Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER

While driving vehicle stalled. the consumer pulled over and restarted the vehicle. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak

I purchased this 2002 ford explorer sporttrac in october of 2003, with 25,000 miles on the odometer. there have been four occasions that my vehicle has run out of gas, with the gasoline gauge reading between 1/4 and 1/2 tank reading on the gauge. i took the vehicle to donley ford in galion, ohio and they stated that there was nothing wrong with the computer. i was wondering why this item wasn't covered under the warranty. and i need to know what i must do to get this problem resolved? thank you for your consideration and i will hopefully hear from you.

This discrepancy applies to a explorer sport trac new from a dealership in sept 2001. the vehicle "check engine" light illuminated just before the vehicle reached 15,000 miles. the owners manual stated that if the light did not go out after 3 consecutive cold starts to take the vehicle to the dealer. the vehicle was in the window for servicing at its 15,000 mile check-up anyway, so i took it to the dealer and showed them the "check engine" light. i expected the vehicle would be finished with its regular maintenance and the check engine light problem fixed in a day or two. i was wrong, and from reading similar problems reported by other owners, it appears this could be a trend for the sport trac model- if not for the entire explorer genre. the dealer informed me that the fuel pump was leaking and it was what was causing the check engine light to illuminate. then i remembered that i had often noticed drops of fluid on the driveway each time i backed out. at the time i thought it was condensation from the air conditioning system. i didn't care what it took to fix it because it was covered by the warranty. the dealer had to order a whole new gas tank, because as it was explained to me, the fuel pump was integral to the fuel tank. the fuel tank and pump assembly was not in stock and had to be ordered from the factory. the dealer supplied a rental car while the sport trac was being repaired. it took 2 weeks for the dealer to receive the fuel tank and pump. after they received it, it only took took a couple of hours for the technician to install it and check it out. the vehicle was properly repaired and i no longer see any droplets on the driveway, nor is the check engine light illuminated. most of the two weeks the vehicle was at the dealership was due to awaiting parts. any fuel leak should be considered critical for obvious reasons. i asked the dealer's representative if the tank/pump problem was a common problem for the model and they denied it. *ak

Driving in the rain causes debris and water to get into the fuel tank which leads to a fueling problem. if you try to fuel the car at any speed of the gas pump, gasoline spits back at tremendous pressure. it covers the car, the fueling person and ford is not letting this secret out to the public. i talked to two mechanics at the dealership my car is in (the car has been there for a month, this time) and they said it's a factory defect caused by two canisters that are to keep rain and feul out. this is a dangerous condition!!!!!!!!!!! i've seen people with cigarettes in their hand while refueling. if this happens to them they are going to die because of the amout of fuel that spits back. i've filed for the lemon law because i don't want a car that does this because they are not addressing the issue only replacing the same part.*jb