Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer POWER TRAIN

Timing chain problems; back chain 'plastic' tensor broke and affected critically entire engine. many people with the same problem. transmission solenoid problems; shift rough from 1st to 2nd. put new solenoid block, problem still there. ford does not know what the problem is. many people with the same problem. *tr

A part that should never fail, the shifter handle broke off. this appears to be a common and expensive failure. *tr

I purchased this to use as a second vehicle for camping trips so the mileage on it is very low for its age. suddenly one day of normal local driving, the o/d light started flashing and the vehicle started to run very rough. it couldn't seem to accelerate and rpms were high. i had to drive home with emergency flashers on since the car felt like it was going to die any moment. since o/d flashing means something with transmission, i took it to two different transmission repair shops who both diagnosed a bad transmission that would need to be replaced at about $3,500. i was shocked that i would need a new transmission with only 43000 miles on vehicle despite its age. both shops informed me that the 2002 ford explorers are notorious for bad transmissions. i called ford motor company to request assistance with this repair. they would not help me in any way. the vehicle is not drivable and i am not in a financial position to take on such an expensive repair for a second vehicle. right now it is sitting unused in my driveway while costing me to keep it insured. can't believe this has happened to me since i thought i was buying a reputable product. ford abandoned me when their product failed. i will never buy another ford product again. the least ford could have done was assume responsibility for their mistakes and not cheat the public. other issues i am having is flaking peeling paint and a crack through the ford emblem on the rear door panel. *tr

I got my explorer not too long ago. it was running great then out of no where the o/d light keeps flashing and my transmission starts to slip. a lot of people are having this problem and i think ford needs to step up and take care of this because i have kids and this is my only car and i am on a fixed income. if ford does not want to fix these problems or recall them then never will i buy a ford again. *tr

When is the nhtsa going to address the chronic issues with the 2002-2005 ford explorer automatic transmissions? it is common knowledge ( including by ford) that these transmissions all fail anywhere from 50,000 miles up to less than 150,000 miles. towing with this vehicle has nothing to do with the issue.the market is flooded with these broken explorers and they are the regular customers at the repair shops if people don't junk them and can afford to have them fixed. they are a hazard on the road when the vehicle suddenly fails to move in traffic or from a stop at an intersection. i was nearly rear ended when my vehicle started into a busy intersection and the transmission failed leaving me coasting in traffic. i am sure that many other complaints have been lodged against these vehicles and that serious injury has occurred as a result of the transmission failures. the internet even sells questionable repair fixes for these transmissions. *tr

First of all the transmission is starting to slip. when accelerating the car transmission slips when shifting into third gear. took to dealer and they said they need to repair the transmission. the second problem is that the airbag light came on. i have not been in a accident or anything. it just came on. i read online that if the light is on and i am in an accident the airbags wont deploy. this seems really dangerous and should be cover under warranty. *tr

I was at the school to pick up my kids,i turn on my ford explorer 2002 xlt v6 4.0 to drive and then the shift lever broke on neutral position, that was dangerous because, how will i park my car? if it happened on a downhill, how are we going to park it.is that possible to make a recall a ford company to fix the car. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that there was a noise coming from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the rear differential was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the recent vehicle failure was not repaired. the failure mileage was 130,000. the current mileage was 133,000.

Explorer o/d light blinks and shifts rough from 1st to 2nd.

Third transmission failure since 2010. bought a ford remanufactured trans as this is my second 2002 with a failed trans. the first one i bought failed seven months later. replaced under warranty at 17,000 miles later. fast forward to last saturday. same failure as the last two. no help from ford, probably surprised i made it through the warranty. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would suddenly hesitate and the speed would decelerate. the contact indicated that the check transmission sensor light and over drive light had iluminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the transmission was faulty. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect but no solution was offered. the failure mileage was 150,000.

I am an owner of a 2002 ford explorer. i have had numerous issues with the transmission. when traveling at highway speeds the transmission will intermittently disengage causing the vehicle to have to be pulled to the side of the road, shift into park, then back to drive. i have consulted with my local ford dealership numerous times on the issue. i have been repeatedly told that this is a known issue with the ford explorer / mercury mountaineer transmission. ford motor company is failing to address this issue as being a safety concern. my mother owns a 2005 mercury mountaineer with the same exact issue. the previous owner replaced the transmission shortly before i purchased the vehicle due to the same issue. the transmission was replaced with a new transmission from ford. i wonder how many people have been in accidents because their explorer/mountaineer transmission disengages? the ford dealership in my area referred me to this website being that the service manage believes this should be a safety recall through ford. i would have to agree with the dealership. why has ford or the nhtsa not required the manufacture to correct this issue? do people have to die in car accidents before this is rectified? it is not safe to pass a vehicle since the transmission randomly cuts out without warning. *tr

After having driven about 20 miles from home, i noticed several indicator lights flashing on my dash and the car was no longer shifting properly. i managed to return home with the car not wanting to properly up shift. when i took it to a repair shop, about 5 miles from home, i also lost reverse gear. transmission ended up needing to be replaced. *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

Transmission not shifting into overdrive have to let gas to make it shift change screen tired to correct problem another problem fords good idea to put cheap timing chains in the 4.0 v6 engines thank you *tr

After driving into a parking spot i tried to put the car into park and the gearshift fell. after it fell again i tried once more and it broke completely off. we had to take it to the dealership whom just turned it off and later informed us that they would have to replace the entire steering column which would cost $1700 just because one piece was poorly constructed and made of soft metal. it has been almost a month and now we're being told the part is on back-order so we still have no car. we've read where this has happened to others but yet nothing has been done about this problem by the ford company. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the gear shift lever fractured. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 107,000.

Transmission seals fell off in the driveway, transmission completely failed. *tr

This 5r55w transmission had to be replaced at 108,890 miles for $3500 while my daughter lived at college. i purchased a 3-year 36,000 mile ford warranty as i was confounded that a truck transmission might fail at such an early age. 3-years 16-days 35,652 miles later this ford reman ford installed trans also failed and ford is unwilling to accept any responsibility for cost of repair replace, 16-days beyond a 100% free replacement. the local dealer quoted $4500 and the previous dealer (100 miles away) quoted the same $3500. i opted for aamco at $2500 and 3-year 36,000 mile warranty, since ford can't re-engineer their own transmission to last a reasonable amount of time, there are hundreds of complaints just on the 2002 explorer transmission, and there are thousands for 5r55w transmission. it is unconscionable that ford is unwilling to accept any liability. *tr

Yesterday evening, i got into my 2002 ford explorer and noticed the gear shift lever was stuck in park. i was unable to shift into reverse in order to back out of the driveway. this morning i figured i would give it another attempt as i needed to head out for work. as i tried again, i simply applied the break, grabbed the shift lever and as i pulled the towards me and began to pull down to shift into reverse the lever completely broke and is now hanging. i did not apply excessive force at any point. no more pressure then i normally do when shifting from park to drive to reverse, etc. i looked up this particular situation via internet and noticed many, many complaints of the same exact description. hopefully ford will recognize this issue and issue a part recall. *tr

Tl- the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while parked he placed the gear in drive when the gear assembly detached. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnosis. the technician stated the gear assembly would have to be replaced. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.the vehicle was being repaired. the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 141,000. da

As i was driving in snow, i put the car into reverse to go around another car. when i put it back in drive the gear shift handle broke off in my hand. i was stuck in my car unable to shift, if i turned it off i would not have been able to restart the car. i had to sit on the side of the road and figure out how to get it back into gear with my foot on the brakes. *tr

Tl* the contact owns 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the vehicle came to a complete stop and the engine continued to revved up. the contact stated that as a result of the failure another vehicle rear ended her vehicle. a police report was filed. the driver and passenger sustained whiplash. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician diagnosed that the transmission solenoid was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 179,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, a burning odor was noticed as the rear differential seized within moments. the failure occurred without warning. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who confirmed that the rear differential had seized. the vehicle was not repaired. th e manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

Heard a knocking noise went to mechanic. was told i blew a two holes through timing chain cover. went online found that it is a recurring problem for that year of ford. very upset there is no recall. was told it would cost at least 2000 to fix. ford needs to do something about this. i want to go to media to let everyone that has this problem know that ford knows about it and will not do anything. apparently everyone has to pay out the [xxx] to have this fixed. i'm not one of them. i want my car fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

The transmission slips between first and second gear, the check engine light comes on. the code reads bad servo when read by the nh inspection station. investigation on internet and through dealer inquiries states this is a very common problem with explorer automatic transmissions in this manufacturing time period , everything and everyone states there should be a recall. this is a very well known problem by ford for the 2002-2004 explorer transmissions. *tr

Driving forward at 20 mph in a trailer park when overdrive light started flashing and transmission started shifting hard. was told its a well known problem and thousands of 02 explorers had this issue. garage wants 3500.00 to repair the transmission. i called ford who had no answers for me and wont fix even though they know its a big issue with these. thousands of complaints to date. also clock spring just failed and horn stopped working and air airbag light is flashing. *tr

I purchased this vehicle in july 2013 and drove it approximately one month when i began to notice that the transmission was not shifting properly. while driving along there was a sudden decline in my speed while the rpms continued to increase. i slowed to a stop as i pulled to the side of the road. i checked the vehicle for any outward signs of damage having found none i once again attempted to continue my trip. this time the vehicle managed to accelerate to a blistering 5 miles an hour while having to maintain a 4-6 thousand rpm range. i proceeded along the grass of the road until i reached home. it sits now in my yard covered with my "tarp of shame". this piece of worthless crap surely fits it acronym (ford) found on the road dead....my spelling might not be the best, but it is better than this piece of ...at any rate, how much more does the public have to pay ford. we paid with the bail out millions to their executives to get millions in bonuses to rip us off by not paying for and/or fixing their pieces of junk...enough is too much already! if you at the nhtsa doesn't do something maybe we citizen ought to take out a class action lawsuit on you. how many complaints does it take to constitute a pattern? above 4,500,000....or will it be the deaths of one or more of our children at the hands of these fatcats who laugh at us, with such indifference and unbridled contempt. it does seem that it gives them joy to mock the public and the government this way. consider, gm recently was found hiding their known defects and now ford has been doing the same thing for well over a decade. what would ole henry ford say today? but, what hurts me the most is, i used to like fords but now give me a toyota, honda, nissan or a skateboard before one of these so called pieces of engineering wonders!! the real wonder is where and with who, will they break down on next!!!!!!! *tr

Had a few slips prior but nothing major.. and now wont move in drive!!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 40-45 mph, the transmission failed without warning. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 150,000.

While moving the shift lever from park to reverse, the lever broke away from the steering column and could not be returned to park position. the vehicle was stuck in reverse, engine running, and brake applied. with the brake applied, the engine was turned off, still in reverse. the key could not be removed until a small wire contact inside the steering column was shorted to the metal in the column. the vehicle had to be dragged onto a tow vehicle and taken to aikins ford in winder, georgia. i was told the entire steering column had to be replaced and the part plus labor would be approximately $1500. aikins ordered the part and is still waiting after discovering that there were 221 steering columns on back order with the after market manufacturer licensed to provide the part. the design of the shift lever included a "pot" metal disk housing that requires the spring behind it to be actuate by pulling the lever forward to change the gear status. the housing snapped in half, leaving the lever dangling by a small wire. only the fact that the vehicle was not moving averted clear and present danger of an accident. i have requested that the steering column part be returned to me and have very good photos of the vehicle and the actual separation at the break in the column. i will furnish either to your department if and when i get my explorer back. now 56 days and still waiting. i believe that it was design flaw to allow a part that requires uniform strength to be a molded piece of "pot" metal and someone may get hurt, if not already in the 221 incidents that ford is aware of. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the transmission became inoperable. the contact stated that the vehicle was unable to shift out of third gear as the rpms increased excessively and beyond 7000. the vehicle was able to be driven to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the torque converter and the shift sensor cluster needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 180,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the over-drive warning light illuminated as a message appeared stating to check the transmission. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test. the dealer stated that the transmission had defective rings and bushings. the dealer also stated that the transmission solenoid block was leaking. the contact did not have any repairs performed on the vehicle. the failure mileage was 233,577.

My vehicle was parked in a driveway. i started the vehicle, depressed the brake, and attempted to put the gearshift lever into reverse. the gearshift lever would not move. again, i depressed the brake and attempted to move the gearshift lever into reverse. the lever broke off at the joint where it comes out of the steering column. i had to hire a tow truck. the driver had to disengage the transmission to load it onto the bed of the tow truck. this has been a massive inconvenience both financially and strategically. i expected this issue to be in the recall mode as there are many incidents noted on this site. i feel the ford motor company should be held liable for all my costs as this is obviously a flawed metal joint that should not fail with normal use. we reside in a mountainous state and use the gearshift lever to down shift on the same roads. this occurrence would have been disaster on floyd hill outside of denver. i guess i was lucky! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the transmission refused to shift gears. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that they could not diagnose the cause of the failure but the transmission need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 131,000.

The dreaded gearshift in hand so well known by ford and anyone with this model,and ford wants big money from the consumer,for a terribly engineered part. have you driven a ford lately? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the transmission failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the transmission was rebuilt. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 146,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while attempting to reverse, the gear shifter fractured. the vehicle was not the taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 167,000. *tr

I was driving my 02 explorer on the thruway for 2 an 1/2 hours and when i got to my destination the transmission bucked and shuddered and revved up while i was trying to stop at a stop light i almost hit the person in front of me because of the transmission failing when i looked at my instrument panel on the dash the overdrive light was flashing so after i got home i checked the internet and would you know there are thousands of people that are experiencing the same problem... ford should have a recall for this transmission because what happened to me might happen to someone else with deadly results... i talked to my transmission specialist and he said it needs a new transmission the truck doesn't even have 150,000 on it so i contacted ford and they can't help me because there is no recall for this truck... ford needs to fix their manufacture error here because what they are doing is fraud they claim that their transmissions are good but like with a lot of the complaints i have read their trannys died before 100,000 miles so for them to sell defected suvs is fraudulent in its self because not only do we the customers have to pay all this money for the vehicle but we also have to put a new transmission in them before 100,000 miles at the cost of 3500 to 4000 dollars... *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

Bought a used 2002 explorer with 116,000 miles on it, went through all the ware items and replaced with new. i drove this vehicle to work for a while, enough to get the mileage to 140,010 miles then suddenly started to slip into 3rd or miss all together 3rd gear. 1st to 2nd works fine, 2nd to 3rd is gone (engine raves like it went into neutral) when you let off the accelerator it goes into 4th gear on will pull again, o/d works also. dangerous for anyone in vehicle, this is a very serious safety concern, if someone was to have to get into traffic and this vehicle was to this they could very easily be run over by a vehicle they are trying to stay ahead of or had pulled out in front of. ford has known about this problem for years now and is doing nothing to make it go away are remedy the poorly designed transmission and it just ticks me off that the federal highway safety people don't make ford do a recall to fix the affected vehicles before someone gets killed. *tr

Pulling in driveway stopped the vehicle going to put it in park shift lever broke off inside of steering column went on internet found 146 complaints as the same thing happened to them on ford explorer carcomplaints.com. *tr

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

Transmission took a crap, it seems to be a know problem with the 2002 & 2003 explorers. guess we should have looked into the explorer better. *tr

Multiple issues with the transmission. from park, when shifted into reverse there is a surge that overcomes the brakes and causes the vehicle to move roughly 4-5 feet. also, the transmissions shifts so hard that it shakes the entire vehicle. when shifting through the gears the transmissions stalls then shifts so hard it overcomes the steering wheel and sometimes causes a change of direction. when traveling at highway speeds 50mph + in overdrive the transmission will surge the vehicle violently as it attempts to stay in gear. after regularly scheduled service of the transmission and multiple discussions with the ford dealership they have not offered a solution other than spend thousands of dollars on another transmission that may cause the same result. this is an unsafe vehicle and needs to be remedied before an accident or death occurs. *tr

Needed a new tranny at 118,000 miles then needed another one

Like many other frustrated ford owners, i have had transmission problems with my explorer. its really frustrating when you take it to the repair shop and they don't even need to see it to know the transmission needs to be rebuilt, due to the track record of the faulty parts ford has used. its really sad when they know the transmission where not good and continued to install them for more years. i hope sooner or later they own up to their faults and do the right thing and recall the faulty transmissions. we spent good money for a quality american made car and did not expect to have to invest almost $3,000 in a new transmission the next year. ford will lose a lot of loyal customers over this and needs to address this problem. *tr

Three months ago the overdrive light began flashing on my dashboard. the automatic transmission made a loud noise when changing gears. sometimes the rpm's will rev but the car will not increase in speed.the light will not turn off and the transmission continues to shift harshly. *tr

Pulled into park, went to shift vehicle into park (was fully stopped) and gear shifter broke off. i did not apply any force, just the normal typical action of shifting the gear. good thing it was in neutral when it snapped. took rubber seal off of the gear lever arm and the part which the lever arm was attached had totally broken off. the metal was not stripped or twisted but broken. part #905-104: column shift repair. *tr

While pulling out from a stop sign the transmission was slipping causing the explorer to barely pull out into a busy intersection in the path of oncoming traffic which had to stop to avoid hitting me. this was not the only time this has happened, and it happens with no warning. *tr