Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer STEERING

I have a 2002 ford explorer and this morning i was going at work when the gear shift arm broke off in my hand. i had to call my wife for go at work and i was unable to remove my keys from the ignition. my car is completely un-drivable. *tr

Very loud noise in tires while driving and in steering column when driving my 2002 ford explorer . it is most likely a wheel bearing issue. this issue in this truck should be a recall item. *tr

Went to leave a baseball game and attempted to put my car in reverse only to have the gear shift come loose from the steering column and was just dangling there. of course customer service at ford could not help. *tr

I was driving in town at approximately 30 mph when i drove over a crack and it felt like a large pothole. i heard a grinding noise and pulled over. my rear springs were both broken. the driver side one at the top and the passenger side one at the top in 3 places. when i turn now it feels like my vehicle is going to roll over. this is a common problem as stated by many others on many internet sites. this is going to cause a serious if not deadly accident. ford needs to do a recall on this part and replace them for free, since they were the ones who used bad parts in their vehicles. this is a manufacturing defect and should be treated as such. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the vehicle was parked when the gear shift suddenly broke off in the contacts hand and the vehicle became stuck between park and reverse. the vehicle was towed to his residence. the dealer informed the contact that the gear shift lever replacement kit would repair the failure or the steering column would have to be replaced. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who confirmed that the steering column needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified and did not offer any assistance. the vehicle had not been repaired when the complaint was filed. the vin was not available. the current and failure mileages were approximately 92,000.

I was reversing out of a parking spot and then shifted into drive when the lever went limp. it was stuck in reverse and i had my two young kids in the backseat! i was scared out of my mind!!! i sat in the car with my foot on the brake for 45 minutes waiting for my cousin to tow the car to my dad's house. according to all the cases i've read about, and the ford dealer parts guy, i now have to replace the whole steering column. there's only two junk yards here on guam and neither one has the part so i have no choice but to buy from the dealer and the part alone is $1500!!! i'm going to have to take out a loan just to fix the car that i'm still paying off. it's unbelievable that there has been no recall or that ford has made it so that we have to get the whole column instead of the one little part that broke. *tr

Vehicle was westbound on ohio turnpike when the driver lost control and the vehicle left the roadway, struck a sign and came to a rest in the gore*cw letter updated 03/18/10 *bf ohio traffic crash report # 10-0076-89. *jb

Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6) 2002 ford explorer [xxx] - gear shift lever broke off of steering column while shifting from park into reverse. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and while trying to put my truck in park the gear shift arm broke off in my hand. i had to leave my car in reverse and i was unable to remove my keys from the ignition. my car is completely un-drivable. i have had it towed to a repair shop, but they are charging me $550 to replace the whole steering column with a used steering column. *tr

I was leaving a friend's house... put the key in the ignition and attempted to shift into reverse and the shifter broke off into my hand; only connected by the rubber and the wire inside. the metal connection actually just snapped in half! i was glad i wasn't stuck in drive or anything i had my 20 month old niece in the car! this could have ended really really bad! if ford knows that this is a common problem with this model why has nothing been done!?! i got one estimate from the local ford dealership where i had to have the car towed to; $1795+7% sales tax! i called around and found a place to get a used steering column put in for $1000+tax but i have to have it towed another 40 miles to get it to that shop... something needs to be done before someone dies from this parts failure! it's seems senseless for ford to sit by and do nothing if they can act now and save lives! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while shifting into reverse, the gear shift broke off. the vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where the dealer repaired the steering column. the current and failure mileages were 89,930.

2002 ford explorer gear shift broke off when putting car in park. steering column replaced by dealer with used parts. dealer retained possession of old parts. *tr

I pulled up to the gas station while on my way to work and as soon as i was about to shift into park the gear shift broke right off in my hand. it was causing some nor difficulties in the past where it would show signs of resistance when shifting gears but never something so serious as this current incident. i called a tow truck which appeared about 40 minutes later and then took me home. i have tried to find a new part but no dealer or parts manufacturer has it in stock. *tr

Recently purchased 2002 ford explorer. shortly after, within one to two days i attempted to exit the vehicle by shifting into park and opening the drivers side door. although vehicle was at a complete stop when i exited it began to roll backwards causing me to fall beside alongside the driver side with lower right extremities still inside the vehicle. immediate assistant was available so minimal damage was done. currently requires caution when shifting into park do to additional maneuvering to shift into park. *tr

2002 ford explorer ball crank broke*cw the consumer stated the ball crank broke when he attempted to shift from park to reverse. the consumer's mechanic made numerous calls in search of the part needed, only to discover the entire steering column had to be purchased at a cost of $1,395.00. *jb

There is a common thread with gearshift selector breakage on ford explorers which indicates that recall is urgently needed. in the driveway of my house, with car in park, i tried to shift into reverse to back out. the gearshift selector on the steering column broke off and just dangled. i removed the rubber cover on the steering column to have a look, and i could see rough metal where end of gearshift selector rod meets with joint inside the steering column, indicating that the metal simply broke there. called service at ford dealer in henderson nv, was told that entire steering column needs to be replaced at parts + labor cost of $1920. had i been parked on a hilly street in san francisco, e.g., a serious accident might have occurred with the car out of control. recall is urgently needed before people are injured due to this obvious defect!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. when he attempted to turn the ignition switch, the steering column fractured. secondly, the rear lift-gates panel split in half. thirdly, the transmission intermittently slipped out of gear. none of the failures have been remedied. he previously filed a complaint. the failure and current mileages were 80,000.

Have a 2002 ford explorer have had several problems, but while i was out driving today my car began to pop as i turned the wheel. i have gotten my tie rods replaced and there seems to continue to be a problem with my vehicle. my husband drove the car home for me slowly but will not drive for fear that the wheel may pop off. contacted ford and am waiting on a response, this problem has been noted on the internet by several owners of this model and year. this is a suspension problem and i would like this further investigated so that noone is riding down the highway with their children in vehicle and the wheel pop off. i was very lucky that my child was not in the truck with me at the time this incident happened. *tr

I am sorry i am not a good speller i was pulling out of the gas station pulled up a little so i could see then a little more and seen a car so i went to put it in reverse but the gear shift stick broke right in my hand i almost got hit but thank god there was someone with me that put his life on the line got under the car and changed it manually the used part i have to get is 250.00 dollars and labor is like 300.00 i have to have a hole new steering column put in the clip that makes it change broke i just don't think it is right to have something as week as that part on there we could have been killed and when i looked it up on the internet there are hundreds of people this same thing has happened. *tr

The gear shift is hard to get into park. sometimes after in park the suv stills moves. no damage or crash yet. but i make sure to put on emergency brake. *tr

Started car and when i put car in drive, shift gear on 2002 explorer just fell off this is happening all over the usa i could have been driving and this could have happen. my wife and child could have been driving. do people have to die to make this a recall why isn't this a recall. *tr

2002 ford explorer approx.77,000 miles shifting from park to drive gear shifter broke of at the base causing the vehicle to be stuck in reverse. after contacting ford headquarters was informed there was nothing they could do even though there are several complaints on the internet. the dealership charges several hundred dollars to repair because the whole steering column has to be replaced. part is currently on order. *tr

Our 2002 ford explorers gear shift lever broke off in my hand while trying to shift from park to reverse. we had some trouble with the lockout in the past, but this left us stranded and required a tow. *tr

I was having trouble placing my car in park. the gear shift would not work unless i forced it. many of times i would place in park and it would roll. i thought it was my fault. on june 10, 2009 i placed my car in park and the gear shift broke. i was told that "it happens"with this truck and that there had not been a recall even though there was thousands of complaints. i am a single mother and i cannot afford to pay $700-1200 dollars to get this replaced. it is a disgrace that ford does not stand behind their trucks. i will never buy a ford again. *tr

I turned into my driveway and put my explorer into park the shifter broke off and the car was not in park. thankfully i was home and it is now sitting with the key still in the ignition and emergency brakes on. tried to buy the gear shift plunger on steering column and the ford dealer said i can only buy the entire steering column. $1200.00 they showed me the column it has a different plunger that reinforced this suggest that they are aware of the problem. *tr

When i tried to put my 2002 ford explorer into reverse the gear shifter snapped off in my hands. i have never seen this happen before but have been researching this on the internet and it seems to be a real issue with the ford explorer design of the shifter mechanism. my vehicle has 90,000 miles on it. this also seems to be consistent as to when most break. *tr

Saturday i tried to put my 2002 ford explorer xlt in park and the gear shift snapped off. i wasn't trying to jam it in park, just simply tried to put it in park. it is right now stuck in reverse with the key stuck in the ignition. i had my children with me and no clue that there was anything wrong with the car. please note that while i was trying to figure out what was going on, the car rolled backwards a bit. after, doing some research on the internet to see if ford had any recalls for this i found that many more people just like me had experienced the same thing. the pictures that the others have uploaded of the metal/aluminum piece is the same exact piece that is broken on mine. please believe me i am not an extra strong person as to where i could have done this myself (broke the piece of metal). please look into this for it is a very costly repair that should be looked into and taken care of by ford. *tr

2002 ford explorer gear shift lever broke when attempting to place truck in gear. i have heard through blogs that this is now becoming a common problem. my truck was placed in park with emergency brake on prior to shifting the lever into park, when i attempted to put the truck in reverse the lever snapped and i was unable to move the truck nor remove the key from the ignition. the tow truck driver showed me how to place the truck in drive manually underneath the truck in order to move the vehicle. this is not safe considering the fact that one is underneath a running vehicle and the probablity of being ran over is high. i would like to know if ford is being pressured in recalling this part considering the fact that the piece that breaks is not sold individual, the customer is obligated to buy a complete steering column just to obtain the piece that breaks. *tr

I went to put vehicle in park and shift lever broke off inside steering column. had to replace entire steering column for 1 little piece of cast white metal which i found out is a common problem with this particular vehicle. after repair was complete ,od off light started blinking and service engine soon light came on. code po755 on engine scanner which according to carcomplaint web site and my mechanic is also a very common problem with this vehicle. *tr

Gear shift broke off the steering column of my 2002 ford explorer. truck was rendered inoperable, but could have the potential of being stuck in gear if the shift breaks off at anything other than park or neutral. *tr

As i was putting my 2002 ford explorer in reverse the shift handle broke off the steering column and is now just hanging by the cruise control wiring. unlike other explorer owners i was "lucky" enough to get stuck on park and not drive or reverse where there's a potential of someone getting hurt. as many others have stated before me, this is obviously a manufacturer's defect which if not taken seriously will eventually lead to injuries and/or deaths. please don't wait until reports start coming in with numbers other than zeros on the "number of deaths" & "number of persons injured" fields for you to hold ford accountable for their actions. thank you. *tr

As i was putting my 2002 ford explorer in park the column shift handle came off in my hand. i could not move the vehicle. i had to have the entire steering column replaced. i have done research and this is not an unusual problem. in fact in some case it has happened more than once tot he same vehicle so there is no guaranteed permanent solution. this is a potentially dangerous situation and i think something should be done before some gets seriously injured or killed. some people's cars have been stuck in drive or reverse. i was lucky. my repair place told me this was the second ford lincoln mercury within a month they saw this happen in. the other vehicle was a mercury mountaineer. this is an unacceptable situation and you have many complaints on your site about this specific issue. i would some action taken now. it is not only inconvenient and expensive, it is dangerous. *tr

Gear shifter broke off steering column in 2002 ford explorer. when putting vehicle in park the gear shifter broke off, leaving the vehicle inoperable. it was towed to the dealer and then driven to our home. learned form internet search of at least 26 similar complaints regarding 2002 ford explorer automatic. *tr

After pulling into a parking lot, the gear shift lever fell off into my hands while trying to put the car into park. i was unable to drive the car; therefore, it needed to be towed to a ford dealer. the service technician said he had never seen this problem before and proceeded to tell me that i would need to have the entire steering column replaced. the estimate for this job was $1200. the technician located a used part and was able to replace the column for a few dollars cheaper. i was without a car for nine days. there were no previous indications that this problem would occur. the car (which is 6 years old) only has 50,000 miles on it. *tr

The gear shifter broke away from the steering column on my 2002 ford explorer. the shifter itself did not break, but rather a piece of metal attached to the column, requiring the entire steering column be replaced at $1100. the required cost to get your vehicle fixed is extreme and caused by a design flaw. i googled broken gear shift on '02 explorer and found an unlimited number of people who have experienced this same issue. ford clearly should recall this part and cover expenses incurred to repair their problem. this happened in my driveway, but the owners manual suggests switching gears while driving which could clearly be dangerous and possibly cause injury or death to the driver. *tr

2002 ford explorer shifter broke off in hand while at gas pump. the part that broke is what the shift handle connects to and is not replaceable. ford says i must purchase the entire steering column in the amount of $871.70. i have read all over the internet that thousands of other explorer owners have experience that same problem. ford list the part number. 3c529. *tr

About a year ago, the gear shifter in my 2002 ford explorer started getting harder to shift out of park especially on inclines. after a short period of time, i took it to our local ford dealer for them to look at it. they said they could find nothing wrong but that it did stick a little. gradually over several months it got worse. eventually, it got stuck in park and i actually broke off the gear shifter trying to go from park to reverse. we had to pay almost $1,200 to replace the steering column and shifter. we were then told that we might put on the emergency break before shifting into park on hills. i told them that it didn't matter if you were on a hill or not, it still would get stuck. after first replacing the column, it was easier to shift out of park. then, over a few months it became increasingly harder to shift out of park again, unless i put on the emergency brake. i did use the brake on hills and inclines mostly but then sometimes it would get hard to shift on just flat surfaces. i contacted the ford dealer and asked them to look at it again. they said that i would always just have to use the emergency brake before shifting into park. i asked them why - it doesn't seem right. they said, "that is just normal operating procedure". i, of course, argued that was not normal and they said there was nothing they could do about it. i asked the ford company website and they said they consulted with our dealer and that they concur with them. *tr

Went to put my 2002 ford explorer in reverse and the shift level broke off from the steering column, leaving the vehicle unable to be driven. this apparently has happened to many others and the only repair is to replace the entire steering column which costs over $1,000. *tr

Shifter broke off. *tr

Was putting vehicle into drive when gear shift broke off of steering column, later found that cheap aluminum connecting piece broke not the shift handle. *tr

The steering wheel lever broke off my ford explorer 2002. this occurs often on ford explorers because it is made of aluminum. the repair is to change the whole steering column and that costs between $800-1300 dollars. *tr

When attempting to shift from drive to park, the gear shift lever broke from the steering column, making it impossible to change gears. the engine remained running with it in drive. i turned the ignition off & it could not be restarted (ie, ignition/interlock system). the steering wheel wouldn't turn either. the entire steering column (not just small broken piece) had to be replaced (cost=$1372, $897 for parts). as of 7/2/08, 61 exactly the same incidents have been reported via complaints filed with nhtsa website. some vehicles complained about have experienced this part failure twice. these complaints have been filed under the components - steering: column, power train: automatic transmission, power train: automatic transmission: gear position indication (prndl), power train: automatic transmission: lever and linkage: column shift, steering: gear box (other than rack and pinion), steering: gear box: shaft sector, steering: wheel and handle bar, other or unknown this is an obvious design and/or mfg/material defect & it correlates (in many other complaints) with another defect - very difficult shifting of gear lever to or from ?park? & ?reverse?. 61 reported incidents of the parts failure are significant, but there are obviously far more than have been reported via nhtsa complaints. the defective gear shift part poses serious safety concerns. if the gear shift lever breaks while the vehicle is on a street or expressway (but stopped momentarily by necessity), the driver would be unable to change gears or push and/or steer it to safety, thereby creating a dangerous traffic situation with a high potential for bodily injury. nhtsa has more than adequate data to initiate a defect investigation & should immediately require ford to provide a full disclosure of the number of steering columns that it has sold as a result of this defect. i have the old steering column (and the broken piece) as well as several pictures of them. *tr

The gear shift on my 2002 ford explorer broke off the steering column. there were no warning signs before this occurred. i was in the car with my 3 year old son & my wife who is 8 months pregnant. i pulled out of a driveway at a friend's house in reverse, when i proceeded to put the car in drive, the gear shift broke off the steering column. my car was stuck in the middle of the road on reverse. i had to turn of the engine to be able to push it out of harms way and could no longer turn it on because it was stuck on the reverse gear. i had to get the car towed to my house, find a mechanic that could help me because my car is no longer under warranty and then have it towed to the mechanic. the mechanic had to change the steering column because ford does not sell the single part to fix the gear shift, they only sell the entire column. the mechanic got me a good deal on the column and the total cost of the repair was $360 as opposed to the $850 that ford wanted to charge for the part. there is a database online of numerous ford explorer 2002 owners who have experienced the same problem. here is the link: http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/steering/gear_shift_broke_off.shtml this is a defect that threatens the safety of drivers and their families and should be addressed, recalled and the victims of this dilemma should be reimbursed by ford for their expenses. *tr

As my wife was shifting from park to reverse in our 2002 eddie bauer ford explorer the gear shift prndl just fell off in her hand. ford dealership in asheville nc tells me there is a six(6) month back order for this part. after having to replace the transmission at 80,000 miles and replacing both rear clutch packs at 72,000 i was livid. six months to get a part????? are you kidding me. ford is lucky this thing didn't fall off while my wife was driving down the road. ford says "we're sorry" and "we understand your frustration" hogwash. where this goes from here i don't really know. they beat me down with their inaction and stalling and turned me against them all together. i finally found a part in texas from a junked explorer (no help from the dealership or manufacturer) and had it fixed for around $1500. the transmission bill came in at $2000 and the clutch packs came in at $800. all on a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles. *tr

My steering column shifter broke while trying to put the vehicle in park. it was stuck in reverse so i had to take the column apart and figure how to change gears and get my keys out. found out this has happened to numerous people with this steering column/gear shift. why make two things that have nothing to do with each other be together on the same hardware is beyond me. this part should've been bolted on so it can be replaced easily. *tr

Gear stick broke off in my hand when shifting to reverse in my 2002 ford explorer, it has not been repaired as it happened today, but will probably require a new steering column. *tr

The gear shift lever broke away from the steering column when i tried to put it in park from drive. it just snapped very easy. the broke component is the piece that connects the lever to the rod and the whole steering column component had to be replace because the lever and rod is a single piece. *tr

Needed lower tierod ends replaced and it was discovered that both rear coil springs were rusted and broken. *tr

We are in the process of replacing the left rear outer tie rod and which the mechanic says displays excessive wear and movement. also replacing rear gas charged struts (displays excessive wear and movement), rear coil springs (bent, cracked, and loose), and rear strut mounts. $1100.00 on a car with 61109 miles on it. this vehicle is never used to haul or tow anything. we have trucks for that. i'm sick to see all of these complaints on the same problem - it can't be a coincidence. *tr

I went to put my 2002 ford explorer into park and the gear shift broke off. i had to call a wrecker and had the vehicle towed to my mechanic. the total cost was $1100 because the entire steering column had to be replaced. this appears to be a defect in the metal based on the broken part and also poor design that you have to replace the entire steering column for. *tr