Noises During Shifting Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

I bought a 2020 Ford Explorer last may. The vehicle has less than 7500 miles. Monday 3/15/21 I noticed a whining noise when the car was shifting into gears. It continued to happen as the week progress. It got worse by mid-week. Thursday 3/19/21 I called my local Ford dearlership and was told I could drop it off for several days or the next available date was the 2nd weekend in April. I informed my husband who stated that there was a puddle of fluid under my car this morning. He call roadside assistance to come get my car. We had to move it from the parking garage I park in to the street and there was also a big puddle of fluid. He checked the oil and there was plenty of it in the car. By the time the tow truck arrive there was just a small puddle under the car. No warning lights on car came on to indicate an issue.

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Vehicle is now having hard shifts when in lower gears, it has a hard time going from drive to reverse. Engine makes a humming or low growling noise, like it did before the transmission cooler busted in December 2020. This all happens when driving the vehicle it doesn't want to accelerate properly anymore it lags. Several times I've gone to reverse into my drive way abs it doesn't shift at first it takes a couple of pushes on the accelerate for it to catch.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the transmission experienced hard shifting with a clunking noise present coming from the transmission. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transmission gear ratio was faulty. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer jacob george Ford located at 125 spring st, houtzdale, PA 16651 and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

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Tl the contact owns a 2016 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle surged between gears and decelerated before operating as designed. The contact also stated that after the vehicle reversed out of the driveway and shifted into drive, an abnormal clunking noise was heard underneath the vehicle. The contact stated that the failures were noticed during a test drive prior to purchasing the vehicle however, the technician at the grieco Ford of raynham located at 1651 new state hwy, raynham, MA, 02767, informed the contact that there was no problem with the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure recurred after the vehicle was purchased. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

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Leaked transmission oil. Vehicle shifts hard into gear like if it were up hill and itas on a flat surface. This vehicle makes a load noise and would jerk.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. While reversing out of the driveway, the vehicle made a loud abnormal noise. Suddenly, the vehicle would not shift into reverse or drive. The vehicle was towed to an independent transmission shop. The mechanic diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and was unable to provide assistance. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 114,000.

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The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While driving at approximately 55 mph, the transmission shifted from third gear to fourth gear independently and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle made an abnormal noise and the engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician stated that the transmission was burned out and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, a snapping sound emitted from the vehicle and the steering wheel became hard to turn. The failure recurred multiple times. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the power steering pump was defective which prevented it from holding the fluid damaging the anti-brakes system. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 144,000. The VIN was not available.

Went out to driveway to start it heard a loud noise like a backfire then gurgling transmission fluid running out all over driveway. . M. . No previos warnings nothing but a clunkng noise sometimes when shifting which dealer told me was nothing to worry about. . . . . . Vehicle has had all scheduled maintainence. . . I am beyond angry . . . . . . Just paid this off. . . . . Turns out Ford knew about the issue with these transmissions . . . . . . There should have been a recall. . . . . . . . I have driven gourds for seventeen years . . . . . . Never again. . . . No more Ford's. . . . . . . . . I tried to buy american. . . . . . . . At what cost to me. . . . . . . I'm looking for a Toyota. . . . . . . . . You want my business. . . . . . Give me a decent product . . . . . . . The Cadillac eldorado I had nineteen years ago did the same thing at 67,000 miles. . . . . . . . I do not drive hard. . . . . . . . . Or jackrabbit or do fast starts. . . . . . . Tired of paying for trying to buy american. . . . . . Now I know why everyone else buys Toyota's . . .

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. While driving 20 mph, the vehicle shifted from first to second gear with an abnormal banging noise as the tire pressure sensor indicator illuminated. The failure recurred on numerous occasions. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the noise was due to a misfire. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

Every since we've fiananced this lousy SUV 08/2012 we've had a clicking noise from the rear and still cant figured out what that is,but the transmission has been slipping and shifting hard,we have replace front left wheel bearing and abs sensor just a few months ago and the bearing is bad again and the front right wheel has a bad ball joint and the visibility thru windshield is horrible,always have a hard time seeing, cna only see a few inches ahead!!! this car needs serious recalls the air conditioner stopped working in less then a yr!!! and we bought this car with only 68,506 miles!! we already spend over a grand for a fuel pump!!! this car sucks!!! plz help we still owe thousands and everytime we blink an eye it's not safe to drive because of wheel problems!!!!.

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The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle independently shifted from first to second gear accompanied by an abnormal noise from the transmission. Additionally, the contact experienced resistance when attempting to shift from park to reverse. The contact would have to shut off the engine and restart the vehicle before the vehicle would engage. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 107,000.

The contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced trouble shifting, an abnormal noise was heard from the engine, and the vehicle would not accelerate past 30 mph. In addition, the check power train warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred twice more. The contact stated that the transmission had been previously replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,681.

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When I went to shift into reverse would not move. Immediately after that when tried to go forward was loud noise and I had to start forward in 3rd then shift into drive, little wrench appeared on dashboard. Light went out and could then start out in drive without having to start in 3rd, however could no longer use reverse. Took to transmission shop for evaluation and was told needed to have transmission rebuild as there was metal inside that was blocking valves. This is costing me $2400. Had to fix as I am away from home on the other side of country and need it to go back home.

While attempting to shift Explorer from park to reverse the transmission did not engage for 5 to 10 seconds when it finally did engage there was a loud noise that sounded as if the transmission fell out of the vehicle and the vehicle lunged with great force. The has occurred on many occasions and is posses a danger to myself and family and any one who may be parked or standing to close. I have had this vehicle in to my local Ford service center and they have been unable to resolve the problem. The vehicle was taken in twice while under warranty: first time they stated they could not find anything and the second time they replaced the shifting mechanism. In November of 2012 the engine would not engage at all and had to be towed to my local Ford dealer and they stated that is was the gear shifter again, this time I paid $500 to have it repaired. The car worked correctly for about 3 months and I though it was finally fixed, however it is once again doing the same thing. It delays 5-10 seconds between shifting, drops into gear very hard and lunges forward. Ford is now telling me I need a new transmission at the fantastic price of an estimated $2500. Given all the complaints about this transmission I think Ford needs to replace them at their cost before we start seeing an increase in transmission failure crashes, injuries, and possibly fatalities.

Vehicle transmission slips when climbing elevation. Starts clunking noise and won't shift. Rpms go way up and vehicle still will not shift. Hard to get vehicle into park on the gear shifter. Have thought the vehicle was in park only to have it roll when I take my foot off the brake. Took vehicle to mechanic today who says a new transmission is needed. Appx cost 3600. 00.

Transmission failure on 2004 Ford Explorer at ~109k miles. Crash/bang noise heard just before failure: high engine rpms and no forward propulsion, flashing od lamp and illuminated service engine soon lamp. Problem preceded by intermittent failure to engage reverse gear, or sudden jerking/rough engagement, occasional slipping of gears on acceleration. Upon total failure, dealership investigated, says "known problem with this vehicle", recommended complete transmission replacement at $4000. Vehicle is one of those recalled in 2005 for bad transmission fluid formula installed at factory. This vehicle has always had peculiar shift behavior which Ford consistently said was normal for the vehicle. Apparently, as many other owners have since experienced, the rough shifting (perhaps precipitated by bad formula fluid and/or damage this may have done to other components) was indicative of eventual total failure.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was parked, she opened the rear glass window located on the lift gate. The window was open for a few moments until one of the two hinges broke resulting in the window hanging by one hinge. Upon examining the broken hinge she noticed that the screw holding the hinge in place also broke in half. The failure was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. She also stated that the vehicle hesitated to shift into reverse and would lunge forward before moving in reverse. When shifting from reverse to drive, the failure recurred and she heard a popping noise when the vehicle finally shifts into gear. The failures have occurred intermittently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure continued to recur intermittently. The failure and current mileages were 160,000.

Cannot accelerate, feels like transmission is shifting hard. Scares me to be in traffic with two small children in backseat. Put into reverse it jolts into gear after a few seconds. Makes a loud noise when driving down the road. Sometimes there is almost no acceleration making it impossible to get around town.

2002 Ford Explorer eddie bauer has had the od light come on driving down the road. The rpm's increase and shifts from gear to gear hard. Pulled over to figure out what is wrong and problem went away. Light has continued to come on and off at random times and noise continues as the light is on. The problem occurs of and on. Problem first began in Aug 2009. Have had this problem occur this past week. Have been told that we need to have a over haul of the transmission to fix current problem.

The SUV jolts when shifting gears, rpms rev and is slow to change into gear. Occasional loud cluncking noises, also loud noise when accelerating.

Bought a 2006 Explorer in Dec. 06 and have since noticed several problems with it. The most concerning is when the car lunges/jerks forward when shifting from park/reverse to drive. It is now also starting to show a loss of power when shifting through gears as the engine revs but goes no where. I have taken it to the dealer for the lungin/jerking and they told me they could not feel it. It happens sporadically so this does not surprise me. I have recently been noticing this revving and loss of power when shifting gears (it's an automatic). I have taken it to two mechanics both of with agreed that the revving noise is coming from the fan clutch, not sure what this is, but could not diagnose the loss of power. . Read more...

In December 2008 my 2002 Ford Explorer, eddie bauer was having problems shifting gears around 30-40 mph. The rpm's would rev up high then jump into the next gear. At times it sounded like something was about to break because the jump and noise it made was so loud. I took it into a car shop and they told me I needed a new transmission. So I paid for a remanufactured transmission and within 3 months my car is doing the same exact thing. I have had to take it back 2 more times since bringing it in March 18. I then started researching online 2002 Explorer transmission problems and have found an overwhelming amount of complaints about the same exact thing.

Transmission slipped while shifting from 2nd to 3rd. At next light, would not shift from 2nd to 3rd until I took my foot off the gas. Vehicle felt like it left the ground as it attempted to shift from 2nd to 3rd. Noticed od/off light flashing. Check engine light came on. I have been quoted new tranny for 3,814. 18, rear brakes, rear end noise, egr system code a 5,000. 00 repair and the SUV is only worth 7 grand.

Transmission making noise when shifting into 3rd gear. Od light blinks and check transmission message comes on.

When I start my Explorer first thing in the morning, the 4 wheel low and 4 wheel high lights will come on and the Explorer will not shift into reverse or drive. It's like the car is neutral and when I go to put it back into park, there is a grinding noise that sounds like grinding gears.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was parked and the engine was running, the vehicle rolled into the contact's home. While driving to the dealer at 15 mph, the vehicle failed and would not move. The vehicle was placed in each gear, but it still would not move and the engine revved. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. When it arrived, the vehicle was placed in reverse and drove backwards. When the gear was placed in drive, it drove forward. The mechanic stated that the vehicle had a defective shift indicator and it was replaced. The vehicle operated normally when it was test driven. Four days later, the failure recurred. The transmission is making noises when driving at any speed, especially when shifting gears. The vehicle is currently back at the dealer. The failure and current mileages were 51,578. Updated 12-12-07.

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was in park and when attempting to shift into reverse, the vehicle exhibited an unusual dropping noise and began to jerk violently. In addition, when starting the engine the vehicle would often lunge forward abnormally. When braking, the vehicle would also jerk violently as if someone had crashed into the rear of the vehicle. The contact also stated that she was unable to see out of the passenger rearview mirror when the second row seat was upright because the headrest was obstructing her view. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer several times who was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was approximately 109,000 and the failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

I own a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT 2wd, it started to do this grinding noise in tranny,/d light flasihng, couldnt shift,took it to dealer in mexico, yeah middle of vacation, said coulnt do anything to save it. Car is sitting in mexico. Thanks Ford.

Vehicle made a whinning noise when idling. There was a pause when shifting from park to drive, from reverse to drive, and from drive to reverse. The pause caused vehicle to not move forward or reverse until the transmission engaged.

2006 Ford Explorer lunges in & out of gear. When I pull out the transmission hesitates when it shifts from second to third gear, it is almost as if I have completely let off the gas and then gave it gas again. Next problem. . . When I am slowing down whether I hit the brake or just let off the gas my car makes a terrible noise. It sounds like a whining noise, and a loud pop. It feels as if I have been hit from behind. It sounds as if my car is about to quit right then and the.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. While driving approximately 35mph and changing gears, the transmission hesitated. When reverse is engaged, there was a delay, a hard noise and difficult to shift. The dealer has not diagnosed the failure. The current and failure mileages were 36,000.

Purchased the 2004 Ford Explorer in syracuse, NY in the fall of 2004. We received the recall notice about the transmission and had the service performed. The vehicle has been in to the dealer to fix a continuing problem about the transmission. The transmission has trouble shifting into reverse and when going up hill, on occasion. The vehicle's transmission also continues to make a "clunking" noise and physically lurches on occasion when traveling at speeds between 40 - 60 mph. The vehicle is within a couple hundred miles of the factory warranty expiration and Ford has still not repaired the problem. We have spoken to the Ford manufacturer directly and they have only offered to sell us an extended warranty. The local dealer service manager did indicate that he is authorized to offer an extended warranty up to 75,000 miles at no cost, but we have not received that in writing. We feel that this was a problem caused in the production of the vehicle and all repairs should be covered by Ford, but they are not taking care of the problem.

I bought this vehicle with 60,000 thousand miles on it and now I am finding out that it may be junk. It is experiencing many of the problems you read about that are associated with this vehicle. It shifts really hard into 3rd and the rear end makes a whining noise/grinding type noise.

Hard downshift to 1st gear. No noise but after stopping transmission slams into 1st causing sever jerking and it will jump forward. There is a TSB but no fix for it terrible for a 40000. 00 vehicle.

I have had nothing but problems out of my 2005 Ford Explorer. It has been into the dealership 4 times now. I have a grinding noise when I first begin to drive, my transmission has a delay when it shifts and you can press down the gas pedal and it almost feels like it goes into what my dad calls a passing gear before it goes. And this is usually directly after slowing down or from a dead stop. I also have a popping noise in my front end when driving down the road. My vehicle has auto 4 wheel drive and it has engaged for no apparent reason on a dry day as I was pulling into my driveway. At times when I put my vehicle into gear a few seconds later it pops down into gear like it wasn't fully in gear. It has been tippy when turning or taking curves and you have to steer hard to make tight turns. The dealership has reprogrammed my 4x4 module and my abs module but the problem is never fixed. When I take it to them they say that they don't hear or feel any problems so they cannot fix what they don't feel is wrong. I've called Ford customer service to only be told that if I cannot duplicate the problem it cannot be fixed. I want to be rid of the thing it is nothing but problems only I owe too much to trade it in. I only have 7000 miles on it I shouldn't be having these many problems out of it. And I hate that they are never fixed when I have children riding it my vehicle and I don't know what is wrong with it. I regret the purchase of this car and would get rid of it in a heartbeat if I could.

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