general problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer

On two incidents this week when steering wheel is cut to maximum left or right in tight parking lot and narrow road while making tight turns at legal speeds the engine (v8 4. 6l) stalls. Brought to non-Ford mechanic for inspection(nys annual) and passes but mechanic looked for a power steering pressure sending sensor or switch that is to give signal to emc to increase idle to compensate for more power steer demands. Part is $35 at partgeek but mechanics dont know where the harness the sending switch is located, if one exists or is it in power steering pump. Call Ford nada! call two local Ford dealers. One says dont work on cars 15 years old, other says go to liabary to get diagrams, Ford says obsolete parts in 10 years. Bummer! husband ordered 8/10/20 new 2021 bronco. Pushed into 2022 due to supply chain. Found out bronco built at map same as ranger, will not get stronger 10r80 transmission,but Explorer 10r60, 25% weaker ; and gets Explorer 2. 3l egoboost non- ranger improved 4×4 engine , although they say same transmission and improved engine as ranger in ads. Ford buit tought? my2022! please investigate this highway traffic safety isdue. No braking nor steering when senson in power steering stalls 4. 6l engine. Cannot apply gas and brake to keep from stalling when making sharp turns. I am 75 years old and with copd. Serpertine belt replace before incidents.

In 2004 Ford Explorer with v8, the cruise control turns off engine when traveling 35~45 mph and going down a hill or decline. This affects power steering and brakes making it difficult to control and slow down the vehicle. This has happened repeatedly for the past 10 years, so I am used to this defect. My workaround is to put the vehicle in neutral and restart the vehicle and then continue.

The car was running fine and no warning light of any kind came on. We went to go start it today and it start up fine. When we tried to put it in all the gears and pressing on the gas it didn't do a thing. I mean it won't move at all.

Driving down the road at 10:52 pm and with no warning the entire truck shut down/off. All lights inside and out shut off, engine shut off, no power to the entire vehicle. Coasted to a stop, put it in park and turned the key off and then back on - the truck started right up with out a problem.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while having the vehicle inspected, it was discovered that the ball joints were worn out. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

This is a county govt vehicle purchased used from a dealer about 2 years ago. I had been highway driving for about 3-4 hours at speeds between 55-70 mph. I made one brief stop during that time, and was mostly using cruise control. Just prior to the incident, the speed limit drops from 70 to 55, and then to 35 in a relatively short distance. I used the cruise control coast to reduce my speed from 55 to 35. The 35 mph speed starts on a bridge- there is a small incline and then a little larger decline. At about the base of the bridge, the engine shut off, I lost steering and coasted to a stop. I don't recall if I had braking. I was with a passenger; it was night, and this occurred in an area that was not safe. I tried restarting the car, and it restarted with no problem. I drove to a nearby gas station. The power steering fluid was low, so I filled that, restarted, and drove the remaining 1 1/2 hrs with no problems. Other employees continued to drive over the next 2 1/2 months locally-very little highway driving, with no issues. On February 21, I was returning from a trip in this vehicle from the same area, with the same circumstances as above. When I was still on the bridge where the speed drops to 35, the engine shut off again. This time I was alone. There was a vehicle following very close behind me but fortunately I continued to coast as this was on the decline of the bridge. I was able to steer slightly to get off the highway. The check gauges; check engine, and battery warning lights were all on. The car restarted with no problems. I drove to the same gas station; checked the gauges-all were normal and no warning lights. I drove the 1 1/2 hrs remaining with no problems. On a web search, I found multiple cases of very similar problems on Explorers with no resolution. I could find no recalls on the VIN. This is an extremely dangerous and potentially fatal problem.

This is the second Ford Explorer I have owned and both of them had the same transmission problems. Yet Ford has no recall or even anything to fix them except $3,000. 00 to a dealer out of you pocket for their mistake. I guess since no one has been proven to have gotten injured or died due to this issue, then there won't be a recall made on it. This is totally unsatisfactory for the Ford motor CO. Because they have workers that screw up, the consumer ends up footing the large bill of repairing it. There is a known problem with the transmissions of these Explorers from 2000 - 2005 yet no one seems to want to address it. Ford motor should be ashamed of putting such faulty vehicles out on the road and endangering another humans life for their profit. This is the last time I will buy and Ford product and I will encourage everyone I know not to buy Ford either. I wonder how Ford would like the media exposure for this issue. No good customer service or product.

While driving, the vehicle just shut off. I had no control of the vehicle once it shut off, except to utilize the emergency brake to get me stopped. Once stopped, I put it in park and it started up first try. No check engine light came on. Same thing happens on a regular bases. Usually happens while braking or turning at speeds lower than 30mph, then engine just stalls and everything turns off. This to me is a major safety concern, because without total control of the vehicle and vehicle lighting at night, it could seriously injure or kill someone. I highly recommend investigating this further so we can all continue to be safe. Thanks!.

While putting the car in reverse in the parking lot the gear shift completely snapped off and the car was stuck in reverse. The keys were stuck in the ignition and I couldn't turn the car off. I had to put the emergency brake on and call for help on my cell phone. When help arrived after a couple of hours they were able to manuever what was left of the gear shift enough to put the car back in park and turn the car off. I called the Ford customer service division and spoke with a representative named [xxx], he preceded to tell me that Ford has never heard of such a problem and that he couldn't help me. He said there are currently no recalls available for this part. I searched the internet and found hundreds of the same complaint on Fords and advised [xxx] and again he said Ford has never heard of such a problem. I am relieved that it happened in a parking lot and it didn't cause an accident. Ford should be ashamed of themselves and their shoddy workmanship and take the necessary steps to resolve this problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

After starting vehicle and moving shift lever from park to reverse - rotating shift handle mount broke off- required towing and $1800 repair cost. Have seen similar instances on consumer complaint boards - Ford fails to recognize as being a safety manufacturing defect.

I was trying to park the car when I took it from drive to reverse the whole gear shift came right off. It will no longer switch gears nor can I drive it. I searched online and there are numerous other 2004 Explorers that this has happened too. There are 16 different complaints which all were exactly like mine on carcomplaints. Com. This is super dangerous, imagine if my children were in the car when I went to switch gears and it broke off and the were no way to move or stop it from hitting someone. The expense to fix this 'little' problem of Fords is costing me more than I make in 2 months.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact was driving approximately between 55-65 mph. The transmission vibrated excessively. Also, on a separate occasion the vehicle wobbled and made a roaring noise outside of the vehicle. The noise occurred whenever the contact drove more than 55 mph. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic with the replacement of the wheel bearing; however, the failure continued to occur. The vehicle was recently towed to an independent mechanic and the cause of failure has not been determined. The failure mileage was 82,000. The current mileage was 95,000.

On Friday, August 24, 2007, I was attempting to back out of a driveway. I put my foot on the brake, started my 2004 Ford Explorer and began shifting the gear out of park into reverse when the shift broke. I could not do anything, the engine wouldn't turn over or anything. Since it was late Friday, I left the SUV parked until Saturday, the next morning, when I had it towed to doug stanley Ford in desoto, texas, where I purchased the vehicle. A service technician told me they would have to order a needed part to repair the SUV. He said he thought they'd receive the part by Monday or Tuesday. On Monday, he told me they wouldn't get it until November 12. He said that he'd called all around and had to get the part from the manufacturer. I checked online and others have experienced this very same problem. I am thankful I wasn't somewhere far from home when this happened. I have a new baby and need reliable transportation. I have never heard of a dealership needing 2 months to get a part. I truly think this is a serious defect that could eventually get someone hurt.

2004 Ford Explorer - the consumer complained about steering difficulty as well as popping/jolting sensation. This happens regardless of speed, but only occurs in sharp turns. Vehicle has been fixed, but this information is necessary for the public to be informed. This applies to four wheel drive on 2004 and 2005 models. There is a technical service bulletin (TSB) regarding this problem. While trying to make a u turn the vehicle is in two wheel drive because the four wheel drive did not engage on its on.

Steering feels like the power steering unit is not up to speed or the 4 wd is engaged during low speed turns like in shopping center parking lots or tight turns on off ramps.

4the steering wheel sticks intermittently when it's turned to the left or right and does not return without pulling it back. This was a major problem when pulling out in traffic or going around a sharp bend. The vehicle had been to the Ford dealer three times and was told that all the new Explorers were made that way and there was nothing they could do about it. There was a big clunk at times when backing up and turning to the right or left. The ride was very bumpy and caused the occupants to be thrown from side to side while driving.