general problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer - part 1

We have recurring wheel bearing and hub assembly issue. The timing I put on the form may be off a bit but not much. Its all like a recurring Ford Explorer nightmare at this point! we have replaced bearings, hib assembly, tie rod, then rear end went up ( and shouldn't have)/now again, another bearing and wheel sensor. The truck cuts out when at a slower speed. I lost steering a few months ago while driving and when I try to put it in gear, sometimes it won't move. I have called Ford, nhtsb and no one is willing to make Ford recall these issues and Ford won't do the right thing knowing it's an ongoing problem with a lot of Fords! please someone help! I have multiple sclerosis and a heart issue. I need a safe reliable car and can't afford to get another one. Someone, please do the right thing here! I know its an older model and I question if this is why the recall isn't happening. Idk but this isn't right. The truck is sitting out front needing an additional $700 of work . After rear end, tie rod, bearings, brakes in the past several months, we have no way to fix this lemon. Always been Ford but if they or a governing agency doesn't help. . Never a Ford again. Look at all the complaints for the same thing!!!! shameful.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated the right rear lug nuts sheared off of the wheel. The contact stated that the same failure previously occurred to the front left driver side wheel. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The lug nut was replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 159,000. Pam.

The machanic called it a rear complete strut assembly part of the spring back by the back wheel on the driver side is broken off.

Tl-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 mph, the lug nuts sheared off. As a result the rear passengers side tire came off causing damage to the vehicle. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000. Mc.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact was completing a right turn at 3 mph when the rear driver's side wheel became detached from the vehicle. The contact noticed that the lug nuts were completely sheared off and the rear passenger's side tire was missing a lug nut. The vehicle was not taken to an independent mechanic or dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 169,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, a dragging noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the rear passenger side lug nuts were loose and caused the wheel to separate. The failure was previously experienced on the rear driver's side. The local mechanic replaced the lug nuts however the failure was not corrected. The lug nuts continued to separate from the rear wheels while driving. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileage was 100,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 3 mph, the front passenger's side wheel became disconnected from the vehicle, causing the vehicle to forcefully drop to the ground. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the lug nuts had sheared off of the wheels, which would need to be replaced. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The contact was awaiting the repair of the vehicle. The failure and current mileage was 98,000.

Wheel bearings went out on front right wheel and both the rear wheels. I just replaced my transmission and now I have to pay for wheel bearings which is not cheap. I cannot believe Ford does not acknowledge this problem with alot of Explorers. I would not every buy Ford again.

All 4 of the wheel bearings had to be replaces in a matter of 5 months the rear window has a crack in the fiberglass covering right down the middle said not covered not a health risk but the molding is still cracked from the bottom of window to the bottom of the molding piece brake lights stay on until u get back in and tap the brakes then the light shuts off.

Rear of vehicle emitted a thumping and popping sound. First thought that rear tire had blown or that rear end had malfunctioned. After regaining control of vehicle and pulling off to shoulder on three wheels and a rotor, determined that the driver's side rear wheel and tire had disappeared. All lugs and nuts were gone. Wheel had departed from vehicle and gone in an unknown direction. Rotor and caliper where still attached to vehicle. Policeman was later able to retrieve wheel and tire from some distance down the highway behind the vehicle. Rim was scored all the way around the circumference of the inside of the rim. I assume that the rim had dropped down onto either the lugs or rotor prior to finding its way out of the fender well. Blessed to be able to talk about this. Ford motor company, there are recurrent problems here. Had rear bearing replaced on same wheel approximately 16 months prior. Suggested repairs around $400. 00 to start for this incident. There may be greater damage and cost because the vehicle rested and dragged upon the rear suspension strut and torsion bar prior to get it stopped and pulled off of the pavement onto the grassy shoulder.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact was driving 55-60 mph when three studs detached from the passenger side rear wheel. The vehicle was towed to a private mechanic and the manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was repaired and the VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 55,000 and the current mileage was 68,000.

Tl- the contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 30 mph, the wheel detached from the vehicle. The contact discovered that a lug nut was detahced from the wheel which caused the failure. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was advised that the lug nut was sheered. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 120,000. Kmj.

A 2003 Ford Explorer rear wheel drive with 82k miles. The wheel hub bearings have failed on both rear wheels.

The drivers side rear hub broke without any warning or indication of any problem whatsoever. It destroyed the knuckle and the wheel nearly fell off.

Multiple episodes of lugnuts on 2003 Ford Explorer top-of-the-line original equipment chrome wheels loosening over time. Traveling at highway speeds when serious vibrations have occurred. On each occasion, lugnuts were loose or missing, with one or more lugs completely sheared off on two separate occasions. On this reported occasion, lugnuts were very loose on one wheel. Most logical explanation appears to be that wheel material is not capable of performing as designed, and that delamination/oxidation of wheel surfaces are primary contributing factors.

As I was driving to work the other day, I was sitting in a line of cars waiting for my turn to go through a 4-way stop when my 2003 Ford Explorer suddenly stopped running. I had plenty of fuel and the electrical worked. The engine simply wouldn't turn over. I called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to my local repair shop. After some inspection, the repairman determined that I had blown a fuse. The cause was my abs sensor continually sending out an problem signal. The cause of that was my wheel bearings going bad. Further inspection showed that at least three of my wheels have bad bearings. The repairs are incredibly costly (well over $1,000). And the mechanical failure is dangerous, including wheel separation, wheel seizing up and brake failure. I was lucky to have been stopped at an intersection. I drive on the interstate daily and if the car had failed there, it could have been incredibly bad. While wheel bearings to fail, the mechanic said it is incredibly rare to see multiple bearings go out at the same time. Well, except for Fords. He said the Explorer and focus (especially the '02 & '03 models) have a reputation for wearing out. Sometimes, multiple times for the same wheel. A quick google search proved him right. There are hundreds of complaints for this problem on the '02 & '03 Ford Explorers. I realize we're going on 8 or 9 years since these vehicles were produced, but how could the same issue on hundreds of cars not have been addressed yet? the problem seems to obviously not be due to user error or poor mechanical maintenance. I implore you to investigate this further for the sake of the thousands of people still driving these cars every day.

Both front wheel bearings.

Wheel bearing failure.

Abs light on,second wheel bearing needs replaced.

At about 85k miles, the studs on the rear tires of my 2003 Ford Explorer began breaking-off. This has happened three times while I was driving and twice while getting my tires rotated. I have probably replaced almost 20 studs in the last 18 months. I have had numerous diagnoses from mechanics and all have been wrong. Finally, a service manager at quirk Ford in quincy, MA admitted that he did not know the problem. Of course, I have already paid thousands of dollars to have the problem fixed - to no avail. The service manager contacted tecnicials at the corporate level and they recommended several things. The service dept at quirk Ford had already done all of these recommendations in the past. The corporate level technicians claim that their is not history of this in other vehicles, but a quick internet search reveals that this is not true. There are countless complaints online from 2002-2004 Explorer owners identifying the same dangerous problem.

Wheel bearing needs replacement. Normal driving conditions. At only 52,000 miles the truck started making a humming sound. Had it checked out and the front wheel bearing needs to be replaced. $500!.

2003 Ford Explorer ext with less than 85,000 miles. After having my abs (antilock brakes) lights come on several times, I had the abs module completely replaced. The light continued to come on afterwards, so I had sears complete a front end inspection. Found out that the vehicle needs both front end wheel bearing hub assemblies replaced. This is apparently affecting the tires and the brakes as well. Had I not found out when I did, the bearing could have went out completely, and caused a crash and possible injuries and death. This vehicle does not have alot of milage on it and should not need bearings this quickly. I am not the only person with this complaint. . . After alot of research, I have found alot of ppl with this problem. View this website for more info. . Read more...

My car is a 2003 Ford Explorer with aluminum wheels. Overall the car is in great condition. When washing the car there is some chrome peeling from the wheel at the hub extending out to the lug nuts. I removed the wheel after some effort due to the corrosion of the aluminum. I cleaned he corrosion from the aluminum at the hub and found internal pitting between 1/8" and 1/4" deep when probing. I am a architect with a engineering background and in my opinion the loss of aluminum structure is significant and the wheel no longer safe. The other wheels have some chrome peeling as well and will also need to be replaced although I have not looked at the depth of the pitting or removed the wheels. As Ford has the Explorer has had issues with wheel failure in the past and this is a issue that was not observable when I changed the brakes about a year ago to very significant now it may be worth looking into. I have a photo of the aluminum if you like and will retain the rim when I get a new one. The other three wheels have not been removed if you wish to see these in the near future undisturbed prior to replacement. The threaded portion of the axle is corroded with no threads visible and 10% of the diameter lost. The center of the wheel behind the plastic cap was 20% filled with corrosion residue when I removed it. The other side has not been opened up yet. I have had other cars over the years including Fords and never have seen an issue like this.

2003 Ford Explorer, front and rear wheel bearings fail. I have had them replaced once, and now they are going out again. After investigation, this is a recurring problem with this year. Something about poor design. Contacted my local deal and he said Ford knows about this, but on such an "old" vehicle, Ford isn't going to take any action.

While driving at 20-30 mph while making a left turn, and after hearing a noise that sounded like a blow-out, the right rear passenger tire was thrown from the vehicle, after review of the vehicle, the lug bolts were all severed from the vehicle. No damage to the rim or the tire existed.

Wheel bearing and hub assembly failure.

Front wheels made loud humming sounds and at time felt like they were rubbing. Mechanics found that both front wheel hub assembly's were failing simultaneously. They also think the rear is starting to go. This appears to be caused by poor design and/or craftmanship by manufacturor.

I own a 2003 Ford Explorer xls with only 74500 miles on it and both front wheel bearing assembly have gone bad. I know that these will fall off while driving causing serious injuries.

Wheel bearing/hub failure.

Purchased the vehicle from carmax on 9-19-07 it has been towed in at least 5 times and has been in for service for the same issues over and over again transmission, radio/nav system ,spark plugs breaking off and going into engine , back firing when starting vehicle ,starter / ignition switch,front noise and loss of power . On 11/28/07 it was towed in 2 months after I purchased it. They stated on the invoice brakes and emergency brakes severely rusted, carmax has said they performed two inspection on this vehicle 1 in va. And 1 in MD. How did they miss brakes ( on Monday, march10th 2009 heading south bound i95. The SUV ( 2003 Ford Explorer) started to shaking violently. At this point, I had started slowing down from 65 mph to 55 mph to get off of 95. Moments later the tire flew off of the Ford Explorer, before I even had a chance to get off. Fortunately, I kept control of the SUV and was able to get over coming inchs of hitting the guard rail and other cars around me. . The tire went of the road up the hill and back down onto 95. The tire went about 2/10 of a mile down the road. Fortunately, the tire did not hit anyone else and no one hit the tire. I came slamming to a screeching halt hard on the front passenger side of the car ,jamming my left arm. The car has been towed to carmax in white marsh, MD. They have stated to me, via voice mail , that this is not supposed to happen. This was due to faulty wheel studs and we should follow up with Ford . My warranty will not cover any of the damage that has been done to SUV. After doing research on Ford explores I have found that they have had this problem with faulty wheel stud since 1998. Yet, I have not seen any recalls. We are very fortunate that my family was not in the car . I feel that Ford Explorers need to been investigate as well as recalled. They are very unsafe and it looks like Ford is covering these issues up.

At 110000 miles was driving at highway speed and heard "bumping, rumbling sound", car was not handling well, got off at next exit 1 mile down the road and as I was slowing down right rear wheel fell off vehicle. Had it towed to dealership and they noted that the wheel studs were bad and the wheel bearing was bad, replaced both. At 140000 miles was driving at 50 mph and heard same sound, stopped immediately and found that left front wheel was loose. Had it towed to dealership, they stated that they found rust on the rotors/lugs/wheel, cleaned it and retorqued wheels to 130 ft lbs, stated they have had this problem with other vehicles!! at 151000 heard same sound, I was driving on a side road at 30 mph, stopped immediately and the left front wheel was loose again (tires had been rotated, so this is not the same wheel as previously). Dealership again cleaned the rotors/lugs/wheel and retorqued wheels to 125 ft lbs this time and stated that with some of the previous problems they were attributing it to delamination of a coating on the aluminum wheels, but that we don't have that kind of wheel. By luck and careful monitoring we have not been in a serious accident with this issue - yet! a front wheel falling off at highway speeds could likely be deadly. There are repeated reports on this problem, it is not an isolated incidence. The only time the wheel studs were sheared and bearings were bad is when I did not catch it in time and the wheel actually came off, I firmly believe the issue is the same though, the wheel falling off is causing the studs to shear and bearings to go.

Chrome wheels on my 2003 Ford Explorer limited "centennial" model are cracked and pitted at the center hub where they get mounted to the vehicle. I tried to buy new tires recently, but the tire dealer will not install new tires on these wheels. They say they are a safety hazard and that the wheels need to be replaced. They said the wheels could fail and cause loss of control of the vehicle. I replaced one of these wheels back in 2006, but now 2 more of them are cracked. These are top-of-the-line chrome wheels and sell for more than $400 each.

One of the rims on our Ford Explorer fell off the car at high speed and, according to Ford, it came within seconds of falling off on a previous occasion (also at high speed). These are the factory rims that came with the car when we bought it new in 2003. The dealer has now determined that the rims are so rusted that when they are removed for service and then replaced without having the rust removed, the surface of the rim is rough and does not "mate" properly against the hub. Eventually, the rusted material starts to flake off, which causes the rim to loosen against the hub and the lugs to snap off. The cause of this problem was not identified by Ford until after the most recent incident (July 4, 2008). The rims have been causing problems since September of 2005, when the car was two years old and under the original warranty (we also had an extended warranty that expired a few months ago). Despite having the car serviced at Ford dealers at least 11 times between September of 2005 and July of this year, nobody ever told us that the rims were so defective that they could fall off at any time. Our dealer has offered to pay half the cost of new rims, but we refuse to pay a single cent. We have not done anything to contribute to this problem, which could have killed our family twice.

Right front wheel bearing. There is only 68,000 miles on my 2003 Ford Explorer and the wheel bearing has to be replaced. After doing some investigation, I found that there are several thousand complaints about bad wheel bearings for the Explorer. Shouldn't this be a recalled since it is a safety hazard????.

2003 Ford Explorer rims are corroding chrome is peeling off could cause rim to become weak or break peeling chrome is sharp and could cause severe cuts to hand when cleaning or handling wheels off car.