Automatic Transmission problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer - part 2

Vehicle had a history of suddenly jerking harshly while driving at highway speeds (65 mph), but at irregular intervals and problem could not be forced to replicate. At approximately 97,000 miles while on an out of state trip, the vehicle began to refuse to accelerate properly from a standstill, appearing to "limp" (in Ford's words) until it reached 10-15 mph, then it would suddenly engage and accelerate rapidly, but would still quit accelerating briefly until reaching speeds >40 mph. At interstate speeds, the transmission seemed to run fine until going into mountains, where it would not find the right gear for maintaining speed. Car continued to worsen until finally reaching a dealership that was willing to look at the problem. No error codes were observed, so was told the transmission had to be overhauled or replaced. The overhaul was not going to be guaranteed nor would the dealership promise when the car would be repaired and recommended a Ford rebuilt transmission, which I was forced to select. The vehicle still has problems, though not as severe as formerly, but there are still no error or service codes being returned by any of the car's electronics. I have no options other than to drive it until it fails completely again, wherever that may happen.

2004 Ford Explorer. Od light is blinking, service engine light is on, transmission shift stalls and lurks. Mechanic says alot of Ford Explorers are having this issue and there is no recall.

On January 17, 2009, I was attempting to back my 2004 Ford Explorer out of my driveway. When I attempted to put the truck into reverse, the steering column-mounted gear shift mechanism broke. The "wand" broke completely away from the column, with only the rubber covering holding it in place. Later, when a mechanic opened up the steering column, it was apparent that the gear shift mechanism failed because a piece of metal broke in half; it looked to be made of some soft metal. Because of the way Ford designed the transmission, the entire steering column had to be replaced. The Explorer had only 55,000 miles on it at the time of the incident. Total expenses for repairs were in excess of $1,600.

Purchased the vehicle new. Had regular maintenance performed. Shifting has been harsh and sporadic since nearly new. Has gotten progressively worse until now (Jan, 2009) 67,000 miles when it became un-drivable. Took to Ford dealer where purchased. Bottom line is that transmission is shot and they recommend a new tranny. Further research, online and with other owners, makes it obvious that this is a common, well known problem possibly having to do with incorrect tranny fluid installed when new. Ford says no recall, no warranty, and provides no relief. This is criminal.

There are many know problems with this transmission. I have made repairs to many 5r55 series transmissions and they are all defective in a few different ways. I spent 5 years at Ford repairing these problems and now my personal vehicle is showing symptoms of failure. The only proper repair for this is the complete replacement of said part. Although the replacement part is most likely going to be a failed unit from another vehicle.

I bought it brand new in 2004 and have taken very good care of this vehicle, but it hasn't returned the favor. I have had multiple transmission problems that Ford says that they all do it and won't fix it. My tailgate cracked next to the Ford symbol, once again won't fix it. My paint on my hood is peeling off. I only have 50,000 easy miles on it but looking at it and driving it you would think that it had 150,000 on it. I will never buy Ford again!.

Bought car with 9k miles on it, transmission slams into gear in reverse causing car to jump backwards, called dealer stated knew what problem was fixed under warranty. 40k miles later it is happening again, more severe and jerking forward while driving. Almost hit pedestrian, could not control. Dealer states out of warranty will not fix. Informed them this is the same problem, work is faulty. Many complaints of this on-line with this type of vehicle. It is a major safety issue. Car is now jerking more violently causing the wheels to screech when put into reverse. Does there need to be a death or injury in order to investigate this?.

A couple of months ago I notices that my Explorer made a weird humming sound when I remove my foot off the gas going downhill at highway speeds. I also get the hard/clunk shift sound when going from park to reverse with a couple second delay. It takes longer then normal for vehicle to accelerate as if the truck is having difficulty shifting itself. Whaling city Ford in new london CT said problem was that we have two tires that are a bit smaller then the rest and proceeded to try to sell us four new tires. I took it for a second opinion and the auto shop actually spent time on my vehicle and said that our tires are fine, it is the tranny. How can Ford get away with this and what is my recourse since so many others are having this issue?.

We own a 2004 Ford Explorer. The Ford recall to remedy factory transmission fluid problem was a band-aid to fix liver cancer. The transmission jumps into reverse a few seconds after shifting, and the shifts when going forward are "jerky". Ford has tried to placate owners with an additive. The problem is ongoing. Nothing has been done to correct the problem.

2004 Ford Explorer, still has harsh shift from park to rear, have to press brake hard so car does not jerk when shifting to rear, fluid was replaced by Ford dealer 2 years ago but harsh shifting never addressed since it was on and off 2 years ago, presently happens much more often.

2004 Ford Explorer. Gear shift lever broke off in my hand when shifting from park to reverse. Transmission indicator stuck between park and reverse. Vehicle could start but not move. Key stuck in ignition. Shift lever broke off at metal cast inside column. Towed to Ford dealer. Needs entire steering column replaced to fix this part, cost over $1000. Others with same problem due to defective part. Called Ford hq, but no help with covering repairs for this problem.

Purchased 2004 Ford Explorer used with 9k miles on it. Immediately noticed strong jerking movement when putting into reverse. Dealership fixed the problem, stated it was common. Now 43k miles, same problem; much stronger. I'm noticing this jerking while driver forward as well. On occasion the car will just jump forwarded as if someone was jumping on the gas pedal. . Read more...

2004 Ford Explorer transmission clunking and shifting roughly, taking long time to engage cause vehicle to roll back, does not seem to engage for a period of time. Also whines so loud folks in back seat can't hear front seat people talking. Appears each time driven. Was that way when purchased new and dealer fixed it, now once again same issue.

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer. About two weeks ago, I went to shift from park to reverse so I could back out of my driveway. The gear shifter broke off in my hand. It was dangling by some sort of cord. I could not shift into park, and could not get the key out of the ignition. I had to leave the car in neutral and put the parking brake on. I've had three mechanics look at it, and all of them said this is not something that should break. It is going to cost me $1100 to fix, because a whole new steering column has to be ordered from Ford. I contacted Ford via email, and they are not issuing a recall at this time, which I think is unacceptable given how common this problem is.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. When placing the vehicle in a parked position the vehicle it rolled backwards even when it was on a level surface. On one occasion the vehicle rolled backward and crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries. When the failure occurred she notices the over drive light illuminated on the instrument control panel. The dealer stated that her second gear was missing; therefore, she would be responsible for paying $3,700 to replace the transmission. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 95,000 and the current mileage was 100,000.

My vehicle when put in reverse will hesitate then engage approx. 30 sec. Later as if rearended. When I am in drive and accelerate my 04 Explorer XLT will hesitate then engaged.

Hi! my 2004 for Explorer has been suffering from transmission problems for over 3 years. The car was taken to the dealer for repair while under warranty multiple times with the dealer doing little to satisfy me or address the issue. The problem has gotten progressively worse to a point that it has become a public hazard to drive. It seems to jump in and out of gear as it wishes with a clunking sound, especially when put into reverse. I took the car to the dealership this past week after being advised to do so when I called Ford's 1-800 number and they are suggesting that I replace the transmission. The catch is that my SUV is now out of warranty at only 46k miles. Bear in mind they failed to remedy the issue in the past. I went online and found that this problem is rampant with this model and year. . Read more...

We purchased a 2004 Ford Explorer 4. 0 liter v6 approximately 6 months ago (46,000 miles). Shortly after the purchase the vehicle began to shift hard from "park" into "reverse". The vehicle also shifts hard while in motion. It feels as if the vehicle has accelerated on it's own. Mechanic advised the transmission will cost approximately $600. 00 in parts, and approximately $800. 00 in labor. It is unknown how long the transmission will last until complete failure. I have grave concerns that it may fail as we are on the interstate causing death or serious injury.

The transmission in my '04 Ford Explorer shifts incredibly hard, will stall in mid shift, and can slip into reverse from park at anytime. I am one of thousands of owners in the 2002-2005 years in which Ford/Mercury put these transmissions into Explorers and mountaineers and they are junk. Something needs to be done by Ford being they've fixed the problem in their 2006 models. The dealers don't know how to fix the problems.

Explorer jerking and bucking when put into reverse. Problem eventually worsened with bucking once put into drive. Bought used at 31,000 miles. Symptom evidenced at just over 33,000 miles. Transmission replaced at cost of nearly $4,000. Addressed this issue with Ford . Response- sympathetic but nothing they can do? or is there? design or manufacturer error. Either way accountability should not be an issue. Last Ford I will own.

Ford has an obvious design flaw in the transmission for the 2004 Explorer. Similar to thousands of others,when put into reverse the vehicle hesitates for 5 - 10 seconds and then bangs into gear with a sudden power surge. We've barely managed to avoid hitting the house and other vehicles. A "repair" just cost us ~$900. Ford claims no knowledge of a problem. What a joke!.

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The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While driving 15 mph, the vehicle failed to shift into second gear. The check engine and overdrive warning indicators lights illuminated. The dealer stated that the cause of failure was the cylinoid circuit. The current mileage is 41,124 and failure mileage was 41,000.

At 50,000 my 2004 Ford Explorer XLT started having transmission problems. It does a slamming when putting into reverse. The brake has to be pushed all the way to floor to keep the vehicle from lurching into anyone or anything. It also has a slipping and jerking when the vehicle shifts into 2nd and again when it shifts into 3rd. I am not the only person with this issue.

There is a lag between putting the car in reverse and the car actually going backwards. When it does back up the car jerks backwards at an accelerated rate. It also does this when changing gears while driving. This started right after I bought the car, and I brought it back to the dealer, and they replaced the transmission fluid. This has not helped. If fact as the car ages, it is getting worse.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle made a loud banging noise, hesitated, and then lunged into reverse without warning. The failure occurred after the vehicle was driven for more than an hour. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The current mileage is 25,300 and failure mileage was 22,000.

Within a week of buying my 2004 Explorer I experienced problems when shifting out of reverse. I also experienced a loud "clang" while doing steady interstate driving (over 200 miles). Over time transmission shifting became sluggish, untimely, and loud. A recall was received and a transmission additive was added. Problems continued with the transmission (same as noted above). In June '06- dealership replaced some parts of the transmission (under warranty). Five months later, I'm continuing with problems. Loud "clang" during long road trip. Jerky, hesitant shifting continues. Took car to dealership and no problems were found with the transmission and dealership was not able to duplicate during 30 mile test drive. Car stalled in parking lot this week, jerky motion continues going up steep incline and loud "clang" exists on long roadtrip. Warranty is about to run out in about 400 miles. I have contacted customer care center resulting in no help. Also have repeated problems with fuel gauge not registering properly.

We have a 2004 Ford Explorer with 41,000 miles. In the past 3 months we have had to have the transmission overhauled, universal ball joint replaced, wheel bearings replaced, parking brake replaced. All work has been done by the dealer. On the evening of 11/21/06, we were leaving my daughter's school and I got in the vehicle to back the car up a few feet so that my wife would not have to step in the mud. I started the car, put the car in reverse (foot on brake), and when I took my foot off the brake to move the car a few feet, it surged backwards, like a cannon ball in reverse; it crashed into a neon, which was parked 6 feet from our car, sent the neon flying about 15 feet into another car; (the neon's front end was crushed). I felt I had no control over this vehicle whatsoever. We are thankful that it hit a parked car, rather than traffic coming from behind. What would have caused this? the policemen that responded to our call suggested that we not attempt to drive the vehicle, so we pushed it to the side of the road and had it towed to the Ford dealer. The other car in the incident was not drivable and also had to be towed. One of the policemen that responded to our call said that they had a similar accident happen with one of their police cruisers (another Ford product); when the car was put into reverse it shot backwards and hit another police car, but they did not sustain damage because the cars were parked so close to each other. Please help us figure this out. We are afraid to get back into the vehicle. As of this date, Ford has not figured out what could have happened to the vehicle. We also found on this website similar incidents with this model of the Explorer. We are also waiting for our insurance adjuster's review of the incident before the collision work takes place.

: the contact stated while shifting the transmission into gear, the vehicle jumped. The problem progressively worsened and the vehicle did not respond properly to the depression of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealership, where diagnostic tests determined the transmission needed to be replaced.

When the Explorer is put in reverse it takes up to 5 seconds to engage and then jerks backwards after making a large clunking noise. U joints and wheel bearings have been replaced, but problem still occurs.

Shifting from "drive" to "reverse" transmission engages harshly.

When shifting into reverse, the car jerks (shifts hard) backwards every time. Eventually, transmission had to be rebuilt. The problem no longer exists.

I have a 2004 Ford Explorer XLT 4x4 which recently had to basically have the transmission rebuilt. I feel that this is a manufacturer defect simply because the vehicle is only 2 years old. Since the warranty is exceeded in mileage I was responsible for repairs, which totaled $1652. 78. The vehicle had just under 56,000 miles when this occurred. I would greatly appreciate any help with investigating this problem. Just a little piece of info, I also have a friend that has a 2002 Explorer that had the same identical problem. I do not find that to be coincidental! and her vehicle had about 70,000 miles on it when this happened to her.

: the contact stated there is a shift delay before going into reverse or drive, after a 5-10 second delay it goes into gear. This is an intermittent problem. Last week the shift lever assembly was replaced by the dealer because it broke off in the column. The vehicle was taken to the dealership about the delay problem however they are unable to get a diagnostic code to correct the problem.

Vehicle goes forward after put in park and turned off. The transmission has been checked at Ford dealership. Have letter explaining that if transmission fluid was not changed out that serious consequences may occur. Ford dealership not aware as this was not displayed as a recall. Herefore,transmission fluid was not changed at that time.