Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer POWER TRAIN

Serious safety and operation issue with the 2002 year ford explorers suv, the rear drive differential is failing, vin#[xxx] is an example at 12,700 miles, serious interstate crash narrowly avoided due to the catastrophic failure of the rear differential.*ak information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Rear end noise (grinding) in our 2002 ford explorer during de-acceleration. first time to dealer 8/25/03 mileage 30,901, nothing done, 2nd time to dealer for the same problem 11/03/03, mileage 36,930 could not find problem. problem seems to go away, came back around 75,000 miles. took vehicle to another dealer and complete rear end was replaced at a cost of $2600.00. not sure why it was not detected with the first time to the dealer?

My husband and i purchased a 2002 ford explorer xlt around mid july/early august 2002. in august of 2003 i notice that my car was experiencing some clunking in the transmission. i don't know the full detail of that problem but they gave me an extra 5 year warrenty on my vehicle. last year my family and i took a trip to florida and my car would get this loud roaring sound at 45 miles per hour. when we returned from my trip i called to complain about it. they asked me to bring it to them but they said that it was my tires. my husband replaced the tires hoping that this would resolved the problem. (even before this problem because they requested us too). a week later my husband and i went to texas and the sound got worse. upon returning from our trip i was told that it was my axel. my family and i could have been killed because of their mistake. i 've had my front and rear wheel bearings, axel, axel boot, hubs bearings, emergency brake (which they say was split) replaced. i still hear a problem with my transmission but they keep telling me that my car is safe to ride in. i do not feel safe in this vehicle. i've gone to the attorney general, filed a complaint for abitration. my (prepaid) attorney has even sent them two letters advicing them to take this situation seriously. they never replied back to me or my attorney. i'm ford plan and i really thought that i would be treated with a little more respect. i want them to be responsible and see that they sold me a "lemon". i really need some help. thank you.

Driveshaft area/rear noise-singing/hum. *ak

Dt: problem with back end, took vehicle to the dealer,and dealer said they fixed axle, then, took back vehicle to the dealer, and they fixed hub, and replaced the rear wheel bearings. in last 3 months vehicle has been in shop 3 times. currently, in the shop. went to get oil change last friday, and mechanic noticed oil was leaking from the axle. currently vehicle in shop trying to figure out what was wrong with it. this happened before. they gave consumer an extra 5 yr warranty because of the transmission, and this was 8 months after purchasing the vehicle. dealership kept saying vehicle was safe even though didn't know what was wrong with it. *ak

2002 ford explorer purchased feb. 2002 new. vehicle now has 17,000 miles. several automatic transmission problems. when shifting out of park into drive the shift lever pops as if it never engaged. the car lurches forward or backward 1-2 feet after shifting into park, engaging emergency brake, and getting out of car. vehicle drifts backward several feet when stopped on a hill and trying to accelerate from a stopped position. at 17,000 miles, and about 1 month after a normal scheduled service, started to experience a loud whining sound coming from under the vehicle and only on acceleration (not when coasting). the whining would come and go. the overdrive light started to flicker and then when out. the next day, transmission started severe slipping, especially at low speeds. immediatlely took it to ford garage and they said it needed a total transmission overhaul. they also explained that ford will not replace with new transmission if it can be overhauled for under $2100. also, there is no place to check transmission fluid. manual states that it should be checked periodically by ford dealer and especially if slipping or other problems are noticed.*ak

4 failures of the transmission. common problems have been miss shifts from 2-3 and 3-4, delayed shifts from 2-3 and 3-4, and severely hard shifts in all gears. transmission has been rebuilt twice and replaced once. ford has bought the vehicle back after arbitration under the lemon law. the vehicle also has severe problems with the rear differential and right half shaft. i have had 6 total failures of the rear end. warning signs have been a whine from the right rear the grows louder over time and then a vibration in the right rear. ford knows of these problems as they have issued maintenance instructions to the servicing dealers of the order of repair attempts to be made. a recall may in order. *nlm

Dt: the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt. the contact has been having a problem with the rear end. the rear end made an extremely loud roaring sound. took the vehicle the vehicle to three different repair shops. one said it was the tires, and the other two maintained that it was an expensive rear end problem. she talked to other people with this same type of vehicle and they all had this problem. also, had a ring and pinion replaced in the rear end not long after she purchased the vehicle. currently, they told her that this what was needed to be replaced again along with other parts , including the rear axle. this noise originally started at 55-65 mph, and now it was making noise at 40-70 mph. after going over 70 mph could not hear it as badly. also, the vehicle was leaking fluid from the ring and pinion. a strange sound that was coming from under the hood, like a buzzing sound that sounds like transmission. in addition, the hatchback glass fell on the contact's head. it just popped out. this happened twice. they do not even attempt to open the glass in the hatch. the dealership where she purcahsed her vehicle still has records of what was replaced on vehicle.*ak

Front end of my 2002 explorer made a "clicking" sound when driving and turning. on june 16 2003, ford inspected and found both the right and left front axles were defective. they replaced them. on september 4, 2003 the same problem was occurring, ford again inspected and found the axles put on the vehicle in june were also defective. one year later i am now having the same problem. i took my vehicle in for an oil change and the mechanic said there is a problem with the front axles. there has to be some sort of issue with this part. the potential failure of this part will lead to an accident. my family rides in this vehicle every day, someone is going to get killed. *jb

Consumer states while parked vehicle jumped into gear and rolled down a hill.*ak

High pitch whinning noise in rear end of 2002 ford explorer. dealer says rear differential gears have defect and i have to pay $1200. because warranty expired! *nlm

my 2002 ford explorer rear end started whining around 45000 miles. i took it to the dealer and they said that the rear end needed to be replaced with a cost of $2000. i decided not to have the work done at that time. they said that it would get louder as time goes by. it now has 65920 miles and the whine is a little louder. i have owned a lot of automobiles , mostly fords and this is the 1st one that had the rear end wearing out with such low mileage. in reading 2002 explorer complaints there are many with the same problem. my next car may not be a ford.*jb

Abs light came on at 19,518 miles, 22,071 miles, and 27,078 miles. more importantly, however, are my issues with the 2002 explorer rear end. 10/1/03: 27,078 miles abs light came on, the dealer replaced the assembly. rear differential was leaking, dealer replaced the seals. 7/28/04: 40,541 miles rear end leaking again. half shafts were worn. rear locking diff was slipping. the dealer had to replace both halfshafts, seals, and clutch packs. 9/22/04: 43,203 miles rear axle chattering. replaced whole rear axle assembly. 2/25/05: 54,960 miles rear diff making more noise. left rear axle bearing was noisy. replaced left rear axle hub and assembly. on test drive, the dealer found that the bearing they just installed was bad, so they had to replace it again. 8/11/05: 68,000 miles leaking fluid from rear end. the dealer performed the following maintenance: replaced diff seals, replaced timing chain, replaced right front hub assembly, replaced ring and pinion, replaced front end tie rods, replaced both lower ball joints, performed front end alignment. all told, i have had my explorer in the shop at least 10 times. my warranty is about to expire (7,000 more miles) and i'm going to try to get ford to buy the vehicle back. from what i've heard, this is not an easy process and apparently doesn't happen often with such 'high mileage' vehicles. if they don't buy it back i will be forced to take a huge loss on the vehicle. i will then purchase anything but a ford. *jb

Within four months from date of purchase my 2002 ford explorer xlt 4wd start having problems. they are: 1. vibration inside including physical movement inside when driving with rear window crack over 30 mph. the faster you drive the grater the vibration. i took the explorer to several dealers, they inform me that this is normal and it's refer to as helicopter effect. 2. the digital keypad stop working. 2. the keys don't open the door 3. the transmission slip, kick and delays when put in drive or reverse. 4.transmission delays going into overdrive. 5.the passenger side quarter panel glass shatter twice, at first i taught someone had broke it and my son reported it to the police. the insurance company replace it and few months later in my garage it shatter again and that's when it all came together. this time my son fix it for me. 6.theres also a winding some coming from under the suv and my son thinks it have something to do with the diff, keeping the vibration in mind. 6. the latch that secure the rear where the jack handle is located broke. *tr

Harsh shifting of automatic transmission.*ak

Recurring problems with transmission. every now an then, the overdrive off light blinks, occasionally causing the check engine light to come on. 14854 miles the transmission was overhauled by the dealer. from about 50,000 miles the overdrive light would occasional flash but as long as i shut off the engine and restarted it, the problem wouldn't pop up for a few months. there didn't seem to be any consistent reason for it to flash. the dealer said the only thing they could do is to test it when the light was flashing so they could diagnose the problem. since the problem was so intermittent it was difficult to get to a dealer at the particular time the light would flash. the truck seemed to be operating as it always did. eventually the check engine light came on as a result of the o/d off light being on and at 63,329 the dealer replaced the solenoid body and serviced the transmission. the light still came on occasional, but only on long trips, more than 75 miles one way. at 66,274 miles the dealer took the truck and tried to duplicate the problem but was unable to. at about 73299 miles, like before, the service engine light finally kicked and the dealer replaced the o/d piston and rod. at 73,564 miles the transmission need to be completely overhauled. now at 80,800 the service engine light is on again because of the o/d off light blinking and the dealer will be looking at it again on monday, january 20, 2006. for number of failures i'm guessing that 20 or more times the o/d light has come on. 5 times the check engine light activated and the dealer tried to fix the problem. monday will be the 6th attempt to fix the problem. *nm

Noted "clicking" noise when wheel turned at slow speed, assumed cv joints were going bad. however, dealer said that lug nuts were loose, and when tightened the noise stopped. what is notable is that the wheels have never been off, so this condition originated at the factory. dealer says owner at fault and charged for the repairs. owner says this a factory defect and a significant safety item and insist it be covered under warranty. at impass.*ak

I pulled up into the drive and put the car into park. i exited my 2002 ford explorer and opened the back door, unstrapped my grandson from his safety seat. he went into the house to get a game boy so i re-entered the front seat to wait for him. i sat there a few minutes and when he came out of the house, i was exiting my 2002 ford explorer when i heard a noise. the car engaged itself into reverse. i tried to place my right foot back into the car and press on the brake, but the door knocked me down. i went under the drivers door and the front left tire began to run over me. i grabbed the underneath of the door and tried to hang on but the tire was running over my pelvic and my left leg. the car drug me on the concrete , then it stopped. i was pinned under the front driver's tire. before this injury,i had problems with this car at 26,000 miles sent it for repairs but the dealer kept telling me it was ok. the car would jerk during take off and hesitate when placed in reverse. after the accident i took it to other dealers and finally one put it on the test rack and told me it had transmission problems. not sure what ford has done with the parts. *tr

Transmission on 2002 ford explorer 4.0 liter slips and or jerks at times. at times upon entering a intersection the transmission will slip and then several seconds later the transmission will jerk into gear. on 03/04/03 we had a close call upon entering the intersection when this situation occurred. this problem continues in spite of taking the vehicle into ford numerous times. *jb

Ford explorer rear end had high pitch noise: mechanic had to place a new rear end in the vehicle: four wheel drive locked into low gear and would not release: replaced control switch but 4x4 high light blinks.

Vehicle developed a loud whining noise in the rear end at approx 25000 miles. noise occurred at all speeds. it went away when accelerator pedal was released. dealer replaced the differential. noise returned immediately, but only at speeds between 48mph and 68mph. dealer is now replacing the entire driveshaft. one service assistant indicated other explorers had similar problems. according to dealer, ford has issued service messages. sounds like a recall. *ak

The initial problem with the rear-end differential unit was a whining noise which the ford dealer's service rep. identified and immediately said it should be replaced. the new rear-end unit did not whine but within 3 1/2 months a vibration started and was returned to the dealer for a total of 6 different occasions to repair or fix this problem. both the left and right rear axles were also replaced and another rear end differential unit was installed. at each service visit, the dealer's service manager and mechanic were completely involved and were very perplexed at the problem. my explorer was at the dealer for about 30 days on one service visit and a total of 42 days over the 6 total service visits for this problem. persistent fluid leaks and a recurring vibration has prompted me to submit a "lemon" letter to ford. *la

I have had my vehicle into the ford dealer for the same problem at least 4 times with no success it is still under manufacturer warranty and is a 2002 ford explorer. *nlm

Vehicle transmission has a shuttering feeling when under moderate acceleration between 25-40 miles per hour. dealer has been told about problem and said everything was fine after a reprogram of transmission. *jb

It was during the fast freeze when this incident took place. we went from 45 degrees to 20 degrees with in 2-3 hours. it was raining at first then switched to ice & snow. we put the 2002 ford explorer in 4x4 drive due to the weather conditions. as we were entering the express way we loss control of the truck only going 28 miles per hour. we spun out of control and hit the guard rail. it was as though we had no 4x4 drive. we called the police to get a accident report for our insurance. we then took the truck a week later to martin buick to fix the body damage to the left side of the truck. they took the truck to lasko ford across the street to work on the 4x4 system. they took the clutches out and drained the transmission fluid. they found damage to the clutches. these parts were blackened and glazed over. they said that this looks like wear and tear for this truck and that the truck was not maintained. we regularly changed fluids and the manual states that the truck does not need maintenance until 150,000 miles. i asked how could a new truck have so much damage to the 4x4 and they said that it must have been in 4x4 wheel drive for a long time. i know and so do my passengers that this is not true. the dash board always indicated 2 wheel drive not 4x4 unless i put it in 4x4. the automatic 4x4 never turned on the 4x4 drive i have always had to put it in 4x4 if i needed to use it, which has only been one other time. so for a truck that is one year old and only been driven in 4x4 wheel drive twice there seems to be an awful lot of damage to my clutches and my fluid so burnt. the four wheel drive on this truck. i will have the module that controls the "control trac" 4x4 wheel drive system tested to see if it fails to activate or de-activate the 4x4. then i would like ford to fix the problem out of their own expense and stop giving their clients the run-a-round and to reimburse me for my time and expenses. *jb

Ford told me i need a new transmission in my 2002 ford explorer that only has 50,000 miles. the is unacceptable for such a costly purchase. they offer no assistance or excuse for this type of defect in their product. *nlm

While driving at a slow speed the rear left axle started smoking and became red hot. the paint also peeled off. the vehicle was towed to the dealership who indicated that the rear left brake had locked up. the brake was replaced. the rear differential seal was leaking also. the seal and fluid was replaced. since the brake failure there was a whining noise in the rear axle at speeds off 50-55 mph. *jb

Vehicle purchased new, had a pinion noice in rear differential since purchased. dealer changed rear differential and a week later it developed a leak due to blown axle seal. rear differential then developed a noise when accelerating into a turn from a stoped position. dealer added an additive to rear for limited slip unit. noise is still there on turns but is very light. all this has occured since purchased new and 14,000 miles. *ak

Vehicle has a resonance humming/ringing noise coming from the rear differential that increases with speed. also has what appears to be slight drivetrain vibration as well. this problem was also noted in an editors review of the 2002 explorer for edmunds. rear differential was replaced in may 2003, but the problem has persisited. was told by the rear end technician at the ford dealer that it was being caused by the gears not meshing properly. appears to be a defect.*ak

2002 ford explorer xls. at 24,000 miles, transmission would not shift into gear:transmission needed to be rebuilt. at 26,000 miles, load whining heard from rear of vehicle. brought to dealership on three occasions to complain and was told they "could not duplicate the noise" and "it is how it is supposed to sound". on the third return , i produced seven pages of documented complaints from other owners found on this web site and others. they decided that now they might know what the problem is and replaced the rear differential and drive shaft. problem was fixed for the next 30,000 miles but is now displaying the same noise and is "clunking" in to drive and reverse. separate problem with the daylight running lights, they flash like an emergency vehicle till i turn the head lights on. i did not notice till i was pulled over by a sheriff and questioned as to why i had emergency lights installed on my vehicle. on a positive note, i do get through traffic jams a lot faster now. *nm

Differential on my 2002 ford explorer xlt has been rebuilt twice under warranty,and needs recalled again. third incident happened two days after extended warranty expired. ford says tough. *tr

The transmission started to slipping. the dealer recommended that new/rebuilt transmission is needed. the vehicle was out of warranty. ph scc

Since the vehicle purchase, the transmission has performed erratically, and has degraded over time. there are three main issues, first the vehicle tends to function like it drops into neutral during light acceleration. secondly, and more of a concern, the vehicle creeps many feet when placed into 'park', with the engine off and the key out of the ignition, when parked on a grade. finally, it takes upwards of 30 seconds when shifting from 'park' to any gear for the transmission to engage. when it does finally engage, it gives the feeling of 'slamming' into gear. this vehicle has been on the road since 5/01, and has been brought back to the dealer many times for these complaints. the dealer indicated that this behavior is normal. the concern is that there is a strong potential for property damage and personal injury should this vehicle creep downward.

2002 ford explorer can slip from park into reverse, causing a roll-away accident. the gear shift is loose enough that a driver can shift the truck into "p" on the gear shift, but the truck is not actually all the way in park. when this happens, it can slide into reverse. this is what happened to my wife and daughter. she put the car into reverse and backed up the driveway. she left the vehicle in park on the level driveway to run a bag of groceries inside. she opened the rear gate, went inside, dropped them off, then heard a loud crash. the truck had slipped out of park and into reverse, causing it to crash into the house. i can reproduce this behavior easily. i took it to bob tomes ford of mckinney, tx and spoke with maureen pollack of ford's consumer affairs. they said that they could find no defect (of course). i believe that they found nothing out of the ordinary because all 2002 ford explorers have ambiguous gear shifts. i urged her to have ford issue a recall or a service bulletin at the least. she declined, saying that the technician at the dealership said it was ok.

Noisy differential. constant whining around 50 mph and up. reluctant to report to dealer for indications of lack of response cited by other complainants. living with problem until diff fails! *nm

We purchased a used 2002 explorer ltd. in july 2010. the car had 62,500 miles on it and looked to be in great shape. the previous owner had all the service papers and we checked carfax and we saw no reason not to purchase the car. we should have checked carcomplaints.com though. as i write this, the transmission has failed. according to what i read on the internet this is a major problem for early 2000's ford explorers. how can i shell out $2500 or more for a new transmission?? ford should be held responsible for producing this lemon'that i have only owned 5 months. are there any class action lawsuits being filed against ford motor company for this problem? i would be interested in participating. *tr

When shifting gear from "park" to "drive" the column shifter was noticably difficult to move. without warning , the column shifter fell off, resulting in not having a car to drive. i am currently trying to have the problem fixed. *jb

Consumer stated that while driving and without warning the vehicle will stick in park and will not shift gears causing a distraction to the consumer. dealer notified. ts

2002 ford explorer gear shift broke completely off when cast aluminum ring failed. i see on "http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/transmission/gear_shift_prndl_fell_off.shtml" that this is happening on numerous explorers of the same year. i believe this is a manufacturing defect that could cause a significant safety issue if someone were to shift up or down while the vehicle is in motion. fords estimated cost to repair is $2400.00. *tr

While driving approx. 40 mph, vehicle suddenly went into 4 wheel drive low range. occupant was wearing seat belt and car came to an abrupt stop. accident was avoided due to light traffic this day. car is @dealer 4 repair. dealer claims computer that sends signal to 4 wheel drive transfer case failed due to cold weather and sent faulty signal to engage 4 wheel drive into low range. temp was 40 deg. that day. i am concerned about the stress put on all of the internal drive components due to this sudden engagement. dealer says they checked for outside damage, but damage will most likely be internal i.e. transmission, transfer case, shafts, engine, drive assemblys. the day b4 we traveled on the interstate at speeds between 60-70 mph. if this had occured at this speed it would have been much worse. wife went forward during engagement and strained her shoulder. she was wearing her seat belt though. dt

Constant transmission problems since purchase of car from ford dealer w/29,000 miles on it. roblems: transmission shuttering, banging in gear, banging into reverse(always) and overdrive light blinks on and off sometimes. sometimes the banging into gear feels like someone has hit you from behind. car always bangs into reverse. service to automatic as recommended by ford manual and ford dealer: we had the transmission fluid changed, we had the trans. computer reset twice, and we had to fix the 4-wheel drive that broke at about 40,000 miles. since none of these services fixed the transmission, the ford dealer recommended a new transmission for about $3000. which is ridiculous when the car is so new and so expensive.*ak the cars transmission has never worked properly, and has the same problems the 2004 explorer transmission have. the investigation in the expolorer's bad transmissions goes back beyond the 2004 models, because ours is a 2002 and has never worked properly.

Transmission slips when stopped at a intersection or stoplight. sometimes the vehicle will stall. the dealer has stated they could notreproduce the problem during and after the warranty period. i have filed safety complaint with ford motor company consumer relations and the dealer has attempted to repair without success. the delay in the transmission engaging is a safety hazard since the delay in pulling out into traffic could result in a serious accident. the problem is becoming more frequent, almost daily occurence.

Transmission failure on 2002 ford explorer with 36,000 miles. *tr

2002 ford explorer transmission problem, after days of not shifting right,,it finally, stopped completely,,,this has been nothing but trouble. *tr

Consumer states that transmission hesitates excessively and vehicle lurches forward when shifting between gears. *mr

I bought a 2002 eb explorer in july 2002 and have been having chronic transmission problems since oct/nov 2002. the transmission shifts between 2-3 and 3-4 are rough and it jerks into gear. the first time into the dealer, they "verified" my concern and did about $1,000 in repairs. it was ok for about 3 weeks and started again. it has gradually gotten worse, and the dealer claims they can not find a problem. they have updated and reprogrammed the system many times, and nothing helps. i am now on my third trip to the dealer for this. with all of the complaints and ford's service bulletins that list the exact problems i am having, i do not understand why ford is not doing something about this!! *jb

Dt: the caller said vehicle had problems with the transmission. in september 2002 at 4775 miles when trying to accelerate the vehicle made noise and would not accelerate. in november 2003 at 34,114 miles the lights on the dashboard came on. she could smell something. both times she was told nothing could be found. currently, all the lights on the dashboard came on again. while getting on the highway the vehicle lost power and would only go 20 mph. dealer told her the transmission needed to be replaced, and the caller would have to pay for it. *ak

5 speed auto transmission on 2002 ford explorer xlt failed at 43000 miles. transmission was flushed at 40000 and problems began after flush. no financial help from dealer. service rep told me piston striking transmission case was common problem on this transmission and warned me not to replace it with a used 2002 ford 5 speed auto tranny. *jb

Vibration and drone/roar sound at speeds of 64mph and greater. 4 attempts made to repair, problem still exists. rear end assembly replaced as well as two axle shafts and drive shaft reindexed. *ak

I purchased my '02 explorer new. from the begining the same problem persists. with your foot on the brake, if you place the vehicle in park and remove your foot from the brake the vehicle will roll foward approx 1-2 ft. it concerns me. there have been many instances when purchasing fuel that i have nearly rolled into a pedestrian from a dead stop. i have asked the dealer about this problem only to be told it is nomal for this vehicle. i don't think any vehicle should make that pronounced a roll when removing your foot from the brake. *ak