general problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer - part 1

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the steering wheel intermittently seized while driving at various speeds without warning. After finding a replacement part at a salvage yard, the contact had the steering wheel replaced by an independent mechanic; however, the failure persisted. The contact also stated that an abnormal ticking noise was coming from the engine with the abs warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the same independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

The car always feels like is about to jump off the road or the lane im in whenever I drive over any rough road or pot holes. %ģ.

Driving nd steering wheel fell apart brake switch stopped working 3 times had new transmission put in had to have 3 different sets of tire put on back window shattered while sitting at red light.

I own a 2002 Ford Explorer, it's our daily driver everything works except the hubs, this truck has never been wrecked, and we find ourselves@ about every 15,000 to 20,000 miles having to replace the wheel bearings and hub assembly's , last night on the way home the driver side front hub started squealing and came apart and we had to have it towed again, I have owned this truck for 3 years, I have had to replace the bearings and hubs brakes 11 times and now I'm going to have to do it again, wow, these parts are really expensive to have no better quality than that, everytime we get it fixed it cost around $1400, it's a nice truck, and everything else works great, no issues, I transport my family members in this vehicle, and I'm getting tired of fearing for their lives and my own when the wheel hubs break and leave us stranded , it's obviously time for a different vehicle, and I just thought about how many other people drive one of those trucks, and how dangerous that could have been out on the interstate, it's a good thing we were driving 30 mph on a country rd, if we had been in town when it broke again we I thought that the last time this happened too, there definatly is a problem, when the guy at the dealership says that's a very common problem, but unfortunately, all he can do is fix it, or sell me something else,and that that's the issue that those trucks have and that everyday someone is dropping one of to get fixed for the exact same problem, anyway I think it's time to try something else, but this problem needs to be on a recall list because it's just bad business and a safety hazard, and it's problaby already gotten people and families killed, I'm going to fix this thing one more time and give the people that buy it this website info, Ford motor company needs to fix this ever occurring problem.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the shifting lever used to shift gears fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 120,000.

After arriving back home from dinner I was putting the car into park. Half way between reverse and park the gear shift arm broke!.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while in reverse, the vehicle accelerated independently. Additionally, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond and the steering wheel seized. As a result, the vehicle crashed into trees then went forward independently crashing into shrubs, a fence, and a building. In addition, the air bags failed to deploy and smoke started to emit from the front of the vehicle. A police report was filed. The contact sustained bruise and neck and head injuries that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Shifter lever broke off.

Utah I-15 south bound, inside lane next to concrete barrier with tour bus in lane on my right. My vehicle began to drift to the right as I was passing the bus. I corrected by slowly turning the steering wheel to the left; not hard or fast but slowly and evenly. The Explorer (4-door, 2002, XLT) began to whip back and fourth violently. It took me several hundred yards to get the car under control after coming within an inch or two of both the barrier and the bus. This is not the first time the whipping problem has happened. I bought the vehicle four months ago from a private seller. I put new "big-o" bigfoot tires on it and had the front end alignment checked; it was fine. If I hadn't done some fancy driving the vehicle would have rolled (at 80mph) and I probably would have been killed. I am getting rid of the Explorer and never buying another Ford product again.

Yesterday evening, I got into my 2002 Ford Explorer and noticed the gear shift lever was stuck in park. I was unable to shift into reverse in order to back out of the driveway. This morning I figured I would give it another attempt as I needed to head out for work. As I tried again, I simply applied the break, grabbed the shift lever and as I pulled the towards me and began to pull down to shift into reverse the lever completely broke and is now hanging. I did not apply excessive force at any point. No more pressure then I normally do when shifting from park to drive to reverse, etc. I looked up this particular situation via internet and noticed many, many complaints of the same exact description. Hopefully Ford will recognize this issue and issue a part recall.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact was attempting to exit the driveway when the steering wheel fractured. The dealer replaced the steering wheel. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 130,000.

As I was driving in snow, I put the car into reverse to go around another car. When I put it back in drive the gear shift handle broke off in my hand. I was stuck in my car unable to shift, if I turned it off I would not have been able to restart the car. I had to sit on the side of the road and figure out how to get it back into gear with my foot on the brakes.

August 27,2012. Huaband driving howm from work. Going down hill to traffic light. Car suddenly, with no warning, stalls out completely. Loss of power steering, power brakes. Etc. A/s contuinued to work. Engine ligh came on. Wrestled car to verge of road. Turned car off and it restarted on forst try. Stated that the following day as he attempted to pull away from stop sign, car would not initally take gas but then suddenly accelerated ( " I peeled rubber!") recalled that thatsame incident had had happened approx. 2 weeks before at a diffeent stop. Car taken to repair shop, somputer shows no issues. Believe car unsafe to drive if affected with sudden, unexplained stalling with no apparent cause. Bought car as "certified, pre-owned" used car from Ford dealership in Dec. 2012. They have no answer, no suggestions as to problem cause. Internet search shows multiple complaints for this same problem with the Ford Explorer.

I just purchased the vehicle in a private sale on 11/09/12 and on 11/10/12 went to shift from park into reverse on a flat surface and my shift lever broke off and I am not able to shift my vehicle.

On the afternoon of October 22nd 2012 my pregnant wife was leaving the speech therapist with my son went to put the car in reverse and the shifter snapped off in her hand. The car every since we had it when u put it in park as a delay and rolls for ward a bit I feel that this is a recall that Ford should issue for this car. Its just not fair to have to pay over 1200 dollars to fix something that is not my fault. What if this would have happened in the street luckily my wife knew to shut the car off and apply the emergency brake. This problem really could end up in serious injury or even fatality to an individual.

Went to put car in drive from the park position and the shifter completely broke and was hanging. Also, I was not able to get my key out of the ignition. We were planning to make an out of town trip the following day, however, had to change plans due to this situation. After searching online, I have discovered there has been numerous complaints for this exact defect for the exact type of vehicle. It seems that since there has already been so many same situations, that a recall would have taken place by now. Not has it only been inconvenient, but could also be potentially dangerous!.

When accelerating on a start, car doesn't shift into 2nd and 3rd gear. . . . Unless there is a push or jump into it.

Shifter broke off while shifting from park to drive,cannot shift vehicle. I read online there are numerous people that have had the same problem ,they were all wondering why there hasn't been a recall on this problem. Has there?.

While shifting from drive into park, the gear shift broke off in my hand and was stuck in reverse. I had to have my car towed as we couldn't get the car to go into park.

While my wife was backing up in my son's driveway, the gear shift broke on my 2002 Ford Explorer. The charge to repair by a Ford dealer was roughly $2,000. 00 (including tow charges). After doing research on this issue, it apparently is way too common, however Ford refuses to acknowledge responsibility or issue a recall.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 65 mph, the front and rear end of the vehicle began to shake violently. In addition, there was severe vibration in the steering wheel which caused difficulty in steering the vehicle normally. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 148,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Please do something about this !!!! the Explorer gear shifter is defective and unsafe. There is a common thread with gearshift selector breakage on Ford Explorers which indicates that recall is urgently needed. After parking, I tried to move the gear shifter from drive to park to exit the vehicle. To my absolute astonishment the gear shifter broke like a dangling broken arm in the reverse position. The vehicle was rendered useless and me optionless. I work at a secure gov't facility and it was no picnic trying to get a tow truck driver access. I finally got the truck towed to the nearest dealership at $85. The dealer then informed me that the entire steering columun would have to be replaced at $1,690. They didn't have the part and needed a day to get the truck back to me. I had to rent a car which was another $102 bucks. Make Ford take care of this safety hazard. I asked for the part and can show you what broke inside which is literally a weak metal housing that the gear shift handle fits in. . . .

I was driving in town at approximately 30 mph when I drove over a crack and it felt like a large pothole. I heard a grinding noise and pulled over. My rear springs were both broken. The driver side one at the top and the passenger side one at the top in 3 places. When I turn now it feels like my vehicle is going to roll over. This is a common problem as stated by many others on many internet sites. This is going to cause a serious if not deadly accident. Ford needs to do a recall on this part and replace them for free, since they were the ones who used bad parts in their vehicles. This is a manufacturing defect and should be treated as such.

Vehicle was westbound on ohio turnpike when the driver lost control and the vehicle left the roadway, struck a sign and came to a rest in the gore letter updated 03/18/10 ohio traffic crash report # 10-0076-89.

The gear shift is hard to get into park. Sometimes after in park the SUV stills moves. No damage or crash yet. But I make sure to put on emergency brake.

Started car and when I put car in drive, shift gear on 2002 Explorer just fell off this is happening all over the USA I could have been driving and this could have happen. My wife and child could have been driving. Do people have to die to make this a recall why isn't this a recall.

I was having trouble placing my car in park. The gear shift would not work unless I forced it. Many of times I would place in park and it would roll. I thought it was my fault. On June 10, 2009 I placed my car in park and the gear shift broke. I was told that "it happens"with this truck and that there had not been a recall even though there was thousands of complaints. I am a single mother and I cannot afford to pay $700-1200 dollars to get this replaced. It is a disgrace that Ford does not stand behind their trucks. I will never buy a Ford again.

When I tried to put my 2002 Ford Explorer into reverse the gear shifter snapped off in my hands. I have never seen this happen before but have been researching this on the internet and it seems to be a real issue with the Ford Explorer design of the shifter mechanism. My vehicle has 90,000 miles on it. This also seems to be consistent as to when most break.

Saturday I tried to put my 2002 Ford Explorer XLT in park and the gear shift snapped off. I wasn't trying to jam it in park, just simply tried to put it in park. It is right now stuck in reverse with the key stuck in the ignition. I had my children with me and no clue that there was anything wrong with the car. Please note that while I was trying to figure out what was going on, the car rolled backwards a bit. After, doing some research on the internet to see if Ford had any recalls for this I found that many more people just like me had experienced the same thing. The pictures that the others have uploaded of the metal/aluminum piece is the same exact piece that is broken on mine. Please believe me I am not an extra strong person as to where I could have done this myself (broke the piece of metal). Please look into this for it is a very costly repair that should be looked into and taken care of by Ford.

Shifter broke off.

As my wife was shifting from park to reverse in our 2002 eddie bauer Ford Explorer the gear shift prndl just fell off in her hand. Ford dealership in asheville nc tells me there is a six(6) month back order for this part. After having to replace the transmission at 80,000 miles and replacing both rear clutch packs at 72,000 I was livid. Six months to get a part????? are you kidding me. Ford is lucky this thing didn't fall off while my wife was driving down the road. Ford says "we're sorry" and "we understand your frustration" hogwash. Where this goes from here I don't really know. They beat me down with their inaction and stalling and turned me against them all together. I finally found a part in texas from a junked Explorer (no help from the dealership or manufacturer) and had it fixed for around $1500. The transmission bill came in at $2000 and the clutch packs came in at $800. All on a vehicle with less than 100,000 miles.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the rear bearing went out on 9-6-05. The consumer is unsure if it was on the right or the left. She did not hear a noise prior to this but reported that the vehicle felt sluggish. The contact said that the vehicle was not steering properly and it was pulling all over the road. She reported that steering was very sloppy and she could not control the vehicle. She called Ford motor company and they took a complaint from her and said they would evaluate it within 3-5 days.

While driving 70 mph consumer lost control of the vehicle, dealer notified.

Im complained that the steering was too sensitive. I swerved to avoid a tire in the road and lost control of the vehicel. Took car to dealed who found no problem. Days later I received a call from the dealer that they had a factory rep coming to test my car. (why if there is nothing wrong) the factory man said he road tested the car and put it on a lift. He found no problem that is the way a short wheel base should drive. Fords big excuse was there is a sticker on the sun visor that reads "avoid abrupt manouvers" the rep even wrote on my service ticket that the lable was in place. The car can flip over but we told you so. I dont think this is safe and it is not right for Ford to know they have another problem and wash it away with a lable. Drive down a highway and tell me if you can avoid abrupt moves. How come airlines dont put stickers on the seats that this plane might fall from the sky. Ford has a problem and the public will pay with their lives.

While traveling at 25 mph steering became impossible to turn in any direction. Took to dealer, and they stated this was a known problem with a defective seal. Consumer feels consumers lifes were put into danger because of a known problem. Please provide any further information.