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.
8.1
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$820
Average Mileage:
88,900 miles
Total Complaints:
181 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
replace wheel bearing (78 reports)
replace bearing and hub (45 reports)
replaced wheel bearings (34 reports)
not sure (14 reports)
replaced causual part, and surrounding parts (3 reports)
replaced the following wheel bearings, tyrod, caliper, rotor (3 reports)
My wife on her way home from 150 miles away had the rear wheel locked up because the bearing failed. So a tow back and used parts from a wrecked vehicle still racked up to well over 600.00 of much needed money to get a 4yr old vehicle back on the road.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My wife on her way home from 150 miles away had the rear wheel locked up because the bearing failed. So a tow back and used parts from a wrecked vehicle still racked up to well over 600.00 of much needed money to get a 4yr old vehicle back on the road.
- Joe S., Elkland, PA, US