Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Vehicle accelerated to maximum rpm's on a city street and would not stop, even after brake applied. tried downshifting, would not work. ran through a red light, fortunately no one was in front of us or going the other direction. had to put it into neutral and turn the key off to get it to stop. merged over and parked. when restarted, rpm's still at maximum until hood was opened and throttle cable was moved around. scary situation as won't drive it until it is fixed. appointment scheduled with mechanic. should have been a recall on this with as many complaints as i have read about with this very situation. we could have killed someone or been killed.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. on several occasions, while driving, the 4wd auto high or low failed to operate. while accelerating, the contact attempted to use the cruise control and, although the green cruise control indicator illuminated, the vehicle failed to engage. a dealer was not notified. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 108,742.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving approximately 35 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 50 mph, the accelerator pedal seized without warning. the vehicle's speed increased up to 90 mph and crashed into another vehicle. the air bags deployed. a police report was filed. the driver sustained injuries to the head and neck, which did not require medical attention. the vehicle was towed. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was approximately 139,514.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving approximately 50 mph with the cruise control activated, the vehicle would not disengage from the cruise control while depressing the brake pedal. the vehicle spontaneously accelerated to 70 mph, the emergency brake did not work, and the cruise control was still active. the vehicle was shifted into park and pulled into a parking lot. the vehicle was left there. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while pulling into a parking space at a very low rate of speed, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, surged forward, and crashed into a building. during the crash, the front end of the vehicle sustained significant damage; however, the air bags did not deploy. the driver suffered injuries to the left arm and hip, head, and neck. medical attention was received and a police report was filed. the cause of the failure was not diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 47,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while pulling into a parking space at a very low rate of speed, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and surged forward before crashing into a building. the driver sustained injuries to the left arm, hip, head, and neck. medical attention was not received. a police report was filed. the cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the failure mileage was 47,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while traveling less than 5 mph, the vehicle's throttle became stuck without warning which caused the vehicle to accelerate to a speed above 40 mph. the vehicle crashed thru a fence and into the rear of a motor home causing the front driver's side tire to fracture. the air bags did not deploy. the contact was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). the contact sustained whiplash, neck and back pains from the failure. a police incident report was filed and the vehicle was to be towed to a yard until it would be able to get inspected and diagnosed. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was destroyed. the approximate failure mileage was 194,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to accelerate. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

Drove car to tire dealer for wheel alignment. parked and left for them to work on. the next day,dec 10,2014, the service tech drove the car for a test ride to check the alignment before he adjusted. he then drove into the bay and applied foot pressure to the gas peddle to get onto the alignment ramp. the peddle stuck at high rpms , 4000+, . as such the car ran off of the ramp , he applied brakes, to no avail, shut car off at same time. which stopped the car, but not before it crashed into the alignment machine and tires. car was hung up on part of the ramp had to be jacked off of ramp. front bumper damaged, cross member under trans pan bent, left rare lower control arm bent..tire dealer has sent the car to ford dealer, on dec 11,2014 i spoke with ford dealer and the have never had a problem like this before. told him of your report pe 05037 and your letter to ford. . since your letter to ford the internet has at least 25 reports of this same problem most with accidents. there may only be 240,000 of this cars ,as your report notes, but this problem can cause a death .this car was made with in the time period stated in you report. the fix is to replace the cable. i told ford that i would not accept the car unless the cable was replaced. on the other hand i would expect you to follow up on this deadly problem. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while in reverse, the vehicle accelerated independently. additionally, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond and the steering wheel seized. as a result, the vehicle crashed into trees then went forward independently crashing into shrubs, a fence, and a building. in addition, the air bags failed to deploy and smoke started to emit from the front of the vehicle. a police report was filed. the contact sustained bruise and neck and head injuries that did not require medical attention. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was unknown.

I got a knock on my door by the fire department telling me that my car set on fire i filed a claim with my insurance and they told me to file a claim with ford because they have reason to believe it was the cruise control button that set the car on fire . *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control) and the contact indicated that an authorized dealer replaced the wiring harness but did not inspect the abs control module connector to determine if the vehicle needed to be remedied for the recall. the contact reported the safety concern to the manufacturer and they would not comply. the vehicle was not fully repaired under the recall remedy. the manufacturer was notified of the safety concern and provided no remedy. the approximate failure mileage was not available.

When braking vehicle accelerates. could not stop had to put in n and it stalled before hitting a store front and a second time on the way home at a red light. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while at a stop, the vehicle lunged forward forcefully and crashed into another vehicle. there were no personal injuries. a police report was filed of the incident. the vehicle was destroyed and towed to a collision facility. the manufacturer was notified of the problem. the approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

While merging onto the interstate the accelerator continued to accelerate even after i took my foot off the pedal. the rpm's were in the red and nothing i did would correct the problem. the vehicle continued to accelerate. i had to apply both feet to the brake pedal and press as hard as possible to slow the vehicle down. i was able to pull off to the shoulder and jammed the truck in park and the engine stopped. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact smelled a burning odor while sitting at a traffic stop, and then noticed that there was smoke and flames coming from the engine without warning. the contact was able to exit the vehicle without injury. a fire report was filed. the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic but there was no diagnostic performed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control ). the vehicle was destroyed. the approximate failure and current mileage was 130,000. *tr

Letter from congressman shimkus on behalf of constituent re wiring harness fire on her recalled ford vehicle *tgw the consumer stated when she called the dealer to inquire about a recall, she was informed there was a recall. however, the vehicle had already been repaired in another state in december 2010. the consumer stated the vehicle has been no further than west than missouri. the consumer referenced recall # 09v399000.

While driving home from work, attempted to pass a slower moving car. as i did so the gas pedal stuck to the floor. causing me to brake to slow vehicle..finally able to free gas pedal by lifting it up with my foot...major safety issue..ford said no recall. *tr

My power steering stuck caused a wreck!!

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

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 15 mph, the accelerator pedal became jammed. the contact tried depressing the brakes but the vehicle continued to accelerate. the contact immediately shifted to park and shut the ignition off. the vehicle was not inspected by a dealer or an independent mechanic. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were approximately 210,000. the vin was not available.

Cruise control electrical disengage switch failed. cruise control could only be disengaged by stepping on the brake very hard or by manually turning off the cruise control on/off switch. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explored. the contact stated that while driving uphill, the vehicle suddenly emitted a burning odor. the vehicle then stalled without warning as the vehicle proceeded to roll-backward and crashed into a phone pole. the vehicle then crashed into a residential home. the contact sustained injuries to the shoulder and mouth. the front seat passenger sustained lacerations and a bruised tail bone. the person seated in the rear passenger side of the vehicle sustained injuries to the back and lacerations to the feet. the rear driver's side passenger sustained head injuries. a police report was filed of the incident. the manufacturer was contacted and advised that the vehicle was included in nhtsa campaign id number: 09v399000 (vehicle speed control) however, the contact never received notification of the recall. the vehicle was destroyed. the failure and the current mileage was 147,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while traveling 70 mph the vehicle speed suddenly increased up to 90 mph. the contact stated that the brake pedal was very stiff and failed to stop the vehicle. as a result, the contact had to shift into park in order to get the vehicle to stop. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileage was 175,550.

Car leaking unknown fluids .. there are outstanding recalls on my vehicle. recall id 09509. *tr

Approximately 30% of the time, the coast button on the cruise control will actually function as the accelerate button. this can be disturbing if you hit coast to increase distance between you and another vehicle. when this does occur, i am able to hit the brake pedal and deactivate the cruise control. *js

Went to back out carport, when gas pedal was push it went to floor and stuck !, auto traveled out drive way circled a field come back and hit tree, after traveling approx 1500 ft more or less, knocked unconscious, broke dentures, neck and back injuries , concussion , total the auto a 2002 ford explorer ... *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving approximately 35 mph, the over-drive warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel and the vehicle began to unexpectedly increase acceleration. the vehicle failed to slow down even though the brake pedal was engaged several times, as a result the contact loss control and crashed into a tree. the contact was able to drive the vehicle to a safe location. the vehicle had not been towed or repaired for the extensive front end damage. the manufacturer was notified of the unintended acceleration. the approximate failure mileage was 157,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that upon shifting into reverse and applying the accelerator pedal, the pedal depressed to the floor and the vehicle surged backward. the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a tree. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries. both the dealer and manufacturer were notified and were in the process of assisting the contact with an investigation. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure and current mileages were 184,000. the vin was unavailable.

I am a single mother of 4 driving 55mph in heavy traffic on a 4 lane highway, with my children in the vehicle when the o/d light flashed a few times and then the transmission just stopped working, as though the vehicle was in neutral i coasted safely to a stop thank god. i took it to a ford service center and they said it was caused by the servo boar????? never herd of this. it used to be a seperate line that could be replaced now it is built into the transmission and the whole transmission has to be replaced. is what i was told to me by the certified ford service man and that there was not a problem with the old style lines but he hears of this often with the newer transmissions. was this changed just for profit by ford motor company? because with this happening without warning someone could get into an accident and be seriously injured or killed depending on the situation. i am very upset that my family was put in this situation but we got lucky. if we were only lucky enough to have the money to fix it now, it is $2,400 for the new transmission and labor. *tt

While driving my car to work, i came to a stop sign at the end of my road, like i do every morning. however, on this morning, as i tried to accelerate from a complete stop, my car bogged down which left me in the road for seconds longer then was safe. there was a car speeding around the curve, and my car would not accelerate like it should. finally, and thank god, it jammed into gear, and me and my one year old son were not injured. also, on that same day, my car starting skipping while in first gear, which also was a safety hazard because it was jerking so hard, it was hard to keep in under control, plus it also slowed my progression across highly congested areas down, which also put my safety at risk. we took my car to the shop, and the repairman stated that my transmission was having problems with first gear and overdrive. there had been no previous warning or indicators that something was wrong with my transmission until the day of. we had the fluid checked and the engine checked. nothing was wrong that we could have prevented. *tr

2002 ford explorer. throttle stuck while driving. vehicle was put in neutral in order to stop acceleration. this is incredibly dangerous and could have caused serious injury to us as well as others. *ln updated 11/09/11 *bf the consumer stated he removed his foot from the accelerator and applied the brake. the rpm's revved to 4000-5000 and it continued to make the vehicle accelerate as he tried to brake. he put the vehicle in neutral to stop the acceleration. then engine kept the rpm's over 4000 until the ignition was turned off. updated 11/10/11 updated 11/17/11 updated 12/08/11

At a stop, began accelerating to enter highway, accelerator pedal became stuck and car continued to accelerate up to 90 mph at full throttle before i shut vehicle off and put it in neutral. has happened on several occasions, all exactly the same. vehicle accelerates at full throttle and has to be shut off before an accident occurs. only way to correct problem is to exit vehicle and push gas pedal several times; start vehicle and see if engine is still at full throttle.

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 55 mph the accelerator pedal would not disengage. the driver attempted to pull the accelerator pedal up with her foot but was unsuccessful brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle slowed down. the driver was able to maneuver the vehicle off of the road and crashed into a few small trees in a wooded area. the driver previously suffered from spinal injuries and experienced back and hip pain. the driver was treated by a doctor for the injuries. a police report was filed. the insurance company had the vehicle towed to an independent repair shop for inspection. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000. updated 09/21/11*lj updated 10/05/11

2002 ford explorer-transmission failure-130,000 miles-july 12, 2011 transmission rebuilt at 119,000 miles on jan. 13, 2010 by a local ford dealer- both failures consisted of the transmission slipping in and out of gear during normal driving. in heavy traffic this is a very dangerous situation. the vehicle suddenly loses speed and passengers are subject to rear end impact or sudden surges of speed when the transmission slips back into gear, causing a possible rear end impact with another vehicle. in addition, the transmission sticks in one gear and will not shift. ford motor company has been aware of the problems with this type of transmission since 2002. my local dealer says that fmc figures revealed that 30% of vehicles equipped with this transmission experienced failure of some type. however fmc offered very little relief to its customers. i believe that it is time for an immediate forced recall of this transmission. *kb

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated while driving in reverse and then shifting the gear in park, the vehicle accelerated backward and crashed into a fence. no one was injured but the vehicle sustained minor scratches on the rear passenger and driver sides. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. the failure mileage was 59,900.

2002 ford explorer transmission died for the second time after i had the dealership replace it, 75,000 miles ago. i am now sitting at 156000 and it is doing the same things again. this gives me such a bad taste toward ford, and i have been a die hard ford guy. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked outside of his residence. the fire department was called to extinguish the fire but by the time had arrived, the vehicle and the contacts residence were destroyed. there were no injuries. the origin of the fire was deemed as the vehicle speed control. a fire report was available. the vehicle remained in the contacts driveway. the manufacturer was not contacted to report the failure. the failure mileage was 65,000.

Accelerator pedal was hard to press, rpm remained high 3000 - 4000. eventually the car would not stop, accelerator was stuck - go was going 70 mph. had to strut of engine mechanic replace accelerator cable - noted cable was kinked and frayed - very dangerous and that i should report it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 25 mph the engine surged and the vehicle suddenly accelerated. when the brakes were depressed and the gear shifted into neutral the rpms would increase excessively. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who performed a diagnostic test but could not duplicate or determine the cause of failure. the manufacturer stated that there were no recalls or warranties on the vehicle and they offered no additional assistance. the failure mileage was 76,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving with the cruise control engaged at approximately 70 mph pressure was applied to the brake pedal and the vehicle surged forward until repeated pressure was applied to that pedal. a pop noise was also heard coming from the passenger side firewall. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where he was informed there was a wire malfunction within the brake pedal switch. the authorized dealer was in the process of installing a new brake pedal switch. the failure and current mileages were 73,000. updated 10/21/10. *lj updated 10/25/10

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt. the contact was driving with the cruise control set to 70 mph when the vehicle abnormally began to accelerate over 80 mph. the contact then depressed the brakes to disengage the cruise control yet the vehicle continued to accelerate. the contact then drove to the shoulder and shut the engine off. when restarting, there was an abnormal increase in engine rpms from 5,000 to 6,000. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure but recommended replacing all components of the cruise control mechanism. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 8,000 and the current mileage was 8,200.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated. she applied both feet to the brake pedal but the rear tires were smoking and the vehicle began spinning out of control until she turned off the ignition to regain control of the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing but the failure could not be duplicated. the vin was not available. the current and failure mileages were approximately 63,000.

Major transmission problems at 106k miles on my ford explorer xlt 4.0l. this was not due to poor maintenance or up keep! shifting into neutral going 75 miles an hr down the freeway, shifting out of place, rough, scary shifts, shimming from the transmission jumping allover the place is just the beginning. after 5 trips to the mechanic, first i did wires, then plugs, then updated computer, full tranny flush and finally had to rebuilt the transmission due to the solenoids in the transmission being defective and faulty per a ford service manager in owatonna, mn. the service manager informed me that ford was looking at making it a recall, but it wasn't the top of their priority list and maybe they would eventually get to it! he has seen many of these trucks in the shop with their "busy" transmissions, and the same issues! this was the issue all along..after all of the service appts, and money spent nothing was resolved, until the transmission was rebuilt! $4k later just for the tranny repair! for their faulty defective transmission solenoids! as if the truck didn't already cost enough! and the troubleshooting "bandaids" (which between the tranny, diagnostics, labor etc total well over $5500!!) i contacted ford after directed to due so my (their) technician and employee of 25 yrs. i read all the posts of duplicate complaints (i see there are several other consumers in my situation!), to inform them of the money i've lost, time incurred into this headache, and all the days i went without a vehicle for my family that i had nothing to do with it was their equipment! that it was their fault! curious about what their compensation was, if any, going to be. or what they planned on doing about it! and after several service appt, $5500 loss and numerous complaints that ford is aware of the rep stated basically said oh well! its ur problem not ours!!! lol! *tr

2002 ford explorer transmission failure and uncontrollable accelerator. the transmission had been shifting hard for months but it is considered by ford to be a "sealed" unit and it is not recommended that the customer maintain the fluid level, so there was nothing i could do. in jan 2010 the accelerator stuck while entering the freeway and we were out of control, i thought i was going to die and had to turn of the car on the freeway with no shoulder after brushing the guard rail and was subsequently rear ended. the o/d off light began blinking that day and it was tough to reach 60mph. service engine light came on and i shopped around for diagnostic. independent trans. guy said it needs complete rebuild, ford dlr agrees but for twice the cost. new parts are not available. it makes no sense why this car just started to fail on me like this, i'm the first owner and now its just decided to die and ford has been no help what so ever. now i'm looking at a repair that is 80% of the bluebook value. each mechanic i've brought it to says this problem is endemic to this model/year and there should be a recall. why would they put in a trans. that cannot be reasonably serviced and maintained and dies just after 100k mi. i have a very difficult time believing this was not planned by ford and i will never buy their products again! my car is no longer safe enough to drive to the grocery store let alone the freeway. this is a clear case of irresponsible manufacturing practices on fords part and warrants a recall! *tr

2002 ford explorer cruise control would not release, the car accelerated each time after trying to release the cruise control. i had to ride the brake to stop the car. i shut the racing engine down and tried to restart and found the engine raced as soon as it was started. if we were in traffic, we may have crashed. i stayed calm but thinking about my wife and son driving the car at times, they may not have reacted as i did. this was a very scary and dangerous situation. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while reversing out of his drive-way, the vehicle rapidly accelerated into the garage. the garage was severely damaged. while attempting to exit the garage the vehicle accelerated forward into the neighbors yard, and then knocked over a tree. the vehicle was towed to a local repair facility. the vehicle will be towed to an authorized dealer for inspection. the ford manufacturer was notified. he was advised that since the warranty expired, no assistance would be provided. the failure mileage was 87,264.

My cars cruise control failed to disengage when i applied the footbrake, pushed the off switch, the gear shift would not move and the key would not turn off. the car was checked by police and when it was tested they were unable to find a fault in the failsafes however they are still suspicious of the vehicle. i had to call police and was in a runaway car on the freeway for 30mins. when i hit a median strip i lost enough speed to be able to use the little braking power i had left, as each time i applied the brakes the engine would accelerate back to the set sped and the brake pedal became hard to push. when i stopped i also pulled the handbrake as ordered by the police over the phone to avoid a headon, the left shoe of the handbrake snapped and the car skidded to a stop. the police disconnected the battery when they did testing. so i've been told any fault codes or faults either with the cruise control or the ecu may now be lost. ford are claiming this could never happen, but im starting to read on other sites the same things are happening to other people. i could be dead along with alot of other people that day. the police also had issues moving the gear shift that day on my car to get it onto a tow truck, so its not just the driver. *tr

I was accelerating away from work and when i attempted to come to a stop i was unable to because of the throttle being stuck in the on position. i was able to stop the vehicle and avoid a collision by shifting into neutral and applying the brakes. the temperature was 5 degrees fahrenheit. this was the first time i experienced the problem and the throttle cable required replacement. *tr