Problems with 1999 Ford Explorer ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Camshaft chain malfunctioned, causing engine to fail. *ak consumer states camshift tensioner failed, camshaft chain slipped, camshaft went out of time, pistons bumped valves, engien failed abrubtly on hill endandering passengers, engine was recalled previous years on different models, consumer states manufacturer does not want to acknowledge same failure. *jb

Ongoing problem with the 3.8l v6 engine overheating while driving vehicle been in / out of dealer shop on three occasions, and unable to correct the problem. feel free to provide any further details on this matter. *ak

Vehicle stalls without prior notice, and gas pedal gets stuck. dealership is aware of problems. *ak

The explorer makes a rattling/marbling noise coming from the bottom of the engine. joe cotton ford informed me that ford motor co. states that the way to deal with this problem is to remove the carbon in the engine and drive the vehicle with repeated cycles of running the engine over 3,000rpm's. repeated treatment of the engine with carbon cleaners by the ford dealer and driving the auto over 3,000rpms has not eliminated the problem. in fact the rattling is getting louder. i have checked the nhtsa web site and have found many other complaints by other 1999 ford explorer owners on the same issue. this problem seems to be a systemic problem with this vehicle and engine. ford refuses to fix the problem.*ak

Automatic transmission is slipping in any gear. it doesn't shift gears correctly when accelerating. transmission only shifts correctly into 1st gear, and double shifts into 2nd and 3rd gears after letting off gas. transmission shifts sometimes from high to low, causing vehicle to pull. overdrive light intermittently would go on and off. was repaired at dealer. on 1-18-2001. dealer replaced multiple parts in transmission 02-15-2001, transmission locked up and wouldn't move.torque converter and pump with housing were replaced. on 6-29-2001, transmission was still pulling. dealer replaced a stuck evr valve and replaced it. *ak front and rear rotors warped, dealer replaced, abs light illumianted, dealer replaced rear speed sensor, brakes are noisy. passenger window shakes, dealer lubed tracks. motor makes rattling noise when being driven steadily. steering gets stiff and makes a whining noise. air conidtioner was repaired. goodyear tire blewout, this tire was a replacement for firestone recall 00t005. *slc

Dealer refused to repair vehicle after defective remaufactured engine installed. *ak

When i bought my explorer, the marble noise was there. dealer did not fix it, i took it to another dealer, where i have had two engines put in it for this marble noise. the third engine now is making the same marble/ diesel noise. they tell me that i have to live with it. i also only get 9 miles to the gallon on the hwy, and 2 1/2 around town.*ak

At random times engine will not maintain idle speed without pressure on accelerator. condition continues from less than an hour to over a number of days. *ak

When idling in park or drive the ehicle makes noise that sounds like marbles rattling in a can then the vehicle acts like it wants to stall out. nlm

Engine knocking replace and now the new engine is knocking truck is in the shop now . ford said that there is no warranty on the replace engine. ford knows that there is a problem with the engines in there ford explorer.*ak

Idle air control valve sticks shut, shutting down engine whenever you lift off the gas pedal. i drove the car home being careful not to lift my foot completely off the gas. someone could easily lift off the gas in an intersection for example, and have the car stall immediately. it is my opinion that a part failing that causes the car to stall like that is a safety problem. the service manager at the dealer told me that the idle air control valve was often on back order. this leads me to believe that these things are failing often.*ak

Vehicle experienced failure of the recall component (00v-072) which caused the windshield wipers to fail, consumer is not able to receive recall repair due to dealership problems. *mjs

Intermittently windshield wipers did not work or started working on their own. also, while driving at any speed vehicle stalled on the road. air bag and check engine light intermittently came on and off.*ak

Engine began producing sounds of dieseling or rattling at roughly 50k miles. camshaft tensioner replaced under recall shortly after, mechanic said this would eliminate noise. noise grew progressively worse over time - brought into a ford dealer, had veh. for a week and replaced front cam chain guide. went to p/u vehicle and was informed noise is still there due to rear cam chain guide needing replacement. would have to pull motor for about another $1000. two independent mechanics informed me both guides failing due to cam shaft tensioner. both guides would not fail at same time on opposite ends of motor unless joined by common part. dealer and ford motor co. basically said that's my problem.*ak

We have had a hood latch recall, cruise control recall, questions about a tire recall (firestone), power steering fluid leak, cv boot rip, wipers turning on with the turn signal, 1 engine replaced due to 0 psi oil at idle (did they really replace it or just say they did?) several independent re-evaluations after the "new" engine had even more noises, fuel injectors replaced, a mysterious clunking sound on the right side during left turns, ~5000mi after 1st engine "replacement" another ford repair center is now saying that the engine has 0psi at and we need another engine. we feel like this 99 explorer (with currently <35,000mi)is a lemon and we are tired of recalls, repairs, waiting for engines. we want a dependable car! we have taken immaculate care of the car, have had professionals do the work on it (usually ford dealerships) and yet we are afraid that the warrentee will run out and we will have an expensive problem or, worse, the car will fail and someone will get hurt! does this car qualify as a "lemon." if not what does? if so, what are our options? p.s. all of the mentioned problems are documented by ford dealership records that are in our possession.

The oil pressure gauge shorted out, the air bag wiring harness, front axle seals, brake caliper pads, brake line, power door lock assembly and multi function switch assembly were all replaced. *ts the timing chain, tensioner, idle air control, valve intake gaskets and the seats which ripped were also replaced. * jb

The air bag (srs) light illumminates while driving, the dealer has attempted to remedy the problem on several occasions yet the problem still exists. nlm

While driving about 25mph vehicle began to shake, and then cut off. *ak

While driving vehicle stalls unexpectedly which may resultin a crash. dealer cannot determine the cause of the problem. please provide further information. *ak

Vehicle stalls while driving. also, while sitting still or turning corners it will cut off. vehicle has been taken to dealer & problem keeps reoccurring. vehicle was picked up on 27-mar-2000 & 28-mar-2000, and taken back to dealer. *ak

Several problems with 1999 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. *mr when the vehicle was turned right, the windshield wipers would come on, the right rear tire had blown, there was a whine noise, a leaking on the garage floor along with a burning smell when the vehicle was shutoff, it was discovered the front axle seal needed to be replaced. check engine light had come on and the heat gauge showed hot, the dealer determined it was the thermostat. the engine surged, the light emitting the display had gone out, there was a problem with the right front hub assembly/axle seal. *scc *jb

Pe00020, orginial equipment with 1999 ford explorer, tire size p23575r15. while driving the front end shakes very hard, and on all tires there are lumps forming and making a whistling noise. *ak there was a constant noise in the front of the vehicle, dealer has replaced the following to remedy the problem: drivesahft, lower control arms, left upper ball joint, lower steering shaft on two occasions, front shaft, lower ball joints, outer tie rod ends, power steering pump and rack, left upper ball joint and finally the arm bushing that was hitting the frame. brakes were pulsating, dealer machined the front rotors. there was a delay in starting the vehicle, dealer stated this was normal. radio had no display lights, dealer installed a new radio. the rear brake light burnt out, dealer replaced the bulb. the parking brake sometimes would not release, dealer could not duplicate the problem. the check engine light illuminated. the rear wiper was not cleaning, dealer replaced the wiper arm and blade. *slc

Windshield wipers replaced once. also, two different descriptions of engine noise. *ak

Car has been in repair facility 4 times since 10/14/99 for failures. the failures occur when the vehicle engine is disabled and shuts down while driving. this can be a serious problem for someone in cold weather climates (especiually remote ak) and if emergency road action is needed (no anti-locks or power steering if engine is off). situation is being forwarded for ak lemon law persuant to ak statute 45.45.300. currently, ford engineers and local repair experts cannot figure out what the problem is. if you need to contact me for more information, feel free. *ak

Engine block cracked, causing oil leakage. also, front axle seals blew out, and transmission leaked. truck was purchased new. the truck only has 300 miles. no repairs have been made on the truck. *ak

No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak

Engine cuts off while vehicle is in motion. when this happens, i lose brakes and steering. i have had the vehicle in for repair more than 3 times but the engine continues to stall out. dealership indicates ford is aware of the problem but is not able to presently repair. vehicle is dangerous when engine quits while in motion. vehicle is not providing reliable transportation. also, there is an engine rattle which is worstening but dealership said this is "normal." i am interested in determining if there have been other similar complaints and if so, how many and what has ford done about this. *ak

Was smelling fumes inside vehicle. noticed fuel from exhaust pipe. parked vehicle & checked underneath & saw the leakage. have taken vehicle to dealer. was informed fuel injectors were open. this was causing the leakage problem. *ak

Car will not start . also, consumer smelled gas fumes. took car to the dealer, and they told huim there was nothing wrong. *ak

Engine developed noise in lower end. ford service bulletin 13645 describes problem, "diesel or marbles in a tin can rattle" 4.0 ohv; problem gets louder with time; concerned about failure.

The engine makes noises similar to a diesel engine. ford supposedly has an internal bulletin on the problem. i believe that ford was aware of the problem prior to selling the vehicle. they have agreed to replace the engine but not to replace the vehicle. i expect that this problem exist in many ford explorers.

My explorer has had the same recurrent problem for 16 months. i have had it to the dealer 8 times. they has numerous fixes and none of them have solved the problem. the car has to be given gas at start up. after start up it idles roughly and hestitates upon acceleration for the first mile or so. it does not exhibit this problem every day. at this point ford has told me they do no know how to fix the problem. they gave me a copy of technical service bulletin 13335 which states no further repairs are to be done and the problem has been sent to qsf for review. meanwhile my vehicle does not run properly and i believe it is a safety issue due to the hesitation upon acceleration. have others complained of this problem? what can i do in order to get my vehicle running correctly? please give me any information which is available. thank you. *ak

While driving on highway traveling 65mph all of sudden the vehicle cuts off. no warning. no nothing. interior lights went out, and also the rear wipers work intermittently. contacted dealer they are aware of the problem, but not able to find whats causing the problem. problem still exists. *ak *ml

Fumes coming from the exhaust system are so strong that consumer is unable to drive with the windows down. the dealer is not able to correct this problem. also, when taking foot off brake pedal, brakes do not release completely. this happens during normal braking, no inclement weather. brake booster was replaced. consumer still experiencing the same problem. *ak

Whenever truck is driven there is a tapping noise coming from the engine. the explorer was taken to the dealership 3 times for this problem. the first time dealer stated that the condition was a normal condtion. second time the exhaust bolts were replaced. the third time the egr valve was replaced. the truck is still being serviced for the condition. windshield wipers come on by themselves due to electrical short in the multi-function switch. *ak

While driving at any speed vehicle stalls. when making any type of left turn, vehicle shuts down, and consumer has to restart vehicle. *ak