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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
105,461 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.
I have a 2002 Ford Explorer eb and this car is a piece of crap after I bought the car the tranny is slipping like crazy and its hard to change from park to drive. I have looked it up and there are many people with the same issue and it is a closed tranny so I cant even check the fluid in it but Ford is not doing anything about the issue I will never own a Ford again.
Been jerky and jumping for 2 years but today the transmission would not upshift when starting out or down-shift when slowing down. The engine went to high RPM with little or no forward progress.all this was preceded by the over-drive light flashing on and off followed next by the check transmission light. Next the check engine light came on. The forums on this vehicle will tell you that this 6 speed automatic transmission on the V-8 engines are just junk. Way to many complaints. Will Ford fix this on an out of warranty vehicle? after pulling.
The transmission is having trouble shifting from 2nd to 3rd, engine light and O/D off lights are on. Local mechanic says that the intermediate band on the transmission is broken. This is a sealed unit with no way to service without a rebuild.
My wife started our Explorer and tried to put the vehicle in reverse and the gear shift handle snapped off in her hand. Only to find out that this problem has happened to many other Ford owners! unbelievable! so now I have to have my vehicle towed to a repair shop to have this "Ford problem" fixed! and also shell out over $1000 dollars just so I can get my Explorer back on the road!!! and when I called the local Ford garage to ask about this defect, they acted as if this problem has never happened before! bs!
The transmission is junk. Ford knows this. Rebuilding or replacing the transmission is inevitable...and not just once, because there are known design and manufacturing issues that will only cause the failures to repeat themselves. Unless these failures are dealt with, there are many people on the roads who are at the mercy of luck that the car they are driving or the cars that others are driving near them wont stop dead, stopping them dead. How is this known problem not a public safety issue" have you counted the number of Ford Explorer on the road?" its scary.
- Slippery Rock, PA, USA
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2002 Ford Explorer transmission died for the second time after I had the dealership replace it, 75,000 miles ago. I am now sitting at 156000 and it is doing the same things again. This gives me such a bad taste toward Ford, and I have been a die hard Ford guy.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the over drive warning light illuminated as the vehicle started to skip gears. There was an abnormal increase in engine rpms and the vehicle would not shift into gear. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic but the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The failure and the current mileage was unknown.
Shifter broke off while shifting from park to drive, cannot shift vehicle. I read online there are numerous people that have had the same problem, they were all wondering why there hasn't been a recall on this problem. Has there?
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer eddie bauer edition. The contact stated that at engine startup, the gear shifter detached from the vehicle while attempting to shift into gear. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 120,000.
The vehicle began to shift oddly from second to third. The overdrive off light began blinking. Shifting then began to be rough. I promptly took it to my mechanic who found it necessary to replace the transmission with a rebuilt unit. Second gear casing had failed.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the gear shifter detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 130,000.
Aside from continuing transmission problems, the hatch of this Ford Explorer was recalled some years ago. However, the area below the window of the hatch on many Explorer made in or around 2002, has begun to crack and extend to the edge of the hatch area. When closed, this can be a hazard that leads to further cracking, which can further lead to more cracking and then breaking of the area. This can lend itself to material projecting into someone's eye or projecting into a part of the body that requires surgical removal. Please recall or issue a warning. Ford has been contacted via their 1-800 number and this concern was documented. Please recall...
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact started the ignition and immediately, the 4WD high and 4WD low warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact attempted to depress the brake pedal and shift into the neutral gear, as specified in the owner's manual however, the warning indicators failed to disengage. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was waiting upon a response pertaining to the malfunction. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000. The VIN was not available.
Complete transmission failure. Slipping in-and-out of gear, failure to shift between gears, unable to stay at idle without shifting to park. Almost caused a collision when gear slip occurred in the middle of a major intersection.
I am a single mother of 4 driving 55mph in heavy traffic on a 4 lane highway, with my children in the vehicle when the O/D light flashed a few times and then the transmission just stopped working, as though the vehicle was in neutral I coasted safely to a stop thank god. I took it to a Ford service center and they said it was caused by the servo boar"???? never herd of this. It used to be a seperate line that could be replaced now it is built into the transmission and the whole transmission has to be replaced. Is what I was told to me by the certified Ford service man and that there was not a problem with the old style lines but he hears of this often with the newer transmissions. Was this changed just for profit by Ford Motor Company" because with this happening without warning someone could get into an accident and be seriously injured or killed depending on the situation. I am very upset that my family was put in this situation but we got lucky. If we were only lucky enough to have the money to fix it now, it is $2,400 for the new transmission and labor.
2002 Ford Explorer transmission I was driving down the road and the overdrive light started flashing and I noticed the transmission started to slip. I drove about 10 miles more to make it home and it completely failed and needed to be towed. I took it to a transmission shop and they said it was a common problem in 2002 Explorer. Over $2000 later I thought it was finally fixed and now not even 2 years later the transmission went again. This time it was the overdrive. As a college student I can't afford to get it fixed again. There definitely needs to be a recall on Ford's transmissions for that year. I have been doing research and there is way too many complaints for Ford not to do something about this. I will never buy another Ford again.
The transmission on my 2002 Ford Explorer XLT suddenly began to rev higher than normal. The overdrive light indicator on the dash began to flash and 2nd and 5th gear seemed to have stopped working.
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while shifting from park to reverse, the gear shifter fractured. A local mechanic inspected the vehicle and located the failure at the gear housing unit. The mechanic advised the contact that the gear shifter housing would need to be replaced.the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 143,000.
While driving my car to work, I came to a stop sign at the end of my road, like I do every morning. However, on this morning, as I tried to accelerate from a complete stop, my car bogged down which left me in the road for seconds longer then was safe. There was a car speeding around the curve, and my car would not accelerate like it should. Finally, and thank god, it jammed into gear, and me and my one year old son were not injured. Also, on that same day, my car starting skipping while in first gear, which also was a safety hazard because it was jerking so hard, it was hard to keep in under control, plus it also slowed my progression across highly congested areas down, which also put my safety at risk. We took my car to the shop, and the repairman stated that my transmission was having problems with first gear and overdrive. There had been no previous warning or indicators that something was wrong with my transmission until the day of. We had the fluid checked and the engine checked. Nothing was wrong that we could have prevented.
My name is[xxx] and I own a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT (V6). I have owned it for almost a year now (will be in Jan 2012) and loved every minute of it until recently. About 4 months ago, I heard a strange loud whining noise. I immediately took it to my mechanic and found that rear wheel bearing was going. I was also told that if I would have took the interstate to work that evening I could have possibly died or caused serious injuries to others on road. Very scary! mind you this bearing went with no warning. Immediately after I heard the noise I took it in. Well the bearing got fixed and I couldn't have been happier. However, about a month ago I was on the interstate with my two year old daughter doing about 70mph when my truck began to shake violently. I assumed I was in the process of having a tire blow-out and began slowly breaking and losing control of the vehicle. Luckily I made it onto the shoulder of the interstate. My tire however was not as lucky. All 5 studs on my right rear tire snapped causing the tire to completely fly off and proceed down the road at a fast speed just passing the turn ramp and missing several other vehicles. In the process of losing the tire, it also caused damage to rear end of my SUV. It looked as if the tire got caught and caused the rear to dent in.replaced studs and everything seemed fine. Today (Dec.15th) not even an entire month later, vehicle started shaking again. Oh how I remembered that scary shake. Examined tire and once again, studs snapped. 2 this time with a third one missing the cap. The tire was only held by 2 studs. Thank the lord I noticed this problem before going onto the interstate and once again having my tire fly off! I have been doing research this evening to find that this is a common problem with the 02-04 Explorer. Please make a recall Ford and others help me to get one made! this is a scary and dangerous situation! it can cause the loss of many lives as it has almost done mine and my daughters. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information a
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Indianapolis, IN, USA