At 50k begun to hear clunking on the front end.. took it to my small non Ford shop where I purchased it, warranty covered the replacement sway bars. Still making noise, planning to take it back this week for rechecking.
Update from Apr 21, 2016: Now replacing the lower strut mounts which are badly worn according to the non ford dealer.. the good thing is that the non - ford extra warranty does cover this and so it should not cost me for the repair.
Update from Apr 25, 2016: Just to follow up..
Replaced both lower strut mounts, as reported by others this is a fairly common issue on these little Explorers... I noticed on the service history carfax report when I purchased the truck that the struts were replaced at 11k which tells me these are not made very well, seems the design allows water and dirt ingress to the lower mount bearing which effectively destroys the lower bearing... not a huge job and my non Ford dealer replaced for $250 each side, total $500. Fortunately I took out a non Ford extended super Ultracare warranty so this was covered by the warranty.
You can tell if the bearing is going, drive over rumble strips or rough road and it will sound like a harsh banging, almost metal on metal banging.. to me it felt like the wheel bearings were worn..
Update from May 23, 2017: Now at 65K and seems like the lower suspension is on the way out again, according to the mechanic I light get another 8-10K and all will need replaced once again.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
At 50k begun to hear clunking on the front end.. took it to my small non Ford shop where I purchased it, warranty covered the replacement sway bars. Still making noise, planning to take it back this week for rechecking.
Update from Apr 21, 2016: Now replacing the lower strut mounts which are badly worn according to the non ford dealer.. the good thing is that the non - ford extra warranty does cover this and so it should not cost me for the repair.
Update from Apr 25, 2016: Just to follow up..
Replaced both lower strut mounts, as reported by others this is a fairly common issue on these little Explorers... I noticed on the service history carfax report when I purchased the truck that the struts were replaced at 11k which tells me these are not made very well, seems the design allows water and dirt ingress to the lower mount bearing which effectively destroys the lower bearing... not a huge job and my non Ford dealer replaced for $250 each side, total $500. Fortunately I took out a non Ford extended super Ultracare warranty so this was covered by the warranty.
You can tell if the bearing is going, drive over rumble strips or rough road and it will sound like a harsh banging, almost metal on metal banging.. to me it felt like the wheel bearings were worn..
Update from May 23, 2017: Now at 65K and seems like the lower suspension is on the way out again, according to the mechanic I light get another 8-10K and all will need replaced once again.
- thedutydoctor, Rockville, MD, US