Gasoline Engine problems of the 1997 Ford Explorer

I had purchased a 1997 Ford Explorer XLT from mk auto in auburn, CA and the car fax I recieved said there had been no recalls and no accidents on the vehicle. The owner from mk auto assured me many times that the fehicle was in good running condition. The day after I baught the vehicle it broke down in me. Mk auto took it back 3 times in hopes they could fix it, but never did. 10 months later the cam chain guid broke in the engine. My husband and I looked on the internet and found there had been 13 recalls on my vehicle I never knew about. This car in very unsafe for my family and I am outraged I was never notified! I have now tried to buy another car, but the Ford Explorer is worht so little and now I have so much negative equaty its hard. . . . . . . I finally found a car, but am paying dearly for it because of the Explorer which has been sitting in the car lot of a Ford dealership for over a month!.

No summary listed for above vehicle.

Engine is a 1997 4. 0l sohc. There is a very noticible miss in the timing at idle. When the vehicle is sitting still, it bucks and shudders the whole truck, but the idle speed never varies more than 100 rpm. Had same problem with 1991 Explorer 4. 0l. Dealer ran on the vehicle and could not find any problems. Mechanic said this is common with these engines. Dt.

After cutting car off and parking for a while, consumer tried to restart car and it would not start.

Ongoing problem with defective engines. Dealer / manufacturer notified, and replaced engine. Later on, problem reoccurred again. Engine needs to be replaced again. Feel free to provide any further details on this matter.

My vehicle suddenly started accelerating when I was proceeding down the interstate. I could slow the vehicle down somewhat by aggressively applying the brakes. However, this would just get me slowed down a little until I would release the brake. The vehicle would suddenly speed up again. I was traveling on a fairly busy stretch of interstate at the time of the incident. I luckily did not have a need to stop quickly while this problem occurred. I tried hitting the accelerator a few times to get it to stop sticking in the "wide open" position. I even tried manipulating the cruise control (which was off). After several failed attempts to remedy the problem, I started trying to think of a quick game plan to get out of this potential disaster. I am very thankful that my wife was not driving at the time and that I did not have others in the car during this nightmare. I was finally able to find a shoulder where I could pull off the road. As I said, the road was extremely busy and I was very worried about getting off the road safely with a semi-truck not far behind me. I pulled toward the shoulder and put the car into "neutral". The rpm's, which had been running extremely high for about 3 minutes, moved even higher at this point. The rpm's were pegged to the top of the gauge for about 30 seconds. As soon as I felt I was off of the roadway enough, I turned the key to the "off" position. When I got out of the car there was a horrible burning odor coming from the front of the car. I am not only concerned about the problem that may have triggered this incident, but I am also very worried about collateral damage that this undoubtedly caused. I feel that this caused an excessive amount of wear and tear to the engine and the braking system. On top of all of the physical damage done to the car, the experience was scary to say the least. My wife refuses to even get in the car at this point. Needless to say, she doesn't want my kids to ride in it either.

Engine stopped. Never started again. Plastic "cassette guide" failure in engine?? said dealer. Timing / valves all went.

The engine locked up and was replaced twice, the dealership refused to pay for any repairs.

Engine "ticks" primarily at cold startup. Problem becoming more prevelant however, now it occurs also at a warm startup. Engine also "hisses" at low speeds to idle. Rear end leaks fluid and also shudders at high speeds. "clunking" noise often heard and felt from rear end when vehicle stops.

I know that Ford is fully aware of the problem. The replacement parts reflect that. Those who experience failure during warranty are fortunet to save hundreds of dollars. I still as of yet not claimed my vehicle .

Vehicle caught on fire in the engine after sitting for over an hour. Also caused the house to catch on fire.

No summary mentioned for this vehicle. Ak.

When vehicle comes to a stop the motor races with the rpm's going up to 6000, idle arm sensor replaced, but still idling high.

Consumer was driving on highway at 55 mph under normal road conditions, consumer heard something popping. Then noticed a gas smell. Within a few seconds later other motorist was signaling for consumer to pull over. Pulled over and found engine on fire. Dealer notified and informed consumer that they do not do fire repairs and the vehicle was not under warranty. *akthe vehicle was under warranty but the warranty did not cover fire related failure.

Vehicle has been brought back to dealer several times with same complaint, dealer complies ,has acknowledged Ford has problems. However, nothing has been done that seems to rectify the problem. Vehicle has had problem since the first year, and it continues to get worse. Investigation control number was issued #118268bh (11/30/98). Ramp Ford has been helpful to us in this matter, but it seems that Ford has not provided the dealership with a way to fix this problem.

When parking the vehicle or leaving vehicle overnight, the vehicle does not start, and this is a problem for the consumer. Manufacturer was contacted.

While driving vehicle about 45 mph after leaving from a gas station, smelled somthing burning. Stopped and looked under the hood, but did not see anything. When parked vehicle on the bank parking after coming from inside, found her vehicle on fire. Dealer and manufacturer were contacted.

While driving at 40 mph the engine caught fire.

Consumer was going to pull out into traffic, merged into lane when vehicle completely stopped/no motion, but engine was still on/running/and in gear. Pushed pedal to the floor, heard noise, no response. Gradually picked up speed after waiting about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Dealer could not duplicate same problem.

The engine races from 55 to 70 mph.

Engine turns and vehicle moves on slight incline with engine off and manual transmission in first gear. Resulting in crash.

Engine is noisy.

Intermittently when making a quick left turn the truck loses power. The problem has been reported to the dealership. Dealer cleaned speed sensor and replaced idle air control, but the problem still exists.