Problems with 2003 Ford Explorer ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Transmission light flashing and i am told the transmission needs to be replaced or rebuilt. this tranny should be more durable, ford is better than all the complaints i have read online about this situation. *tr

Rattling noise in 4.0 liter-sohc 2003 ford explorer xlt. dealer replaced rear tensioner. noise remained. diagnosis said engine noise is coming from rear cassette and possibly front one. engine would have to be removed and taken apart to replace timing chain cassettes for @ $4k. the car only has 53,070 miles on it. online search verifies an obvious issue pattern and complaints to an inferior quality cassette material requiring labor intensive engine removal repair. *tr

Took explorer to dealership to get the transmission fluid checked and got a call from the dealership that the spark plug had blown out of the engine and stripped the threads in the head but not on the spark plug. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated when she started her vehicle it was idling it was very rough. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised her that the timing chain fractured and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer also advised her to no longer drive the vehicle under those conditions. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified and offered no assistance. the failure and current mileage was approximately 93,000.

Timing chain tensioner failure with valve cover damage provoking oil leak and heavy smoke out of the engine, wich lead to spill of oil in the highway (oil dropping) and engine out of sequence due to a plastic "casset" tension break, i have read over the internet alot of complains about the same incident

Car started to accelerate in reverse and struck another vehicle while brake was applied to no avail. *tr

My 2003 ford explorer limited blew a spark plug right out of the engine. very scary & very loud while going to the grocery store. i thought for sure the engine blew. *tr

Timing chain broke, with no warning, bent all the valves and wasn't even driving it. had just started the car in the garage and backed out of driveway with car idling very rough. pulled back in driveway and oil was pouring out underneath, due to chain had busted the valve cover. well had to pull the motor, replaced guides, cassettes, and tensioners, with 2000.00 just in parts alone. had car back from mechanic not even 3 weeks and engine started knocking as if a rod was knocking. went back to mechanic and tensioners were the cause of timing-chain "clank". apparently they (ford) designed these tensioners with "plastic" guides which shred off into the hydraulic tensioner pick up tube therefore clogging up the hole for oil to get to chain and will continue to do so unless you get updated tensioners directly from ford at 100.00 each. there are 3 timing chains and multiple tensioners as well, which continue to go out after 30,000 miles and need replacing, which most can be replaced with motor in but some cant therefore i have had motor out twice now, at 2500.00 each time. there was an onp to owners but ford would only cover cost up to 100,000 miles and only if owners complained!! otherwise they would not fix!!! well this is a bad design on fords part with plastic tensioners to guide your timing chain!!! now they have updated with a tougher nylon "plastic". but have not recalled the old ones so unless you order dealer parts you receive the old parts which are no good and will end up making you spend more money and for the last 12months, i have had my car 3 weeks due to cant afford the enormous repair bill, which ford knew about all along, but failed to recall plastic parts unless someone complained. according to my research it has been an ongoing problem since the 1996-2006 year model explores with 4.0 sohc v-6 motors. something definitely needs to be done!!! *tr

I own a 2003 ford explorer-4.6 liter v8 4 wheel drive, the vehicle has 158,000 miles and have experienced the sparkplug blowout while driving home from work. i was traveling on a busy state road when the engine miss fired and then heard a loud pop and the engine went to missing bad. i immediately pulled to the side and checked to see what was happening. i limped the vehicle into a parking lot and proceeded to reinstall the plug and coil pack. the forcing push of the plug broke the coil pack and tore the plug boot. i just replaced the coil pack and plug boot assembly and reinstalled the plug bck in. i feel that this issue is common on the 4.6 liters, a friend and shadetree mechanic did a motor swap in an expedition with this same motor for the same reason cause the plug in cylinder #4(passenger rear) tore the threads coming out and let loose metal into the piston journal and caused severe damage. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that when she started the vehicle there was a knocking noise in the engine compartment. the vehicle was the towed to the dealer who stated that the timing chain failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 92000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle was hesitant to pick up speed. all warning lights on the dash board illuminated during the failure. the vehicle was towed to the dealer yet they were unable to duplicate the failure. the contact stated the failure had occurred two additional times in the same day. the vehicle was not repaired and the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 40,900.

There have been multiple problems with my 2003 ford explorer since i bought it brand new in august of 2003. but ironically they have all appeared after the warranty had expired. in september 2007 the air conditioning unit no longer worked. it cost me $2000 and a week without a car, to get it fixed. in august 2009 the passenger door window would no longer work. in september 2009 my suv started making a clicking sound when turning on the heater. since we lived in a warm climate this did not concern us much, as the heat had worked even with the clicking sound. but we moved to a colder climate and the heater went out in march 2010. in april 2010 the service engine light came on. after speaking with the mechanic, he said it was a transmission problem that occurred when the car shifted from 1st to 2nd gear and from 4th to 5th gear. he could not give me any more information and was not willing to fix my transmission problem (he suggested i go elsewhere because he was not an expert in transmissions). in may 2010 the o/d light started flashing off. after speaking to mechanic again, he said it was related to the transmission problem. in august 2010 the door ajar light started coming on randomly, even when the door is not open. and in september 2010, i noticed my abs light will come on randomly. it does not appear to be triggered by any specific reason, and does not always come on. *tr

I bought my 2003 explorer new. appx. 2-3 years ago (don't have exact date yet, still searching for info) it would suddenly stall and shut off. the rpm indicator would also jump really fast. i took it to the dealer and they said it was an idle issue and "fixed" it. a few days ago, i noticed a similar issue and nearly crashed. as i was rounding a corner, the vehicle suddenly stalled, thereby causing my power steering to fail. i quickly put the car in neutral, restarted it and regained steering, very nearly colliding with a vehicle in the opposite direction. the car seemed okay for a few days, but then did the same thing again. two near head-on collisions are two too many. i stopped using the vehicle and had my dealer look at it. they called me yesterday and told me it was the idle air control valve, which will cost $332 to replace. i checked online and found that this is a known issue (tsb 0335, feb. of 2003). i need this vehicle so i will have to get it repaired, but think ford should take some kind of responsibility for the defect. i hope it doesn't take someone having a serious collision due to the defect for something to be done. thank you for anything you can do. *tr

Our ford explorer shut down without warning in an intersection. people began pushing my wife, baby son, and two other sons out of the intersection when the truck began smoking and then the engine burst into flames. we lost the truck (which only has two payments left and which was in perfect working order), our car seats, and a considerable amount of personal items to smoke, fire, and water damage. the fire department had to be summoned to put the fire out. *tr

No noise/warning. the car had billowing black smoke coming from under the hood. on inspection oil was gushing from a valve at the back of the engine and burning, it nearly burst into flames. it was towed to a local mechanic, who found the timing chain had broken, slashing a valve cover and cutting into the back of the engine. it can be fixed for $3,000 plus tax estimate, but the ford dealership recommends against this and says it needs a new engine /refurbished engine $5,000 plus tax. ford refuse to accept this is a defect, despite multiple complaints i have seen on the internet. the car was a ford explorer 2003 with only 60,720 on the clock. i bought it new and maintained it well. i still have payments on it so am selling it for $2000 to cover the payments. it was a $34,000 car. *tr

2003 ford explorer 4.0 sohc engine rattle noise.i guess there is alot of issues due to this problem. timing chasis *tr

I have a ford explorer 2003 with 93000 miles and the o/d light as well as the service engine soon light is on. from my research it seems this is a major problem that ford refuses to address on the car mentioned. *tr

My 2003 ford explorer heating system started making a clicking sound when i turned it on, then i found that if i turned it to cool side the clicking stopped, now there is not heat at all only cold air. i am told by a ford mechanic that it is a broken blend door, an extremely common & costly repair since the blend door is in a ridiculous spot behind the dashboard that takes 6-8 hours of repair to remove & replace the $20 part. i found thousands of complaints from other ford owners dating back to the 1993 ford ranger model with the same problem...why is this not forced to be a recall for ford to take care of this problem? the pin that breaks on the blend door is plastic, any nimrod knows heat and cold will cause plastic to become brittle and break, thus you would think that making the pin metal would have been a solution years ago, it is only a 3-4 inch pin...not that expensive to fix but sure is costly to fix this nutty error for ford. *tr

I was driving home from work when i noticed my vehicle started to make this taping noise. i pulled over to the side of the road to see what it could be then noticed it was coming from under the hood. i didn'ttt feel safe continuing to drive on the highway so drove to the next exit and got off. the noise started to get louder so i pulled into a gas station and waited for someone to come pick me up because i didn't feel the vehicle was safe to drive. as i was sitting there with the car turned off, something on the driver side under the hood burst into flames. fire department had to come out and put vehicle fire out. *tr

Re: ford motor company ford motor company is illegally charging customers for computer engine updates. in july of 2008 my service engine light came on in my 2003 ford explorer 2003. . i was told by the service department at buerge ford that my engine codes had to be updated per ford motor company. they updated the engine codes in 15 minutes and charged me $128.00 dollars for updating fords new engine computer codes. the problem i have with ford motor company is that if the engine codes on my ford explorer xlt 2003 needed to be updated to fords new engine codes a recall should be implemented, or the charge shouldn't be pass on to the consumer. a recall was never done, and ford motor company has been illegally passing on this charge to the consumer for years, without a recall notice. nothing was at fault at my end. i have a copy of my bill for your records on this illegal charge. please investigate ford motor company for not implementing a recall notice for this problem with their suv's, car's and trucks. sincerely. jeffrey roth *tr

As my daughter and i were backing out of a parking stall, my vehicle all of a sudden caught off. we were unable to get it restarted. after mechanics checked it out, i was told it was the motor. difficult to understand, because we have only 38,208 miles on our 2003 ford explorer; and a week before that we had a complete oil change. i contacted our local ford dealer as well as ford in detroit and explained the problem to them. i told them we had no warning of a problem, the indicator never came on and there was no indication at all that we had a problem, no noise or any signs of trouble. with only a few miles on the car, i told them i felt it was a manufacturer defect. because they had not received any calls since my complaints, they felt it was not a ford's problem and that it was a situation i had to take care of. something needs to be done and i think ford should handle this problem. no way should i have a problem with my motor with less than 40,000 miles. it's not fair that i have to pay for a job that i believe ford is responsible for. tell me, what do i do? *tr

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.

There was a clicking noise in the dash when i turned the heat on. one day there was one more hard click and after that no more heat. so now when i turn the heat on there's a clicking noise and no heat, when i turn it on cool the clicking noise stops. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. while driving 60 mph, on february 17, 2008, the engine shut off immediately without warning. several vehicles were rapidly approaching the contact, which nearly caused a fatal crash. there were no warning lights present prior to the failure; however, after the engine shut off, all of the lights illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and diagnosed. the mechanic was unable to restart the vehicle. the dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. the part was ordered and may be available by next week. the vehicle has been at the dealer for two weeks. the manufacturer's president was notified on two occasions and the secretary forwarded the messages to a liaison. the contact wanted the vehicle replaced, but the liaison stated that she could not assist. the contact saw on the news that there was a manufacturer's recall and filed case number 0490000518. the manufacturer stated that there were no existing recalls related to the failure. the following failures occurred with the previous owner: on march 1, 2004, the ring and pinions failed, on march 31, 2004, the pinion valve leaked, was damaged, tested and repaired. on april 14, 2004, while driving approximately 55 mph, the front pinion seal was leaking and replaced. the upper bearing was also repaired. the vin appears to be invalid. the failure and current mileages were 40,000.

I have a 2003 ford explorer and has a flex fuel system 4.0l 114,000 miles at times not all the time once in awhile i will go to turn and slow down the idle jumps up and down you will be able to see the rps go nuts and the engine shuts itself off i almost hit another car not being prepared for the shut down the brakes the steering all got hard to handle... has anyone been looking into this problem at all? i have changed spark plugs the fuel filter air filter and still does this in warm weather as it does in cold weather.. any clue as to what i can do? vary unsafe. i have never had a car or truck do this more than once. *tr

Sat. jan. 19, 2008; approx. 99,780 miles - engine stalled while we were turning off the highway to a side street. we had just driven approx. 20 miles, so the engine was warm. the steering wheel locked up when the engine turned off, which caused us to go into the oncoming traffic lane. fortunately no one was coming towards us so we could stop, put it in park, and restart the engine. this is about the fifth or sixth time it happened. *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

The ford recall for engine stalling does not appear to apply to the 2003 explorer, but i have definitely had the engine stall 5 or 6 times while i've been driving. it has happened while i've been decelerating, either for a stop sign, traffic light, or turn. the engine was warm each time. i was always able to restart the engine quickly enough so that no accidents occurred, but the closest call was when it happened at a busy traffic light. i did not write down the exact dates when it happened, so the incident date below is only approximate. i believe the recall should be expanded. *tr

When we starte d our car for the first time after it had sat at an airport parking lot for a week, we heard a ticking noise upon start up ouf our vehicle (2003 ford explorer eddie bauer with v8 engine). upon taking it to a repair shop they stated the noise is coming from the value guard area in the would need to replace both cylinder heads (per ford need to replace both & cannot replace just one). the cost of this repair would be $4,000.00. upon further research, it appears that this is a common problem for our model & year. with all the other problems we have had to pay out of pocket for, it would be nice to have ford look into this issue and possible have a recall. thank you.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start and was towed to the dealer. the dealer stated that the catalytic converter was bad and needed to be replaced. the part was supposed to be available on may 10, 2007, but it still has not arrived. the repair is covered under warranty. the engine size was unknown. the current and failure mileages were 56,000.

I was driving down the road & started slowing down as i came into town. i was coasting along and my car stalled out. i didn't even realize it had cut out, i still had steering & brakes but i had to restart my vehicle. i took it back to the dealer (i had just bought it 6 days prior) and asked them to look at it. they worked with the local ford dealership and came back with "nothing is wrong with it". they said there wasn't even a record of the incident taking place. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated while shifting to any gear at various speeds, a noise was heard. the vehicle was driven to the dealer who determined the oil needed to be changed every month.

I purchased a 2003 explorer in august 2006; mileage was approximately 45,000. by october the car would not start and the alternator was replaced. a few weeks later, i was back because my car was jerking. nothing showed up on the diagnostic tool at that time. however, i was told the starter would have to be replaced as would the recently installed alternator. i returned less than a month later with the same jerking issue, only this time i notified the repair shop that the o/d light had been coming on. furthermore, my car had actually stalled in the middle of traffic. again, nothing was found. by early december, i was back. my car had stalled on a few more occasions and would not "pick up". that is, even though the rpm's would reach anywhere from 2500 - 4000, my car could not accelerate above 25 - 30 mph. several days later i was told that the transmission needed work. i got my car back a few days before christmas and decided last minute to head to the mountains. as soon as i reach a slight elevation, the car ceased to accelerate and what's more, a thick heavy cloud of black smoke came out of the rear and persisted for at least two miles. i headed back down the mountain for home. i took the car back and they kept it for at least a week and a half to repair the torque converter and other transmission related issue. in early fall 2007, i took the car to my local ford dealer for some strange noise coming from the engine. it ended up costing $2500.00 to repair. i returned in november for more work, this time for the same torque converter and solenoid issue as a year ago. during this two year period, my vehicle was under extended warranty. the total repair cost for the first year of ownership is anywhere from $5000 - $9000, of which i paid at least $2500 out of pocket. my warranty has since expired and i am worried that these same issues will recur, as i have read they have. this is not an isolated incident and should be investigated and a recall issued. *tr

The passenger side airbag warning light comes on intermittently for no reason (has since i bought it used in 2006). the door ajar warning light comes on and won't allow me to lock/set my alarm on my vehicle plus it leaves the interior lights on for a while (started about 6 months ago). i am now experiencing a banging sound under the hood when i change the temperature (heat or air conditioning)(started in last 4 months). i have to turn the fan on high to get it to stop. it will do it even if the temp is off sometimes. it also will not lock into gear when put into park on an incline (my driveway)...without rocking backwards into gear(started in the last 6 months). *tr

While driving the 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer 4.0l v6 the engine stops running with no warning. this has happened three times randomly. two times were on a highway coasting to a toll booth. each of those times i was able to put the vehicle into neutral and restart the engine. the third time was on a residential street. the engine could not be restarted. *nm

Excessive engine cooling fan noise upon morning first use. if you let the car sit overnight and then startup the car, back up out of the driveway, and accelerate normally down the residential street, the cooling fan sounds like an airplane propeller chopping the air. the performance of the vehicle (a v8) seems sluggish as the engine fights to spin the fan at every increasing engine rpm. the noise is excessive and unnerving. once you come to a stop sign and the engine slows to idle, the fan resumes normal operating mode and no longer spins at engine rpm speeds. this is a very repeatable event. 3 out 5 mornings i have to deal with this. ford motor customer service says they cannot do anything until the dealer identifies the problem. the car has been at the dealer for several days and they are unable to experience the problem. there is only one thing that can be wrong here is the fan clutch. but until the problem stays broken, and it wont as it goes away once you go to idle, they will not repair the problem under warranty. my concern is multifold. i am concerned for the safety of others as it is unnatural for the cooling fan to be spinning at engine rpm. if the fan were to disintegrate, who will be in the way of the high speed fragments? i am concerned about the damage that would occur to the vehicle if the fan were to let loose. i am concerned that the fan's life is being reduced and will suffer premature failure. the dealer refuses to review tsb 17163 -- excessive engine cooling fan noise. *tt (nhtsa id #10004057) until they experience the problem. the dealer seems to be uncooperative and chooses to ignore the customer's complaint. *nm

1 history of engine surge, very fast idle upon starting since vehicle acquired.-all reported to dealer.---------------------------------------------------------------- 2.car stopped, motor off. started, placed in reverse-touched accelerator and car jumped back full speed. very narrow parking area (have pictures). had to turn car rapidly to avoid large hill and trees -too short a distance to turn completely and hit front left fender and bumper glancing blow off two trees. was able to shift into neutral and got stopped after going in a semicircular and backing over concrete parking barrier.-motor still racing--unable to turn off with key until fourth or fifth try and than motor bucked several time trying to stop. 3.no corrections to date. reported to ford! !*jb

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at 70 mph smoke emitted from the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle was pulled off the road and towed to the dealership. the radiator, fuel filter, air filter, and steering gear assembly was replaced, the front end was aligned as well. two days later while driving at 70 mph smoke was noticed in the rearview mirror. the vehicle was pulled off the road and less than one minute later the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames. the fire department responded and extinguished the fire. the fire marshal determined this fire was caused by a mechanical failure malfunction. there was a police and fire report filed.

Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle experienced a problem with hesitation when the speed was kept constant. the dealership replaced the mass air flow sensor. the hesitation problem continued, the vehicle was returned to the dealership which was unable to duplicate the problem. while backing into the driveway the vehicle suddenly accelerated. although the brakes were applied the vehicle did not stop. the vehicle hit the contact's home resulting in a neck sprain injury. the acceleration continued until the shifter was moved into drive. the dealership was unable to determine the cause of the acceleration. also, contact complained that abs light was on and pedal felt stiff. vehicle ran rough. in addition, removed and installed automatic transmission main control valve body. *ak

Stalling with no warning. ford found nothing. they know of the problem. said i should get an after market computer. ok *tr

The weather was mild for michigan, mid 40s. the vehicle had been parked for 1 hour after having been driven for about 40 highway miles. the vehicle was then started and driven less than one quarter mile to a stop light. while waiting for the light to change, the vehicle surged ahead. i was able to control the vehicle by stomping on the brake pedal and thowing the gear shift into park. *nm

2003 ford explorer xlt stalls without warning. dealership repaired/replaced transmission main control valve twice; reprogrammed/recalibrated the pcm twice; repaired/replaced transmission solenoid valve; replaced fuse relays; tested fuel pressure and did numerous other diagnostic test. stalling problem still exists. vehicle has been to dealership 6 plus times since march 05 for the same problem. *jb

2003 ford explorer boyfriend's description of event: 1)i can consistently get the vehicle to stall out when coasting down to a stop. it is all in the way of the coast down. it is more repeatable if you start braking way before a stop event (slowly coasting in). the bad thing is the event is so quiet that half the time you did not know it stalled (unless you were looking at the ipc). you have to put the car in park or neutral to restart engine each time event occurs. i would say it has happened 30+ times. 2) the failure is a stalled engine. the consequence could be rolling out to incoming traffic, thinking the vehicle is running, yet the engine is stalled. ) nothing has been done yet. took it into shop and it was said that nothing was seen (not a ford dealership).*jb

About 3 months ago, my explorer began occasionally experienced dramatic, random engine acceleration. while driving, the rpms would shoot up for no apparent reason. 2 months ago, it was taken to the ford dealership in millington, tn. they found no problems and hinted it was "driver error". a week later, i made an 800 mile drive to visit my newly hospitilized father. the sudden, drastic increase in rpm' started out happening 1 - 2 times in the first 30 minutes. the frequency rapidly increased, and 4 hours into the trip, the sudden acceleration was occurring at least 1 time every 5 minutes or so. after arriving in pittsburgh, the explorer was again taken to a ford dealership. they informed me that the co2 detector had gone bad. this was covered under warranty, but since i was driving with a bad detector, the egr sensor was caused to malfunction. i was informed that this was not covered under the warranty since it was a result of my continuing to drive it with a bad co2 detector. the egr sensor cost me $300 to get replaced. a week after this "repair" was made, i began the trip back to tn. 2 hours into the trip, the sudden, drastic accleration started again, and soon was occuring several times every 30 minutes. on reaching tn., i once again took the explorer to the ford dealership in millington. they were unable to find any problem. so, not only did i pay for a repair that 1) was caused by the dealership's inability to find a problem, it 2) should have been covered under the warranty. then it became apparent that the "repair" did not even fix the problem. to this day, the random acceleration is a problem.*ak

Vehicle loses power while driving. the check engine light comes on. owner has taken the vehicle to the dealer and was told that they could not duplicate the problem. owner has also contacted the manufacturer who has been of no help either. provide further details. *jb

I've had two separate incidents where my 2003 ford explorer stalled in the middle of heavy traffic. i'm taking it in for service on monday the 20th. *jb

Various complaints involving the 2003 ford explorer xlt.*mr consumer believed that noise on vehicle was coming from rear. repairs and/or replacements were made on: front and rear suspensions, transfer case, and seals in the rear axle due to leak. now, consumer is waiting for a new axle assembly to be replaced on the vehicle. also, a cooling system noise on vehicle but dealer coudn't find the source of the problem. *la

Aroiund 37,000 miles i started having electrical problems. half of them go off when they should and half of them stay on which runs my battery down and i have to be jumped. then around 40,000 mile i started hearing a lound whining noise from my rear end. the dealer said nothing was wrong. it is so loud you have to almost yell to talk to someone. then at 47,000 miles my service engine light soon started coming on. it has something to do with the coolant area. i am afraid to take my vehicle out of town and i owe too much on it to trade it. *nm

Consumer states that he is having trouble with his vehicle starting in the morning. while driving, the vehicle stalled. the consumer stated he has taken the vehicle to the dealer several times and each time they replace a chip. *jb

Vehicle failure problems with 2003 ford explorer.*mr while driving the vehicle stalled in an intersection. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was determined that there was sludge in the engine. the dealer insisted that the consumer's neglect was the caused of the failure and if he refused to purchase a new engine from them they would void manufacturers and extended warranty. the consumer indicated that he took care of his vehicle performing all the regularly scheduled maintenance. the consumer believes this problem is related to a defect in the timing chain tensioner. *nm