- December 3: Ford Recalls Vehicles With 3.5L GTDI Engines That Leak Oil recalls | 4 days ago
- December 1: Ford EcoBoost Class Action Lawsuit Dismissed news | 6 days ago
- November 26: Ford Cracked Fuel Injector Lawsuit Back in Court news | 11 days ago
- November 18: Ford Expedition Seat Belt Pretensioner Recall Investigated investigations | 19 days ago
- November 18: Ford Battery Failures Investigated in Mavericks, Bronco Sports investigations | 19 days ago
2002 Ford Explorer
Body / Paint Problems
CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2002 Ford Explorer is hands-down our worst vehicle 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.
2002 Ford Explorer Body / Paint Problems
Click on a problem below to read more.
- Cracked Panel Below The Rear Window
- Black Plastic Panels Between Windows Fade And Crack
- Paint Is Peeling
- Bubbles In Paint Under Clearcoat
- Door Trim Is Falling Off
- Door Won't Stay Shut
- Running Boards Are Rusting
- Rear Lift Gate Opens Too Slowly
- Door Hinge Cracking On Door
- Rear Hatch Stopped Working
- Rear Locking Mechanism Doesn't Lock
- Check Strap On Bottom Of Door Keeps Coming Loose
- Door Handle Broke
- Rattle Coming From Under Carriage
- Rear Hatch Recall
- Rear Panel Coming Off
- Whole Rear Hatch Fell Off
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Hatchback/Liftgate: Hinge And ...
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Hatchback/Liftgate
- NHTSA: Structure: Body
- NHTSA: Structure
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Tailgate
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Door
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Hatchback/Liftgate: Support ...
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Tailgate: Hinge And Attachments
- NHTSA: Structure: Frame And Members
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Door: Hinge And Attachments
- NHTSA: Structure: Body: Trunk Lid
- NHTSA: Structure: Frame And Members: Underbody Shields
one sec.
Stay Up to Date
Compare Ford Explorer Model Years
Curious how the 2002 Explorer compares to other years?
Check out our Ford Explorer overview to see the most problematic years, worst problems and most recently reported complaints with the Explorer.