Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer WHEELS

Loud vibrating noise from tire...right rear wheel bearing failed in june of 2007, replaced. front left wheel bearing is failing now, january 2008.

2002 ford explorer xlt 4x4, i have been getting a humming sound. i have replaced one front wheel hub bearing and both rear will bearing hub. one at a time, couldn't afford to do all. humming still being heard. i have 125,000 miles and its in good shape. i bought it in 2002 a certified vehicle. ford needs to recall rear of 2002 explorer. *jb

This complaint is concerning the wheel bearings on all 2002 ford explorers and the frequency in which they break or come lose causing lose of control of the vehicle. this has happened on my vehicle on 5 occasions, the last of which ford refuses to replace at their cost due to it being out of warranty. the first incident happened in february 2007 when my right front bearing broke while i was on an highway overpass driving at approximately 60 mph and almost lost control of my vehicle as the wheel nearly comes off when this happens and the vehicle jerks. the truck was towed into the dealership for repair. the second incident happened in january 2008 when my left front wheel bearing broke. this time i was thankfully not on the expressway but once again the vehicle was towed into the dealership for repair as it was not drivable. when the vehicle was in for repair this time i requested that the rear bearings be checked and replaced if necessary and it was found that those two bearings also needed replacement. now, in october 2009, once again my front left wheel bearing is lose and needs to be replaced. i called ford regarding the possibility that the bearings are faulty and that someone is going to be killed due to this issue but the customer service center just says to make a complaint. they also will not cover the cost of the repair as it is out of their 12 month or 12,000 mile warranty period. i have started researching this issue and have found 28 pages of complaints from people having the same issue and this is just one website. this seems to be a common occurrence with the bearings on 2002 explorers. this is supposed to be a sealed factory part that usually does not require repair and i am on my fifth repair. i am concerned for my own safety and the safety of others. *tr

Tl*- the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while driving 65 mph, the vehicle started vibrating and pulling to the right. a lug nut hit the windshield and the vehicle came to a sudden stop because the front passenger side tire was lodged underneath the vehicle. the vehicle was towed to the dealer to replace the new lug nut and stems and repair the damage to the vehicle. the failure mileage was 71,000. the current mileage was 81,000. this failure has occurred on tow occasions.*ak

Tl*- the contact took the 2002 ford explorer to get new tires where she observed that two of the rims were cracked, the passenger side front and the rear driver's side. the crack almost dissected the rim. kmc the specific wheel she had was the king pin 20 inch chrome wheel. she called the distributors for kmc wheels and they stated if she didn't have the original receipt there was nothing they could do. they faxed her the warranty. structural damage would only be covered if she had a receipt. the name of the distributors waswheel pros 562-921-1237. *ak

I have a 2002 ford explorer xlt with 96,000 miles on it and around 60,000 the noise started. first the front right wheel started to vibrate and then the hub went. while driving my front tire just collapsed. 2nd issue the rear end started to make noise is more like vibraing. and after searching on google, i find that im not the only one with this issue. this is a very expensive issue $1200. just to start the ford company is aware of this issue and nothing is being done about it. this is not a joke, this is serious, someone can get hurt. maybe that's what it will take for the ford company to resolve the issue, the issue that ford is aware of. please help! *tr

Rear wheel bearing failure at 80,000 miles, both rear bearings. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 30 mph, a noise was heard and the rear driver wheel fell off. the vehicle was maneuvered off the road and towed to the dealer who could not determine the cause of the failure.

Chrome wheels disintegrating. was told by dealer that it was cosmetic at the time. now the aluminum has become porous and i believe it to be a safety issue. *tr

A couple of years ago, my 2002 ford explorer 4.0 xls started to make a roaring sound from the rear wheels and the gas mileage seemed to be a couple mpg less. i think i had about 25k miles at the time. i took it to the dealer and asked them to check it out, i thought it could be the bearings, they found nothing. i was very concerned since i was going to take my family on vacation... now, still concern i did an internet search seeing if anyone else was having the same problem. i found http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/wheels_hubs/wheel_bearing_failure.shtml and now i am even more concerned. i think i am sitting on a time bomb. there were so many complaints, that i believe that there is truly a design flaw that needs to be corrected. i have had identical issues and i don't abuse the car. could you please investigate before i end up in an accident? thank you. *tr

I own a 2002 ford explorer, with 69.000 miles on it. in the last few months i have had to replace ever wheel bearing on my car, the wheel have come loose, and the bearing were scraping. the cost for the bearing and the labor was over $1,400 , i am also have to replace my tires because of this, when i contacted ford on this matter, there commit was "that is your problem it is out of warranty, there is no reason all 4 wheel bearing would have gone bad with no more miles than there is on the car. my concern is that the next person may not know in time that there is flaw in the bearings and may have a wheel come off. this should be a very big safety concern. this could cause someone there life. i hope i can get someone to listen before it is to late and causes a child's life. thank you. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving 15mph the right rear wheel wobbled. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop for inspection. the mechanic determined that the lug nuts were broken which resulted in the loose rear wheel. the mechanic replaced the broken lug nuts.

In feb of 2006 with 65,995 miles on my car i heard a whirring/grinding noise from the passenger side while driving. i made an appointment with my mechanic for later in the week (~4 days) to have the noise looked into. 1 day prior to taking my car to the mechanic the noise got much worse and i took it in immediately. i was told that the right rear wheel bearing exploded and damaged the brake and emergency braking system. i had this repaired and chalked it up to bad michigan roads. in may of 2006 the left rear wheel bearing also eroded/wore out and needed to be replaced (only 68,368 miles at the time). the warehouse/retail outlet where my mechanics purchased the replacement wheel bearings told me the person working the counter commented on how many requests ford has had for wheel bearings as of recent. my mechanics (as well as friends and family) told me i should contact ford as well as nhtsa with this information since the component failure effected the emergency braking system. i am following through on that request and have placed a letter in the mail to ford motor company and am awaiting their reply. i would appreciate an independent 3rd party's evaluation of this situation since i have been told by my mechanic as well as others the auto repair and industry that wheel bearings should last throughout the life of the automobile (or at least to 100,000 miles. *jb

We own a 2002 ford explorer. it was recently in the shop at 45k miles for a whining noise from the rear differential. the service guy said that they have had quite a few vehicles with this problem. the service manager said he was surprised it didn't start at 12k. we were told we needed to repair the rear differential ring and pinion in order to fix a leak and whining noise from the area. he said we would not necessarily see leaking fluid because it would leak while driving at higher speeds it is out of warranty and cost of 1300. we were also told that the rear wheel bearing is going out. 250.00 to repair this. the service guy also told me that until ford came out with a different repair part he had needed to replace it several times on at least one explorer. they had one in that day to repair other than mine if i am not mistaken. *jb

We have had the wheel bearings replaced twice, beginning in 11/04 @ 61,528miles, than it needed it again on 8/05 at 79,000 miles. we also had to overhaul the transmission at 79000 miles!

I was driving down county road branch, it felt like i was driving on a bumpy road (what it feels like when your tire goes flat) i turned on lateral b south, then it got worse, so i stopped and checked all tires, they were all okay, then i start driving 20 feet further then i stopped again, my oldest son took of the hub and discovered 3 out of 5 bolts with lug nuts were broke off in the right rear passenger hub. *nm

I had 1 wheel stud break and ordered a replacement from dealer. wheel studs only come in packs of 5. wheel stud replaced and about 4 months later 2 more broke simultaneously.

1. i noticed a humming type sound that would increase as i sped up. i thought i had a wheel out of alignment, or tire off balance. i was due for my 36,000 mile maintenance check, so i took it to the dealership to have everything checked out. they performed a $400.00 maintenance package to my vehicle on may 4, 2004, of which i thought included inspecting tires, wheels, etc. they returned my vehicle to me and as i drove home, noticed the humming sound was still occurring, but i just had everything checked, and thought it was just a noise that was normal. 2. the noise continued on, getting worse (louder) and was bothersome, so i took it to a local mechanic for a second opinion. upon review of my vehicle, he suggested replacing the right rear wheel hub assembly and bearings. 3. on july 3, 2004 the rr hub assembly and bearings were replaced at a cost of $360.52. the problem was solved. i don't believe the old part is still available. but, after speaking with other mechanics, i have heard this has been a problem with several vehicles of this type and wanted to let someone know i had a problem with this too.

When stopping or slowing down, intermittently the vehicle stalled when turning left, there was a knocking sound coming from the front left wheel. the heat vents that blew directly on the consumer did not work. these problems have occurred at least three times in one month. the manufacturer and the dealer were not aware of the problem. *jb

I noticed that the car was pulling to the side while driving and was making a strange noise coming from the right rear. when i took the vehicle in to have the brakes checked they informed me that the right rear wheel bearing was going bad and had almost a.5 inch of play. he was concerned that it was unsafe to drive on. we called our ford dealer to arrange to have it fixed and they informed us that the tire could come off and and that they keep three of the replacement part in stock because it's a common problem with this vehicle. my husband called around to other dealers to get more information and every dealer knew exactly which wheel was having the problem before my husband even told them. they said it could definitely come off and that i shouldn't drive over 20 -25 mph on it. we are having the vehicle towed to the dealer to have it fixed today.

Driver rear tire separated from vehicle.*mr the failure was the result of the lug nut breaking. the vehicle sustained a dent hub cap, and light damage to the left rear bumper and panel. *ph *jb

Noted "clicking" noise when wheel turned at slow speed, assumed cv joints were going bad. however, dealer said that lug nuts were loose, and when tightened the noise stopped. what is notable is that the wheels have never been off, so this condition originated at the factory. dealer says owner at fault and charged for the repairs. owner says this a factory defect and a significant safety item and insist it be covered under warranty. at impass.*ak

I have had 4 wheel bearing/hub assembly units fail on my 2002 ford exployer. the first to go was after only 20k miles. the car now has ~70k miles and in the shop now for the same repair. a very costly repair and very dangerous situition. ford will not even acknowledge it is a probelm but understand is has been an on-going problem with many customers.

I heard like a airplane right over the head of my truck and it ended up being my hub bearings, the ford dealer said we have alot of these problems with the 2002 ford xlt explorer. he told me as many as these that he gets in it should be a recall. he proceeds to tell me your tire can fall off and there can be serious accident someone can get killed or hurt really bad. now i had to shell out 1,0000. at a local dealer to get this problem fix. i finally got done paying for the [xxx] car and now i have to throw money in constantly first it was my rear end 10 days after warranty expired now its hub bearing what's next maybe ford would be # 1 if they made a better truck. that is why the american consumer are buying foreign cars and trucks because at least they do recalls and the cars and trucks last. maybe our economy would be better if people bought american stuff but as you see why when you have to shell out money all the time to fix it! plus warranty's on foreign cars are better too 10 yrs or 100,000miles .see american companies like ford don't have a warranty like that because they know there crap will break before 10 yrs. i feel bad to complain but i supported ford for along time and anything i buy usually has some kind of problem and the sad thing i always buy new. this is my 3rd new ford i bought just to keep the money in united states. there should not have to be a death or crash for a recall! *tr information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

On 8-10-01 i was driving a hertz car rental 2001 0r 2002 ford explorer on i-75 to the atlanta airport. i began noticing "shimming" in the steering wheel. soon after the "shimmying " became worse and i experienced excessive "play" in the steering wheel. i pulled onto the shoulder without incident. later, a tow truck driver discovered that 3 out of 5 lug nuts had been sheared off completely - - causing the right front wheel to "wobble" significantly when rotating. if the wheel had come off the vehicle, it could have resulted in very serious injury/dealth - - especially on busy truck lader i-75 just north of atlanta. just want you to be aware of this serious matter. *ak

On 8-10-01 i was driving a hertz car rental 2001 0r 2002 ford explorer on i-75 to the atlanta airport. i began noticing "shimming" in the steering wheel. soon after the "shimmying " became worse and i experienced excessive "play" in the steering wheel. i pulled onto the shoulder without incident. later, a tow truck driver discovered that 3 out of 5 lug nuts had been sheared off completely - - causing the right front wheel to "wobble" significantly when rotating. if the wheel had come off the vehicle, it could have resulted in very serious injury/dealth - - especially on busy truck lader i-75 just north of atlanta. just want you to be aware of this serious matter.*ak