and remove my foot from the brake, the truck will continue to roll. It is as though the SUV is in neutral, put it is in park. The SUV will roll until something stops it like a curb or applying the brake. To fix the problem, I have to place the shift gear to from park to another gear and back to park. At that time, the truck will catch. Over the past year or so, it has occurred 6 or 7 times. I took the truck in for service and they checked the transmission and gear box and found no issue. The problem occurred again last week. Since the dealer cannot see the problem, they say there is no problem. However, it is a matter of time of when it occurs and I am not aware of it not locking and it rolls when there is nobody to stop it or a curb. There is no pattern since it has occurred at work, grocery store, home, etc.

- Lexington, SC, USA

problem #18

Sep 262006

Explorer

  • 7,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the automatic transmission began slipping in 2006 when the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who stated there was no failure with the transmission and it would not fail; however, over time it became progressively worse. The manufacturer was notified but stated there were no recalls and to contact NHTSA in order to file a complaint. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 7,000 and the current mileage was 62,000.

- Melbourne Beach, FL, USA

problem #17

Mar 132010

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 69,810 miles
I have a 2006 Ford Explorer and I had to replace transmission and rear before vehicle reached 70, 000 miles. I was told by the mechanic that they could not replace transmission oil and differential until 100,000 miles. Ford should guarantee the transmission and rear end up to 100,000 miles, it's nt fair to the consumer.

- Opelika, AL, USA

problem #16

Jul 252011

Explorer

  • 66,720 miles
The wrench, the ABS, and the anti-sway icons started coming on intermittently on my 2006 Explorer. They would reset immediately using the reset button. The dealer replaced a wheel-speed sensor and stated that the sensor was damaged when the "tone" wheel cracked. Dealer also stated that unless the tone wheel was replaced, the ABS was not operational. Seems like this is a major safety concern; if you think you have ABS, but don't the driver is set up for the big fall! Ford is aware of this cracking problem: Why no recall?

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #15

Apr 042009

Explorer

  • 75,000 miles
I have a 2006 Ford Explorer and when your at a stand still it feels like someone hit U from the back and it fails to switch gears when its suppose to and not only that when U try to go it just hums then finally takes off and I almost cause me to hit a tree....the dealer says nothing is wrong....im very upset!

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #14

Jul 292010

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • 79,030 miles
2006 Ford Explorer 4.6L V8 4X4 engine shut off while driving at speed of approximately 40mph. Was in a low traffic area so no damage was done to any thing but have concern for failure to happen again on interstate or in traffic causing potentially deadly accident.

- Port Charlotte , FL, USA

problem #13

Jun 302010

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • 40,000 miles
I have a 2006 Ford Explorer. At 40000 miles the transmission went out and had to be replaced. Shortly thereafter I had a cracked radiator and had my first radiator replaced. I now have 67000 miles and just had my 3rd radiator put in. I am not going through Ford as they wouldn't guarantee their work on the first one they replaced. Clearly there is a major problem with the radiators in this car and it is unfair to all of us who purchased this vehicle.

- Martinez, CA, USA

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