Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

2002 ford explorer xlt: rec'd recall notice about cruise control switch with fire hazard and brake fluid leakage driving or in park. called dealer 'armstrong ford in homestead ford twice. once sent to voice mail of service manager with no return call. following day 11/17 spoke with service advisor who stated to call back on fri or mon 11/20 or 11/23 as part was unavailable. i find this unacceptable. in addition i have electrical problems that consistently create shorts with parts or displays in console which this dealer has been unable to resolve thus costing me hundreds of dollars each time. thank you. *tr

2002 ford explorer 1. going to full acceleration (pedal to the floor) when passing car or entering highway from side road 2. accelerator pedal stays pressed on the floor even when foot is removed. this happened twice on the last 2 times that the pedal was fully depressed. 3. failure is avoided by not pressing accelerator pedal all the way to the floor. *tr

2002 ford explorer recall notice*cw the consumer stated the vehicle is in the repair shop for unrelated repairs and has been there since august 2009 due to lack of parts. the consumer received the recall notice regarding the speed control deactivation switch and according to the recall, the vehicle should not be parked near structures as a fire could occur. however, the repair shop informed the consumer that the vehicle could not be lowered or moved because the engine was loose. *jb

it was an extremely cold day in wisconsin and my son went into town, while approaching a stop light the gas pedal accelerated. he applied the brakes and it kept on accelerating until he shut the engine off. this happened again on the highway, once again the weather was cold and this time he kept tapping on the accelerator and pulled over and shut the vehicle off. this was a frightening experience, any suggestions to rectify this problem. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving approximately 20 mph and approaching a turning lane, the contact applied pressure to the brakes to slow the vehicle down. the vehicle accelerated on its own and she had to turn the vehicle to the right in order to avoid a rear end crash. the vehicle jumped the curb and the vehicle stopped. an hour later, while exiting the freeway, the vehicle accelerated on its own again. the contact turned off the vehicle in order for it to stop. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not notified. a mechanic informed her to park the vehicle. the cause of the failure could not be determined. the current mileage was 114,450 and failure mileage was 114,337. updated 11/25/08. *lj updated 11/25/08. *jb

While parking my car between two other cars, i shifted from reverse to forward to adjust my car to the middle of the parking space. i had my foot lightly on the brake so that the idle speed would inch my car forward a little. when i shifted to forward, my car lunged forward 2 to 3 feet. because my foot was already on the brake, i was able to hit the brake hard. the car stopped within a few inches of the car in front of me. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 55 mph and accelerating to 60 mph, the engine suddenly roared and began racing. the contact was unable to stop the vehicle, which caused other vehicles to swerve around her to avoid crashing. she activated the hazard lights and pulled off the road. she attempted to shut off the vehicle, but even with the keys removed from the ignition, the engine still raced for approximately another 30 seconds until it finally stopped. the contact grabbed her children, exited the vehicle, and waited for someone to come pick her up. she later called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to her house. the vehicle remains at her residence and has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 51,761. update 06/10/08 *bf

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact received a recall notice for the vehicle speed control. ever since the vehicle was purchased approximately 1.5 years ago, she has had to tape the rear passenger side door shut to keep it from opening while driving. the failure occurs at speeds of 35 mph or lower. the dealer claimed that they would repair the door at the time of purchase. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 120,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact received a notice for recall number 05s28 for the vehicle speed control: cruise control in august of 2007. as of march 26, 2008, the part for the recall repair is still unavailable. she feels that this length of time is unlawful. she called the manufacturer and was denied to speak with a supervisor. there had been no failure to date. the powertrain was unknown. the current mileage was 62,000. updated 04/14/08. *lj updated 04/11/08 *tr

Where to start... broken cruise control, headlight switch has a short, driver side passenger window doesn't roll down, trouble going into gear, car suddenly dies at interstate speeds, loud grinding sound from the engine bay (like an electric knife sharpener) that is getting increasingly more frequent, service engine soon light will not go off, brakes squeal and don't stop the vehicle properly, support for the hatch (which is cracked 8 inches or so in two places) doesn't lift hatch completely, and the fuel economy is down to 4-6 mpg in the city. i hate it! i don't feel like my girlfriend is safe driving it, and i think ford should be forced to make their wrongs into rights! *tr

While traveling on the freeway my cruise control was acting up, it kept turning itself off, and not keeping a set speed. i got it to turn back on and set the speed to 80 mph. after a few minutes it felt like we were going faster than we thought , i looked down and noticed the cruise control had surged from 80mph to 105mph on its own. this really frightened my and i immediately put the brakes on to slow down and turned off the cruise control feature for the remainder of my trip. i had my husband and my three young daughters in the car and was pretty shaken up about how quickly things could have gone terribly wrong and someone or all of us could have been killed if we were to crash because of this incident. *tr

Speed control does not engage even though it shows that it is on, on the dash board. once engaged after numerous attempts, the speed will then increase on its own. *tr

Erratic operation of cruse control. *tr

Cruise control will not always engage, even when indicator light shows it is on. initial failures were failure to engage or unexpected disengagement. when it does engage, the speed continually accelerates and does not disengage with brake pedal, must use off button on steering column. all buttons are free. contacted dealer and manufacturer, and they report no recall on this vin. search of nhtsa site shows 3 similar complaints. *tr

While pulling into a gas station slowing to a stop the vehicle suddenly accelerated. striking the barrier in front of the gas pump. vehicle was towed to repair shop. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. in september of 2007, the contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign id number 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). she was informed that the part would be unavailable until december of 2007. the dealer never advised her to disconnect the speed control switch. the purchase date was unknown. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 82,000.

I own a 2002 ford ranger xlt pick-up truck. in august of this year, 2007, i received a recall notice for a speed control deactivation switch. within two weeks i called the local ford dealership and they requested me to bring the vehicle in. i did, and upon arrival i was told that they did not have the part to fix/comply with the recall. i had a few choice words with the dealership and was told to wait for a call concerning the parts arrival. i waited, waited and waited, and still no call. i have contacted the local ford place three times since august of 2007. i still, as of november 25, 2007, do not have a repaired truck in accordance with the recall. all of the numbers on the recall sheet point to the local dealership and nothing else. i have no other avenue except this one. i just want my truck repaired for the safety of me and my family. please assist me in resolving this issue, as safety should be priority one in any auto makers mind. this is my first ford product and i am not pleased with their capacity to handle such a crisis as a fire within the vehicle. i hope that they understand the magnitude of this and the avenues they have provided show only a false sense of security within all ford products. please contact me as soon as possible with help in this area. thank you in advance. *tr

Vehicle speed control reactivation problems to ford truck. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact received ford recall notice number 05s28 for the vehicle speed control in august of 2007. the dealer stated that the part will be available in june of 2008. the contact stated that the recall has gone beyond a reasonable amount of time for the repair to performed. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 135,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle unexpectedly accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. the driver applied maximum pressure to the brake pedal, which slowed down and eventually stopped the vehicle. the dealer stated that the contact would be responsible for the repairs. the vehicle has not yet been repaired. the failure mileage was 73,000 and current mileage was 85,000.

Repeat failure of brake light switch, cruise control won't disengage when brake pedal depressed ,an unsafe situation. also intermittent inability to shift out of park and brake lights not operating. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. a recall notice was received for nhtsa campaign id 07v336000 (vehicle speed control). the dealer advised not to drive the vehicle, however; the part was unavailable for two weeks. there was no failure. the current mileage was 65,000.

After driving on a cold weather night at single digit temperatures, the vehicle seemed to accelerate on its own even without pressing the gas pedal. when the vehicle is put into park or neutral, the rpm was above 4000. from a complete stop, the vehicle would accelerate on its own. when braking the vehicle seems to still want to move. *jb

Prior to the incident, i noticed that the accelerator pedal seemed somewhat loose. we were on the freeway in the l.a. area when i needed to accelerate quickly. as i did this the accelerator stuck and the vehicle surged. i was barely able to avoid rear ending a semi and avoid other vehicle on the congested freeway. the front seat occupant was able to lean under the dash and free the pedal. we pulled over and found our way to a mechanic. he advised that a small plastic piece had broken near the pedal. a bar that is attached to the system then stuck under the dash. he repaired this by bypassing the manufacturers system for less than $200.00. i took it to the ford dealer and they told me it would cost over $800.00 for labor and parts. i don't really want to repair it with the same parts if it could possibly recur. *jb

2002 ford explorer- spouse almost seriously injured when the gas pedal throttle was stuck and would not release. car lunged out of control. slamming brakes only slowed it but did not stop it. *nm

Accelerator pedal becomes stuck at time causing high idle speed. i have taken the vehicle to cal worthingtons 4 times in the past complaining of stuck accelerator or excessive idle. the dates were 6/20/02, 12/04/03, 5/23/05, 10/17/05 and now the accelerator is stuck completely at 4000 rpm. *nm

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact received a recall notice for the cruise control in august of 2007. he took his vehicle to a local dealer to have the recall repaired and they stated that the parts would be unavailable until november. he called another dealer and they currently do not have any parts as well. he attempted to notify the manufacturer, but was unable to speak with a representative directly. the contact has not had the speed control switch deactivated. there had been no failure to date. the current mileage was 51,000.

Dt*: the contact stated the gas pedal stuck causing an accident by hitting a van and barely missing a house. this was the first occurrence and the accident was reported to the police, however, the police have not finalized the police report.

2002 explorer has problems picking up speed and over use of gas. *ts the consumer also had problems with the transmission, gear adjustment, difficult high altitude driving even after gear change, air suction into the engine and transmission, accelerator and ses light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer but they refused to provide any assistance. *nm updated 07/06/06. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while approaching a stop sign and applying the brakes the vehicle accelerated forward causing a minor crash. there was a police report filed at the scene. after inspection the dealership replaced the wheel speed sensor on december 15, 2005. when the problem returned the dealer replaced a different unknown sensor.

Sudden acceleration with foot off of gas upon startup of vehicle and shifting into gear. *nm

Dt: contact's wife on states on 9-17-05 was driving the 2002 ford explorer and she stopped at a red light on a hill. she took foot off of the brakes and the car surged very high and lunged forward, resulting in a rear end collision. the contact was concerned that this may had something to do with the cruise control. the contact's wife did not have the cruise control on at the time of the accident. the dealer did not think this had anything to do with the cruise control. a police report was taken. this was the first incident of this kind. the contact reported of having no problems with the cruise control prior to this accident. *ak.

While turning into a parking space and braking, my vehicle experienced a surge in acceleration that the braking could not control. vehicle was going approximately 5 mph. in an attempt to avoid a concrete abutment, the passenger front fender clipped the driver rear fender of another vehicle. when i questioned ford about problem, they said they had no recalls and i should get it looked at. the problem has yet to be determined. *nm

I had just left work with my mother and noticed a smell of burning rubber or wires. we drove for approx. 4 blocks still smelling this. we rolled down the windows thinking it was coming from outside. i even turned off my air conditioning thinking it was pulling the odor in from outside. we then decided we should turn around and go back to my place of employment and have the mechanics check it out. i turned the corner and smoke starting coming out from under the hood. we then pulled over to call our wrecker. the smoke got worse, so we got out of the vehicle and moved away. we then called the fire department. after about 5 minutes flames started coming out from under the hood. then, there was a small explosion and there was a hole blown in the center of the hood close to the windshield. the flames were then shooting about 6 to 8 ft in the air. the fire department arrived and put the fire out. we have not yet heard if it is a total loss, but i'm sure it is. *nm

The accellerator on our 2002 ford explorer xlt sticks intermittently.

Dt: contact states when taking foot off of the throttle it continued to accelerate. this happened three times. the last time was less than 30 days ago. it has only been happening for the last three months. it has happening more frequently. it does not happen at a low speeds; but at other speeds above 35 mph. road conditions have been perfect at every incident.*ak

While starting to move forward, the accelerator stuck twice in the last month. once i nearly went through a closed garage door. until now i thought someting got in the way of the accelerator. heard that this was an equipment problem. now i will seek to have the defect repaired.

Dt: consumer states her 2002 ford explorer had the throttle stick last week. the dealership told her they could not do anything about it. the dealership refused to inspect the vehicle until ford ordered them to or they heard from the nhtsa. the vehicle accelerated on it s own and she had to turn the vehicle off and take the key out. *jb

Dt: the caller saw an new report on 48 hours about fords burning up and has concerns about his vehicle. the dealer said to call the manufacturer to see what they say. the manufacturer said there was no recall on it. the consumer felt that this was a major safety issue and ford should replace the part before anything else happens. *ak the consumer is concerned about the cruise control switch and it's potential to cause a fire. *sc *jb

At highway speed of approximately 65 mph, i applied the accelorator and it stuck in the increased acceleration position. after a few frantic seconds (10 - 15 approx), i managed to release it by kicking it. at the time, i felt that it was possible that the floormat or carpeting may have been involved in the problem, but was not sure. i have not taken it to a shop because of that uncertainty. however, the current odi investigation convinced me of the strong possibility that this is a manufacturing defect.

2002 ford explorer accelerator became stuck open.*mr the consumer stated the vehicle went out of control. the consumer was able to place the vehicle in neutral to turn off the engine. *jb

Vehicle stumbled while making a left turn into my driveway i fed it gas to keep it from stalling and it accelerated rapidly into my garage door. while under warranty this problem reported to dealer but they claimed they were neve able to find a problem. the last service under extended warranty said same problem reported and this time i was charged for the test but once again they found nothing i complained to ford via their web site but they never replied to my emaili

2002 ford explorer experiencing problems with the 4wd, the over drive light illuminates on the dashboard and the vehicle is giving off a rotten egg smell. *mr there were front end problems. the 4wd module wasn't working. the driveshaft and both front wheel bearings were replaced. the rotors were out of round. the service engine light illuminated along with the over drive light. the transmission experienced the same problem on two occasions and possibly a third time. a large puddle of transmission was found under the vehicle. the torque converter was noisy. the acceleration pedal would pull back. when the vehicle was accelerated, it would whine. the left rear wheel bearing was gone and caused damage to the axle, brakes and the tire was barely holding on. the error code for the service engine soon light was due to the solenoid which had been changed before. the a/c was inoperative. *sc *jb

2002 ford explorer concerns regarding cruise control fires. *mr *sc *jb

While pulling into parking space vehicle accelarated and crashed through wall of a doctors office. vehicle stopped after shifting into park and front end was inside building. had vehicle towed to dealer for inspection. found throttle body sticking which made gas pedal stick causing engine to accelarate out of control. dealer filed claim with ford. still waiting for ford to respond.

2002 ford explorer- crashed into doctors office- because of failed throttle body- reported to ford. one letter received requiring information-no response from ford since july, car still waiting for inspection, dealer inspections confirms throttle body cable stuck causing car to accelerate on its own and crash--no response from ford. *jb

Vehicle is a 2002 ford eddie bauer explorer. vehicle was driving on expressway when will changing lanes to pass a slower moving vehicle, our vehicle began to uncontrollibly excellerate and continue to excellerate pushing the car toward speeds in excess of 70 miles per hour. engine continued to race. an emergency stopping of the vehilce was brought under control after putting car into neutral, applying brakes and getting off of the road. the vehicle had to be towed to westfiled ford dealer ship where they are inspecting the throddle and other parts estimated cost to repair $400. have not picked up vehicle yet for full description of problem. *ak

When applying the brakes to disengage the cruise control vehicle would speed more instead of disengaging. disengaged the cruise control using the hand button. dealer changed the brake lamp switch.

The consumer was stopped at a light, removed his foot from the brake pedal to go, when the vehicle accelerated to 50 mph. drove home with brakes applied to slow the vehicle down. the dealer replaced the throttle cable.

Gas pedal went to the floor, as a result consumer experienced sudden acceleration on its own. consumer had to turn off the vehicle in order to stop. the vehicle was not in cruise control mode. dealer said that the throttle cable seized.jb...while making left hand turn through an intersection the gas pedal went to the floor and rpms went to the top. used both feet on brakes to stop. however, vehicle won't stop. turned vehicle off in drive, then put it in neutral , rpms lncreased. turned vehicle off, couldn't put vehicle back into park or pullkey out of ignition. called aaa to tow vehicle to dealer. it was fixed without charge to consumer because of extended warranty. *ak