Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer WHEELS

The rear stabilizer links just broke out of nowhere not even to latest later the front stabilizer links just broke out of nowhere and i have no steering a whole lot of loose control

Wheel studs breaking off & causing danger for my family,therefore making it unsafe for the family.many reports have been made about these particular vehicles.when im able i will get rid of both my ford vehicles for my families safety & wellbeing.

The rear suspension is broken on either side of vehicle, the rear passenger side bearings were replaced, now the drivers rear wheel bearings are shot.

Was driving on the highway and felt a sharp jerk/pull to the right. at first thought it was a flat tire so got off on next exit. wasn't a flat tire but could smell something awful. made grinding sound and still had bad smell, knew we had to drive it back to the place we are staying at. had hazard lights on and only drove 10-15 mph because of the sound and because of how scary it was. knew something bad was happening to our car. brakes at this point practically went out. would not have to press brakes to stop vehicle at a red light, the car would just stop. steering wheel was not even, but more or less 90 degrees to the right. pulled into the neighborhood and into the driveway and a car leaving the street saw that our vehicle at this point was on fire! extinguish fire (since it was a gas fire) and looked at the damage. looks like the front driver side wasn't even connected to anything. do not know how or when fire started but the flames when we noticed were about 1 foot tall and wide by the internal driver side wheel. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving approximately 10 mph, the contact noticed that the rear passenger side tire rode roughly. the contact noticed that three of the wheel studs were sheared off. the failure occurred four times with the remaining wheel studs. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 140,000. updated 10/02/14*lj the consumer stated within 7 months the the rear wheel studs suddenly sheared off while driving. the last time the driver was on the freeway with 5 children in the car. updated 3/30/2015 *js

I have only owned my 2002 ford explorer for a little over a year and i have had to replace the rear wheel bearings 3 times. just today i have noticed that the left rear wheel bearing is going again and i just replaced both rear wheel bearings a month ago. this is very expensive and i'm am very disappointed in the quality. *tr

Bearing keep have to be replaced, an the rear coil spring is cracked an the tire came off while driving my truck, have replaced the wheel bearing 3 times already. an i have replace the transmission 2 times. *tr

Failure of rear wheel bearings on both sides. time between onset of noise and near catastrophic failure was approximately 300 miles. fearing a high probability that the front wheel bearings might fail without warning and possibly cause a serious accident and injuries, the only option was to incur the high cost to replace all four wheel bearings and related parts. this is a common problem with ford explorers across a wide range of model years and is clearly a manufacturing design defect. nhtsa has been made aware of this issue via a sufficient number of complaints from owners and must compel ford motor company to issue a recall of all ford explorers beginning with model year 2002 or earlier. the recall rightfully must include full reimbursement for reasonable and customary repair costs incurred by owners after warranty expiration. *tr

I have replaced 8 wheel bearings on this auto. 4-21-12 i was on the hwy to the nearest big city towing a borrowed utility trailer, which is 90 miles from my home, and i am so fortunate that i did not loose my wheel. at the time, i thought it was my new tires but when i went to the dealer of my tires he showed me the play that my back wheel had and told me i was a very lucky girl that my tire didn't snap off. fast forward and i have just replaced both back wheel bearing again with only 23,000 miles on the previous replaced bearing. 14,000 on the one before that! ford you have a problem!! *tr

I was driving my 2002 ford explorer about 25mph when i felt the rear end drop down. pulled over to the side of the road and all 5 studs had sheared off. the second time it happened i was only backing out of my driveway when i put it into drive & started to accelerate the opposite side studs sheared off. this time only 4 studs broke so i limped the truck back onto my driveway. the third time this happened i was driving about 15mph going around a turn & 4 studs broke off again. if i was going any faster the truck could have flipped over. *tr

Rear passenger wheel started shaking. stopped and removed wheel cover and found three wheel studs sheared off. had to have vehicle towed to tire store. replaced wheel, hub and all studs. *tr

My name is[xxx] and i own a 2002 ford explorer xlt (v6). i have owned it for almost a year now (will be in jan 2012) and loved every minute of it until recently. about 4 months ago, i heard a strange loud whining noise. i immediately took it to my mechanic and found that rear wheel bearing was going. i was also told that if i would have took the interstate to work that evening i could have possibly died or caused serious injuries to others on road. very scary! mind you this bearing went with no warning. immediately after i heard the noise i took it in. well the bearing got fixed and i couldn't have been happier. however, about a month ago i was on the interstate with my two year old daughter doing about 70mph when my truck began to shake violently. i assumed i was in the process of having a tire blow-out and began slowly breaking and losing control of the vehicle. luckily i made it onto the shoulder of the interstate. my tire however was not as lucky. all 5 studs on my right rear tire snapped causing the tire to completely fly off and proceed down the road at a fast speed just passing the turn ramp and missing several other vehicles. in the process of losing the tire, it also caused damage to rear end of my suv. it looked as if the tire got caught and caused the rear to dent in.replaced studs and everything seemed fine. today (dec.15th) not even an entire month later, vehicle started shaking again. oh how i remembered that scary shake. examined tire and once again, studs snapped. 2 this time with a third one missing the cap. the tire was only held by 2 studs. thank the lord i noticed this problem before going onto the interstate and once again having my tire fly off! i have been doing research this evening to find that this is a common problem with the 02-04 explorers. please make a recall ford and others help me to get one made! this is a scary and dangerous situation! it can cause the loss of many lives as it has almost done mine and my daughters. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information a

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact was driving 60 mph when the rear passenger side tire detached from the vehicle. the contact discovered that there were three lug nuts that had become loose and caused the failure. the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic to have the wheel replaced. less than one month later, the contact noticed that the lug nuts had become loose again. the contact stated that the lug nuts were becoming loose from the vibration of the vehicle. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostics or repairs. the failure mileage was 112,000. the vin was not available.

For the sixth time since 2009, i was driving and heard what sounded like a pop. my boyfriend noticed my right rear tire wobbling. i knew immediately a stud or studs had broken. when he popped off the cap, two studs were literally snapped at the bolt, clean break. this has happened six other times, one in which my tire was hanging on by one stud and nearly caused me to wreck into a telephone pole. i thought it was my mechanic making error after error but could never find an issue. now, after doing some extensive research, i see it is fords error. this is a life threatening issue. i have spent thousands of dollars getting new rotors, new tires, etc. thinking this was it. clearly it's not. ford needs to either reimburse or recall the vehicles. i'm done. *kb

You need to seriously look into recalling all 2002 ford explorers for potentially dangerous wheel and hub assemblies. this happened on multiple occasions. the first time it happened, it happened in august 2008. i just moved into my dorm, and i had to go home for a little while. i was on the pennsylvania turnpike, and my truck began swerving to the point that i had no control over it, and i had to pull over. when i got out, i pulled the lug cover off the rear passenger side wheel to find that four of the five lugs were snapped. i had to pay $400 to have it towed, and when it got to the garage, they found that the wheel bearings and hub were damaged. the next time it happened, it happened on the driver's side rear wheel, and, again, the lugs snapped and they found the hub and wheel bearings to be the cause of it. this was about a month after the first incident. the third incident involved both front wheels, but luckily only the wheel bearings and hubs were damaged and my wheels stayed in place. this happened about november of 2010. in january of 2011, the rear went again. this time it was in the middle of a snow storm, so i had to wait in the freezing cold for two hours until the tow truck could come. currently, my vehicle is sitting in a garage to have yet another wheel bearing replaced because it has failed. in total, in the last two years, the rear wheel bearings have been replaced three times each and the front wheels have now been replaced two times each. every time it happens, it feels as though you are driving on ice, and the vehicle eventually gets to the point where it cannot be controlled any longer. i've had numerous incidents where i've began to fishtail. every time it goes to the garage, they put it on the lift and the wheels just dangle there. the mechanic, one time, kicked it and it fell off. he did this to show how close i was to a major accident. these vehicles need to be recalled and equipped with superior parts. ford will eventually kill someone. *tr

I have had to have the rear differential changed and both wheel bearings. the problem occurred at 80000 miles for me but is so wide spread in this make and model that it occurs over and over. *ln

We own a 2002 ford explorer. it has approximately 56,000 miles on it to date. we took it into the mechanic for an annual inspection and were told that 3 of the 4 wheel bearing assemblies needed to be replaced. we had been hearing a loud, almost grinding noise, while driving. these assemblies, being of poor quality, mean 3 of the 4 wheels on our vehicle were loose. i see a very large number of complaints online regarding this particular issue. very dangerous. *tr

I was driving in town at approximately 30 mph when i drove over a crack and it felt like a large pothole. i heard a grinding noise and pulled over. my rear springs were both broken. the driver side one at the top and the passenger side one at the top in 3 places. when i turn now it feels like my vehicle is going to roll over. this is a common problem as stated by many others on many internet sites. this is going to cause a serious if not deadly accident. ford needs to do a recall on this part and replace them for free, since they were the ones who used bad parts in their vehicles. this is a manufacturing defect and should be treated as such. *tr

Apparently there is a problem with the hubs and bearings on the 2002 ford explorer. i have a "rubbing sound", had it checked, and was told i have to replace them. it is approximately, $1000.00 (lowest i could find) to replace them. ford is aware of the problem, there is a technical service bulletin issued by ford (tsb 05-25-8, and 051710) which clearly describes the bearing issue to mechanics. unfortunately ford refused to address the issue. *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

Took the truck into have a vibration and noise checked out coming from the rear of the vehicle. turned out to be a failure of passenger rear knuckle assembly and wheel bearing. went on car complaints.com to see if a recall was issued for this. there were report of the same type of failure with the wheels actually coming off. *tr

Discovered the rear hub bearings on my ford 2002 explorer were totally gone, in january 2010, started with a loud roar in the back of the vehicle. the auto mechanic stated that the wheel was very dangerous and was about to come off this car. i had the repair work done immediately, then today, may 3 2010 noticed the same roar, the auto shop deemed it the same issue, the rear hub bearings were replaced again on may 3. this has to be stopped, this problem could be very dangerous. fmc needs to own up to the problem. i was lucky today, the jan 2010 repair was under an extended warranty, but i might not be as lucky the next time. i just pray it's a safe vehicle to drive. *tr

2002 ford explorer. consumer states problem with tires *tgw the consumer experienced a tire blow on the right rear tire. when triple aaa arrived, the consumer was informed the rear coil spring along with 3 lug nuts had failed. in july 2010, three more lug nuts broke again. *jb

In 03/2008 i went in thinking i had brake problem and ended up with a right rear wheel bearing replaced. i was told this is a common problem on this year and model ford. now its 12/2009 and i have the same noise, i go to the dealer and tell him i think its the left front bearing and after further inspection they say the noise was coming from the left front but the left rear is about ready to fall off. i am glad i went to get the truck checked before it fell off at 65 mph on i80. i could have been killed. i have researched online and there have been many incidents with the wheel bearings/hubs on 2002 ford explorers they know there is a problem and ford is not fixing it. what does it take to get the problem recalled? accidents with deaths? *tr

2002 ford explorer, replaced front left and left rear wheel bearings. now the right rear bearing is going out. mechanics at ford dealership said its a common problem. ford needs to recall these. *tr

Faulty bearings and hub in 2002 ford explorer. apparently, a very common problem. *tr

My first occurrence was approximately sept 2008 when i pulled into a driveway and felt an odd bump upon leaving the vehicle was wobbling when i stopped and took the cap off of the lug nuts i noticed the studs where broken on the drivers side rear. thought we had it fixed by having the studs replaced. wrong about 2 months later it happened again. was told the hub and bearing needed replaced so we replaced them. upon inspection the passenger side rear had started doing the same thing. so we replaced that side as well. that lasted about 4 months and we went to have new tires put on the vehicle the mechanic said that our bearings were bad again and needed replaced. so we did replace them. about 4 months later it started all over again with the studs breaking off. in one incident i lost all lug nuts but one on the drivers side at once with my kids in the vehicle. this is a serious problem for my family being that we depend on this vehicle and cant afford another but yet can't find why this problem isn't and apparently cant' be fixed. i've done everything the garage has told me to do. the local ford dealer says my problem is that i'm not putting good quality ford parts in there from them. can any one help. upon research i have found that there are others with the same type of vehicle having the same problem. i have never owned a vehicle that has done this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 15 mph the wheels locked; which caused the vehicle to stop without prior warnings. the vehicle was taken to the dealership, but the technician could not duplicate the failure. the current and failure mileages were 59000.

We have owned a 2002 ford explorer xlt for about two years now. on october 13, 2009 my husband was driving on a side street, thankfully at a slow speed, he turned a corner and realized that something was seriously wrong with the car, thought it was a flat tire. so he slowed down and started to pull over, he then looked out the window to see the tire rolling off the car and down the street. the rear driver-side tire fell off the car. it had sheared all the lug nuts off. if the tire were to fall off at high speeds this type of incident could cause serious injuries or death to the people in the vehicle and pose a threat to other drivers as well. this is not the first time it has happened either. about a year ago the lug nuts sheared off of the same wheel, we thought the first time was a freak accident but it was under similar conditions - slow speed, turned at a stoplight, thought something was seriously wrong, then pulled over to discover the rear driver-side tire falling off of the vehicle, all lug nuts were sheared off. we had no recent work on the tires or the vehicle that could have possibly loosen the lug nuts for either occurrence. to fix this failure we are having the car towed and the lug nuts replaced, again, along with a panel that was damaged by the tire coming off. i do not feel safe driving this car especially with our children as the tire can just come off without warning. also, as i searched the nhtsa website there are eight other complaints filed for the same problem for 2002 model explorers and seven similar complaints for the 2003 explorer year and two for the 2004 year as well. this needs to be investigated! i also found on the www.carcomplaints.com website other peoples experiences with the same problem in ford explorers for the years 2002, 2003, and 2004. please look into this, it is a serious defect! - *tr

Wheel bearing failed, was left stranded in snow outside jackson, wy. no warning of failure. *tr

I was on the highway doing 65 as posted, i started to feel shaking from the tires and it got to the point i couldn't control the vehicle, lucky i was able to get off the side of the highway and call aaa for a tow, a state police officer pulled behind me and said let me guess hub bearing. the police dept also has the same problem. this is my 8th repair i am doing and next week i am doing the opposite side. it is costing me 600.00 dollars for every side i am doing. i made a complaint to ford company and they told me there is no recall. then why is my mechanic telling me he gets numerous repair jobs on the same vehicles. plus i spoke to a co worker that has the same year and vehicle doing the same thing. when is something going to get done. or is the company going to wait till someone gets killed. bbb and bluminthau was told about and still no response from no body. *tr

I have had troubles with the wheel ends on my ford since i bought it in 2005. i didn't realize the problems that i am having are common in this vehicle. i started noticing more brake dust on some of the wheels than others. then on my rear/passengers tire i hear a squeaking, grinding noise with a little wabble in the wheel. take it back to the dealer -said they grinded something down. didn't hear the noise anymore. my abs light kicks on won't go off has something to do with defect in wheel end assembly apparently. paid $150 to get it off comes right back on weeks later!! my entire wheel end almost falls off while on the hwy. pull over all 4 studs had come completely off of the wheel except 1, the wheel was literally hangin. had to have all studs replaced. have had to have wheel studs replaced frequently at some point on all four tires. paid to have rear passenger wheel bearings replaced finally $300+. front, drivers wheel bearings went out while driving 70-80 mph on hwy, loss control, barely made it off hwy in the middle of nowhere! 1-2months later front passengers wheel bearings go bad have to be replaced-$300+ each time. had front brakes & rotors replaced march '07, rear brakes & rotors jan '08. this month sept '09 had to have rear brakes & rotors replaced. could only afford to have brake pads replaced. only put 30,000miles on it since had b/r changed in '08. why am i having to have them both changed a year later. something in the wheel end assembly is causing increased wear & tear on rear brakes, rotors and everything else! now my brake pads are burning insanely crazy, alot of smoke comes from the wheel. new brake pads shouldn't burn that fast even with somewhat bad rotors. (that shoudn't be bad), have to go back to the shop this week. all are common issues apparently. please review link w/complaints on this '02 model. & they tell me my ball joints are going out! thank you. http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/wheels_hubs/wheel_bearing_failure.shtml. *tr

I had been told that my drivers side bearing was going bad and had it fixed and my car was still making a funny noise but was told by the mechanic that it was my brakes going bad and that they would need replaced, so we went and bought brakes and rotors to put on ourselves. as we were putting them on we noticed that my wheel was close to falling off!!! now we have to replace the bearing in the passenger side rear and also the axel shaft. what if my wheel had came off and killed my 3 small children and my husband and i? *tr

Flat tire; after taking tire off i noticed that the coil spring was broken in half and the wheel bearing was bad, causing the wheel to wobble. there was no apparent reason for the part failures. after consulting others with the same vehicle type this is a very common problem for 2002 ford explorers - wheel bearings and coil spring failure. ford may want to recall these before it causes accidents. *tr

I recently had to have the bearings replaced due to problems that many have experienced with the same make, model, and respective years. once the bearings were replaced i noticed more issues with the "slipping" transmission that many many many more have already lodged complaints against. what is being done? when can we expect answers? *tr

Wheel hubs especially the rear - constantly going bad usually 12 months or less- rear differential vented with hose over rear tire. causes water to get into gears - major problem. i keep catching the problem but only because i now look for them but it has been close - recently i had to have it taken to the repair site as it was too dangerous to drive. *tr

2002 ford explorer(xls)one by one each wheel(bearing) hub had to be replaced!the wheels on my truck were actually about to fall off it was scary and very dangerous! it starts out with a squeaking sound like the brakes need to be replaced but no it wasn't the brakes which repairs and parts together range from $60 to $90 it was the wheel bearing which repairs and parts together range from $300 to $400!i had to get every wheel repaired one by one within 6 months so you do the math.also my (od)light flickers and my transmission slips and jumps in to gear!!! *tr

Left rear wheel bearing failed doing 65mph, wheel lost stability, almost lost control of the car. right rear wheel bearing also failed 5/3/2010. *tr

Rear bearings go out on vehicle while driving on the interstate - no crash occurred, but it very well could have in heavier traffic. *tr

I purchased a 2002 explorer new late in 2001. every wheel bearing has failed and now my passenger front has failed a second time so i am on my 3rd set of wheel bearings if you include the factory bearings and i only have 112k on the car. the bearings are clearly defective on these cars and if left alone are also a safety hazard. *tr

This 2002 ford explorer has only 62,153 miles and the wheel assembly hubs have failed. the problem is in the design of this part because it has no axle and is assemble to the frame by three bolts. if this part goes bad on the interstate and the wheel will come off , god help the driver and the people on the same path. this suv needs to be recall! *tr

Had to have both front wheel bearings replaced. *tr

Purchased a 2002 ford explorer for my 17 yr old daughter. a few weeks later she drove home from college and said she thought it needed an alignment because car vibrating. she had scheduled an appointment to have this done. a couple days later she was driving at 70 mph on the interstate when her and the passenger heard a loud noise in the back passenger side of the car. the car than began to shake very hard and loose control. she could not keep on the road and rolled across the interstate and into the median. the rear passenger side tire had broken off the car. thankfully there was no traffic and the two survived the crash with non life threatening injuries. i can only hope the next person this happens to is as lucky. upon researching this problem on the internet i realized this seems to be a common cause of accidents with this type of vehicle. what is it going to take to make ford recall and fix this issue. how many people have to be hurt or killed? i hope this is addressed before someone else is injured.*tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 75 mph, the contact heard a grinding sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. the mechanic stated that the noise was due to the routers from the brakes, and advised the contact not to worry. as the contact left the mechanic, the sound from the rear of the vehicle continued. the contact took the vehicle to another mechanic and was informed that the wheels were being held on by the brakes and the bearings were destroyed. after having the wheel bearings replaced one year later, the contact noticed that the tires had poor tread marks. the contact took the vehicle in for a wheel alignment and the mechanic informed the contact that two of the wheel bearings were destroyed. the current mileage was 75,000 and failure mileage was 60,000.

Transmission in 2002 ford explorer failed w/o warning. directly (3 days) after getting it back from transmission shop, both rear hub assemblies went. again, seemingly overnight. my wife said, "it feels like the wheels are going to fall off." service shop said, "it's a wonder the wheels didn't fall off." did this thing just self-destruct or what? ford needs to be held accountable for these untimely failures. i have three small children. updated 06/25/08

I heard a humming sound coming from the front tires about a year ago. i thought it was the tires humming because i had a brake job and tires rotated and i noticed the humming some time after that. now i find out it wasn't tires but the wheel hub bearings went bad in the front. it is at the dealer now being repaired. *tr

Felt a wobble while driving, found out that the right front wheel bearing is out. had to order a front wheel bearing and hub assembly. if bearing went out while driving, the wheel will come off. this could result in an accident and possible death. ford is aware of the issue but declines to take action.114 other complaints listed at carcamplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/wheels_hubs/wheel_bearing_failure.shtml. *tr

Transmission shifted hard into 2nd gear from day one, took it to dealer and they said it was normal, whining in rear end also said normal. had to replace 2 wheel bearings, 2 more bad now, replaced wheel hub, now transmission will not shift. *tr

Recently purchased a 2002 ford explorer for my 17 year old daughter, it has 79,000 miles on it. within the first three months of owning the vehicle i have had to replace 3 of the 4 wheel bearings. the tire was practically falling off the vehicle by the time it made enough noise for anyone to notice. *tr

I heard a whining sound coming from the front of my suv. took it to a friend who works on fords and he said it was the left front wheel bearing. he fixed that and the sound continued, so he replaced the right front. the sound went away. two days later same sound coming from the rear. my suv only has 51,000 miles on it. this is a major safety issue especially since i am driving with 3 children. i see that this is way too common. i am lucky that i was not driving my kids when the bearings totally failed and a tire fell off. i still have to old parts, i am considering sending them to ford. they told me in order for them to acknowledge there is a problem i must put the bad parts back on my car and take it to a dealership. risk my life and the lives of my children so i can take it to a dealership? no thanks. i will send them the parts so they can see how bad they are. *jb