Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer POWER TRAIN

I have a 2002 ford explorer i was driving down the highway when i noticed the overdrive light flashing. then the passenger asked me if i could smell transmission fluid and i had said yes. this ended up costing me $2800 and my mechanic told me that the torque converter was failing and sense he had it apart he should go ahead and rebuild it. *tr

I pulled into my driveway and went to put my vehicle into park and the gear shift was like a broken limb in my hand. i checked with several auto part stores and the replacement part is a dealer only part. ford will not sell the part to customer for personal repair. plus the cost to repair is very costly. i was seeking information and found several other complaints on autobeef-car complaints.com. seems like ford needs to reconsider this as recall. *tr

The suv, which is a 2002 ford explorer. just started to drive really slowly and an o/d light came on which tells me that i pretty much need a new transmission. this is the third time that this has happened to my vehicle. the consequences are the very expensive price on fixing the problem. the first 2 times ford fixed it with a rebuilt transmission and now they want me to pay again. sorry not going to happen. this is a very common issue please make ford recall these vehicles. *tr

2002 ford explorer differential subject to increased whining @ 85000 miles and rapidly failed over the course of one week @ 99,000 miles. r side wheel bearings have failed at same time. differential has locked up and drive gear jumps gear teeth during any turn. dealer claims they've never seen such a failure but located a ford 'fix kit' very quickly so am very suspicious of their statement. i pulled the explorer from the dealer for second opinion and rep told me to 'park it' and never to drive it until repaired due to potential of highway lockup with extreme consequences. ford is hiding this defect from the public. have just filed complaint with ford online who are replying with form letter email refusals to help . drive gear failure on any vehicle is unheard of, and should never fail. vehicle sits on a truck chassis and should be sturdier than it is. *tr

Just bought the truck recently the previous owner took very good care of it looks just like new even the engine and inside parts look like new. but recently the truck wouldn't reverse we took it to the dealer and the estimate scared us it was ridiculous. we took it to another mechanic and he just changed the oil and filter but he told us that the transmission had some damaged already. after we brought it back from the mechanic it worked fine for two days then the same problem happened again and the yellow light keeps on blinking. we haven's used it since the problem doesn't happen all the time but we're afraid of it happening while driving it or in a parking lot or something. *tr

1. transmission problems when i stopped fast 2. transmission goes into neutral and takes about 10 seconds to pop back into gear. 3. took to dealership where i was told they could replace a $1,000 part. *tr

I have had many problems with my 2002 ford explorer. i started getting the crack in my hatch by the rear window in 2005. it has spread and gotten worse and i still have not fixed it. last year in 2009 our abs light has been coming on and off and when i go to brake at times it feels like they kick on at irregular times, but i also feel i do not have the braking power i should. in june 2010 i was driving the explorer and the o/d light starting blinking and the explorer was shifting out of control. we had to have the transmission replace and the u-joints and the rear axle fixed for around $2900. we also had to replace the battery in july 2010. i called ford motor company and told them all of my issues and they told me that since they did not have enough complaints they could not do anything about it. to this point i was aggravated and couldn't believe the way they had treated me and let alone others who i am sure made the same call. i feel this is a safety issue because even now when it is in gear in park the car seems to move back and forth. *tr

O/d light keeps flashing and transmission slips and the vehicle only has 80 thousand miles. this is unacceptable by ford please do something they are taking we the consumers for granted. *tr

I have ford explorer 2002 o/d light is blinking and having problem with transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while shifting the vehicle into reverse, the gear shift selector broke off from the steering column. the vehicle was not taken in to be examined and there were no repairs. the failure and current mileages were unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated while driving at speeds of 30 mph, the vehicle began to decrease in speed without warrant. the over drive warning lights were illuminated on the dashboard and the contact was able to drive the vehicle to his residence without incident. the manufacturer was contacted but offered no assistance. the dealer was not contacted and the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 120,000.

Oh where do i begin. i have 90,000 miles on my suv. my radio goes off and on randomly. door ajar is on randomly. when shifting from park to drive, it sticks and i have to tap it to go into drive. rear wheel bearing had to be replaced. o/d light came on and flashing. one time i thought it was in park and when getting out of my car, it began to roll after taking my foot of the brake. i see these seem to be problems for several ford explorer owners. please please please get this across to ford that these need to be recalled, if not i will not be a ford owner ever again and tell everyone i know not to buy a ford! what is going to take, a death or injury?? take responsibility ford! hope this never happens to you but then again, you probably don't even drive a ford. *tr

I'm an owner of a 2002 ford explorer xlt. recently while driving on the interstate highway, i noticed the o/d light was flashing/blinking and my transmission was vibrating while shifting gears. i immediately acted quickly by gradually pulling over to come to a stop. as i later tried to accelerate the vehicle, it would not go past 10 mph, the transmission was stuck in 1st gear. thank god my kids were not in the truck at the time. this faulty transmission needs to be acknowledge by ford motor company. please do not look at this as another complaint, this could potentially become a liability issue if not addressed. the same as with any other safety issue its investigated thoroughly, i'm praying this is looked at as serious safety concern on the highways. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer and the o/d light began blinking and transmission began slipping, 110k miles on it and no problems. this seems like a common one, and ford seems to be losing a lot of customers because no actions are done to fix or help us. haven't gone to dealership yet but am not looking forward to the results. *tr

I have owned my 2002 ford explorer now for 3 years, within this 3 years i have had to make 2 major repairs and am now facing my 3rd. the transmission in my car needed to be fixed with 6 month of owning my car and now a year and half later i am facing more transmission issues. the car continuously kicked hard when shifting gears. also if i were to put into park it would still roll or if i put it into reverse it would roll forward as if it were in reverse. now it is using up to 5/6 rams to shift gears. i took it to a transmission shop and it missing all of its 3rd gear. i have found over 280 complaint about this same issue on the same make and model and that's just on one website. i believe this is very dangerous and as a new mother am wondering with all the complaints is this car safe? i don't believe it is. the transmission in this car needs to be recalled. this is not just one instance of bad luck. this is happening repeatedly with the same vehicle! i hope it doesn't take someone getting hurt for something to be done about this. thank you for looking into this matter. *tr

Overdrive light flashing late shifting high rpms hard shifting. a common complaint for this vehicle. ford says tough luck to a 3-5k ford fix which will recur. *tr

The overdrive light on my 2002 ford explorer is flashing (blinking) and the transmission is acting erratic. shortly after buying this car(in 2003) a similar issue happened. i took it to a ford shop. the mechanic requested the transmission be replaced. ford denied the request & had the mechanic change only the solenoid(i believe for the 1st& 2nd gear?). thankfully, this was under warranty. i've taken decent care of my transmission since in regards to maintenance. now, this issue(or similar) is back. before attempting to bring my car to ford or another shop, i decided to check on the internet. i came across http://www.carcomplaints.com or more specifically: http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/transmission/o_d_light_is_blinking.shtml. to my surprise, this incident is not close to unique. i like my car & ford, but this is just not right. i hope this issue can properly be addressed by ford. this will probably be the only way they can retain me and my family as repeat customers... *tr

Transmission failure, od light flashing. *tr

2002 4 x 4 ford explorer, while driving in rush hour traffic the timing chains went on this truck. of course the engine stopped working and i had the huge problem of pushing it off this 3 lane busy highway. did get it off and now waiting to raise enough money for replacement engine. yes the oil was changed every 3200 - 3400 miles, default with the ford engines, plastic sprocks. so i am without a truck until money is raised or ford does a recall. i know! there was no sign other than a slight noise starting and called the garage and never got there. my truck is in great shape, no rust, no accidents and i love to drive it! the gas is not bad at all if you don't horse it! *tr

Transmission is slipping and needs to be replaced. *tr

2002 ford explorer xlt. transmission o/d light flashes after vehicle warms up. this an intermittent problem. this may lead to transmission failure. research had found that this may cost several thousand dollars to repair and may not fix the problem. the vehicle has just over 100k miles on it and we are not the original owners. *tr

1. normal driving 2. blinking o/d off light, check transmission light, check engine light, transmission begins to slip 3. replaced transmission, still intermittent o/d off light blinking. *tr

O/d light continues to blink. the blinking as occurred before and no one knows how to correct the problem. i already spend a couple thousands dollars to fixed the transmission b/c transmission was slipping. *tr

While driving down the road the od light started flashing and the transmission started to grind , slip, then just stopped working without any warning. *tr

Ford 2002 explorer xlt limited. i have had a myriad of issues, which upon research appear common to the extreme. front & rear bearings have been replaced multiple times. springs had to be replaced. now the transmission is slipping -- o/d light blinks, ses light activates, and vehicles over-revs, slips, and will not operate in overdrive. the transmission design is completely sealed, so i cannot even check for fluid levels, nor do any preventive maintenance whatsoever. there is no warning, just failure. issues with this model year are so prevalent that local mechanics need only ask the model and year and can itemize the problems i have experienced, and public forums are full of similar complaints. ford needs to recall this model year. *tr

Noise from rear wheel hub bearings. ford tsb 05-25-8. i have only 35,000 on this vehicle and am concerned that if there is a bearing failure on a rear wheel hub you could lose control of the vehicle. i feel that ford should be responsible to correct this defect. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving at approximately 75 mph, the vehicle stopped moving forward. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the transmission was replaced. the failure had not occurred since the repair. the contact also stated that while attempting to shift the vehicle into park, the gear shifter broke off of the steering column. the vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the contact was informed this was a known problem with that model. the vehicle was in the process of having the steering column replaced. the failure mileage was 113,997. the current mileage was unavailable.

2002 ford explorer o/d off light blinking, hard shifting. our 2002 explorer (91,000 miles) has the all too common problem with the automatic transmission. i'm very surprised to see how many people have reported this same problem. from all that i've read, this is a serious defect that ford has ignored. if you do a search on this problem, you will find thousands of similar complaints. i'm reporting this to you in the hope that something can be done to force ford to deal with it. *tr

2002 ford explorer. only owner 115,000 miles, mostly highway, well maintained. o/d light flashes, warning message to check transmission. immediately taken into ford service shop. charged $90 for diagnosis: slipping transmission. dealership tells me that they will require approval of $720 to further diagnose problem. when asked further questions, i was told that it could range from the $720 - $3,000 + . i picked up the vehicle and have an appointment with a local transmission shop today. was told by the man at the shop that this is a common problem for this vehicle. he actually was asking me if it did this or that....yes. his price for repair was thousands less than ford's service department and i am not being asked to pre-pay hundreds of dollars. i have been researching this problem on the internet and it appears that this transmission issue is highly common on the 02 explorer. i had just left the ford service department where i had gone for regular oil change and multi-point inspection. they told my that they vehicle was in great shape. literally 5 minutes after i left this happened while i was driving home. *tr

2002 ford explorer transmission failure due to faulty machining of piston pathways in the transmission casing. my explorer will not shift into third gear because of this issue and it is unsafe to drive. there are thousands of complaints about this same issue out on the internet and yet ford will not take responsibility for a recall. *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.

The transmission in my 2002 ford explorer has starting slipping and failing to get out of first gear. the check transmission light wasn't on then comes on and goes out - depending on which time the vehicle was started. it appears to need a brand new transmission now. in looking up information on this i noticed a rather large number of complaints about 2002 ford explorer transmissions and problems associated with them. i regarded ford as a superior brand and didn't think i'd have problems with this car. it is well maintained and does not have an excessive amount of miles. *tr

While in traffic today, my 2002 ford explorer suddenly lost drive power. fortunately, the driver behind me was not tailgating and noticed my vehicle slow down rapidly. i now find this transmission failure is a very common problem with ford 2002 explorer. in fact on one web site alone, www.autobeef.com i see over 861 complaints on this issue alone all with 2002 explorers. transmission failures in heavy traffic and at higher speed could certainly be a significant safety issue. also last year replaced both rear springs that had failed and broke completely affecting braking. *tr

Faulty transmission. *tr

My 2002 ford explorer xlt o/d off light started blinking while i was driving a couple of days ago;then the transmission seemed to stick when accelerating. after i drive for a few minutes, the truck seems to jerk again before getting in gear. i will take to auto shop again this week. *tr

Driving down the hwy the o/d light began to flash on and off. transmission then begins to randomly change gears. nothing has been done yet to fix. *tr

Transmission failure on a 2002 ford explorer 4 door. transmission failed at 78,000 miles and was rebuilt by condit ford in newton nj around july 2006. transmission failure again at 128,000 miles on april 9, 2010 and was rebuilt by foxworth's auto service in greensboro, nc. *tr

O/d light blinking and engine revving like the car was in park. will not go into reverse. *tr

While driving my vehicle when it shifted gears the car slowed down and the rpms went up to 4000 - 5000. after a minute the car shifted into the next gear and it seemed to drive fine. then the o/d off light began to flash on the dash. this problem has occurred multiple times today. i have seen many instances of the problem listed on the internet for my make, model and year. *tr

2002 ford explorer xlt (4.0l 5r55w) transmission slippage causing near accident as unable to pass through intersection in a timely manner. when shifting between 1st and 2nd gear, transmission would wind before violently engaging. remedy was to take foot of accelerator and allow rpms to decrease. increased acceleration time in lower gears a danger when trying to cross lanes of traffic. *tr

The transmission on my ford explorer went out after the od light has been blinking... ford the to recall the transmission on this explorer it is really a problem. *tr

2002 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. while shifting the car from park to reverse the shifting lever simply snapped off, leaving the car stuck between park and reverse. the piece of aluminum where this shearing occurred is unbelievably weak material. i have researched on the internet and found hundreds of people with this exact same issue for this exact year of explorer. the estimate that i received for repairs exceeded $2,000, as they have to replace the entire steering column to correct this manufacturer defect. there has been no recall issued for this, however, the frequency of the problem, the range of mileage this continues to occur in (95-106k), and the extremely high cost to fix, in my opinion, should require manufacturer assistance

Was driving on flat road car started to shift funny car slams into gear problem happens every time the car shifts second gear to third gear vehicle needs new transmission

Transmission shifts hard and the o/d light is starting to blink and by reading up on this several complaints are being made and ford should address this.

I have 2 issues with my 2002 ford explorer..the first issue is with the transmission. i bought this last year and took it back to where i bought it 2 days later and they had the transmission shop they deal with look at it and was told there's nothing wrong. when i go to put it in drive or reverse the vehicle wont move. once i start driving the transmission keeps slipping and when stopped at red light or stop sign i have to be very cautious because it wont go and wants to drift backwards and wants to stall and i don't want to cause an accident by drifting into someone. i have to deal with this everyday and it's getting old now. the second issue is the rear hatch/door.. today i took notice that there is a crack right under the window where the rear ford emblem is located. *tr

2002 ford explorer bad transmission. the car has 65,000 miles on it. *tr

March 17th, 2010: wife calls me at work and says she was bringing my daughter home from school and the explorer 2002 transmission started slipping and the check engine light came on and the o/d light was flashing. she was able to drive it home until i could look at it. i drove it later that evening and determined that it was slipping between 2nd and 3rd hear and the check engine light is on. on march 19th...i drove to autoparts store and had them read code from computer: p0745. i did alot of research and it appears that the intermediate band may have broken and transmission needs repaired/replaced ($1500-$3000???) i will be contacting ford on monday march 22nd, 2010 to take it into shop and have them determine what they think is wrong. seems to be a very common issue... it is a safety issue due to the fact that the car transmission slips during acceleration and starts to slow possibly causing someone to hit vehicle from behind. sometimes it kicks it in abruptly...jerking during the gear switching...dangerous!!! *tr

Sealed transmission in 02 ford explorer. tanny shifts hard then over drive light flashes, starts shifting into od hard then not at all, then hard then back and forth alot. no way to check fluid. all ford offers is a rebuilt at 3000.00 dollars. *tr

I was driving home from work yesterday afternoon, and my o/d off light began flashing. i pressed the o/d off button to see if that was the problem, and it did not do anything. i noticed that the car began having trouble when trying to shift gears while accelerating. once the car does shift into the correct gear there is a strong jerk. once i got home, i turned the car off and back on to see if the light was still flashing. it was not at first, but after driving a mile or so, it begins flashing again. i took it back to the dealership since i purchased this car less than a month ago. they stated that the solenoid transmission pack needs to be replaced, and that the part alone will cost $860. my family is living on one income right now, so we do not have the money for costly car repairs, especially when this seems to be a common problem and should be recalled by ford to fix. *tr

I have 2002 ford explorer xlt 6cyl four wheel drive. i like the vehicle but the overdrive light had been flashing on it for awhile and the transmission finally went out completely. from what i understand this is a very common problem with this vehicle. it would cost at least $2000 to get a rebuilt transmission put in which from what i understand doesn't last very long anyways and 5000 for a new one that wont last a whole lot longer. i think ford did a very poor job of standing behind their vehicles. they haven't even offered a redesigned transmission or anything so if it happens to you mite as well scrap the vehicle cuz it will cost too much to fix and its not going to last any ways. i think ford needs to address this issue. *tr