Axle Assembly problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer

One of my customers came to me with 53,000 on her 2002 Ford Explorer. The complaint was a mile long. Engine light is on, abs light is on, speed sensor,a/c probs, rear axle seals are leaking on the irs, poor excuse for a rear axle system in my opinion. A person cant tell if it is the differential or the rear bearings are bad, reading on here I think that they are both bad. Diff is full of metal shavings. I am sorry but if Ford don't start standing behind such a poor excuse for a vehicle, that one one gentlemen on here is going to be right someone is going to get hurt first. Thanks for all the great input on here as a mechanic it means a lot. I am going to loose a big job granted. Unlike other certain places hmmmmmmmmm dealers I care about my customers and value their lives. You should do like I am going to strongly encourage my customer to get rid of this piece of crap. This is why the foreign car manufacturer are kicken our butts because we cant build anything decent and the stand behind it. What's that. That's how we are, we always wait till its too late to do anything until someone gets hurt, like our children. What really pains me is that Ford motor CO use to be an american icon along with all there competitors in the american market and use to care about keeping a customer for life and keep up on things like customer service and quality, ins CO (don't even get me started). The worst part about it is you cant tell me that you should not be able to 100,000 miles without major defects other that normal maintenance. Ok im done. Signed: a guy worried that people cant find us honest mechanics kurt from green bay WI.

Ford Explorer 2002 clutch pack in rear diff went out causing rack and pinion to go out. Ford dealer states this is a common problem with this year. Had rear diff rebuilt by dealership with Ford parts and 24,000 miles later the dealership says it needs replaced again. At $1300 to over $1500 each time this is crazy and neither Ford nor the dealership will assist in the cost. After calling Ford customer service my aggravation increased because they refused to acknowledge that this is a problem. Now same problem on our 03 expedition. If the diff locks up I can only imagine what will happen.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While driving 50 mph, the contact heard a loud noise from what she believed to be the middle of the vehicle. She parked the vehicle for a while and then restarted the engine. The noise went from a loud humming noise to a loud whistling noise. The vehicle became difficult to steer, and began to pull. The contact pulled over and realized that the rear axle on the passenger side failed. The vehicle was towed to her residence because she could not afford the repair. Ford was not notified. There were no recalls available and the vehicle has not been repaired. The failure and current mileages were 80,000.

I first noticed a grinding when I would turn sharply with my 2002 Ford Explorer. I took it in and it was noted that I needed to have my rear differential rebuilt to replace to ring and pinion gears and clutch packs. After 1 day of having the vehicle I was notified that a bearing had fused to the axle assembly and could result in my rear axle seizing up while driving. The total repair is going to cost $1500.

Constant rubbing/grinding sound from rear axle sounding like very loud road noise. Initially had spring kits , but on rear emergency brakes which did not help. Finally, had to have the rear axle assembly rebuilt by a kit that the manufacturer made available through a technical service bulletin, showing they were aware of the problem.

Vehicle makes a whinning sound from the rear drive shaft when accellarating over 35 mpg.

On the back liftgate, the middle body piece has cracked again after being replaced around the Ford symbol. Dealer has replaced once and will not replace again. The axle housing is leaking next to the differential.

: the contact stated that there was a roaring noise coming from the vehicle's rear axle. The dealership determined the differential was leaking and there were also metal flakes in the differential.

2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4wd rear end troubles, third time having work done on the rear axle and assembly, troubled started at about 40000 and now at 72000 miles. Seals, bearings, rear axle. Humming and whining noise from rear end at both highway speed and city driving. Dealer quoted over the phone could run in excess of $2000 for parts and labor, took it to a local garage spent $1032 dollars for repairs. Replaced with dealer only parts, no savings there. Ford claims no problems with rear end. All indications is the problem will return. I'm not convinced the problem is fixed.

Three instances of whining noise at 50+ mph and fluid leakage from rear axle seal 2002 Ford Explorer. The first one caused loss of control when accelerating on highway. Difficult to determine since rear transaxle fluid leaks down drive shaft to brake assembly. I noticed significant corrosion of brake assembly where fluid is running into the wheel assembly. Only when leak is significant will fluid drip onto surface below rear axle. Dealer noted Ford engineers are aware of problem but expect the consumer to pay for repairs. First replacement of rear axle seals at 30000 miles; second at 460000 miles and the third at 62000 miles. These seals should last longer. Second instance had vibration when engaging the vehicle in reverse and loud whining noise/ vibration from rear; then fluid leakage. My dealer acknowledges that many Explorers (2002-2005) have this problem and Ford motor company engineers are evaluating; as a dealer there is nothing they can do. Ford has not indicated a fix other than to check fluid level, replace rear axle seals, and/or the rear unit. This is a significant hazard since in most cases the vehicle owner will not know there is a pending failure due to the fluid leaking down the rear axle drive shaft toward the brake/wheel assembly. The whining noise will increase as fluid level decreases with risk failure and loss of control. This problem is far more common than reported due to the difficult nature of observation of leakage. One has to crawl under the rear transaxle and carefully inspect the two axle seals to look for signs of corrosion and fluid leakage.

There is a loud howl/whine coming from the rear axle area of our 2002 Ford Explorer. We understand that this has been a common complaint with these vehicles. Our Explorer is out of warranty but since this seems to be an inherent problem with this vehicle we would like for Ford to at least share the cost of repair with us.

The rear end on my car was causing a loud humming noise above 40 miles per hour.

Loud tire roar when I reach speeds over 45 mph. Took it in for service. Dealer noticed the noise but didn't acknowledge how to fix it. Very loud, almost makes you not want drive. The problem is with the engineering of the vehicle.

My 2002 Ford Explorer is making a howling sound from the rear end and is leaking fluid, sometimes this fluid reaches the tires and makes contact with the brakes. . . Could this cause them to fail? crash? many people have this same problem, I went to a large parking lot and looked under several Ford Explorers 2002-up 6 out of about 10 had this problem, what is it going to take before Ford fixes the problem, does someone have to die?.

Roar/whine from rear end @ 40-65 mph. Stops when foot removed from accelerator.

Two instances of whining noise at 50+ mph and fluid leakage from rear axle seal 2002 Ford Explorer limited. The first one caused loss of control when accelerating on highway; resulting in coming to rest within inches of concrete barrier after jerking across several lanes. Difficult to determine since rear transaxle fluid leaks down drive shaft to brake assembly. I only notice because I perform a monthly inspection of the undercarriage. Noticed significant corrosion of brake assembly where fluid is running into the wheel assembly. Only when leak is significant will fluid drip onto surface below rear axle. Dealer noted Ford engineers are aware of problem but expect the consumer to pay for repairs. First replacement of rear axle seals at 39000 miles; second at 50000 miles. These seals should last longer. Second instance had vibration when engaging the vehicle in reverse and oud whining noise/ vibration from rear; then fluid leakage. This is a major safety issue for the Ford Explorer. Several work colleagues had the rear axle sieze due to lubricant loss with similiar symptoms, almost causing serious accident. My dealer acknowledges (bill estes, brownsburg, in) that many Explorers (2002-2005) have this problem and Ford motor company engineers are evaluating; as a dealer there is nothing they can do. Ford has not indicated a fix other than to check fluid level, replace rear axle seals, and/or the rear unit. This is a significant hazard since in most cases the vehicle owner will not know there is a pending failure due to the fluid leaking down the rear axle drive shaft toward the brake/wheel assembly. The whining noise will increase as fluid level decreases with risk failure and loss of control. This problem is far more common than reported due to the difficult nature of observation of leakage. One has to crawl under the rear transaxle and carefully inspect the two axle seals to look for signs of corrosion and fluid leakage.

Loud thumping noises coming from front end of 2002 Ford Explorer. Ford says they are normal. It didn't do this when we bought it. Also there is a loud whining noise coming from the rear end. Rear end has been replaced onced. Problem disappeared for about 10k miles after it was replaced. Wife is afraid to drive the car as we have three newborn babies.

Hello, I own a 2002 Ford explore XLT with 50,000 miles v-6. In the rear end of the vehicle there is a grinding noise that is in a rythmic patteren. I have scheduled an appointment next Tuesday but was wondering if there is any recalls that I should know about. After reading several forms from other Ford Explorer owners it sounds as if there is a reoccouring problem.

Loud whining noise in the rear differential . . The bearings are bad and the seals are leaking.

Multiple wheel bearing failure on 2002 Ford Explorer 4x4, 42,000 miles. Loud noise prompted action before complete failure. Complete failure may have resulted in wheel lock-up and possible crash. Despite complaint and resquest for the repair to be covered given limited mileage, no assistance from Ford motor company. Dealer did replace one unit at no charge. Ford provided no assistance. Personal knowledge of another owner with similar problem, had to replace all four wheel bearings. This is certain to become a major safety problem as these cars age if Ford is not held responsible for the defect and forced to take preimptive action to save lives.

I have a 2002 Ford Explorer that has had many problems with the rear end. There is a constant leak, on the right side, that can't ever seem to be fixed. The first time I took it in to the dealership they said it was the axle seals and they replaced them. Then it happened again and they said it was my hub which they replaced. It happened again and they said that a groove had been worn in the axle and that was causing the leak. Less then a year later the other side of the rear end is leaking.

Abs light was on. Also, back axle was replaced. Currently, the abs light was on again. The abs light was on a total of 3 times.

Drive train and rear axle have persistent shudder and binding when shifting gears 2-3 and upon acceleration dealership has been notified and will not resolve problems that have been id'd w/ service bulletins for the 5355-rw assembly and the rear-gear lubricant ratio mix-up inthe sealed rear housing even though they have rec'd protocal from mfg. On the procedure and/or replacement partsas being available since Mar 2001 this has been noted in other complaints that have resulted in severe damage done to the rear axle and wheel components but they do not see this as a problem when in fact it can result in vehicle failurethat may result in injury or evem death. I personally see this as blatant negligence on the dealerand mfg. Part of resolving this issue. My Explorer exhibited trouble since July'04 and was mfgd. In the time frame that a defect was brought to Ford's attention in this matter. What do they want a certain number of deaths or injuries?.

1st time was the rear howling noise at highway speeds, primarily during acceleration. It was remedied once foot was off the gas pedal. Inner/outer axle bearings, racers, pinion seal were replaced. 2nd incident occured less than 30 days, and 3000 miles later, when the truck decided to pull me from 75 mph to 25 mph in seconds. There was a major leak under the rear axle, and the truck required towing. There was a major replacement to the rear end, do not have the documentation at hand, but it was expensive. Now, 2 years later, 30000 miles later, the rear end needs an expensive part for replacement. When I made sharp right/left handed turns, there was a shudder, a grind, that was coming from the rear. Ford service notified me same day that a pack needs to be replaced for $725, about the same region where original problems have occurred. Should I expect to see similar problems continuing during the next 30k miles? I feel that I have been pretty caring to the vehicle by having it serviced every 3k miles. Didn't see this coming. How many more complaints until recall?.

My 2002 Ford Explorer XLT has expierenced all the power train problems that I ahve found on this site. My dealer ahs been admirable in trying to resolve these problems but it seems we get one fixed and another starts. The firs was the transfer casr had a shutter in it between first and second gear , then the rear end had a bad bearing, then the left rear axle had a bad wheel bearing, then the vehilce was staying in four wheel drive all the time, this happened on a trip this fall bare ground. Then the latest is the transmision is going to neutral at stop signs and red lights by itself. The vehile then sits and revs until with a bang the transmisson engages again.

Rear end noise (grinding) in our 2002 Ford Explorer during DE-acceleration. First time to dealer 8/25/03 mileage 30,901, nothing done, 2nd time to dealer for the same problem 11/03/03, mileage 36,930 could not find problem. Problem seems to go away, came back around 75,000 miles. Took vehicle to another dealer and complete rear end was replaced at a cost of $2600. 00. Not sure why it was not detected with the first time to the dealer?.

Ford Explorer rear end had high pitch noise: mechanic had to place a new rear end in the vehicle: four wheel drive locked into low gear and would not release: replaced control switch but 4x4 high light blinks.

While traveling 55 - 65 mph a high pitched whinning noise would develop in the rear portion of the vehicle. The noise would subside as the pedal was released. However the noise would increase as the gas pedal was slightly pressed to advance speed. Took to dealer on 6/11/02. Mechanic claims to know what is causing noise. Truck is sitting up on rack apart and the tool to remove axles is on national backorder. Needless to say the loaner vehicle I am currently using has the same sound, but is not as severe at the moment. I feel this may be a design problem that may not be fixed as easilly as hoped.

Ltr fm consumer (ky) re the problems she's had w/the rear end of her 2002 Ford Explorer, want Ford to buy back her vehicle. In the summer of 2003 the consumer heard a whinning noise coming from the rear end. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who noticed oil was leaking from the rear end and replaced the seal. A few months later the noise returned the seal was replaced again. A few months later the noise returned again. The entire rear end had to be replaced. The consumer would like for Ford to buy back the vehicle.

The rear axle leaked. Which was caused by the rubber seal eating into the metal of the axle per mechanic. The rear axle failed between 17k miles and 30k miles and had to be replaced 3 times.