Problems with 2003 Ford Explorer POWER TRAIN

The transmission started not shifting properly and the o/d light started flashing. check engine came on. took 2003 ford explorer to get checked by ford dealership. result: transmission failed and required replacing. ford explorer only had 83,000 miles. $3,000 dollars to replace. told that it was a common problem among ford explorers. *tr

The rear end on the 2003 ford explorer starts to whine, then growl' then leak then go bad. the rearend on the ford explorers evidently go bad often. the owners would be put in danger when the breakdown occurs on the road. the explorer is a family vehicle so the rearend going out on a trip away could be disaster. i googled 2003 ford explorer rearend problems and found hundreds of complaints. *tr

Today i got in my ford explorer and noticed that my overdrive light was flashing. so, pulled over to see what the owners manual says and soon right after the engine light comes on..i then look through the manual and it indicates that if these lights were to come on please take it to service asap. i did the following and took the suv to pep boys. i described my problem to the service manager and he said please don't tell me it's a ford explorer....i hesitated and looked at him with a puzzled look on my face and said yes. why ? i said. well ford explorers are known for this problem and that i should check to see if there are any recalls. i then went to fords website and followed the directions on how to check for any recalls on your vehicle and entered my vin# and got back no recalls on this vehicle. with all these complaints and consumers crying about this problem how can we allow a car giant like ford to get away with this manufacturing problem? at least they should have the decency to inform you that there cars have been known for having transmission problems dating back to 1995. the list of people with the same problem that i have was rude awakening and very disturbing to see. we need a resolution to this problem regardless of what it takes. please contact me directly if you need to. *tr

My 2003 ford explorer sometimes will lock the shifter at reverse as i move it to park. it feels like it went all the way to park, but it really stops (and won't move) at reverse. letting off the brake, assuming it is in park, causes the vehicle to roll backwards. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that the seals on 3 axles were leaking and needed to be repaired; therefore, the right front axle and both rear axles were repaired. the axles were improperly installed and were repaired again four weeks later. the manufacturer stated that they were unable to provide any assistance regarding the repairs. the contact is aware of the safety risk since the axles could fail while driving and potentially cause a crash. the current mileage was 60,828 and the failure mileage was 55,294.

I currently own a 2003 ford explorer. abs light had been showing sometimes and gained a small vibration in the engine. then one day by a turn of the key there was a loud thumb sound and it never started again. put a new starter on got it started but it had a major pecking sound coming from transmission. took transmission out and found that the torque had a bad rattle in it. replaced torque and restarted engine and still had another small pecking sound it was coming from the engine dropped oil pan and found to have a balance shaft chain guide busted and the timing chain was loose. so by the turn of the key resulted in torque lock up in which caused started drive to bust and all the pressure when the new starter kick in broke torque loose and caused the crank to over spin the timing chain in which broke chain guide. so lucky it happened by the turn of the key instead of driving down the road. *tr

I keep reading about 2 complaints that people need to know about and ford should take action on; the first being the back tail gate... ford do the right thing. the second has to do with the transmission, overdrive light, the parking brake and the cruise control. i use the cruise control when driving long distances and while on a few trips the overdrive light would come on for no reason, at least i thought, i then found out that i had an abs problem and wheel bearings problems. all happening at the same time? as if that wasn't enough my transmission was dripping fluid on my new driveway! this was while i only had only 70,000 miles, it wasn't right, i checked out the brakes, they had been replaced before however when i pull off the rear drum / disk to check the parking brake that's when i found the problem. i never use my parking brake, it rotted and delaminated and was dragging hence the od light, the overheating of the transmission which blew out the seal, the excessive brake dust which was partially the cause of abs sensor malfunctioning. the last part impacts the bearings, when the abs sensor malfunctions it can apply the brakes as in skidding or in tire slippage adding to early unnecessary wear on bearings and again overheating of the transmission. ford needs to install a few "smart" sensors, one which could track parking brake malfunctions, also one for fail safe temperature readings for the transmission. (that is before it is compromised.) do the right thing ford, your sales depend on it. *tr

Ii purchased a 2003 explorer, 2-11-03. kept having problems shifting out of reverse, and finally, 3-8-04, and again, 9-13-04, and was told by dealer the problem was not valid, and would eventually go away, with no damage to vehicle. i continued to have problems, on and off, and now have over 89,000 miles on vehicle, and it is happening more and more. sometimes, i have to continue cutting the engine off, restart, and keep trying to get the transmission to shift out of reverse. i have never received any recall notice regarding the transmission, either from ford, or dempewolf, the dealer. this does not happen all the time, but, enough to make me nervous that one day it might not back up at all. when it does shift, the force almost throw me out of the seat. it is a scary situation. i always took my vehicle to dempwolf for servicing, and to try and get the transmission problem rectified. i have my maintenance receipts, all of them! *tr

We were driving the vehicle from wi to mn and the overdrive light was flashing and the ford explorer was not shifting correctly and a few times was stuck at 50+ mph even though the cruise control was not on. we returned to our home and took the 2003 ford explorer in to a repair shop who said the report indicated that the transmission needs to be replaced. the design of the transmission on these vehicles doesn't allow the owner to check fluid levels. it felt like a very dangerous situation with children in the car and the vehicle not shifting correctly and actually "revving" and staying at 50+ mph while the cruise was not on. *tr

Three days ago i get into my truck and start to drive down the road and my truck doesn't shift into gears. then when it finally did it jerked really hard and i bout went into a ditch. then the o/d light starts flashing. later that day the check engine light comes on. i try to check the transmission fluid level but you can't in this transmission. when i google this problem i find all these people with the same problem i have. the transmission is going out on my truck and it only has 69,000 on it. i owned an older model explorer and had to replace the transmission two times in it. this is an on going problem ford has with these vehicles and they aren't doing anything to help their customers fix it or fix it themselves. i think this being such a common occurrence with ford explorers that ford should do something about it. this is a major safety issue considering you never know when your transmission is going to go out driving down the road. i hope that you can find some solution to this problem. *tr

The transmissions is failing in 2nd and 5th gear. it occurs everyday and you can not accelerate without it sticking in a higher gear, making it difficult to stop safely. *tr

Locked up and failed causing accident. *tr

Was driving to work and trans started slipping. o/d light started blinking and then next day check engine light came on. took it to a dealer who told me i need to either rebuild my trans for $3200 or put in a rebuilt from ford for over $4000 which would give me a 100k mile warranty, 64k more than the brand new one that was in the car when i bought it. car had 74,500 miles on it but was less than 3 weeks over the 5 year/ 75k extended warranty i purchased from ford. i called the customer relationship number and the warranty people numerous times and no one offered any help. i even offered to by a new ford if they would give me a fair trade on my old one, it seemed as if after driving ford's for the past 8 years they did not want me as customer any longer. i took it to an independent shop and fixed it for $2000 and i just traded it for a new nissan pathfinder which cost me less, has more power and gets better gas mileage. i am happy to say i have owned my last ford. *tr

Had to replace wire harness to transmission after 85,000 miles now the overdrive service engine light always flashing. *tr

The transmission in our 2003 ford explorer failed and needed to be replaced after only 58,000 miles. from what i've been reading, it seems as though others have had similar problems with 2003 explorers and i wanted to document the problem we had. i contacted ford and was told they were unaware of any problem with the transmission and they refused any help. *tr

The transmission went out several months after the warranty expired and the company did nothing to address this...the car was only 5 years old when this happened and we had to get a new transmission. *tr

The problem when you driving on the highway around 65 mph you feel the truck hesitating, since this truck did not come with dip stick to check the transmission fluid, it is hard to check unless you take it to a tech or stop on the middle of the road to check it underneath the truck running trans for the fluid to drip, it is really stupid you can be run over by a car or cause an accident, it seems like the manufactures are getting stupid, in a emergency and you are in the highway crossing the state line how can you check the fluid on transmission, it need immediate attention to add the dip stick pretty pronto, it need the ford company to take responsibility to add the dip stick, i submitted several reports to them they don't care at all. *tr

I noticed my transmission slipping around 27 oct 29th 2008, took it to a ford dealership for what i presumed was perhaps a needed transmission flush, the service manger told me that i had a transmission problem and that the transmission can go at any time, two days, two months or two years, took the vehicle home that night, the transmission failed to engage, had the vehicle towed to aamco for a free diagnostic, was told that the transmission is gone and would have to be rebuilt at a cost ranging from 2500 to 3500, i then called fords national number told them that i am a (4) time explorer owner and ask if there is any help or assistance that i can receive form ford, i was told that ford will honor any price assistance given to me by any local ford dealership to repair my transmission, i called my local dealership and told them what national had told me, they said that they would repair the transmission for $2200 out of the door, later that day that number was reduced to $1900, i told aamco to please move my vehicle to the designated ford dealership, after about 5 days i received a call from the dealership telling me that the vehicle is finished and was test driven and everything was ok,, then it was test driven again later that day and a problem was discovered and now the valve body would have to be replaced at a cost of an additional $400.00. i got my vehicle back then after about 10 days i noticed that the transmission was slipping again and there was leak spots on my driveway, i took it back to the dealer and was told that some seal in the transmission is leaking, however it is under warranty, but i should replace some sort of pump within the transmission for and additional $300.....this is the classic bait and switch, they are the professional and should be competent and experienced enough to diagnose and fix a transmission. the $1900 is now $ 2600; i am done with ford after over 15 years of loyalty. *tr

Vehicle was serviced in july, 2008 and mechanic at country ford noted noise from rear of vehicle. while driving on vacation in oct. 2008, i noticed noise in rear which was noticeable at 35-40 mph and getting progressively worse. brought vehicle to country ford and they found the rear carrier bearings worn and had to replace the rear differential. cost was $1132. vehicle not under warranty (52,000 miles). vehicle has been maintained as per ford guidelines at country ford service, levittown, ny. *tr

2003 ford explorer purchased new. out of the blue check transmission and o/d off light starts flashing. at dealership now for repair estimate. while researching on the internet i was amazed to see the number of identical complaints for the exact problem on the exact same car. i spoke with ford today & they told me sorry and to "have a good day". i am mortified at the problem and the lack of assistance ford is willing to provide with this obviously large spread problem. *tr

O/d light began blinking, later abs light on. aamco said tranny was going out...probably torque converter but could be seal. recommended junk yard tranny. he said that ford had all kind of trouble with this transmission. *tr

i have a 2003 4wd 4.0 6 cyl. ford explorer with 84,000 miles on it. my over drive light starts flashing and the transmission is slipping. i have just seen online hundreds of people with the exact same problem and ford is not recalling or doing anything to help with repairs. *tr

Initially happened at 98k miles back in 08. put in park (vehicle on elevated driveway). jerked back and heard a clunk- like it was shifting from park into a gear with vehicle pressure- and it started to roll back. hit brakes- and put it in reverse. then neutral to start it. parked it on the curb for an hour, went back out and it didn't do it again until last week. thinking it might have been the weather this time- parked on my fairly steep driveway again with lots of ice/snow. 189k miles with the orig tranny and regular computer updates/flushes. been an amazing truck- just thinking it might happen again. *tr

I bought my 2003 explorer in 2002 at 110 miles. within the 3 year warranty the air conditioning had a urine smell and knocking noise in the rear but they didn't want to fix it. as a result i have a slow leak which means it has to be charged every year. in feb 2007 a crack formed in the rear panel they didn't want to fix. october 2007 at 45000 miles i needed wheel bearings for inspection. at 48000 miles when i paid my truck off may 2008, within a few days the 0/d light & service engine soon light came on resulting in my gears slipping. i found out through several shops that my 2nd and fifth gears were burned out. the dealership said the solenoid body, then has to go in to check for more. i filed a complaint with the attorney general because i had no extended warranty which was a waste of time because ford wasn't cooperating. so now it's june 2009 and i'm still driving it a whole year later because i can't afford to get it fixed. i learned how to drive the truck but i'm reminded everyday about the problems. park to reverse is a struggle, it doesn't start easily sometimes, it has no power while driving, abs and door ajar lights stay on, and reverse alarm when to close doesn't work, and instead of being happy i paid it off it's nothing but a feeling of frustration, anger, and regret for buying from ford. *tr

I payed 18,000 for my 2003 ford explorer xlt with the flex fuel in 2006. its a very nice looking suv but i only drove it for 2 years before the transmission started to fail. i beleave a transmission should last more than 2 years. my concearn is that its defective all around the transmission and i could still drive it if i wasnt in fear for my life. i have had it to ford dealership and they could not diagnose the problem, they wanted me to pay them to taket out the tranny and wanted way to much for any parts,so i had it looked at by a transmission place that been around a long time and he had no idea what was wrong.replaced the selenoid for like 900 and my it ran fine for like 2 weeks until i put in 4 w/d than my o/d light started bliking again and the transmission slipped, the o/d light eluminated the first time my transmission ever slipped.and if i went and drove it right now it would cause an accident and some people might still depend on there defective explorer to get somewhere.it accelerates by its self it sometimes dosnt want to go in gear and if this is electrical someones vehicle could stop in the middle of a highway with no warning but a blinking o/d light.and worst thing is, if ford would reconize this problem with out selling new transmissions that will eventually have the same problem with i could have it fixed but no one but ford knows what is wrong and they obviously dont know how to fix it or know if they admit their mistake it was a design flaw i want my money back.i bet you they wouldnt even take my explorer on a trade in. and if you just google ford explorer anything from 1999 to 2007 i think....its going to have like thousands of people with the same problem as mine and probaly like from 40,000 miles up, way to early for transmission replacement. *tt

April 2008, o/d light started blinking & vehicle started shifting hard; took to ford dealership the next week; after computer diagnostic said i needed to replace transmission on 2003 explorer with 80,000 miles; within 2 months the vehicle was parked because the transmission was not wanting to shift into reverse regardless of weather conditions. *tr

O/d light flashes transmission has trouble shifting out of 1st gear. *tr

I was driving my 2003 ford explorer on the highway and suddenly the overdrive light came on and began flashing. i brought it in to get checked and was told it is a transmission problem. supposedly need to change the torque converter. i am not the first and afraid that i won;t be the last with this problem. this needs to be addressed! *tr

Driving to work from home, o/d off light began flashing and going from 1st to 2nd gear lagged. returning home that night, o/d off light began flashing and service engine soon light came on along with lagging in shifting. took to mechanic who performed transmission maintenance and replaced solenoid. this corrected service engine light, but o/d light still flashed. found filings in transmission fluid which led to replacing transmission. found forums that related similar problems with transmission. at least i got 90,000 miles before this happened. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the vehicle experienced difficulty changing gears while driving at any speed. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the transmission was rebuilt. approximately 3 years later the failure recurred. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop where the transmission was rebuilt. the failure mileage was 54,655 and the current mileage was 111,260.

2003 ford explorer. consumer writes in regards to humming/whining noise in the rear end of vehicle and a frequent leak in the differential. *smd the consumer stated several components such as the ring an pinion, bearings, seals and gear and pinion were all replaced. however, the issue remained unresolved. also, the rear hatch was cracked. when the consumer inquired about a replacement and its cost, the dealer advised against the replacement/repair as the new hatches had the same problem. the vehicle overheated and had to be towed to the dealer. a diagnosis revealed a damaged thermostat housing.

I own a 2003 ford explorer. i have owned it since buying it from vogler ford in carbondale, illinois. a few months ago the overdrive light began to flash all the time and it shifts hard going from 2nd to 3rd gear. i searched this problem on the internet to see if i could replace a part on it. i have read numerous complaints about these transmissions. have they recalled any faulty transmissions from ford vehicles. *tr

I own a 2003 ford explorer, i have owned it for almost 5 years and took care of it. i also paid alot of money for it and after about three years out of nowhere my o/d light started blinking and my car started shifting wrong. i had the solenoid on tranny replaced soon as i put it in 4wheel drive my o/d light started blinking again and shifting wrong. this is making the car accelerate to much at times and almost not wanting to shift others.so while waiting thinking i need a new transmission my engine light comes on followed by a light ticking noise, that got louder and louder over about a month.so the car was taken to the dealership an put on a computer they said i should junk it, yes its 5 years old but i bought my car from their and i paid alot for it.so no one knows exactly what's wrong with it i myself believe but ford.i been told i need a new transmission and my timing chain is bad on the engine.the car still runs although i wont drive it completely unsafe. its a nice looking car but i seen alot of people with this same problem with the same year make and model how is that and its dangerous? me and my daughter wrecked after sudden acceleration thankfully the airbags deployed and burnt her but we were both fine otherwise. i just now this is dangerous,ford knows about it and why it happened and how to fix it. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. while driving 25 mph, the transmission caused the rpm's to increase from 1,000 to 4,000, followed by a loud thumping noise. the overdrive light would also remain illuminated after the malfunction. the vehicle has been diagnosed by the dealer, but still continues to fail. the failure mileage was 44,000.

When shifted into reverse the vehicle will intermittently slam into the gear after some time has lapsed, or other times it won't move into any gear and freezes in a neutral state, even when the shift lever is moved into drive or any other gear, for that matter. these events have occurred at least several times in the 1 month period we have owned it. purchased it from a dealer on 2/24/08 with 53,000k miles on it. it is currently in a ford dealer (1 week so far) for service, but they say they can not replicate the problem with the transmission. if i pick up the vehicle now the used vehicle warranty that came with the vehicle will expire and will not cover the problem when it does completely fail. after reading all the problems these transmissions have, it is inevitable it won't be long before that happens. hopefully, it won't be in the middle of traffic or worse yet, when driving with my grandkids somewhere. this is definitely a safety issue, as the total failure often happen with no warning. the vehicle otherwise drives great. *tr

Transmission was fine and then it started having trouble switching from 1st to 2nd gear. next thing the od light started flashing so i decided to take it to the dealer. by the time i got there the service engine soon light came on. they did a computer check ($90 cost) on it and recommended to install a remanufactured unit for $3829. after some more research, i decided to take it to aamco. they went beyond the computer check and discovered that the 2nd servo piston was broken and the od servo piston also recommended to be replaced along with the torque converter because there have been so many problems with them. in the end, the cost will be $2043. *tr

The transfer case failed on our 2003 ford explorer. this is a known problem at ford and due to a design flaw with the explorer. it cost $2,000 to fix. our mechanic referred us to a transmission/transfer case specialist who had seen multiple explorers with this problem. ford should issue a recall for this known defect. the consequences of a failure in the transfer case can be a complete shredding of the gears and sudden loss of power, which could be extremely dangerous. *tr

Brand new 2003 ford explorer. replaced engine at 115 k miles and now the trans is going; specifically, the o/d light keeps flashing and it shifts badly. i've seen numerous complaints about the same thing online, while ford ignores this faulty trans. *tr

Just had transmission serviced last week. now o/d light is flashing and check transmission light is coming on. see by internet this is a well known problems with the fords. *tr

Typical ford explorer tranmission problem having to do with the torque converter. od light flashing. nothing done to envoke this problem and no events leading up to the failure. just driving on the highway. *cn

2003 ford explorer transmission failure at 62,000 miles. *tr

2003 explorer eddie bauer 4.6l v-8 awd, transmission failed during morning commute. i hear noise, the car lost speed, and "o/d off" was flashing. i could barely merge the car to the far right lane and manage to get the car to the office. *tr

Well maintained vehicle - and transmission only lasted 59,500miles (less than 5 years). covert ford dealer in austin, tx only money hungry. wouldn't help at all. *tr

I'm never buying another ford. last week the o/d light came on in my ford explorer. i drove it right home and got the manual out to see what the problem was. "transmission problem" was what the manual indicated, as well as several websites i reviewed. i didn't worry at first, since i figured this would be covered under warranty. my explorer is just under 5 years old and just under 60k miles. surely there would at least be a 60k power train warranty. no one would buy a vehicle if they knew the transmission would only last 59k miles. well, the dealer told me a new transmission was needed (5th and 2nd gears were worn down), that it would cost $3500, and that it is not covered by warranty. and to add insult to injury he charged me $90 to tell me the transmission was bad (something i obviously knew) - isn't this similar to stealing? i then asked him what trade in value i could get (not that i really would buy another poor quality ford, but i wanted to explore all options). $5500 is the most they could give. i laughed - since i had taken very good care of the vehicle. it told me that they didn't want the vehicle either - so much for them really standing behind their product. they know the quality is poor. obviously i was quite irritated. i asked what caused this. none of the possibilities applied since i took good care of the vehicle and had it serviced according to the maintenance manual. in fact, the dealer (cover ford in austin) did the 30k checkup. i spent $1k on that (and probably got ripped off). i took it to a transmission specialist and had it fixed for under $2500. he informed me that he sees a lot of issues like this with explorers - probably a poor design and poor quality. also, judging by various websites there are indeed lots of complains like this. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. while driving 30 mph, the contact heard a whining noise coming from the vehicle. the noise becomes louder as the vehicle travels faster. the whining appears to be coming from the rear suspension. the failure mileage was 120,000 and current mileage was 144,800. updated 04/14/08. *lj the consumer stated the transmission was replaced at no charge by ford at 55,000 miles due to a defect. the 4-wheel drive makes excessive noise when in gear. updated

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. while driving 25 mph, the rear end of the vehicle suddenly slumped and the rear driver side tire detached from the vehicle. the wheel, brake, rotor, lower control arm, and axle were damaged. repairs were made. the current and failure mileages were 50,000. updated 01/09/08.*lj the dealer replaced brake pads and rear end vibrating. updated 12/12/07 *tr

Transmission started slipping and taking a long time going into gear and jerking into gear since around 67000 miles. it now has over 91000 miles and keeps getting worse. the transmission shop told me that this is common with this model explorer. *tr

Rear axle loud noise. front left wheel bearing became extremely noisy. automatic 4wd control engaged unexpectedly during low speed turns and parking. several visits to the ford repair shop, almost $2.5k in repairs, "erroneously" diagnosed. results: finally, failures still in place. what a shame!!! *tr

I bought a 2003 ford explorer in june of 07 with no problems in sept of 07 i started to experience a load noise coming from the rear of the vehicle sounding like a tire was flat or something was rubbing. i took it into the shop and they told me that the rear diff was out on this and it was going to cost several thousand dollars to fix. i contacted ford they acknowledge the problem but refused to fix it and said that it was not under warranty so they weren't going to do anything about it. i now sit hear with something that i owe money on and can not afford to fix. i have a wife and a son and this is our only mode of transportation. i am very upset that ford does not stand behind their products like they should. there are numerous complaints on the internet about the same problem but with no solution. *jb

Torque converter failure. converter "rattles", needs replacement. prior complaint to dealer about "lurching" and "clunking" were found to be "non-duplicative" during warranty period. *jb