Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Was driving on hwy and my vehicle just shut down as i was turning off the main road, lost all control of steering. when i raised the hood i saw my radiator smoking and all of a sudden it popped. had to have it towed in to the shop and was told that the radiator had exploded and the engine seized up! how could this happen? i never even had it to over heat or the light never even alerted me. just blew up and left me stranded. i was told after the fact that there is a recall on the radiator! *tr

I was driving down the highway i went to make a left hand turn when smoke started coming out of the grill, so i pulled over to check under the hood, smoke started boiling out from under the hood

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds the transmission independently switched to 4 wheel drive and the vehicle stalled. the failure recurred several times. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transfer casing and ignition coils needed to be replaced. the ignition coil was replaced and the transfer casing was repaired however the failure recurred. an unknown dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failures. no assistance was provided. the failure mileage was 80,000.

The radiator started going out on me. i had to fix it twice. the breakes i keep having the continued fixing them every 4 months. recently october 25, 2019 it started smelling like burnt rubber came thru the air vents. things with the electricity oe a shortage. with the tires they put wrong tire size. they told me to sign and go because they didn't have my actual tire size. its always on the smalls streets and on freeway or. highway it smells like burnt rubber. the owner didn't notify me or bother to tell me it was on recall already.

Well i have a 2002 ford explorer xlt. it has the trailer brake which i never have used yet. i have a couple issues with it. the theft light blinks as long as the vehicle ain't running. some times it doesn't like to start and has a brand new battery. sometimes when put in gear while running it will shut it's self off. i also noticed when i bought it from another private sell that when i was driving the explorer that i kept smelling a burning smell like plastic and wires as well as smoke and heat admitting from the center console area. i dropped a piece of plastic in the center console area. i pulled up the center console area plastic and witnessed the factory wiring that runs to the center console lighter and else where sparking and smoking. i got it to stop and noticed that the fiberglass cloth thing the factory put around it was badly burned as well as almost halfway through all the center console are wires about an inch long as well as the plastic bottom area to the center console cup area. the burned plastic area is also started to melt. i have pictures on my cell phone. i showed the pictures to the reception guy at the jamestown ny 14701 ford dealer service desk. he gasped and looked genuinely scared that , that happened. i'm scared that this happened. i don't want it to catch fire going down the highway with my kids and newborn baby in it. this is a manufacture issue which i feel should be fixed at fords expense not ours.

Had a bad battery and now 4x4 won't work

The door locks lock and unlock all by themselves dozens of times in a row while i am driving. with this the dome light flashes off and on and the door ajar light flashes and the interior chime goes off constantly. all of this happens at the same time. this is a huge and common issue with thousands of forum posts by other owners who have spend countless $$ at mechanic's to no avail. this can cause wrecks at night it is very distracting. especially the dome light.

Blinkers and gauges won't work also bright lights do not work. everything else works fine including emergency flashers. i've changed relay and checked fuses.

The fuel gage is not working properly even though i have full tank of gas

Door ajar light is always on and alarm goes off constantly from it. seat belt light is always on even when seat belts are in use. abs light is always on and off. always issues with heat and coolant.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving various speeds, the door ajar warning indicator illuminated, which caused the door locks to consistently lock and unlock. the failure caused the battery to drain and the security alarm to sound. the dealer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the overdrive warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled several times. in addition, the vehicle was difficult to shift into second and third gear as well as drive, which was when the intermittent stall failure occurred. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failures. the vehicle was parked and unable to be driven due to the intermittent failures. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

The door locks lock and unlock all by themselves dozens of times in a row while i am driving. with this the dome light flashes off and on and the door ajar light flashes and the interior chime goes off constantly. all of this happens at the same time. this is a huge and common issue with thousands of forum posts by other owners who have spend countless $$ at mechanic's to no avail. this can cause wrecks at night it is very distracting. especially the dome light. why is ford ignoring this obvious safety design flaw? liability is yours .. there are too many complaints of this same problem for you to claim you are not aware. if someone gets car jacked while locks are freaking out you might get sued. it happens the most if someone is in passenger front seat.

I just bought my vehicle on 5/17/20 at a lot called grant motors 2744 fowler st fort myers fl, 33901 during the daytime, they keep pushing , and pushing me to buy it took my id to copy we left without my id, had another vehicle i wanted to buy but had to go back to grant to get id, when pete started at us again and keep coming down on price, till my brother told me it was worth it to buy it, so i did, well during the day in bright sunshine you couldn't see the taillights, nor the dashboard lights, and as driving it home turned on radio to listen to it , all's it would do is flicker, wouldn't change stations, wouldn't do nothing at all, and they put a carfax folder on my dash for me to read at home , that is when i seen the info about the recalls and figured it had something to do with my lights outside and in the dash and the stereo not working at all. them my brother said he wondered why they continued to drop the price to way more then they first asked for as if they new ahead of time the issues and didn't tell us about any of it. so could someone please let me know what is going on , i now have nothing to drive and no money to buy another i'm old raising two grandbabies one with autism , the other with bipolar please help me out. sitting in walmart parking lot, and in motion to go home family had to stay behind me to get home safely,

I was driving my ford on the highway and the next thing i know my feet were really hot and black smoke started coming up. then the black smoke started coming from the engine and i nearly crashed trying to get to the edge of the highway before the fire took over the whole front of the car. luckily the fire department was right there for another accident. it was incredibly disturbing experience. luckily my 3 small children were not in the car.

Two weeks ago for no reason my air bags deployed while i was driving. i contacted ford and couldn't get any help from them at all. i was leaving work in virginia.

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.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the door ajar warning light illuminated while the doors were closed. as a result, the battery became inoperable due to the failure. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 155,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the contact was informed that there was an electrical fire in a wiring harness leading to the fuse panel. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified, however, the contact was not offered a remedy for the failure. the failure mileage was unavailable.

My alarm system go off all time i don't know what to do.

The consumer stated the home fire hazard created by faulty design of non ul approved personal snow plow use for suv manufactured by western products. snow plow electric motor was unfused and overheated not responding to the comman controller shorting out and causing a serious expensive fire. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the air bag light, the check engine light, and battery light illuminated on the instrument panel. the contact inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the failure was due to an electrical issue within the wires in the door locks and anti theft system. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 205,000.

Alarm started going off and the back gate door became unlocked without anyone being in or near the suv saturday night june 14,2014. it continued off and on every twenty minutes, then ten minutes. this was at night about seven o'clock. it stopped. the next day on sunday after coming back from a religious meeting it started going off again with an error message stating that the rear back door was open. it was and i didn't open it. i opened and closed every door after using the panic button to stop the alarm. it starts with the lights coming on in the front of the suv, then the alarm will start beeping very loudly without stopping. this goes on for about a good hour every day since with you going out there to turn it off with the panic button. i did some research to find out what is making this happen and i was amazed and shocked at how many 2002 ford explorers and other ford cars, trucks, and suvs has this problem. it is a very dangerous problem because no one knows how to stop it and it ends up with you having to leave your doors unlocked to stop the alarm from going off and killing your battery. i have limited resources and i want to know why ford has not addressed this problem since it affects so many people. i don't wish to die before something is done about this dangerous problem. i don't want my family or me worrying about my safety because if anyone finds out my suv is unlocked, i could be accosted, or robbed or killed and nothing will be done about it because the auto insurance people say your car has to be locked. please address this dangerous problem with ford since no one else seems to care because i know for a fact the ford people don't. by the way it going on now! thank you. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and it has not been wrecked and i had the light that come on in my dash and they said that my seat belt pretentioner was gone in my seat belt. *tr

It is having trouble shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. engine revs up to and over 4,000rpms and slams into the gears. *tr

The 2002 ford explorer has a design flaw such that the rear panel cracks. when moisture gets in it causes electrical problems. the six problems experiences on this explorer are as follows: 1) false "door ajar" indicator 2) rear window wiper no longer worked 3) dead battery 4) back-up warning signals no longer work 5) rear window can no longer open 6) brake lights won't turn off even after the engine is turned off. we had to disconnect the battery and take it to the dealership the next day. *tr

I bought a used 2002 ford explorer in april of this year at a used car lot. it was a beautiful blue suv in remarkable good condition. i had it four months, and it caught on fire while at a stop sight on my way home from a shopping strip twenty miles from my home. it started smoking and while i was fumbling for my purse to get my cell phone to call for help, it caught fire and bystanders on the thoroughfare pulled me forcefully from the car, and then called the fire department. it was a total loss when the entire hood caught fire and melted. my garage mechanic, who had just seen the car, told me that he could see no reason why it would have caught fire. can you help me? *tr

At approximately 12:30 pm, a brief rain shower began and the windshield wipers failed to operate. after replacement of the wiper motor, and significant troubleshooting, it is likely that the gem module is defective. there had been several days of light, moderate, and heavy rain preceding this issue, during which the automobile was not driven. after this incident, the door-ajar light stays on, the automatic door locks do not work, and there are other electrical issues. *tr

My power steering stuck caused a wreck!!

My ford explorer has had so many ridiculous problems. this one is extremely inconvenient. the car has trouble shifting gears, it spins from 1st to 2nd gear and then i have to let go of the accelerator for it to shift again, it skips 3rd gear altogether and jerks into fourth after pressing and depressing the accelerator a series of times. once it's in 4th gear, it doesn't go past 50 mph. my mechanic says his monitor detected a faulty solender and the entire pack has to be replaced, but that may not be the only problem. if that doesn't do the trick (even though it needs to be replaced regardless) he will have to open the transmission and possibly rebuild or replace some of the parts. i have encountered hundreds of other 2002 ford explorer owners with the same problem. aside from this, i have a list of other dangerous issues that this car has had and that has endangered my family's and my life numerous times: - gear shift breaking off the steering column as i shifted from reverse to drive in the middle of a busy intersection. - ignition cylinder/switch breaking - possible spontaneous explosion recall related to the cruise control - rear latch breaking and inability to use the rear latch. - electrical system failure - doors not closing properly & draining the battery - faulty alarm system - faulty temperature gauge and radiator - ford not allowing customers to buy just the parts needed for replacement and repair and forcing their customers to purchase entire packages only in order to get the necessary parts at extremely high prices. ford should be incriminated for selling these vehicles knowing full well that they are flooded with life threatening issues to their customers. *tr

While driving down the road my airbag light comes on. on occasion i am just thankful that my air bag has not gone off yet. also while driving my door ajar light & dome lights come on. *tr

The interior lights occasionally flicker when all doors are shut securely. also the door ajar light will flicker at times as well. the alarm goes off for no reason and usually it is in the middle of the night and i am pretty sure it is related to the door ajar malfunction. there is no way to disable the factory alarm so i have had to leave my car unlocked at night just to keep it from going off and waking up the neighbors. also we have a crack on the lift gate just below the rear window. you can see this is a common issue by looking at other explorers around town. i have really enjoyed the explorer up until now but it does bother me that these two issues are very common yet ford won't issue a recall to fix these issues. *tr

fords taillight/stop switch illuminates the brake lights, is used to disengage the cruise control and is used to enable the operator to be able to put the vehicle into gear once the brake pedal is depressed. roughly a year ago i had some intermittent issues with trying to disengage the cruise when using the brakes plus i had trouble taking the vehicle out of park without having to step on the brake multiple times. lastly having a friend follow me home i was told my brakes lights did not always illuminate when i was slowing down or at a complete stop! going back to my local ford dealer i bought a replacement switch that had instructions to cut the oe's plug off of their harness and to hard wire the new switch in it's place as ford had experienced some "issues" with those original components. just 13 mo's later i had the same problem but this time it failed completely so the vehicle was locked in park in my driveway. having seen recalls on several other ford and mercury products for a similar problem and expected ford to give me a free replacement. however, after entering my vin # they said there were no recalls but they would reduce their normal price from $93.44 to $76.00 as their compensation. contacting my local napa supplier i bought another switch from them for just $44.49 which resolved my problem for even less money. i returned to the dealer to report my finding and strongly suggested that they contact their ford rep. as i believe this brake switch issue is a bigger problem then ford is aware of or has owner up to knowing about. i was actually lucky to have the switch fail at my home as had i been on the road i could very well have been rear-ended due to my brakes lights not coming on. i question if ford will ever take my warning seriously so i felt obligated to pass this information along to an independent source. *tr

Tl* the contact owned a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle was parked at an independent repair shop when it caught on fire. the vehicle was destroyed. the contact was informed that the fire originated due to a wire under the dashboard. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileages were 160,000.

Due to a defect, we had to have the transmission replaced (thank god it was still under warranty)...then had to have the door ajar sensor fixed because alarm kept going off for no reason. about two years ago we were abut to go out of town for thanksgiving. i stop at a red light, and then we try to pull off when the light changes and hear the loudest popping noises...we're wondering how in the world did the spark plug pop out with so much force that it also rips the ignition coil...(fast forward to 1yr later, same thing happens while leaving home to go to work). once again, on march 12, while on my way to work, sitting at a traffic light. light turns green...i start to pull off and begin hearing a popping noise...wth...not again!!! (this is the third time this has happened in 2 years). come on ford...fix the lemons!!!! *tr

Alarm goes off when set and no one is around, cruise control does not always work, light inside do not turn off and sometimes do not turn on, radio does not turn off when opening the front doors, but will turn off when back doors are opened. *tr

none of the windows will work, they were operating properly and just quit. this vehicle is unsafe to drive, in an emergency, (such as a crash). the occupants of the vehicle could become trapped in the vehicle because the windows would not operate. if a fire occurred the results could be tragic. ford is aware of this problem along with several other problems on this vehicle. yet they choose not to repair or replace any of the known defective components. my vehicle has a lot of miles on it, but this problem along with other problems on this vehicle happens on lower mileage vehicles also. *tr

Door ajar light and beeping sensor is always going off, causing the doors to unlock while driving and also causing the inside dome light to turn on and off. must drive at night without instrument lights, including speedometer, as dome light stays on. *js

I have a 2002 ford explorer that is in the shop right now with a torn down engine. i went out to start it one morning and it had a hard start then it started ticking. come to find out it the timing chain. from what i have read online it is a very common complaint and i am really surprised that this truck has not been recalled again for this problem. i am having to pay for something that ford made a mistake on. the pulley on the truck is plastic, and it is failing. i also have problems with my electrical parts on it. the lights inside will stay on after i turn it off and get out and if i turn on my rear defrost my truck dings and says door ajar..... this truck is awful. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated the overdrive light illuminated, the rear passenger window cannot be opened and the alarm system engaged on its owns. the contact replaced the drivers door electrical sensor; however, the electrical system failure was not corrected. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 150,000 and the approximate current mileage was 180,000.

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

I can not drive with all the alarms and locks and overhead light going off and on the whole time i'm driving. it is torture, loud and scary!!! *tr

At a stop, began accelerating to enter highway, accelerator pedal became stuck and car continued to accelerate up to 90 mph at full throttle before i shut vehicle off and put it in neutral. has happened on several occasions, all exactly the same. vehicle accelerates at full throttle and has to be shut off before an accident occurs. only way to correct problem is to exit vehicle and push gas pedal several times; start vehicle and see if engine is still at full throttle.

The transmission started to slip in may of 2011. i had the transmission serviced and it did not correct the problem. i am unable to check the transmission fluid as it is a sealed unit no dip stick. we drove the vehicle until it no longer moves. the cost to replace the transmission is 2800.00 plus... there was no reason why this should have happened. *tt

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while parked, the contact noticed flames around the radio console and the dashboard. the fire department reported to the scene and a report was filed. the cause of the fire was determined to be a failure within the radio console wires. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for repairs. the approximate failure mileage was unknown.

My gear shift broke as i was putting into gear and it just fell into my hands it broke into two half a piece that should not broke and as i was going somewhere the truck just starting going crazy the lights was flashing on and off the alarms was going of the lights flashin,sometimes in the middle of the night the alarm just goes off on it on we see all this happen and no one is by the truck no cats dogs nothing. *tr

Sparkplug was ejected from head while driving. the plug was manufacturer specification and properly installed to the correct torque. sparkplug hole was damaged and needed to be machined for a new plug. creates a safety hazard while driving as well as a fire hazard as the empty cylinder forces air/fuel mixture into the engine compartment where ejected spark plug could ignite it. *tr

The factory alarm will go off randomly during the night. have not been able to get this issue worked out with ford. we have tried several times to get it resolved and each time it is fixed, the issue returns within a few weeks. *tr

Heater failed causing windows to "fog" over and decreased ability to see out windshield. *tr

even with a full tank of gas the gas gauge will go to "0" and the "check gauge" light comes on because the sender assembly unit of the gas gauge does not work. there had been another 2002 explorer brought in for the same problem that morning. the part is not available and is on back order. the part cost $76.79 but the labor will be $270! this is a lot of money for us to pay due to an fords engineering problem. are many other 2002 explorers experiencing the same problems? many times, because the fuel sending unit is corrupted, it will put too much fuel in injectors, which has caused my car to "bog down" especially dangerous at intersections and at hwy entrance ramps. *tr