Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer POWER TRAIN

Gear shift in my 2002 ford explorer broke off while trying to put my car in gear. i have been informed by the local dealer that the part is part of the steering column and it would cost approx. $1200.00 to replace. the part that broke is made of aluminum and is only about 4-5 inches long. this was a danger to me because my driveway is on a slight incline. in addition if the vehicle went into reverse, i could of had cause property damage and how would i put the vehicle back in park? *tr

My 2002 ford explorer has a rear end noise it is really loud i've noticed many explorers have the same problem. i have replace rear axle the whole rear end and the noise comes back i think its ridiculous that i have to pay all this money to fix it when its a wide spread problem for ford explorers. ford should have a solution by now and should fix it for free.the noise is a constant when driving. *tr

Was driving down the highway at 55 mph at my overdrive light started flashing and my information screen showed "check transmission" when i got home, i looked up the problem on the internet and found that my transmission just went bad and will need to be replaced according to what hundreds of complaints say had to be done to fix the same problem.

2002 ford explorer , had rear end repaired at 75000.0 miles by ford dealer and again it's making a grinding noise at 101000.0...like all others, they state out of warranty and want customer to pay. *tt

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shift properly from second to third gear. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where they performed a diagnostic test which concluded that the hydraulic pressure build up had caused the torque converter to pop out and advised the contact that they would need to replace or rebuild the transmission. a private mechanic confirmed the failure and rebuilt the transmission. the current and failure mileage was 115,000.the vin was unavailable. updated 03/24/11*lj

I was driving my 2002 ford explorer suv when the transmission suddenly failed, shifting into neutral/losing power in traffic. this was a dangerous situation! fortunately i was able to get out of the way of traffic. *tr

Going out of town driving on the highway in traffic at 65mph. o/d light started flashing on and off. transmission started acting erratically and i felt that i lost 5th and 2nd gears. shop ran diagnostic test and codes p0732, p0735 and p0775. codes confirmed problems with 2nd and 5th gears and solenoid b malfunction. *tr

While backing up, the gear shift broke on my 2002 ford explorer. it was good that i was not in traffic because i could not get the car back in gear and could have gotten hit and or caused an accident. the steering column was replaced and the parts were in my opinion over priced. my fear is that it may happen again because it may have been replaced with the same defective part. *tr

I am another victim of the 2002 ford explorer and its transmission woes. alerted by a flashing od yellow warning light, after a trip to the garage and research on the internet, i discover this is a sign that i will need a $3000 transmission rebuild on a vehicle with only 99k miles that was carefully used and dealer serviced. this is a known problem by ford and have done nothing to rectify if with consumers. *tr

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

There was no indication that there was a problem, the vehicle suddenly stopped shifting correctly, started making bad noises, won't shift out of second gear, and the overdrive light is flashing spastic. the vehicle is almost undriveable, and this appears to be a systemic problem from what i have read. i am about to take it into a transmission shop for diagnosis. *tr

Transmission failure

I was driving my explorer yesterday and it was attempting to shift gears and instead sounded like an explosion or a tire getting busted. the o/d light came on and start flashing. it would reset itself everytime the car was restarted but immediately came back on. later in the evening, the service engine soon light came on. i'm not one to wait and let something terrible happen to my vehicles so i took it to aamco after ford told us they were too busy to run diagnostics on it. aamco explained that it was either the transmission or the solenoid pack. upon opening the pan underneath, they explained that if there were metal chunks it would be the transmission; if not, the solenoid pack. sure enough, there were big metal chunks. now, after having the car only two months, i'm having to come up with money to replace the transmission in a car that appeared to be in stellar condition. upon doing some research today, apparently this is a common and well known issue in the ford explorer. ford needs to step up their quality of equipment used in their vehicles. it is scary to know i could have been in traffic or somewhere else and the car die and leave me stranded or hurt. *tr

At 105k miles, our 2002 ford explorer started shaking as it shifted through the gears. we took it to a ford dealer who charged $2,000 for "fixing" the problem. driving away from the dealer, the problem continued. we took it back to the dealer who said there was another error code that cost us $30. the problem continued, and today ford said that the transmission needed to be completely replaced. at just over 100k miles, there is no reason that the transmission should completely go out. we are now left with a vehicle that we can't sell and can't drive. looking at several other descriptions on this website, it is apparent that ford continues to ignore this transmission issue. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the gear shift selector detached from the hinge while the contact was attempting to change gears. the contact was able to shut off the vehicle but the key would not come out of the ignition. the vehicle was repaired once but the failure recurred. the dealer was contacted and told the contact that there were no recalls for the failure. the manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. the failure mileage was 74,797 and the current mileage is 75,846. updated 07/27/11*lj

My 2002 ford explorer o/d light is blinking, as many other ford explorer owners i am afraid this is a serious transmission problem, i want ford to be liable to address this problem of such a big magnitude. *tr

The transmission on our 2002 ford explorer needed to be rebuilt at 36,000 miles and is now needing to be rebuilt again at 74,000 miles. the first repair was done at a ford dealership and after much complaining we were able to have some of the cost absorbed by purchasing an extended warranty. the car started shifting rough again a few weeks ago and then quickly progressed to fully skipping 3rd gear. we are now facing rebuilding it again. we have read up on the problem and have discovered that it is very common for the earlier built 2002 ford explorers. we have even discovered a posting on a ford technical service bulletin explaining exactly our situation (http://216.198.221.184/forums/showthread.php?p=2595868) tsb 04-24-17. the most frustrating thing is that ford is aware they built a faulty transmission that will need to be rebuilt every 35,000-40,000 miles and they are doing nothing about it. upon purchasing a car i feel that it is not unreasonable to expect the transmission to last more than 40,000 miles. we are now in the unusual situation where we no longer want to own this vehicle but feel uncomfortable selling it to anyone knowing that this is an ongoing problem and that the new owner will also have to deal with the expensive repairs of rebuilding the transmission in another 40,000 miles. *ln

Automatic transmission needs replaced

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph the overdrive and service warning lights illuminated as the vehicle began to lose power. the vehicle was taken to a local repair facility where the transmission converter body was rebuilt. in addition, repairs were made to the overdrive piston, overdrive speed sensor, overdrive band, carrier planter, and reverse board bushing. the mechanic also replaced the transmission fluid. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that there were no recalls for the failure and would not provide any assistance. the failure mileage was 61,411 and the current mileage was 61,445. updated 2/28/11 *cn updated 06/03/11*jb

2002 ford explorer xls, driving o/d light came on and transmission started failing to shift correctly, needs complete transmission rebuild. *tr

This is the second time my o/d off light has started flashing and now the transmission has started shifting extremely hard. i have now been told that i need to have my transmission rebuilt. that is a $2800 job. this is after a year and half ago i had the same problem with this vehicle and had to have the transmission replaced. which was a $2400 job. i don't see exactly how i could have gone through two transmissions in less than two years with the exact same problem. *tr

2002 ford explorer - eddie bauer edition. transmission o/d light turned on when driving up a hill. car has less than 80,000 miles on it! read the hundreds of complaints about other 2002 ford explorers: http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/transmission/o_d_light_is_blinking.shtml please help. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and the transmission just went out on it. i will tell the story from the beginning. ok so i was about 30 mins away from my home and driving on the freeway back home when the od light started blinking very fast. then i get off the freeway and stop and the red light then when i started to go the transmission started doing all sorts of crazy [xxx] it was changing gears like crazy and finally settle out. then right before i turn in my drive the transmission just quits! it just stopped! i put it in park then drive and nothing...no sound.. no movement it would just roll backwards. so now it sitting on the side of the road where i pushed it to. all of this happened in 30 mins! nothing was wrong before this happened.!!!! please someone help and lets get this to be recalled! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was driving and my od light started flashing. a few miles later my cars rpms went up and my car slowed down, causing my to quickly pull over to the side of the road to avoid being rear ended. i tried to drive it to the store a few days later and i got about 1/4 of a mile down the road when i heard a loud noise and the car did the same thing. i have my car sitting in the drive way waiting to get it into be looked at. since this is the second time that this has happened in under two years, i know that the transmission is having issues and more than likely i will have to have it replaced. *tr

Automatic transmission experienced complete failure of band(s) for gears 3-4. dealer offered repair for about $2000, but not recommended as only receive 12 month / 12k mile warranty for replaced parts and no labor and not transferable. opted for total replacement with ford authorized remanufactured complete transmission for $3500 with 36 month / unlimited mileage and fully transferable. difficult to accept a transmission would experience such drastic failure with so few miles, normal suburban driving and no trailering.

2002 ford explorer transmission jumped when put in reverse hit a parked car. when you slow down it slips out of gear and wont go. i have transmission problems with the vehicle. im scared that it will fail again while on the freeway and my family and i will be hurt or even killed. its not safe to drive. *tr

I was traveling to mt. washington, ky. from lorain, ohio, ( approx. 330 miles). we stopped at the rest are at the halfway mark, between washington ch, oh. & jeffersonvlle, oh. when we came back out, started the car, & it wouldn't go into reverse. pushed it out of the parking spot & it wouldn't go in drive either. about 30 miles before, it made some clunking noises & it felt like we had a flat tire. i took it out of cruise control & it drove normally until the rest area. i had to have it towed to washington courthouse & then back home on monday, nov., 29th, (at my own expense). approximate cost of repair to date was $2969. i had my daughter & 6 yr. old great granddaughter with me & i feel this could have possibly ended with disastrous results. ford has known about these faulty transmissions probably from day 1. i'm not trying to just blast ford, happen to be an employee. i feel they need to man up & take care of this problem before it leads to serious consequences. *tr

The gear shift lever fell off the steering column while putting the car into park. it is held on only by the electrical connection. *tr

2002 ford explorer transmission failure with only 87,899 miles on vehicle , i complained to the dealer 4days after having the about hard shifting and gears banging .they made adjustment to the pcm ,but a month later it started again,3yr later without putting over 30,000 on the tranny is broken. *tr

O/d light started flashing, suddenly my car stopped shifting correctly. the car was never driven hard and is an automatic. after taking it to a transmission shop and doing some research i found that my transmission needed replaced and that it was not covered under warranty and costs around 3000 dollars to replace. *tr

Got into my 2002 ford explorer today and my overdrive light was flashing and when i drove off, it revved up in the 300-400 rpm and shifted very hard. i have never driven offroad or very hard at all. taking it to a mechanic monday, but we have dealt with enough cars to know that the transmission is going to blow up soon. *tr

When driving the o/d light came on and started flashing erratically, then i was unable to shift from 1st to 2nd gear. the only way i can shift from 1st to 2nd gear is if i let the rpm's go up above 3,000 and 4,000. then i can take my foot off the gas and it will switch into 3rd gear. i have not drove the truck since it started doing this, the only time i have drove it was to go to the mechanic. the mechanic says it is what makes the gears shift that is causing the problem. the only way to fix it is to put a new or rebuilt transmission into my 2002 ford explorer. on the way home from the mechanic it started slamming into gears.

Ford explorer would not shift out of 2nd gear. the vehicle is a 2002 ford explorer xlt with 4.0 l v-6, and automatic transmission. took in to my mechanic and he advised me to take it to a transmission shop since the readout fault codes indicated major failure. vehicle has less than 80,000 miles and has been well taken care of since it was new. *tr

Transmission is failing in my 2002 ford explorer 4x4. a local transmission shop confirmed that my fear that the gears were not shifting properly was due to the transmission failing. it will cost $2400 to $2800 to repair. because the transmission is sealed it will cost extra. only through the first half of the year of 2002 were the explorers made with this transmission and mine was manufactured in may 2001. *tr

Transmission problems. this is the second time this has happened and the transmission was rebuilt in 2005. we've only averaged about 10,000 miles per year since the rebuild. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving 15 mph the vehicle stalled and would not shift into third gear. the contact noticed a recall for the power train transmission. due to the vin the vehicle was not a part of the recall. the contact stated that the manufacturer should extend the recall to more vehicle identification numbers since this was a known safety issue. the failure mileage was 190,000.

2002 ford explorer transmission experienced problem. the overdrive light began flashing and the vehicle shifted into neutral. there was no down hill engine braking. i stopped the vehicle and turned the engine off. when i restarted the vehicle the overdrive light was off and remained off for a few weeks. it is now back on again. i feel that the transmission shifting into neutral and not providing braking when going down a hill is a safety hazard. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer eddie bauer. while driving in reverse 5 mph the gear shift came apart from the column and fell in his lap while the engine was running. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that it would cost $1,500 to replace the steering column. there were no warranties related to the failure. the vin was unavailable. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 77,000. updated 02/07/11 *bf updated 04/20/11

Trouble removing vehicle from park on incline over few week period. transmission changing gears in rough manner over a few day period. od light flashing during highway driving and then odor of something burning on october 10, 2010. diagnosed as "fried transmission" by dealer. cost to replace $3887 plus $125 for diagnosis. not yet repaired - deciding our next action. vehicle purchased new, always maintained according to dealer recommendations. vehicle never abused, only towed very light utility and snowmobile trailers. *tr

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

Overdrive light is blinking and check transmission is indicated in message window. does reset when truck is turned off but warning comes back when driving again. at this time vehicle does 'clunk' when going into reverse. it is still shifting through 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc ok. i had the transmission rebuilt by ford dealer at 50k miles (3/24/06), currently have 75k miles on vehicle(10/11/10). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the gear shift suddenly broke off. she previously noticed that the shift had been difficult to move. the vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. the manufacturer had not been notified. the current and failure mileages were 114,444.

2002 ford explorer, 274k miles. transmission began making grinding noise; had it rebuilt by a reputable transmission shop. shortly thereafter, if braking hard, the engine just stops and all power is lost. this has happened several times, yet it starts right back up when i turn the ignition key. mechanic cannot get any codes to show up. six months later, overdrive off light flickers or flashes fairly regularly, shifting between gears is rough and it won't stay in overdrive. once reaching overdrive, it becomes 'mushy' and slips back and forth, losing speed while rpms bounce between 1,500 and 3,000. transmission shop has checked it again, says it is an electrical issue and that i need to take it to the dealer. dealer claims that there is only one recall out on this car and it is for the speed (cruise) control and that this would not have any effect on the transmission. 4x4 high light flashes whenever the transmission should be going into overdrive, but that eventually stops. i've had to resort to driving with overdrive turned off, which is the only way i can get the transmission to operate smoothly without all of the lights. this causes me to have to run the car at higher rpms and decreased fuel efficiency. i have an appointment at the dealership tomorrow for the recall and i'm hoping that maybe there is someone there who is honest enough to help. went to another transmission shop who informed me that this is a very well-known problem, that they rebuild these tranmissions regularly and that ford hasn't acknowledged any form of responsibility or even a repair solution for this.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt. the contact stated that the overdrive warning light would continuously flash. the failure would occur sporadically whether the vehicle was in over drive or not. the contact stated that when placed in park, the vehicle would continue to roll further than usual. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair facility where the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure or generate a failure code. the vehicle was not repaired. the current and failure mileage was 118,000.

I have an 02 ford explorer eb edition. not too long ago, my od light began flashing and my transmission was hesitating. i was 1.5 hrs from home at 9pm (sunday). called my husband, he made a couple of suggestions and i was able to make it home. same problem occurred twice the next day (monday). contacted my ford dealership and dropped the truck off for a solution to my problem. was told it was a solenoid body going bad. thought my truck would be repaired in a day, but they had my truck for the entire week. i rec.'d a call on friday of that week and was told that they had dropped the pan on my transmission and found a "gear" laying in the pan. i was told i would need my transmission replaced. the following monday, i took the truck back (as is) and took it to a transmission shop for a second opinion. a broken wiring harness in my steering column was diagnosed as the problem and it was repaired for $230.88. i rec.'d my truck back on a thursday. it drove fine that day. i drove it out of town that friday and returned home saturday. two weeks after this problem began, i left my home on a mid-sunday morning and the problem started again with the flashing od light and a hesitant transmission. i was able to run my few errands and get back home. i, just like everyone else who has encountered this problem, thinks ford should take responsibility. this is the first ford i've ever owned and i, personally, don't want to get rid of my truck. i rec.'d an exceptional deal on it and i truly believe it still has a lot of good left in it. i have no blame to place on my local ford dealership or the transmission shop. the responsibility lies with ford itself. a recall needs to be issued so that their dealerships can make the proper repairs to this vehicle. i have a 2yr daughter and i spend about 75% of my time in that vehicle with her. i need peace of mind that my vehicle is going to be there for me as i take care of it with proper ...

Merging into heavy traffic on us23 n. in ohio, tried to accelerate just as i always do and the transmission decides it doesnt want to shift, then when it finally did (approx 5000 rpm) it slamed into gear. narrowly avoided being rear-ended. turned vehicle around, tried fluid/filter change with no success. did a search on the net and found thousands upon thousands of the same problem. checked for recall and to my surprise there was none. *tr

Transmission does not engage when put in drive until 3000 rpms. i was pulling out in traffic and was almost hit by another car because mine was not engaging to move the car. i understand that this problem is very common on the 2002 ford explorer. *tr

We own a 2002 ford explorer that we have kept up all the maintenance on. we have owned if since june of 2008 (bought it from a used car dealer) and have had no really big major issues until now. the o/d off light is flashing which is causing the transmission to get mixed signals as to if the over drive is on or off. which causes the transmission to shift hard and actually try to lock up at some times. it has been going on for about 4 days now and in our manual it says to take and have it serviced as soon as possible. well we did and the mechanic says that there is nothing we can do to fix it except rebuild/replace the entire transmission. online this is a very common problem in this year model and pretty much anyone we have spoken with that has owned these vehicles prior says that the transmission will go out around 175000 miles. we are at 174789 so we are right on course. we do not drive it hard or crazy and we take very good care of all our vehicles. we have never had an issue with an transmission. *tr

My 2002 ford explorer transmission failed. i was traveling on an on ramp. when the o/d light started to flicker and there was a sudden powerful jerk. it was similar to getting rear ended. the failure occurs above 35 mph. the consequences are sudden uncontrollable jerks. in order to correct the failure the transmission must be rebuilt for a vehicle under 80,000 miles. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving various speeds the vehicle would lunge forward at times, stall, and shifting would be difficult. the vehicle was not inspected by the dealer nor been was it repaired. the manufacturer advised her that the transmission might need to be replaced. the failure mileage was approximately 75,000.