Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer SUSPENSION

Takata recall i was driving about 10 miles took a right into the libiary parking lot and my front side drivers tire snapped the ball joint completely snapped and it broke the spring, upper control arm, sway bar and tyirod

The rear stabilizer links just broke out of nowhere not even to latest later the front stabilizer links just broke out of nowhere and i have no steering a whole lot of loose control

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the door ajar and brake warning indicators illuminated even when the doors were closed. the contact also stated that the vehicle made an abnormal noise. an independent mechanic was notified and diagnosed that the wheel bearings were defective and needed to be replaced. the wheel bearing failure was repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failures and stated that nhtsa was responsible for all recalls. the contact was transferred to nhtsa. the failure mileage was not provided. *js

Driving nd steering wheel fell apart brake switch stopped working 3 times had new transmission put in had to have 3 different sets of tire put on back window shattered while sitting at red light. *tr

I own a 2002 ford explorer, it's our daily driver everything works except the hubs, this truck has never been wrecked, and we find ourselves@ about every 15,000 to 20,000 miles having to replace the wheel bearings and hub assembly's , last night on the way home the driver side front hub started squealing and came apart and we had to have it towed again, i have owned this truck for 3 years, i have had to replace the bearings and hubs brakes 11 times and now i'm going to have to do it again, wow, these parts are really expensive to have no better quality than that, everytime we get it fixed it cost around $1400, it's a nice truck, and everything else works great, no issues, i transport my family members in this vehicle, and i'm getting tired of fearing for their lives and my own when the wheel hubs break and leave us stranded , it's obviously time for a different vehicle, and i just thought about how many other people drive one of those trucks, and how dangerous that could have been out on the interstate, it's a good thing we were driving 30 mph on a country rd, if we had been in town when it broke again we i thought that the last time this happened too, there definatly is a problem, when the guy at the dealership says that's a very common problem, but unfortunately, all he can do is fix it, or sell me something else,and that that's the issue that those trucks have and that everyday someone is dropping one of to get fixed for the exact same problem, anyway i think it's time to try something else, but this problem needs to be on a recall list because it's just bad business and a safety hazard, and it's problaby already gotten people and families killed, i'm going to fix this thing one more time and give the people that buy it this website info, ford motor company needs to fix this ever occurring problem.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while the vehicle was at a local dealer for routine service, the front wheel bearings and hub assemblies were replaced. after the repairs, the contact heard an abnormal noise coming from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the front wheel bearings needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. while driving 60 mph, the front driver side wheel detached from the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front wheel bearings needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 85,000.

Both rear coil springs broke. replaced front and rear wheel bearings replaced ball joints replaced transmission has now failed and is now undependable. may fail with out warning no accidents, any of the above could have resulted in an accident ford is aware of all of the mentioned problems and refuses to rectify the problems. this is a wide spread problem with all 2002 ford explorers.

Air bag wiring harness to short : every time you move the seat the air bag light would come on $683.00 repair service technical service bulletin from ford no compensation for repairs miles 22,000. front wheel bearing failure left and right 60,000 miles. rear spring failure 75000 miles front spring failure 75000 miles. fuel tank registers 1/4 tank when tank is empty 45000 miles transmission cellinoid failure 28000 miles and 800000 miles heater control module 70000 miles. intake leak 80000 miles. rear wheel bearing and axle seals 100,000 miles. other than that great car. if ford cared about its customer it would have fixed the transmission problems they had six flaws from day one of production from 1990 ---- why ford if you had a real transmission it would make up for all the other failure built into this car. you make great real trucks like the f150 other than that your entire fleet is junk.

Inspection found both rear coil springs broke and driver front coil spring also broke. 3 broken springs. never heard of spring breaking, ever. seems to be a problem with ford exployers

The rear suspension is broken on either side of vehicle, the rear passenger side bearings were replaced, now the drivers rear wheel bearings are shot.

My ford explorer started making a sound like there was something rolling around in back gate. first mechanic couldn't find problem. i worked on this for three months. looks as if it is the bushings are worn and body is touching frame. i also understand that several others have had this problem. *tr

I got a knock on my door by the fire department telling me that my car set on fire i filed a claim with my insurance and they told me to file a claim with ford because they have reason to believe it was the cruise control button that set the car on fire . *tr

Utah i-15 south bound, inside lane next to concrete barrier with tour bus in lane on my right. my vehicle began to drift to the right as i was passing the bus. i corrected by slowly turning the steering wheel to the left; not hard or fast but slowly and evenly. the explorer (4-door, 2002, xlt) began to whip back and fourth violently. it took me several hundred yards to get the car under control after coming within an inch or two of both the barrier and the bus. this is not the first time the whipping problem has happened. i bought the vehicle four months ago from a private seller. i put new "big-o" bigfoot tires on it and had the front end alignment checked; it was fine. if i hadn't done some fancy driving the vehicle would have rolled (at 80mph) and i probably would have been killed. i am getting rid of the explorer and never buying another ford product again. *tr

Rear spring broke on left side, not even rusted. car only has 32000 miles on it. have been seeing that this is a known issue with this model but no recall was ever instituted. a travesty. *tr

We were driving down the highway and we heard a clunk and so we pulled over right away and looked and thought it looked like the rear passenger side was sagging but wasn't sure, we drove home and then realized it was def sagging. i took it to the car lot i bought it at and their going to check it all out to see what's going on.. just be looking at it the car lot mechanic said looks like suspension issue as if something broke. also the check engine light came on and we had it checked out a few times and it appears to have o2 sensor issues located on the exhaust which seems to be a issues with alot of ford explorers which makes gas mileage terrible and vehicle stalls out and dies, not to mention the piece of plastic under the rear hatch window that always breaks. *tr

Bearing keep have to be replaced, an the rear coil spring is cracked an the tire came off while driving my truck, have replaced the wheel bearing 3 times already. an i have replace the transmission 2 times. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance when the dealer stated that the rear coil springs needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 118,000.

Heard a clunk noise in the rear of truck...come to find out both rear strut coils were rotted out and broken..trucks has never pulled a trailer or been off road! *tr

Rear coil springs are rusted and cracking, piece fell off. it appears that inadequate or deficient metal was used. mechanic says very rare for coil springs to rust like this, springs look as though they have been in a junk yard for 30 years.this vehicle is a family car, not used for off-roading and kept in a garage. according to my research many other owners have had the same issue, some have even had the pieces puncture tires causing a blowout while driving. i can only assume that ford is not concerned with consumer safety, but only with their own profits and are waiting for people to die before taking responsibility. this is just one of many issues with this model and ford needs to step up. *tr

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 explorers. 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

I am a mechnical engineer, and do a lot of my own car repairs, when i was adjusting the emergency brake i noticed that my rear coil spring was broken in 2 places and rusted through, i went online to buy replacement springs and struts, and i came upon a website with others also with this issue of broken springs on this ford model. this is a serious safety issue, a broken spring could drop and puncture the tire. at highway speeds this could lead to serious injury and fatalities. the nhtsa should hold ford accountable for this serious manufacturing flaw i am lead to believe that the springs where manufactured in china. the nhtsa should get some guts and expose this serious safety issue. as a personal note this vehicle has never been off-road . *tr

Rear spring cracked at 100,000 mil transmission failed at 120,000 mil body electrical not sealed well and keeps shorting in different places cruise gets stubborn and scared to use it , im afraid of it getting stuck in cruise. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for replacement of the rear wheel bearings when the mechanic noticed that the driver and passenger side rear coil springs were fractured and would have need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

I recently had the dealer install 2 new rear wheel bearings (2nd time in 2 years) and was told that both rear springs are broken. i was told that the broken pieces can come out while driving and puncture the tire. i did an internet search and found over 100 complaints of the same broken springs on other explorers. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explore with 47,000 miles. was told both rear springs were broke during vehicle inspection. don't know when they broke. daily driver only, no towing. should not happen at 47,000 miles should have a recall with all the complaints with springs. *tr

2002 ford explorer had all coil springs broken and some may have been for quite some time. this is a common problem that ford will not acknowledge. i pulled into my driveway and i heard something clunk in the back and sure enough it was completely cracked. took it into get repaired along with struts and ball bearing plate. total cost for the failure of these springs = $1750! *tr

This complaint is in regards to the 2002-2005 ford explorer/mercury mountaineer models (4 doors). i own a 2002 ford explorer 4 door xls with 150,000 miles. recently my vehicle became very dangerous to drive. when i accelerate and then release the pedal the vehicle would "push" to one side or another. also going around curves i would get a "death wobble" where the vehicle would "push" from side to side in almost a swinging motion and when you attempt to correct it, it continues to swing excessively back and forth. tonight i went to check my wheel bearings thinking this was the problem, and i found 3 out of the 4 coil springs on the struts were broken. both rear coils were shattered (easiest way to describe it) at the top of the spring. i could literally pull pieces of coil spring out of the coil. the front right spring was also cracked all the way through, near the bottom of the coil. i have spent alot of time working on cars and i have never see 3 coil springs fail at the same time especially since they are less than 10 years old!!! i also did a google search and read where other owners have had spring failures as low as 75,000 miles!! please look into this issue there are so many of these on the road. i work in law enforcement and this i feel is a significant safety risk after experiencing the loss of control you have when driving the vehicle in this condition. if this would have happened in the illinois winter with ice on the roads it could have been disastrous. i will be replacing the entire strut/coil spring assembly sing the rear springs have collapsed in such a way that the spring is rubbing on the strut bodies. one of the issues is, with exception of the handling characteristics, the vehicle sits level and close to its normal ride height and its is very difficult to tell 3 springs are broken. i will be taking pictures to document this failure and i will be willing to provide this to you. i may also save the old parts if you would like. *tr

Rear cracked/crumbling strut springs both sides. *tr

Upon taking my 2002 ford explorer for a routine oil change. i was informed by the ford dealer that my left rear spring was broken. my explorer only has 26,116 miles, how could the springs break? i never carry anything heavy, usually only one person is in the vehicle. iv'e been reading on the internet and there are hundreds of other people with the same problem. why hasn't nhtsa looked in this issue since it is a safety problem? ford motor co. knows this is a defect since they changed their design after it was discovered. can nhtsa re-examine this issue and order a recall before someone jets injured. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle failed state inspection because the rear coil springs were fractured. the vehicle was repaired by a local mechanic. the dealer was contacted and stated that there were no related recalls to the failure. the manufacturer was not been notified. the current and failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

Both rear coil springs on my 02 ford explorer broke. there wasn't any indications prior for us to know it would happen.when it did it fell onto rubber stops but tracted crooked and spring almost hit tire.i went to dealer they said no recall call ford. i called ford rep said nothing they could do not enough complaints to justify a recall or fix my explorer. i went to local parts store and bought monroe quik strut.. installed myself.saved old parts just in case because ford said get rid and save my receipt for parts in case of future recall.vehicle mileage at time was about 46,000 miles. *tr

Rear coil spring. after having tire rotated was informed that driver rear spring was broken. had both rear coil springs replaced since this seems to be an eventual problem down the road. *tr

2002 front wheel bearings failed at 80,000 miles.*tr

Our 2002 ford explorer xlt with 109,000 miles has serious transmission slippage between 2nd and 3rd gears. the local dealer and an independent repair shop state that the transmission needs replaced at a cost between $2,500 and $3,500. it is dangerous to drive in its current condition because there are times when it will not accelerate. the rear differential and ball bearings also need replaced according to 2 separate mechanics. there is a random thumping coming from the back of the vehicle daily. the cost to repair is between $2,000 and $5,000. they cannot tell us exactly until they actually get in there to do the repair. *tr

I took my car to a local repair shop to have the front & rear struts replaced. they found that all of the springs were broken. about 1/2 to 3/4 of the top coil had separated from the rest of the spring.

While inspecting the left, rear wheel bearing a broken spring was found. it was determined that the wheel bearing was also in a stage of failure. a load noise like the vehicle had "truck tires" was coming from the rear. the spring was fractured at the top in multiple places and partially collapsed

I've had to replace two ball bearings in my 2002 ford explorer xls. first the back left and now the back right. with the latest, the back left, the tire on the back left was almost seizing up from the problem and my car was leading to the left and right from the grinding. *tr

Left side coil spring snapped suddenly while car was parked in driveway. *tr

2002 ford explorer hub assembly/wheel bearing failure. the left rear tire completely locked up and had to be towed. upon inspection the bearing had ripped apart so bad you could see the metal coming out of the rear side of the tire, where the axle shaft connects. in addition to that, right rear hub assembly was very loose and had to be replaced. 2 weeks later, the front left hub is so bad that it's roaring and thumping and feels like it's also ready to lock up. 88k miles on explorer, this is the second time the rear hub were replaced. there is obviously either a flaw in the design or just substandard dangerous defective parts produced by ford. *tr

I went to perform brake pad replacement and found passenger side rear coil spring broken. when i got around to the drivers side to no avail that rear coil spring is broken as well. *tr

The contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to replace rear brakes where a technician noticed that both rear coil springs fractured. repaired brakes and rear springs. was informed by shop that this is a very common issue with 2002 ford explorers. the failure mileage was approximately 76,000. added note, this vehicle has never been used to tow or carry heavy loads, only used as personal transport. *tr

2002 ford explorer ltmd...90k miles front wear bearings completely blew out, rear struts leaking massive oil and rear springs fractured....had front bearings replaced when it disables brake usage from tires being crooked in next couple of days need to have rear end done with struts, springs and bushings....all new parts no choice and $2600.00 later in all the springs are the biggest issue, they should not break. *tr

O/d light flashes for a few days then at around 25 mph the gear switches into neutral and runs very rough then the car is thrown forward. had a rebuilt transmission (we were told we were getting a brand new transmission and paid extra for it!) at 83k miles on oct 15, 2010 then feb 5, 2011 the same exact thing happens. the dealer cannot take the truck for another 5 days and refused to give me a loner car because it is not under the warranty. please note: below i put in the first incident date, feb 2011 is the second incident date. in may of 2009 i was told my engine failed at about 76,000 miles. we did buy the extended warranty and we were covered. the ford dealership told us we were not covered. they had our truck for 3 weeks until the warranty people called the dealership and let them know it should be fixed. we also had a rental car or a loner car under the warranty. they refused to pay for a rental car and said they did not have a loaner car available. it took 4 more weeks (in total 7 weeks) to get the truck back and never paid for the rental. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 68 mph, the vehicle exhibited a squealing noise and began pulling to the left. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and was told that the wheel bearings were frozen and that he should continue to drive on them until they fractured, in which the vehicle would be fine to drive. the vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the bearings were frozen to the axle, and that the rear driver's side axle would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 73,000 and the current mileage was 161,000.

Broken rear springs. my ford service manager said that there is a known problem with broken rear springs on explorer's as well as other ford's. this is very dangerous as the driver has lost the functionality of the truck. mine broke while sitting at a stop light and my daughter and i heard a loud bang. i thought a tire blew. $800 to fix, for just the 2 rear springs, but service manager said he would recommend replacing the fronts as well. until i can get truck in for service i am afraid to drive the truck as the bottom of the spring landed on the rear suspension and may cause further damage as it rubs. i drove truck slowly home as the truck now leans to the right (side that failed) and i have definitely lost the handling characteristics to this truck. *tr

2002 ford explorer. rear springs/coils rusted, broken, on both sides didn't know until i had estimate done for noise in front end which turned out to be uv joint. i understand to repair back springs it will cost about $325 each side and the other things i need uv joint, wheel hub, strut,etc...another $400 this is sad!!! *tr

2002 ford explorer xlt 4wd rear coil spring broke under normal driving condition. created bad situation with car swaying left to right. had to replace spring and strut. also all 4 wheel bearings had to replaced in 5 years. *tr

Noticed fluid on rear passenger side lower control arm. upon closed inspection, noticed fluid coming from rear shock and both rear coil springs were broken. repair estimates to replace both rear coil spring assembly range from $655 to $800. *tr

Rear springs both cracked-front & rear wheel bearings bad needed to be replaced ford should recall these vehicles before someone seriously if not already has been hurt or killed in an accident. *tr

During the 90,000 mile servicing of this vehicle, it was discovered that the rear coil springs on our 2002 ford explorer xlt had rusted completely through and needed to be replaced. we do not reside in a coastal area resulting in exposure to the salty ocean spray nor do we drive this vehicle in off road situations that would cause water to accumulate under the vehicle. for these reasons there is no apparent cause for the coil springs to prematurely rust through. i don't want to think what would have happened to my wife or i if these springs would have fallen completely off while the vehicle was being operated. *tr