Front Suspension Hub Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

A little over a month ago the left rear toe link broke while driving. This caused the car to lose control and go into a sideways slide, breaking the wheel hub in the process. Smooth road going about 50 mph in good conditions. We got the car fixed and had to pay for the repairs since the car is no longer under factory warranty. After the Ford dealer in mchenry IL had it for over a week, we got the car back, drove it for a few days and suddenly we had a cracked exhaust flex pipe. We had to pay several hundred more to get that repaired. Again, driven on smooth roads in the summer, nothing that would have caused this so suddenly. Got the car back again after several more days in the shop. . Drove it for a couple more days and the left rear toe link broke. . Again. . . Dealer this time installed the "recall kit" on both sides. Luckily, this time it was at slow speeds coming into a parking lot . Had the car towed back to the dealer. Again. . We have had the car back for about 3 days now, and the left toe link has come loose. . Again. . The car will be towed back to the dealer tomorrow because it is unsafe to drive. It was driven 3 times at low speeds around town since we got it back. My wife is now afraid to drive the car out of fear of it breaking again. This is a serious issue if the recall part doesn't work. When this part fails, this car has a severe loss of control and can very easily result in an accident. Ford needs to get to the bottom of this before someone gets killed.

See all problems of the 2015 Ford Explorer 🔎.

A blind spot sensor warning came on Sunday 10-29 at 10:30am on the drivers side sensor while at a red light. Approximately 4 miles later, the car began swerving and veered suddenly to the right hitting a curb. We continued swerving and hit the curb another 3 times and came to a stop. The car was out of control and we were in 4 lanes of traffic. The car is at the Ford dealership and was diagnosed with a broken rear suspension tow link. A recal was issued 4/26/16 stating the tow link may fracture and according to Ford, my VIN number is not included in the recall. In January 2017, my rear hub bearing assembly went out and and was repaired under warranty and has since been announced as a recall on 8/28/17.

Ford motor company (Ford) is recalling certain wheel hub bearing assemblies, part number hb5z-1104-c, incorrectly listed as being for installation on the rear axles of 2011-2017 Ford Explorer 4x2 vehicles. These bearings assemblies were manufactured without a self retention feature, possibly resulting in the separation of the wheel or wheel end. Is nootgood.

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.

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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.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer 🔎.

In 2013 the dealer refuse to work on the issue while it was under warranty. Either the wheel hub and bearings are out or the struts are defective. The sound happens in motion and stationary if moving the steering wheel to the left and right. I have called and complained and was told that there was recalls for this make and model but not with my VIN number. Was told that a base model isn't that important. Called again to report it to Ford 2/4/2019 and was told that there are issues with your make and model and there wasn't any thing they could do until NHTSA steps in and direct me to this website.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I replaced the front hub assemblies in December 2011 with parts purchased from autopartsmidwest. Com. On December 18, 2012, the left hub assembly failed and the wheel came off. The outer portion of the ball bearing race came off the splined hub. I was going very slowly at the time the failure occurred and there was no injury or damage other than to the hub assembly, caliper bracket and some other brake parts. The total cost of repair parts not including labor is about $500. I have no knowledge of the manufacturer of the hub assembly. It should be reasonable to expect a critical part like a hub assembly to last more than about 6000 miles. If the hub assembly had come apart two minutes or a half mile earlier, I might not be filing this report. I have asked autopartsmidwest to refund the purchase price of the defectuve hub assemblies as well as the cost of replacement parts. The sale of dangerously defective parts by autopartsmidwest and other on line seller must stop. It is impossible to inspect something like a hub assembly to verify its quality. Buyers must depend on the seller and manufacturer to provide safe car parts.

See all problems of the 1996 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Without warning my rear wheel hub assembly keep braking. Suddenly the vehicle starts to shimmy and pull and make grinding noises and the wheel is practically falling off by the time I get home. This has happened to me 6 times in the past year! so far I have been lucky and my wheel hasn't fallen completely off, only because I have replaced the rear differential twice in the last 2 years so as soon as I feel something out of the ordinary I have it checked! it is terrifying when it happens, the whole wheel wobbles and going slow only makes it seem worse. I've had to replace the whole hub assembly at a cost of $300. 00 plus each time!.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2002 Ford Explorer hub assembly/wheel bearing failure. The left rear tire completely locked up and had to be towed. Upon inspection the bearing had ripped apart so bad you could see the metal coming out of the rear side of the tire, where the axle shaft connects. In addition to that, right rear hub assembly was very loose and had to be replaced. 2 weeks later, the front left hub is so bad that it's roaring and thumping and feels like it's also ready to lock up. 88k miles on Explorer, this is the second time the rear hub were replaced. There is obviously either a flaw in the design or just substandard dangerous defective parts produced by Ford.

2002 Ford Explorer. Rear springs/coils rusted, broken, on both sides didn't know until I had estimate done for noise in front end which turned out to be uv joint. I understand to repair back springs it will cost about $325 each side and the other things I need uv joint, wheel hub, strut,etc. . . Another $400 this is sad!!!.

Upon inspecting our 2002 Ford Explorer for state inspection, I discovered the right rear coil spring to be broken. This is one of two broken on this vehicle to date, the first was the left rear discovered by the local Ford dealer when in for a routine check, they replaced that spring, I replaced the right side & still have the pieces (3 to be exact) in my possession. We have also had all four axle bearings replaced. One of which became so hot, the left side rear hub cap melted & fell off the wheel. All four bearings were replaced by the dealer. None of the bearings or hub cap were under warranty so we were stuck with those & the rr spring expense. Knowing the type of part failures on our Explorer it brings up a more crucial question of, could any of them have resulted in serious consequences. Rollover,swerving off of the road to possibly hit something or someone,etc. What could have happened if both rear coil springs broke around the same time? I've always enjoyed Ford products, repaired many,hope they will take this and apply it to tougher test standards. Vehicles' current mileage is over 120,000 I understand other Ford models have had other coil spring concerns also, such as a notice we received when we owned our '95 windstar.

My first occurrence was approximately sept 2008 when I pulled into a driveway and felt an odd bump upon leaving the vehicle was wobbling when I stopped and took the cap off of the lug nuts I noticed the studs where broken on the drivers side rear. Thought we had it fixed by having the studs replaced. Wrong about 2 months later it happened again. Was told the hub and bearing needed replaced so we replaced them. Upon inspection the passenger side rear had started doing the same thing. So we replaced that side as well. That lasted about 4 months and we went to have new tires put on the vehicle the mechanic said that our bearings were bad again and needed replaced. So we did replace them. About 4 months later it started all over again with the studs breaking off. In one incident I lost all lug nuts but one on the drivers side at once with my kids in the vehicle. This is a serious problem for my family being that we depend on this vehicle and cant afford another but yet can't find why this problem isn't and apparently cant' be fixed. I've done everything the garage has told me to do. The local Ford dealer says my problem is that I'm not putting good quality Ford parts in there from them. Can any one help. Upon research I have found that there are others with the same type of vehicle having the same problem. I have never owned a vehicle that has done this.

I have continuous problems with my tires coming off of my 2003 Ford Explorer while driving following any work requiring removal of my tires (this has happened to me multiple times now). The first incident happened in 2006. The explanation that I have received is that the aluminum rims require extra torquing when placing the tire back on the vehicle. I'm not sure what the root cause really is but now I know that there is an issue with the metal in all of the areas associated with my tires being attached to my vehicle. Everything is corroded behind the hub caps of all 4 wheels. This could be associated with the issue that the windstars are experiencing, maybe the annealing process used for the metal was defective? I don't know but this is a safety issue and I want an investigation opened so that it can be corrected. I have contacted Ford regarding this issue so they are aware of this and I know that there are many other individuals experiencing the same exact issue with their Explorers.

2002 Ford Explorer 4x4 eddie bauer. Left rear suspension hub/bearing failure. Vehicle located and driven in southeast michigan (detroit area) where roads are salted in winter. Vehicle in service date (12/12/2001). Incident date (12/10/2008 - 108845 miles). Right rear suspension hub/bearing failure at an earlier date.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. There was a loud noise coming from the rear of the vehicle which caused the back wheel to fail. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic who stated that the rear differential system, rear wheel and back hub needed to be replaced at a cost of $3,600. The dealer and the manufacturer were contacted but stated that there were no recalls and offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 140,816.

Both rear springs are broken at the top. Also, driver rear tire blew out on inside sidewall with about 50% tread left (suspect broken spring gouged the tire). Also had to replace right rear wheel bearing (noisy and wobbly) and parking brake shoes (completely worn off from tilted axel hub). 110,000 miles. Also both front wheel bearings were replaced at 95k miles (making noise). Where is the safety recall?.

I was driving home and turned the corner and this clanking noise began coming from the rear wheel of my truck. I took the tire off to check the brake calipers and and were spinning the hub and got resistance and clanking sounds. I went to the repair shop and was told the left rear bearings had gone out.

Rear hub bearings shot and very costly to repair. This is happening on 2002 Ford Explorers in great numbers and should be resolved by a recall. . Read more...

Recently had to have the rear bearing and hub replaced b/c it was going bad. Repair shop informed me that it was very dangerous b/c the wheel could come off while driving and it was walking wearing the brake pads out unevenly resulting in additional safety concerns. The repair shop is replacing bearing assembly and all brakes. I have researched this and notice many other people having similar issues. It only was detected b/c we thought the transmission was acting up which was still under warranty. So we took it in. If we hadn't, my family could have been seriously injured if the wheel came off and/or brakes failed due to bearing being bad causing brakes to wear unevenly. The repair cost about $1500.

1. Humming noise coming from vehicle, went to dealer got it looked at dealer said it was hub assembly in 3 of four wheels that needed replaced. 2. Asked if I could drive it until I had the money, was told it is not recommended because (if) (when) it fails completely it could damage the braking system or the wheel could fall off, searched online and found car-complaints. Com and discovered numerous Explorer drivers with the same problem and was told the same thing about the wheel falling off. 3. Wheel hub assembles will be replaced, I could get the old parts back if requested. Just kind of scary that the wheel could fall of when this part fails, and it failed on 3 out of 4 wheels.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While driving 45 mph, the front passenger side of the vehicle makes a grinding and roaring sound. The vehicle could not be driven while making a right turn. As of April 10, 2008, three wheel bearings and hubs have been replaced. The current mileage was 61,306 and failure mileage was 54,000.

Grinding noise from rear especially driver side rear humming and swaying brought to dealer replaced rear hub and bearing assemblies both sides replaced front sway bar links and bushings both sides.

This vehicle has been maintained per manufactures recommendations. It is not used off road and run under normal conditions. With no warning and no previous noise the right rear wheel hub/bearing failed. The bearing came apart and the wheel was so loose it was walking 1-2 inches side to side. Had my wife not been driving slowly there could have been a horrific wreck. Luckily she was close to a shop when it happened. I have not fixed it as of yet but am in the process now. I know I will need a hub, bearing and the brakes were knocked out by the walking motion. There should have been a recall on this. I see on the internet where a lot of individuals have had the same issue.

Noise like unbalanced tire coming from left front tire/wheel. Noise increases until it becomes a roar like an airplane taking off. Steering wheel begins to vibrate. Feels like wheel is going to fall off car. Mechanic tells me left front hub and bearings must be replaced. The three other wheels are also symptomatic but not as immediately pressing as left front he does not think but won't know until repair is completed later today. Repair ball park cost at this time is $600-$700. Still, other three wheels bearings/hubs will need to be replaced. Car has 70,000 miles, has received all recommended maintenance and has had city driving. Ford is aware of this problem. They have issued technical service bulletins about it. They say that only you can issue a recall. . Read more...

The hub on the driver side went bad, causing damage to my axel, rotor, and brakes. Almost caused me to have an accident due to this manufacturing problem.

I bought an 02 Explorer. Was driving and started making weird grinding noises. Took it to the mechanic and its costing me 1000! dollars to replace the wheel hubs and bearings. He said the wheel on the back was ready to fall off!.

The contact owns a 2005 Ford Explorer. While driving 40 mph he heard a loud grinding noise and noticed that the vehicle would wobble. He stated that the rear hub pressed into the bearing. He replaced the bearing approximately two days ago. The dealer has not inspected the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 65,000.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Grinding noise sounding like it is from rear end, especially accelerating at high speeds, and turning. Told to replace rear hub assembly.

Grinding noise progressively increased over the last several weeks. Took the car to local mechanic. In early 2006 he had replaced a rear hub assembly for noise. He diagnosed that there were three bad wheel hub assemblies and they were the same three replaced in 2006. He stated that this was a very common Explorer problem. I felt 6 wheel hub replacements in 2 years was excessive at $450 a pop, including labor. This was a problem that Ford needed to address. Luckily, two of the three parts were covered under warranty , napa, but I did have to pay for the labor.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. On February 21, 2007, the contact replaced the rear driver side hub assembly. Currently, the vehicle is in the shop a second time for the passengers side hub assembly. On April 18, 2007, the contact heard a loud rumbling noise while driving 65 mph. The vehicle began to operate as if the alignment had failed. Someone driving beside the contact informed her that the rear wheels appeared as if they were about to detach from the vehicle. The current and failure mileages were 65,000.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph the check engine warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the brackets that hold the timing chain fractured. As a result, the brackets and valve cover needed to be replaced. Also, the contact stated that while driving at various speeds she could hear a grinding noise. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the front driver side hub assembly needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included on any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 120,000.

2002 Ford Explorer XLT- all four wheel bearing have gone bad within 1 year. This is a known problem with owners and dealers. This year and model of Ford Explorer has bad bearings and hub assemblies. Ford is happy to collect the hundreds of dollars it cost owners to replace these faulty parts but will not do anything to fix the issue. One bearing actually broke on my vehicle and now I am afraid to drive it because I do not want to be stranded somewhere. I have a front and rear bearing out again.

I purchased my 2002 Ford Explorer from a Ford dealer in April 2005, with approximately 45,000 miles on it. I immediately noticed a humming noise coming from the rear and thought that I needed to replace the tires. After purchasing all four new tires, the noise continued to worsen. By 60,000 miles the noise was unbearable and I was told by a local garage that the right rear hub seal was the problem and that the wheel could fall off if I didn't replace it. The entire housing needed to be replaced, due to rust fusing the parts together. Surprisingly, the noise continued (although somewhat more muffled this time), but I was afraid to drive it. I do alot of local on and off highway driving and I was afraid of losing a wheel at higher speeds. I took it into a Ford dealer and both rear hubs needed to be completely replaced. I now have 105,000 miles on this vehicle and the problem has not re-occurred. I just can't believe though that Ford has not owned up to this wide-spread problem by making these Ford-owners whole after they're made to spend anywhere from $500 to $1500 (like I did) to repair a problem that surely they must know could potentially cost them another headline!.

: the contact stated while traveling 30 mph, the rear passenger side tire began to wobble. The vehicle was pulled over and the contact noticed the wheel bearings in the road. The vehicle was driven to an independent repair shop where the wheel bearing and hub was replaced.

Major noise from rear end escalated quickly requiring service. Independent service garage diagnosed and replaced right rear wheel hub assembly and left rear tie rod. This was the third of the four wheel hubs replaced on this vehicle between 70,000 and 86,000 actual odometer miles. The other two were both the fronts. Very honest mechanic showed me failed parts and three other Explorers in the shop that same day with the same wheel hub assembly replacement requirement. There is obviously a defective design on this vehicle. Vehicle is a highway driven car only, not off road.