Problems with 2002 Ford Explorer ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Heard a knocking noise went to mechanic. was told i blew a two holes through timing chain cover. went online found that it is a recurring problem for that year of ford. very upset there is no recall. was told it would cost at least 2000 to fix. ford needs to do something about this. i want to go to media to let everyone that has this problem know that ford knows about it and will not do anything. apparently everyone has to pay out the [xxx] to have this fixed. i'm not one of them. i want my car fixed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

I was driving on the freeway when i looked back in my rear view mirror and noticed smoke billowing out the back of my car. i pulled over. my husband got out of the car and looked under the front. i smelled fire and he said it's on fire. my husband saw a liquid dripping from the car that was clearly on fire. i turned the car off. we immediately got ourselves and our 2 young children, ages 7 and 5, out of the car. the fire stopped once the car was off. fortunately, no one was injured. i was told by the tow truck operator and the mechanic that fixed the car that a transmission hose was sitting on the exhaust pipe, causing a leak in the hose and the resulting fire. i am also concerned that my car may be subjected to a recall regarding a faulty cruise control after reading on the internet. *tr

I had to replace transmission and solenoid, costing over $2500. *tr

Due to a defect, we had to have the transmission replaced (thank god it was still under warranty)...then had to have the door ajar sensor fixed because alarm kept going off for no reason. about two years ago we were abut to go out of town for thanksgiving. i stop at a red light, and then we try to pull off when the light changes and hear the loudest popping noises...we're wondering how in the world did the spark plug pop out with so much force that it also rips the ignition coil...(fast forward to 1yr later, same thing happens while leaving home to go to work). once again, on march 12, while on my way to work, sitting at a traffic light. light turns green...i start to pull off and begin hearing a popping noise...wth...not again!!! (this is the third time this has happened in 2 years). come on ford...fix the lemons!!!! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. while attempting to shift from park to the reverse, the contact noticed that the column shifter had separated from the steering column. the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. the current and the failure mileage was 228,000. updated 04/11/12*lj the hear shifter broke and the key would not come out of the ignition. the serpentine belt was cracked and had to be replaced. updated 04/20/12

The problem is a sudden cracking of the intake manifold causing slow coolant loss. when the intake fails the engine coolant pours out and the engine quickly overheats. *tr

I have a 2002 ford explorer that is in the shop right now with a torn down engine. i went out to start it one morning and it had a hard start then it started ticking. come to find out it the timing chain. from what i have read online it is a very common complaint and i am really surprised that this truck has not been recalled again for this problem. i am having to pay for something that ford made a mistake on. the pulley on the truck is plastic, and it is failing. i also have problems with my electrical parts on it. the lights inside will stay on after i turn it off and get out and if i turn on my rear defrost my truck dings and says door ajar..... this truck is awful. *tr

Timing belt tensioner......my car is making noises and every mechanic i take my truck to either tell me to get a new motor or sell it and no mechanic wants to work on it because its so complicated... :/ as a single mother either option is not an option....both my driver and rear passenger window motors broke, i already put in a new transmission 3 months ago...and now this.....i took it to the dealership on 11/10/11 and its funny how they kind of laugh about this model of vehicle and give me the same look that other mechanics give me about how the tensioner is on the back of the vehicle and they'd need to take the entire engine out to repair it, and if you don't repair it there is a chance that the tensioner will break and cause the entire back part of the motor to break......this needs to be looked into and recalled since there are so many drivers with the same problem on the same model. please help..please refer to the thousands of complaints at the following site... http://www.carcomplaints.com/ford/explorer/2002/. *tr

#3 cyclinder plub blew. had towed to dealer. dealer said they could fix easily by installing a helix coil adapter & could have car ready next day. dealer calls back and says they fixed it but it was really running bad and that they would not recommend driving it. i asked what the solution was and they said they could pull the head and refinish it but that they would not recommend doing such. i asked about a jasper and they said they would not recommend as jasper has a poor warranty (12 months+limited mileage & no labor) while a new ford engine would have 3 years, no mileage limit & be warranted for both labor and parts. as i needed the vehicle - as it is i had to rent a vehicle. after getting the vehicle back and talking with several other ford dealers - it would seem that there is a strong possibility that the ford dealer installing the helix coil may have dropped debris into the engine - as none of the other dealers said they have ever had to replace an engine for a blown spark plug. ps: the plugs were the originals from the factory. ...

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where they advised him that the timing chain was fractured and the engine would need replacing. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure and current mileages were approximately 177,000. the vin was unavailable.

2002 ford explorer spark plug ejection issue on v8 4.6l engine. this is now the second time that i have had spark plugs eject for the engine. from what i understand ford reduced the number of threads for the spark plugs to save machining time and costs in the manufacturing of the engine. this is clearly a safety issue. the first time i was lucky enough to get the spark plug threaded back in and was able to drive it somewhere for proper repair. i am not so lucky the second time as the threads in the head are destroyed. now i have the extra cost of towing the truck for repair. i have read many forums on this issue yet ford continues to ignore the safety of it's customers. it is time for them to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their design defects. *tr

i own a 2002 ford explorer with the towing package and 4.6l v-8 motor. i have 181,457 miles on it and have maintained it well. the motor does not burn any oil and has not given me any trouble until this morning, when i started my car. this morning when i started my car, i heard a loud bang and my car engine was loud and running very rough. upon inspection, i noticed that one of the spark plugs had been blown out of the right side cylinder head, breaking the mounting harness off of the coil for this cylinder. i tried to screw the spark plug back into the cylinder, but the threads were stripped out. after looking this up on-line, i learned that this is a common problem with ford v-8 motors used in f-150's, expeditions, explorers, etc. i have heard mechanics call explorers "exploders" before, and now i know why. i have never had a spark plug blown out of a cylinder head before and after reading all of the information on-line, speaking to the auto repair manager where i have my ...

Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer xlt(na). the contact stated that while driving approximately 65 mph, the vehicle stalled. the vehicle was towed to a local shop where the contact was informed that the catalytic converters failed. the manufacturer was contacted who stated that they were not able to help because the vehicle was out of warranty. the vehicle was repaired. the failure and current mileages were 107,000.

O/d light flashes for a few days then at around 25 mph the gear switches into neutral and runs very rough then the car is thrown forward. had a rebuilt transmission (we were told we were getting a brand new transmission and paid extra for it!) at 83k miles on oct 15, 2010 then feb 5, 2011 the same exact thing happens. the dealer cannot take the truck for another 5 days and refused to give me a loner car because it is not under the warranty. please note: below i put in the first incident date, feb 2011 is the second incident date. in may of 2009 i was told my engine failed at about 76,000 miles. we did buy the extended warranty and we were covered. the ford dealership told us we were not covered. they had our truck for 3 weeks until the warranty people called the dealership and let them know it should be fixed. we also had a rental car or a loner car under the warranty. they refused to pay for a rental car and said they did not have a loaner car available. ...

Purchased 2002 explorer xlt v6 4.0l already transmission slipping solenoid or whatever out.. i have read reports and wonder why this transmission is not recalled? i have it in shop now having to have it rebuilt and everything changed. also right wheel bearings bad, upper and lower ball joints bad, suspension shot. and the records show the previous owners maintained everything well. but also had transmission replaced and had problems at 99,000miles. please doing something for all of us out here. also coolant leak, engine leak, power seat failure, and on. *tr