Steering Column problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer - part 1

The shift lever literally snapped off at the steering column while putting the car into drive. Car couldn't be shifted into park, still running. Keys couldn't even be removed to turn the car off. Very dangerous. Seems like a fairly common problem among 2002 Ford Explorer owners. . Read more...

Gear shift in steering column fell off as I was beginning to drive. The vehicle had approximately 95k miles on it.

The gear shift just broke off while I was putting the car in reverse this is extremely dangerous the car had to be towed but we had to figure out how to shut off the car, since it would not shut off while in reverse. I got another whole steering column put in and within less than 2 months the gear shift broke off again this time the car was in park, but its scary. I have attached two pictures of the two different gear shifts. The piece that keeps breaking looks like its made out of aluminum not steel.

The handle to shift the manual transmission from park to reverse broke off at the metal part inside the steering column. This is could have been very dangerous if I was driving! Ford states they no longer produce the part.

After driving into a parking spot I tried to put the car into park and the gearshift fell. After it fell again I tried once more and it broke completely off. We had to take it to the dealership whom just turned it off and later informed us that they would have to replace the entire steering column which would cost $1700 just because one piece was poorly constructed and made of soft metal. It has been almost a month and now we're being told the part is on back-order so we still have no car. We've read where this has happened to others but yet nothing has been done about this problem by the Ford company.

While moving the shift lever from park to reverse, the lever broke away from the steering column and could not be returned to park position. The vehichle was stuck in reverse, engine running, and brake applied. With the brake applied, the engine was turned off, still in reverse. The key could not be removed until a small wire contact inside the steering column was shorted to the metal in the column. The vehicle had to be dragged onto a tow vehicle and taken to aikins Ford in winder, georgia. I was told the entire steering column had to be replaced and the part plus labor would be approximately $1500. Aikins ordered the part and is still waiting after discovering that there were 221 steering columns on back order with the after market manufacturer licensed to provide the part. The design of the shift lever included a "pot" metal disk housing that requires the spring behind it to be accuated by pulling the lever forward to change the the gear status. The housing snapped in half, leaving the lever dangeling by a small wire. Only the fact that the vehicle was not moving averted clear and present danger of an accident. I have requested that the steering column part be returned to me and have very good photos of the vehicle and the actual separation at the break in the column. I will furnish either to your department if and when I get my Explorer back. Now 56 days and still waiting. I believe that it was design flaw to allow a part that requires uniform strength to be a molded piece of "pot" metal and someone may get hurt, if not already in the 221 incidents that Ford is aware of.

I had just pulled in to my customers lot and went to put the car in park, as I did the gear shift lever broke off in the steering column and was just dangling. I put the parking brake on as the SUV was rolling, I could not get the keys out. I had to have it towed to interstate Ford in dayton. Oh.

Pulling in driveway stopped the vehicle going to put it in park shift lever broke off inside of steering column went on internet found 146 complaints as the same thing happened to them on Ford Explorer carcomplaints. Com.

Pulled into park, went to shift vehicle into park (was fully stopped) and gear shifter broke off. I did not apply any force, just the normal typical action of shifting the gear. Good thing it was in neutral when it snapped. Took rubber seal off of the gear lever arm and the part which the lever arm was attached had totally broken off. The metal was not stripped or twisted but broken. Part #905-104: column shift repair.

I was backing up in a costco parking lot and the steering column where you shift gears broke in half. There was no way to drive or shift the car. The car was in neutral and there were pedestrians in front of me and cars behind me. I yelled for everyone to stay clear, had a few men help push me back to a parking bin and pulled the emergency break. The engine would not shut off, I had to have car towed to my house. I checked on line and this has happened to over 1,000 Ford 2002 owners. It is due to a faulty manufacturer part in the column shift, a metal piece that broke off.

Tamara golletti got behind the wheel of her 2002 Ford Explorer, intending to pick up her son from school. When she tried to shift the car into reverse, she says the entire gear selector broke off and fell in her lap. It turns out she's not alone. Team 4 investigator jim parsons reported that the national highway transportation safety administration has been investigating similar complaints around the country -- some of which involved vehicles slipping into gear and crashing -- for more than two years. Nhtsa's office of defects investigation says it has identified 200 alleged incidents of unintended vehicle movement after consumers believed they had shifted the suvs into park, resulting in 85 alleged crashes and 32 alleged injuries. Earlier this year, NHTSA upgraded its investigation to an engineering analysis for 2002-2005 Ford Explorers and Mercury mountaineers. Golletti says Ford told her she would need to replace her entire steering column to fix the broken gear selector at a cost of more than $1,500. Instead, she worked with her local mechanic to find an after-market replacement part that retails for $30. So far, Ford motor company has not issued a recall on the gear selector. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While moving the gear shifter from park to reverse, the gear shifter fractured and detached from the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The technicians stated the steering column had to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that upon shifting the vehicle into reverse, the gear shifter separated from the steering column. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer denied assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 183,000.

My 2002 Ford Explorer (automatic transmission) was parked in my driveway. I attempted to shift out of park when the gear shift broke off in my hand. I now have to pay $1360 for a replacement (used) steering column. After doing research, I have discovered that this problem is very common with 2002 Ford Explorers. Ford motor company should voluntarily do a recall, before a class action law suit is brought against them.

After starting the car (leaving my son's baseball game with my 2 year old daughter in car!), I attempted to put the car in reverse and the gear shift broke off in my hands. The key was stuck in the ignition and could not be removed. It required a special tow truck to get this to the dealership. They quoted me $1600 to replace the entire steering column. If you search online there are literally hundreds of complaints like this. Why has a recall not been issued? this is ridiculous, and extremely unsafe. What if you were going in reverse and tried to shift to drive and the gear shift broke off? you could case major accidents. Not to mention getting stranded with small children in the car and no way to remove the key from the ignition! Ford should be ashamed - this part that broke is made of cheap pot metal, and Ford does not manufacture or sell a replacement part for the small piece that broke, instead they make you buy a $1200 steering column! shame on Ford!.

My husband was driving our 2002 Ford Explorer when he went to back out of a parking spot and the entire gear shift fell off the steering column. The vehicle will not shift gears and the key can not be removed from the vehicle. Luckily he was in a parking spot. Had he backed out and this happened as he was trying to put the car in drive her could have in a major accident. It is very very very unsafe. The car is getting towed to the dealership. At this time it is unknown what will be done to correct the problem.

While backing up, the gear shift broke on my 2002 Ford Explorer. It was good that I was not in traffic because I could not get the car back in gear and could have gotten hit and or caused an accident. The steering column was replaced and the parts were in my opinion over priced. My fear is that it may happen again because it may have been replaced with the same defective part.

While picking up my pastor at the dulles airport, I shifted my 2002 Ford Explorer into park. Before I could even reach park, the shift handle detached itself from the steering column and was limp in hand. The only thing left attached, was the wiring cable. I couldn't get the keys in or out of the ignition, most likely because it wasn't in park nor in reverse. Of note, because of that, it was very hard to get a tow truck guy to accept the responsibility for dragging it onto the flat bed truck. The piece that broke was just a small aluminum cast pin. When the Ford dealership called me the next day with a quote for repair, I was shocked at the price, $2145. 00. I was told I needed a whole new steering column because the part that's broken couldn't be repaired with in the column itself. That's when I went on line and searched for similar problems. I was aghast to find hundreds with similar or exact same problems I had. My question is, why isn't there a re-call for this particular defect since so many people are having problems with this small pin? if no recall, why can't Ford help financially or at least, partially to help offset this high expense for such a small fix? I am on a fixed income and a several thousand dollar repair sets us back significantly. Does anybody have a solution? does anybody have any other options to get Ford to help with this problem, I'm desperate. Thank you all.

I was picking up a family friend, an while waiting for her to come to my 2002 Ford Explorer, I put my truck into park, when she got in, I then attempted to put it back into drive, an the gear shift handle broke off into my hand, it basically dangled there an I had no choice but to call a two truck driver. I got an estimate for over $600 for a used column, cause apparently Ford doesn't make the little piece that broke off. I have been online for awhile to find another way of getting this fixed an I have seen hundreds an hundreds of complaints for the very same thing, why hasn't this been recalled yet? what do I or we have to do to get Ford on the ball with this continuing problem? thank god it is stuck in park, an unfortunately so are my keys.

While putting my 2002 Ford Explorer into park at a drive up atm machine, my gear shift just feel into my hands. I was stuck blocking the drive way and had to be towed to a shop where they say the Ford dealership wanted about 1500. 00 to replace steering column. The shop told me that was too much for just a small part that was broken. The dealership said it could not replace just the small part that was broken. My shop told me that it could not find the small part and they see it they can get certified welder to weld the part and it would cost way less then 1500. 00. As I researched this problem on line I came across many complaints about the same problems I am having; the same year model, make and same problem. I am still waiting to hear from the shop about how much it will be and how soon I can get my car repaired and back to me.

My wife and I and our 8 year old twin boys were on vacation this summer driving through the rocky mountains in a rain storm. It was August 13th, 2010. There was a huge single lane traffic jam because of an accident. We pulled over to the side of the road because my wife needed to get out and stretch. When I put the 2002 Ford Explorer back into drive, the shift lever broke off in my hand like it was made of butter. Needless to say, we were in shock and scared because we were stuck at the top of the rocky mountains in a rainstorm. The Ford was stuck in drive so I decided to drive it all the way to our hotel in rife, colorado. We were very scared the whole way. We made it to our hotel. The local Ford dealer could not get a part until the following week. A local mechanic rigged it so we could get home to California in time for jobs and school. We felt very unsafe the whole way. When we got home to California, the local Ford dealership replaced the entire steering column and shift lever for $1,300. I have a 2nd 2002 Ford Explorer eddie bauer edition. When I got home from work today, I parked my Ford Explorer in the driveway, put the shift lever into drive and it broke off! again, like it was made of butter. This is exactly two months after the other one broke. Today is October 13, 2010. I am very careful with my vehicles. My wife and I are both teachers in our mid 40's. Now, I am left with the same make and model with the exact same defect and I will be calling Ford and asking them to treat me fairly and repair this defect at their cost. Can you help me?.

Very loud noise in tires while driving and in steering column when driving my 2002 Ford Explorer . It is most likely a wheel bearing issue. This issue in this truck should be a recall item.

I was reversing out of a parking spot and then shifted into drive when the lever went limp. It was stuck in reverse and I had my two young kids in the backseat! I was scared out of my mind!!! I sat in the car with my foot on the brake for 45 minutes waiting for my cousin to tow the car to my dad's house. According to all the cases I've read about, and the Ford dealer parts guy, I now have to replace the whole steering column. There's only two junk yards here on guam and neither one has the part so I have no choice but to buy from the dealer and the part alone is $1500!!! I'm going to have to take out a loan just to fix the car that I'm still paying off. It's unbelievable that there has been no recall or that Ford has made it so that we have to get the whole column instead of the one little part that broke.

I have a 2002 Ford Explorer and while trying to put my truck in park the gear shift arm broke off in my hand. I had to leave my car in reverse and I was unable to remove my keys from the ignition. My car is completely un-drivable. I have had it towed to a repair shop, but they are charging me $550 to replace the whole steering column with a used steering column.

2002 Ford Explorer gear shift broke off when putting car in park. Steering column replaced by dealer with used parts. Dealer retained possession of old parts.

2002 Ford Explorer ball crank broke the consumer stated the ball crank broke when he attempted to shift from park to reverse. The consumer's mechanic made numerous calls in search of the part needed, only to discover the entire steering column had to be purchased at a cost of $1,395. 00.

There is a common thread with gearshift selector breakage on Ford Explorers which indicates that recall is urgently needed. In the driveway of my house, with car in park, I tried to shift into reverse to back out. The gearshift selector on the steering column broke off and just dangled. I removed the rubber cover on the steering column to have a look, and I could see rough metal where end of gearshift selector rod meets with joint inside the steering column, indicating that the metal simply broke there. Called service at Ford dealer in henderson nv, was told that entire steering column needs to be replaced at parts + labor cost of $1920. Had I been parked on a hilly street in san francisco, e. G. , a serious accident might have occurred with the car out of control. Recall is urgently needed before people are injured due to this obvious defect!!!.

I am sorry I am not a good speller I was pulling out of the gas station pulled up a little so I could see then a little more and seen a car so I went to put it in reverse but the gear shift stick broke right in my hand I almost got hit but thank god there was someone with me that put his life on the line got under the car and changed it manually the used part I have to get is 250. 00 dollars and labor is like 300. 00 I have to have a hole new steering column put in the clip that makes it change broke I just don't think it is right to have something as week as that part on there we could have been killed and when I looked it up on the internet there are hundreds of people this same thing has happened.

2002 Ford Explorer approx. 77,000 miles shifting from park to drive gear shifter broke of at the base causing the vehicle to be stuck in reverse. After contacting Ford headquarters was informed there was nothing they could do even though there are several complaints on the internet. The dealership charges several hundred dollars to repair because the whole steering column has to be replaced. Part is currently on order.

I turned into my driveway and put my Explorer into park the shifter broke off and the car was not in park. Thankfully I was home and it is now sitting with the key still in the ignition and emergency brakes on. Tried to buy the gear shift plunger on steering column and the Ford dealer said I can only buy the entire steering column. $1200. 00 they showed me the column it has a different plunger that reinforced this suggest that they are aware of the problem.

Gear shift broke off the steering column of my 2002 Ford Explorer. Truck was rendered inoperable, but could have the potential of being stuck in gear if the shift breaks off at anything other than park or neutral.

As I was putting my 2002 Ford Explorer in reverse the shift handle broke off the steering column and is now just hanging by the cruise control wiring. Unlike other Explorer owners I was "lucky" enough to get stuck on park and not drive or reverse where there's a potential of someone getting hurt. As many others have stated before me, this is obviously a manufacturer's defect which if not taken seriously will eventually lead to injuries and/or deaths. Please don't wait until reports start coming in with numbers other than zeros on the "number of deaths" & "number of persons injured" fields for you to hold Ford accountable for their actions. Thank you.

As I was putting my 2002 Ford Explorer in park the column shift handle came off in my hand. I could not move the vehicle. I had to have the entire steering column replaced. I have done research and this is not an unusual problem. In fact in some case it has happened more than once tot he same vehicle so there is no guaranteed permanent solution. This is a potentially dangerous situation and I think something should be done before some gets seriously injured or killed. Some people's cars have been stuck in drive or reverse. I was lucky. My repair place told me this was the second Ford Lincoln Mercury within a month they saw this happen in. The other vehicle was a Mercury mountaineer. This is an unacceptable situation and you have many complaints on your site about this specific issue. I would some action taken now. It is not only inconvenient and expensive, it is dangerous.

After pulling into a parking lot, the gear shift lever fell off into my hands while trying to put the car into park. I was unable to drive the car; therefore, it needed to be towed to a Ford dealer. The service technician said he had never seen this problem before and proceeded to tell me that I would need to have the entire steering column replaced. The estimate for this job was $1200. The technician located a used part and was able to replace the column for a few dollars cheaper. I was without a car for nine days. There were no previous indications that this problem would occur. The car (which is 6 years old) only has 50,000 miles on it.

The gear shifter broke away from the steering column on my 2002 Ford Explorer. The shifter itself did not break, but rather a piece of metal attached to the column, requiring the entire steering column be replaced at $1100. The required cost to get your vehicle fixed is extreme and caused by a design flaw. I googled broken gear shift on '02 Explorer and found an unlimited number of people who have experienced this same issue. Ford clearly should recall this part and cover expenses incurred to repair their problem. This happened in my driveway, but the owners manual suggests switching gears while driving which could clearly be dangerous and possibly cause injury or death to the driver.