general problems of the 2008 Ford Explorer

Transmission failure, front driver seat will not adjust before going out would move on its own and cause interior lights to come on. Previous owner took vehicle in after purchase for hard shifting of transmission and no repairs were done. Transmission problem was not disclosed to me at time of purchase.

While driving the vehicle, the ignition switch will activate the memory seat function causing interior lights to activate and the driver seat to move backward leaving the driver unable to reach pedals or steering wheel while vehicle is in motion. Occurs on both city streets and highways. Unseen cause triggers the event.

If I hit a bump while driving or the keys jiggle in the ignition the driver's side seat will move forward or backward and the dome lights come on. I had this problem three months after I purchased my 2008 Ford Explorer eddie bauer edition in 2010 and was able to get it repaired at no cost. However, the problem is back only this time I'm told that it would be an out of pocket expense which I personally don't think so because it's not a wear and tear issue.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the driver's seat moved out of position while the vehicle was in motion. The electronic function worked to move the seat forward and backward, but the seat failed to remain stationary while driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that when driving over a bump, the front drivers side seat was unsecured and was moving from side to side. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the track was offline and that the track needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.

The eddie baur edition of this vehicle is equipped with a moving seat to allow you to enter and exit. In either 2012 or 2013 I reported it to the dana motors Ford dealer that while driving the drivers seat moves back while on the expressways that are slightly bumpy and while on major streets within the city. The last occurrence was this past weekend in front of my home while exiting my driveway, again during a right hand turn, and again on the interstate 278 headed west bound toward brooklyn, NY. It does reset when you tap on the key while it is in the ignition but reoccurs after driving over slightly rough roadway and changing lanes.

Ran over a slight bump after which the dome lights came on and the driver's seat moved all the way back simultaneously. After a few minutes the lights went out but I had to manually move the seat back forward. This same situation happened again about 5 minutes later. Both the dealer and Ford customer care people said they had never heard of this problem before, although I see numerous complaints on the internet about the same problem and that they had reported it to the company.

I purchased this truck in sept 2014 about 2 months after I purchased it,as I was driving the dome lights go on and the seat moves back as it does when it lets you out. It will do this more so with one set of our keys then the other. It's continually getting worse. It will sometimes happen 1-15 times in a car trip. I have almost gotten into an accident a number of times because of this. I have visited my dealer who has estimated about $500 in repairs and was amazed when he seen this going on. He stated he never seen anything like this and probably wouldn't have believed me if he didn't see it with his own eyes. It also happens every time you hit a bump and now I fear my car shutting off because it thinks I'm getting out by moving my seat back and turning the lights on which my dealer says is a good possibility. I drive with 2 small children in this vehicle daily. I've researched online a seen a good amount of the same complaints,how can this not be a safety recall?? are you going to wait for someone to die to recall it?? and if you need to see it for yourself my truck will do this without fail for any technician. It's a lot of money for a repair that I don't feel we should have to make. When you purchase a vehicle for that amount of money it should be safe to drive! wear and tare is one thing safety should be at the expense of the manufacture. I think I can speak for most people that the number one quality you look for when purchasing a vehicle is safety & reliability.

While after going over a bump or uneven ground, key fob will rock back and forth slightly, which is normal, but the ignition on this vehicle is malfunctioning. This fob motion triggers the courtesy features of the seat, which flies back and lowers at the same time( because it senses the ignition is being turned off) . The interior lights also come on, because it senses the ignition is being turned off. This is a huge hazard to the driver and occupants and either action CA cause a loss of control. As a former Ford technician, I was able to pinpoint the source of the problem, and promptly called Ford motor company and reported the issue. I let them know I was a former Ford technician as well. The woman on the other end of the line said shes " never heard of that problem being reported " this issue is all oer the internet in the Ford forums. . . . . . Not impressed with Fords response to this obvious and serious safety issue.

Several times, while driving, the drivers seat moved independently backwards at various speeds. The vehicle was stopped safely. Two dealerships didn't have any reference to this problem, wanted to perform diagnostic analysis and requested the NHTSA website that was mentioned. This web site provided clues to possible remedy the problem. The vehicles easy entry/exit feature moves the drivers seat backwards to allow the driver easy entry/exit from the vehicle. This feature is the possible fault and was disabled. To test this disabling concept and still drive the vehicle safely several pieces of wood was placed on the floor between the front and middle row seats. The wood limits backward movement of the drivers seat to one half inch from the normal driving position. Vehicle control is still maintained from this slightly back position should the easy entry/exit feature not be the cause of the unintended seat movement. A year of driving, with the easy entry/exit feature disabled, the seat has not malfunctioned. Feel confident that this disabling concept solved the problem. Will still drive with wood in place as insurance.

I was driving my 2008 Explorer at about 30-40 mph. All of a sudden the interior lights pop on, the drivers seat goes all the way back, and this all happened when I was driving. How can this not be a recall??? this has obviously happened to a ton of other people and is probably one of the most unsafe things to ever happen inside a running vehicle. If my wife was to drive my truck, and this happens, she would have lost control of the truck and possibly injured herself or one of my kids. Something must be done. Calling Ford and rectifying this.

Key cylinder has loosened inside ignition housing. This condition while driving is a major safety concern for shorter individuals as when a bump or certain motions cause the automatic seats to retract to "off position" creating a 4-6" gap between foot and pedal for my wife is she were willing to drive the vehicle. This has become more frequent and dealer servicing knows of the problem as well as a local locksmith I had contacted for possible repair options. It has become more evident in the past 2 years from their knowledge. No current recall exists as no major injury has resulted. This occurs in stationary position or in motion of the vehicle adding to concerns. I will have this repaired at local Ford in the next week. Seat retracts on its own and if any bumps are hit may engage or disengage at will. And has been occurring over the past 3 years. I am the only owner for the vehicle and less than 70k miles currently.

When driving over a bump in the road my seats go back, the lights come on and the key comes partly out of the ignition. This has been going on for months now and luckily I haven't had an accident. I have to push the key back into the ignition while trying to keep my foot on the pedal because of the seat going back I am too far from the pedal.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the seat moved backward without manual force. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 83,000.

Driving at speed, in traffic, another car cut me off, when hit the horn and started brake - the driver seat suddenly moved backwards. This has happen at least 8 times, the dealer seem to understand the seriousness of driving and the driver seat moving backwards to where I can barely touch the pedals. I purchased the vehicle in may with approx 46k miles.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the front driver side seat slid backward while driving 2 mph over a road bump. The contact also stated that the seat slid backward on a separate occasion upon starting the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 74,523.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the electronic adjuster for the driver's seat failed. The driver side seat would move backward and forward independently while the contact was driving. In addition, the interior overhead light failed and constantly remained illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 19,000 and the current mileage was 20,000.

The contact owns a 2008 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the seat would move forward or backwards while the vehicle was in motion and his knee would touch the ignition switch. In March 2008, the dealer repaired the ignition switch and assured the contact that this would correct the failure; however, the seat continued to move when the ignition switch was touched. The manufacturer was aware of the failure. The current mileage was 67,524. The approximate failure mileage was 100.