Transmission Not Engage Problems of Ford Explorer - part 1

I was parked on an incline ramp in a parking lot and tried to maneuver out between the vehicle in front and behind me. I put the vehicle in drive and reverse a few times to get out. I maneuvered enough to get out of the space but when I put the vehicle in drive (d), it revved as I stepped on the gas (like it was in neutral) but the vehicle kicked back into reverse which is what my previous gear was. My vehicle then rolled back. When I looked at the gear select it was on drive (d). This caused me to hit the parked vehicle behind me causing minor damage to my vehicle but major damage to the other vehicle. The transmission lags but I was certain that it was in drive before I stepped on the gas. The cause is probably due to the drivetrain not engaging causing a loss of drive. I believe its related to Ford recall 20s65 which I did not know of at the time of the crash.

See all problems of the 2020 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Initial issues was an issues accelerating. When accelerating to 3000 rpm, the rpms would suddenly drop back to 2 and the car would lurch. Started experiencing issues when slowly decelerating like gears would not engage correctly. When starting the car and shifting into drive, the car lurched forward with a grind and the wrench dash light came on.

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About a week ago my vehicle was idling, backed straight into the turnaround in my driveway with the car in park. The two passenger side doors were open. My daughters and I (unbuckled) sat there about ten minutes while the engine was cranked but in park, waiting on my husband to finish up grabbing things for the vacation we were getting ready to leave on. My two year old had moved to the driver's seat, and I was in the passenger seat. My daughter reached over and pressed the push to start button as she has a hundred times and killed the engine, but this time, when the engine turned off, something obviously caused the transmission to disengage and we were sent rolling down the hill behind my turn around. I tried to climb over and hit the emergency brake but was unsuccessful. We were finally stopped when our back end smashed into the second tree we hit. Fortunately no one was injured besides me, and it was relatively minor with just bruising, particularly since I'm 7 months pregnant. My car is now completely totaled as a result.

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Car was in drive or reverse but would not move, like the gearing was not engaged. Pressed on gas it finally took off almost hitting another car. Took to Ford, they fixed so they say, but it has happened 4 more times. Yesterday, was in parking lot and put in reverse and took off. When it is acting up, the transmission sounds like it clunks or gonna fall out. Back up camera is still not working and can not see behind you or when you are going to hit something. ## #vpic# 1 - check digit (9th position) does not calculate properly #vpic#.

The vehicle will not stay engaged in park. This is the third time this has been repaired. However, this time it rolled backwards into someone else's vehicle. Our vehicle was in park at the top of the driveway for nearly 2 hours before the person parked behind or vehicle. They where at our house for about an hour, when they where leaving we noticed that our vehicle had disengaged from park and rolled 15' down the driveway into their vehicle. Thankfully, there were only a few scratches on either vehicle. Our driveway is fairly flat, it has a 1-3 degree slope to it. Leading to the conclusion, that there is not a large incline that the vehicle was not forced out of park. There has to be something wrong with the way the transmission is engaged into park or there is yet another problem with the shift linkage. The shift linkage was adjusted the first time this happened. The second time the shift linkage was replaced. We are taking it back to the dealer today to see what they feel needs replaced this time.

See all problems of the 2013 Ford Explorer 🔎.

Shifter does not engage into park and warning light comes on. Will not engage my seat to slide back after putting it into park. My car was stationary every time. Although, the person who realised it was not shifting into park was the Ford dealership. And now ive noticed it every time. No matter how many times I restart my car it well not shift into park. I must apply the parking brake. Ford has numerous recalls on vehicles for the same problem, however the Ford Explorer is not. . . . Why? after leaving dealership I was given the parts list for the shifting issues, which is a safety concern that should have been fixed by Ford.

See all problems of the 2011 Ford Explorer 🔎.

The transmission would not engage into the next gear. Then the engine maintenance light came on. Pressed the gas again it would not go forward. Pulled off to the side to park it and put it back in d - drive it still would not go forward. Engine light still on. Turned off the vehicle. 10 minutes later turn on the vehicle and put in d-drive and it engaged but was unable to shift into next gear. Able to make to parking lot and get help. I do agree why did Ford make hard for consumer to add their own transmission fluid if it runs low. No dip stick for it as well to check if it is low.

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I am an owner of a 2002 Ford Explorer. I have had numerous issues with the transmission. When traveling at highway speeds the transmission will intermittently disengage causing the vehicle to have to be pulled to the side of the road, shift into park, then back to drive. I have consulted with my local Ford dealership numerous times on the issue. I have been repeatedly told that this is a known issue with the Ford Explorer / Mercury mountaineer transmission. Ford motor company is failing to address this issue as being a safety concern. My mother owns a 2005 Mercury mountaineer with the same exact issue. The previous owner replaced the transmission shortly before I purchased the vehicle due to the same issue. The transmission was replaced with a new transmission from Ford. I wonder how many people have been in accidents because their Explorer/mountaineer transmission disengages? the Ford dealership in my area referred me to this website being that the service manage believes this should be a safety recall through Ford. I would have to agree with the dealership. Why has Ford or the NHTSA not required the manufactuor to correct this issue? do people have to die in car accidents before this is rectified? it is not safe to pass a vehicle since the transmission randomly cuts out without warning.

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Transmission disengaged at red light. It started going backwards instead of forward. Had to put into park and then back into drive to get it to drive. Still going on. Now when actually on the road it is getting out of gear when vehicle is at driving speed. Engine revs up to 5000rpms, then down to 1000rpm. Vehicle lunging. Will get hurt I'm sure.

My vehicle failed to engage in park even though I shifted into park and console indicator displayed park. I had shifted into park on a steep hill. As I exited the vehicle, I released the brakes and one of my passengers alterted me that the vehicle was rolling backwards. I jumped back into the vehicle, applied the brakes and the motion stopped. I verified that park was displayed on the center console, which it was. I then shifted into reverse and neutral and back into park, and the second time the transmission engaged into park. Without my passengers alterting me to the vehicle motion, my vehicle would have crashed and potentially injured those in the vehicle. After determining the vehicle was in park, I examined the tire tracks in the snow to see if there was any chance that the vehicle slid rather than rolled on the road. The tire tracks showed clear tire indentations and did not indicate sliding, leading me to determine that the vehicle did not engage into park even though the console indicated it was in park.

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I was driving in town when I accelerated from a stop light and the transmission would not engage into 3rd gear. The engine revved highly and then suddenly the transmission kicked into gear with a sudden jolt forward.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While the contact shifted into reverse the gear shift lever completely disengaged from the housing area. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and currently being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Transmission does not engage when put in drive until 3000 rpms. I was pulling out in traffic and was almost hit by another car because mine was not engaging to move the car. I understand that this problem is very common on the 2002 Ford Explorer.

We own a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT with the 4. 0 v6 4x4 , the transmission we believe has a major safety hazard to occupants and pedestrians with vehicle serge from a long delay engaging the transmission ether forward or reverse possibly causing injury to driver/passengers and /or nearby objects/persons and or runaway vehicle from the transmission not disengaged from gear or from a sudden vehicle launch if the driver is attempting to accelerate thinking the transmission "is' in gear ,Ford has taken a blind eye to the problem in our opinion for fear of public backlash/ public relations and or dislike for there trucks/SUV's. Ford is not doing enough to ensure public safety from accidents this common transmission issue can cause and I understand from researching complaint forums , Ford has been aware of the problem for years.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT. The contact stated when driving at various speeds, the vehicle would fail to engage in third and fourth gears. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer advised that the vehicle was not under recall and would not provide any further assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 11,250 and the current mileage was approximately 11,300.

The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph and without warning, the vehicle slipped into various gears. The contact also stated that the only way the first gear could be disengaged was to apply pressure on the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the transmission had to be replaced twice. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 75,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.

Transmission continually fails to engage properly. Delayed response and harsh shift in gears. From reverse to drive and vice versa, there is a delay and harsh engagement. At first the incidents were barely noticeable and less frequent. Now they are a common occurrence and more pronounced. Fearful of complete failure whilst accelerating onto highway/street. Often times there is a delay shifting into drive when reversing out of a parking spot. Holding up traffic, etc.

Taking kids to school transmission failed -pulled out into traffic from stop trans. Was in drive 1st ok 2nd ok third would not engage & engine overreved. This caused very dangerous near miss & potentially multiple car pile up- I received no warning light check engine anything was running fine with no signs of trouble just,went out.

The 2002 Ford Explorer has a severe transmission issue that needs to be researched. My Ford transmission dissengages when you break. This is a defect and a safety issue. Since I don't know when the transmission disengages I will rev the engine (thinking the car should go forward ) and the engines revs then after a delayed response will slam the car into gear and jerk the car forward. This jerk could cause me to hit something or someone since I'm not expecting the car to make that response. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2006 Ford Explorer. While driving 15 mph, the transmission failed to engage properly and had difficulty shifting gears. The dealer reprogrammed the vehicle, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer on three occasions by the end of September. The current and failure mileages were 17,000. Updated 12-12-07. The consumer stated the transmission hesitated on engagement. Updated.

2006 Ford Explorer eddie bauer v8 with six speed auto. Purchase vehicle used with 17k miles. Problems with transmission 1-2 weeks into ownership. The vehicle has issues as to what gear to be in and will lunge forward or clunk into gear. This happens frequently when coming to a stop. Also, when driving the vehicle it sometimes hesitates when shifting into higher gears and will "clunk" into gear. In one instance I tried to pull into traffic and attempted to accelerate and the vehicle would not shift in order to gain speed. The engine revved up but the transmission did not engage. I have had the car to the dealership 2 times for this problem. They have re programmed the computer the first time. The symptoms seemed to disappear. A week later, it came back. The second time, the tech told me that it is a normal condition and that the tranny gets confused as to what gear to be in. The delayed and harsh shifting is dangerous and someone is going to get seriously hurt as a result of it happening. The random shifting into first when coming to a stop should prove real interesting on the ice and snow. . .

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the transmission will not engage in the reverse position and failed to accelerate. In addition, when the vehicle turned, the rear of the vehicle produced a loud thumping sound and almost stalled. The contact brought the vehicle to the dealer, who was unable to fix the failure. The current and failure mileages were 123,196.

Transmission has a hard clunk engagement when putting in gear and total disengagement while driving, then the od light starts to blink, and you have to either let off the gas, or tap the gas to get it to engage again, it started around 50,000 miles, and continues to do so, the is no recall and no warranty for it, dealer ship said it needs rebuilt or replaced 2200. 00 or 4200. 00 dollars, we don't have.

Faulty transmission in 1998 Ford Explorer. Vehicle was bought from Ford dealership, approximately 4 yrs. Old when purchased. Trans. Not shifting properly after first year of ownership or approx. 65,000 miles. Would not go into reverse at all shortly afterward. Hard and late shifting from 2nd to 3rd, and transmission will frequently totally disengage while driving at 55 to 60 mph, engine will rev. , but car will start slowing down. Engine sounds like it's going to blow up while waiting for transmission to shift. Had transmission rebuilt by private mechanic and problem is still the same.

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Automatic transmission began having shifting difficulties shifting up and down between gears. The occasion that prompted this occurred as I attempted to place the car in reverse and it did not engage immediately. I was almost broadsided by an approaching vehicle before reverse engaged and I was able to avoid the collision. It seems it took approximately up to 1 minute for reverse to engage and the vehicle lurched backwards once engaged.

When trying to move the gear shift from park to any gear after being parked for any amount of time; the gear shift safety lever will not engage allowing me to change gears.

Transmission fails to engage in drive or reverse, or hesitates to engage, or hesitates to change gears on the highway. Placement into drive or reverse "pounds" into gear. 4x4 low & high hesitate or fail to engage, and often "stick" - failing to disengage or require multiple attempts to disengage.

Vehicle does not engage in reverse, it makes a loud sound, and then it accelerates to the point of trying to gain control of the vehicle.

2004 Ford Explorer -the transmission has failed to engage correctly multiple times. I have asked the dealer about this issue and the response was that the Explorer "has a hard transmission". In order to get the transmission to engage correctly I have to either put the cur back in park/ nuetral and attempt to reengage or give it gas. This usually results in a lurch of the car going either backwards or forwards. This situation has the potential for a serious accident.

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. While driving at any speed, the gear would not engage when shifted. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission band did not connect. The technician recommended that the transmission be replaced or rebuilt. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 04v442000 (structure) and 09v399000 (vehicle speed control). The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

Transmission does not engage in reverse from park when put in reverse,than after 5-10 seconds will jerk into gear,transmission does not upshift correctly,seems to hesitate between gears.

2003 Ford Explorer- 5 speed automatic transmission randomly disengages. Reproduced by first accelerating from 1st or 2nd gear and back off gas just before the transmission shifts. Transmission disengages and engine revs up. Must either rev engine up over 4k or backoff gas altogether to recover. Ford is non-responsive to inquires. Problem websites are full of similar experiences.

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4 wheel drive stuck in low. If switched out of low the transmission disengages from both the front and rear axel so the vehicle just stops. Even though the lights on dash indicate the vehicle is in 4 wheel high the vehicle remains in 4 wheel low. We have had the vehicle for 2 1/2 years and never once used 4 wheel low. With the snow this week I used 4 wheel low to get out of the driveway. I did not go more then 3 feet forward when the transmission became stuck. Nothing I did would fix the problem. When I contacted Ford all they told me was my vehicle was out of warrenty so I had to pay for it. I know from other Explorer owners that this is a common problem. The fear here is that the 4 wheel drive system completely disengages and my vehicle with my family is put at risk as others come up on us at speed. Thanks for the site. Kevin.

See all problems of the 1997 Ford Explorer 🔎.

When trying to pass, or even when accelerating, the transmission will completely disengage! the problem is that you never know when it's going to happen. This has almost caused me to crash in two cases while passing another vehichle. When this occurs it's as if you intentionally put the transmission in neutral. There is no slippage, just complete disengagement. I have even had it completely shift into neutral while operating in cruise control on the interstate. Believe me it's really scary when your enginge completely tachs out at this speed. It's a wonder the engine didn't blow before I tapped the brake pedal. The transmission has been completely rebuilt twice and repaired once. Costs to me so far in repairing this transmission have been $3000 and counting for the last time. The repairs were made at a Ford dealer and an independent. Again, the transmission is doing the same thing after 13,000 miles. What's bad is that Ford technicians, nor their technical service department, can correct the problem. Their diagnostic equipment shows no problem. I have to take it on the road to show the mechanic how it's operating which takes a pretty good test drive. Again their only suggestion is another complete rebuild since they are clueless. Unfortunatley, this time, it is one thousnand miles over their warranty period. This is extremely dangerous in my opinion. If I'm haveing this trouble, then surely others are experiencing the same. Thanks for your time, and if you need further information please call or contact me. I have all my records.

Automatic transmission fails to engage properly in either forward or reverse gear.