Power Train Driveline Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

Abs light & traction control light came on. Taken to dealer and found left rear axle assembly and tone ring had to be replaced. Was covered under extended drive train warranty at $100. Deductable. After having been in the automotive repair business for over thirty years I know this type of failure should not occur in normal vehicle operation in the mileage on this vehicle.

See all problems of the 2006 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2002 Ford Explorer , had rear end repaired at 75000. 0 miles by Ford dealer and again it's making a grinding noise at 101000. 0. . . Like all others, they state out of warranty and want customer to pay.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2005 Ford Explorer front wheel bearings bad at 87,000 miles and ball joints have slack in them. Ridiculous that a car this nice has such problems. Lots of complaints about the same thing on the internet, rear end has a roar in it too, of course I can't afford to get this stuff fixed. Ford should recall these auto and fix all these problems. This should not be happening on a new vehicle which has never pulled anything, only driven to work and back 12 miles a day and top speed is 45 miles per hour. Last Ford I will ever own.

See all problems of the 2005 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2002 Ford Explorer rear end growl/whine.

Both rear wheel bearings were worn and noisy at less than 74,000 miles. These bearings should have lasted much longer. $800. 00 to repair/replace.

See all problems of the 2004 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2002 Ford Explorer differential subject to increased whining @ 85000 miles and rapidly failed over the course of one week @ 99,000 miles. R side wheel bearings have failed at same time. Differential has locked up and drive gear jumps gear teeth during any turn. Dealer claims they've never seen such a failure but located a Ford 'fix kit' very quickly so am very suspicious of their statement. I pulled the Explorer from the dealer for second opinion and rep told me to 'park it' and never to drive it until repaired due to potential of highway lockup with extreme consequences. Ford is hiding this defect from the public. Have just filed complaint with Ford online who are replying with form letter email refusals to help . Drive gear failure on any vehicle is unheard of, and should never fail. Vehicle sits on a truck chassis and should be sturdier than it is.

Noise from rear wheel hub bearings. Ford TSB 05-25-8. I have only 35,000 on this vehicle and am concerned that if there is a bearing failure on a rear wheel hub you could lose control of the vehicle. I feel that Ford should be responsible to correct this defect.

I had to go into town. Some roads were snow and ice covered. On a small hill my vehicle started spinning and fish tailing trying to get up. I had not experienced this type of traction and handling problem before and it was unexpected. I managed to turn around in traffic and took another route. Same thing happened again on a slight incline. I realized that the 4 wheel drive was not working. I tried to manually engage it without success. I eventually made it to a Ford dealer. After checking they informed me that the 4x4 module was bad. After doing some internet checking, I have found that many others have had the same problem. Many claim that the failure happens after the battery is disconnected for some reason. My vehicle had a recall to remedy a speed control defect about a month earlier. The problem also seems to affect 2002 Explorers more than other models. The loss of the automatic 4 wheel drive can result in loss of control affecting not only the Explorer but other vehicles also. This type of failure is unexpected and no panel light indicates that the vehicle is in automatic 4 wheeled drive. The only indication is the light in the selection pushbutton which can not be seen in daytime driving with the head lights on which dims the panel lights. No failure indication and the loss of the 4 wheel drive when you expect it to be there causes a dangerous situation.

2002 Ford Explorer, replaced front left and left rear wheel bearings. Now the right rear bearing is going out. Mechanics at Ford dealership said its a common problem. Ford needs to recall these.

Ford Explorer 2002 just would not accelerate when pulled out into traffic. Now o/d flashing and told that it is a transmission problem. Many thousands with same problem but Ford won't do anything.

2006 Ford Explorer limited v8 26,000 mls. . Trans. Slams as if I were hit from behind. Engine revs 2600 rpm at 10-15 mph. Then shifts. Bought vehicle Mar. 2009 noticed possible problem late Aug. 2009. . Slight drift/uncontrollability. Ford wont do anything about my or anyone's complaints. Maybe once somebody gets hurt will Ford finally fix the many problems with their Explorer line.

I am handicapped and live on social security, this is important because of the bill I had to pay. I am making payments on a used 04 Explorer, they are quite high so I got the extended service plan. The rear axle has whined ever since I got it. When it was drowning out the radio and finally started leaking the dealer, don jenkins Ford finally agreed to look at it. I was reduced to laying on the floor while I waited because if I brought my wheelchair I would have no way to get it home. The dealer replaced the ring and pinion under the warranty company even though it was a factory defect, the car only has 65k miles. The parking brake fell apart when they removed the axles but they couldn't get the warranty company to pay for another factory defect so I had to give them almost $400 to get my car back. It was okay for the warranty company to pay for shoddy parts and questionable workmanship but not Ford. I am disgusted with this modern morality, in my day they called these people by their proper name, thieves. No wonder the car companies are in trouble, cars cost almost one third the price of a starter home and are made with second rate chinese parts just to support the unions. It will be a cold day in !@#$% and the devil will come upstairs selling snowcones before I will buy another car made in the last ten years.

There is no failure yet for our vehicle but there are many out there that has. Do a internet search for the 2004 Ford Explorer complaints and see for yourself the complaints for wheel bearing failure and rear differential failure that will eventually get someone killed. This is a very common problem and Ford will not acknowledge or do anything about it.

Front end differential bearings freezing up.

See all problems of the 1999 Ford Explorer 🔎.

2002 Ford Explorer eddie bauer 4. 6 has a loud whining/howling noise coming from rear differential. This is a known and documented problem/defect with these vehicles. Ford has many TSB's about the problem, but will only replace the differential gear assembly at a cost of $1100. 00.

My 2002 Ford Explorer XLT currently has 79,000 miles. Loud grinding noises could be heard and a grabbing sensation could be felt from the back of the vehicle. I thought the tires were cupped so I purchased new tires and had the vehicle aligned. The noise was still evident. A certified mechanic stated to me that both rear wheel bearings failed and they need to be repaired. Along with that, he stated my differential needs to be repaired. Lastly, both rear coil shocks were broke into pieces. I had them replaced at 78,500.

Transmission light blinking. Transmission slipping.

Wheel bearing on my 2002 Ford Explorer is completely shot and causes vehicle to loose control and shake uncontrollably. Well simple wear and tear and extremely poorly manufactured parts on a 2002 Ford Explorer is responsible for the failure. On most vehicles these problems don't occur until well after 160+ thousand miles I have personal experience with this problem right now and from what I have read this is a recurring problem on all Ford Explorer between 2002 and 2004. I have read that on several occasions that the wheel on the vehicle would come to the point of falling off. As for replacement and correction you could replace all four bearing and between 8 and 24 thousand miles they would have the same problem. Typical repair cost range from $500- $2500 which really isn't too affordable when it occurs more than twice in a 12 month period. I also read that numerous people have reported the problem to Ford and all Ford says some one may call you or that its not under recall so we can't do nothing for you.

Vehicle was serviced in July, 2008 and mechanic at country Ford noted noise from rear of vehicle. While driving on vacation in oct. 2008, I noticed noise in rear which was noticeable at 35-40 mph and getting progressively worse. Brought vehicle to country Ford and they found the rear carrier bearings worn and had to replace the rear differential. Cost was $1132. Vehicle not under warranty (52,000 miles). Vehicle has been maintained as per Ford guidelines at country Ford service, levittown, NY.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer 🔎.

I kept hearing the gears spinning when I would press on the brakes. According to my transmission specialist, the transfer cases were not built right in this year of Explorer. He says he sees the same problem all the time and is unsure why there has not been a recall on this.

See all problems of the 1997 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Wheel bearings and rear differential bearings where identified as being worn out (dangerously) to the point where the wheels could have come off the vehicle during normal operation. This was on a 2002 Ford Explorer with just under 55,000. This included all wheel bearings and bearings located in the rear end (differential) causing a loud whining noise.

My complaint is with the 2004 Ford Explorer and is a universal complaint for Explorers from 2002-2005. These vehicles have problems with their rear differentials causing them to whine loudly at various speeds. In some cases they will leak and in extreme cases even seize up causing a dangerous situation for the drivers. There are multiple articles on this situation online and I myself have had my differential parts replaced twice already. I still experience a slight "whine" in the rear end around 60mph, not as bad as before but still there however. Apparently when the factory warranty has expired Ford dealers will only repair this problem again if they are paid to do so. This is a major problem with these vehicles and has been for some time. Ford needs to accept ownership of this situation and have a recall sent out to all owners advising them the problem will be fixed at no expense to the owners. It is a downright annoying,costly and sometimes dangerous situation that needs to be addressed now as there are many of these vehicles on the road with unhappy owners at the wheel. Myself included. Thank you for your time.

Stuck in 4x4 mode and cannot turn. Almost caused an accident.

My 2002 for Explorer has a growling sound coming from the rear end. Took it to the dealer ship they took 30 minutes to tell me that the rear differential needed rebuilding. I thought this was a bit quick until I found out that this is a common problem with this Explorer model. The cost is 1600 and I was told that the rear end could lock up. This sounds like a safety issue that should warrant a recall. I did a internet search for the same problem and found that many have experienced the same problem and even after the repair it does not fix the problem for long.

I'm reading many, many, many and multiple complaints about the same things for the 2002 Ford Explorer. Mainly the wheel bearings going which can cause the wheels to fall off with the potential for severe injury or death and the rear differential going out. Ford needs to recall these vehicles and fix this matter!.

Rear bearings on 02 Ford Explorer xls defective.

The vehicle is a 2002 Ford Explorer . The rear transfer case bearings wear out prematurely and can seize up while driving on the highway and cause an accident and is due to manufacturer defect.

Wheel bearings and rear differential.

Ford Explorer rear differential - replaced 3 x's over 6 years.

I purchased a pre-owned 2002 Ford Explorer at the end of 2007. At the time of purchase, the vehicle had just under 60,000 miles. Around 65,000 I began to hear a high pitched howling sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. I had the noise investigated and had both rear wheel bearings replaced as a result. This did not, however, solve the problem. The noise continued and intensified. Recently, the sound began to be accompanied by a low grinding sound and a definitely perceptible 'dragging' affect. This happened just shy of 80,000 miles. After extensive research, my problem has been re-diagnosed as a rear drive train/axle problem. I have also recently discovered that this is a persistent problem with this make/model, but Ford is refusing to acknowledge/accept responsibility for the problem and the potential safety concerns associated with the rear axle seizing up during normal operation. . Read more...

2003 Ford Explorer. Consumer writes in regards to humming/whining noise in the rear end of vehicle and a frequent leak in the differential. The consumer stated several components such as the ring an pinion, bearings, seals and gear and pinion were all replaced. However, the issue remained unresolved. Also, the rear hatch was cracked. When the consumer inquired about a replacement and its cost, the dealer advised against the replacement/repair as the new hatches had the same problem. The vehicle overheated and had to be towed to the dealer. A diagnosis revealed a damaged thermostat housing.

I own a 2004 Ford Explorer. Car started vibrating at low speeds especially after a stop and when turning. I have taken it to two mechanics and both told me the rear differential needs to be replaced. I am a college student and just purchased the vehicle so I will be unable to pay for the costly repair. I have read online that many many other Ford customers have had the same problem and Ford has done nothing about it.

There is alot of whistling and squeaking in my front end and everytime I have it looked at I am told it just needs lubrication and after a few weeks the noise is back which I am sure means something is wrong and no one seems to find it. The squeaking is driving me nuts at every turn whenever you brake sometimes just accelerating will cause it to squeak.

Severe rear end noise has been happening for over a year now. Rear differential now needs to be changed. Although there are technical service bulletins the dealership will not work with me on the cost of these repairs. I have also had a sensor replaced twice and it is now broken again.

2003 Ford Explorers have defective rear ring and pinion gears. Starting with a whine, the misalignment and wear could cause the drive train to seize up. Replacement parts by dealerships are also inferior, and only provide ~ 40-45k miles of relief.