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:
2 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,558 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.
Transmission surges on downshift between 2nd and 1st....engine RPM's increase and transmission slams, causing vehicle to move forward with a lurch. Ford motor has no fix for this and there are hundreds of these flawed vehicles on the road with no owner recourse due to fact that Ford engineer does no know what to do.
2006 Ford Explorer eddie baurer- within 12 hours of purchasing the car, the starter caught on fire, car was out of service 1 week. Transmission hesitated from a cold start especiallly bad when pulling out into traffic. Engine roared at times, sounded like a jet taking off. Dealer said this was normal, it was the engine fan "??" car lurched forward when starting on several occasions. At first service dept agreed there was a problem with 8 cylinder transmission and that they were no fixes but then the Ford rep got involved and suddenly they couldn't find any problems with the car. They suggested that our only recouse was to go thru the lemon law which we did. It was a long drawn out process but after 6 months of dealing with the situation, the lemon arbitration rulled in our favor and Ford was required to buy back the Explorer. I had a Ford Expedition for 9 years and loved it but after this fiasco with the Explorer and Ford's refusal to stand behind their product, I will not ever buy another Ford. I now have a Toyota 4runner and couldn't be happier. While it doesn't have some of the special features of the Explorer, the piece of mind of knowing that it will actually go when I pull out into traffic is immeasureable. To those still having the problems, I would suggest the lemon law.
Our 2006 eddie bauer V-8 automatic transmission has approx 6K miles on it and since the very first day there has been a hesitation when shifting. From park to reverse and from reverse into drive. There is a significant lag time from engaging the transmission to movement and is usually associated with a rather large "clunk". this is out 4th Explorer and enjoy the styling but am very concerned about this obvious engineering flaw. It appears Ford is aware of it but has no "fix".
I have a 2006 Ford Explorer, V8 6 speed. It has been to the dealer three times for a fix on the transmission. When downshifting between 2nd and 1st, the vehicle lurches forward or there is a very large shift in momentum that pushes the car forward while stopping or occasionally after stopped. This actually pushed my car forward into an icy intersection. Ford is aware of the issue, but has failed to come up with a fix. My vehicle is not the only one with the problem, and this only compounds transmission issues and vibration I had on my last two (2003 and 2004) Explorer. I love this particular vehicle, but will likely not purchase another Explorer....too many vibrations and transmission problems.
I purchased a brand new 2006 Ford Explorer limited with the new 6-gear 8 cylinder engine. During downshift to a stop, the truck would literally lurch forward as the engine jerked into the proper gear. After repeated visits (in excess of 5) to the dealership, and replacements of valves and a whole new transmission, the problem is not as evident, but continues nonetheless. New problems have also developed, such as "jerking" movements on take off (as if I were pressing and releasing the gas), delayed response when pressing the accelerator on take off, as well as an engine "roar" on acceleration not typical of an engine fan ; none of these issues were corrected when brought to the attention of the dealer's service department (ernie haire Ford). I have been following a forum on edmunds.com where other consumers are having the exact same issues; the "computer" was simply reprogrammed and expected to "fix" the problem with no further options available, since an attempt to "lemon law" the vehicle would result in "a lot of lawyers and litigation and paperwork, " as expressed by the service manager at ernie haire, and would "probably wind up being a waste of my time and money if the company couldn't find anything wrong with the vehicle during the process". I did not have these mechanical issues with my '97 Explorer.
- Trinity, FL, USA
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2006 Ford Explorer eddie bauer V-8 problems with transmission 3-4 months into ownership. The vehicle will jump into gear and will lunge forward. This happens frequently when coming to a stop. Also, when driving the vehicle it sometimes hesitates when shifting into gears and will "clunk" into gear. Last week I was taking my daughter and her friend to girl scouts and I pulled into traffic and attempted to accelerate and the vehicle would not shift in order to gain speed. The vehicle coming in my direction had to slam on his breaks to avoid hitting our vehicle. I have had the car to the dealership 5 times for this problem. They have re programmed the computer, replaced the solenoid pack, cleaned the valve body, and have cleared the memory in the PCM numerous times. Still no fix.... the delayed and harsh shifting is dangerous and someone is going to get seriously hurt as a result of it happening.
We have a 2004 Ford Explorer that is still under warranty with an unresolved automatic transmission/accelerator problem. The problem is a delayed engagement when the vehicle shifts from a low to a higher gear, and even more delay and aggressive shift from park to reverse. The shifting into reverse is so pronounced that it delays, then bangs into reverse, and suddenly lunges backward. This is a dangerous condition and could easily result in property damage or even injury to others.
2006 Ford Explorer. Has been to the shop three times for transmission trouble. Took the mechanic for a ride to be sure he felt the problem. He agreed that there was definitely a problem with the shifting. The car jumps into 2nd gear causing the car to lurch forward. Reprogrammed the computer car was better for two days then it resumed its problem again. Ford dealer had car for two weeks this time again said they could not find a problem. Paid 40,000 + for this car. Something needs to be done.
Our 2006 4.6, V8 6 speed transmission Explorer has been in five time for repairs to the transmission starting at just over 900 mile to now with 2400 miles. We have experienced serious shifting problems with the transmission. These have ranged from delayed 1-2 and or 2-3 shift, high rev, delayed shift with hard down shift and severe jerking. This resulted in three days of back pain. They have reprogrammed the transmission, replaced the valve assembly and the complete transmission and we are still having problems.
Hard downshift to 1st gear. No noise but after stopping transmission slams into 1st causing sever jerking and it will jump forward. There is a tsb but no fix for it terrible for a $40000 vehicle.
I feel my 2006 4.6, V8, XLT Explorer is unsafe because of the transmission hesitation when accelerating from a stop. You try to judge distance to pull out on a street and when you step on the gas it doesn't go! it has a pause and then goes. The dealer has 'recalibrated' the computer and transmission response three times now! the date included is the last time it was done.
This is a new 2006 V8 6 speed Ford Explorer which has had serious problems with the transmission since I purchased it on Dec 10, 2005. I have taken it to the original dealer sheehy Ford of gaithersburg md five times and they have not been able to fix the problem. This past Friday at an intersection I stepped on the accelerator and the vehicle would not move so I pressed harder and it was if it skipped a gear and then the car jerked forward at a higher then normal speed and I almost lost control of the vehicle.
This transmission exhibits a hard shift at near 0 mph when pressing the brakes to slow to a stop, to the point that the vehicle lurches forward approximately one foot and could if you are not hard on the brake, there is a possibility of striking close objects, other vehicles or persons. This is an ongoing problem that is unpredictable, repeatable and very frightening. Fords response is that they do not recognize this as a problem and have no fix for these symptoms. This problem did not exist until the vehicle had approximately 4000 miles and it has become worse with time.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Olean, NY, USA