Transmission Failure Problems of Ford Explorer Sport Trac

The transmission failed and will not shift.

See all problems of the 2006 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 🔎.

Transmission failed on highway.

The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The contact was driving with the vehicle speed control engaged at 68 mph when the failure occurred. The vehicle began to decelerate and some smoke was present underneath the vehicle. When the contact opened the hood there was no evidence of smoke in the engine area. The contact was concerned about the housing unit being cracked other than for being defective, cold temperature or high heat that comes in contact with it. The housing unit should never split apart. The thermostat housing unit was leaking. The over drive warning light illuminated prior to the failure. The contact was forced to drive the vehicle onto the emergency lane. The vehicle would drive forward or in reverse and it also failed to function in first gear. The vehicle would only move forward in second gear. The contact was able to continue driving five miles in second gear to his residence at 35 mph. After the failure occurred the contact also added anti freeze to the vehicle. The transmission also failed shortly after the failure occurred and he was unable to drive in reverse gear. The mechanic stated that the bands in the transmission may have caused the failure to occur. A local mechanic replaced the thermostat housing unit which has three hoses attached to it. Ford was currently checking the transmission to determine the cause of failure. The failure mileage was 96,600. The current mileage was 96,620.

See all problems of the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 🔎.

The rising price of gas discouraged me from using my sport trac (st) often, so it was garaged during the work week. On the weekends, I usually drove the st to run errands around town. On Jan 28, 2012, I drove less than a mile when my st began losing throttle response and an unfamiliar clattering can be heard generated in the engine bay. I quickly realized that this was not normal, so I proceeded to pull over. I then took the truck to a mechanic near my location. The mechanic after extensive diagnosis determined that the timing chain tensioner had failed, along with timing chain guides which shattered into multiple pieces (photos available). The timing chain and its components are suppose to last for a lifetime of the vehicle, and hence Ford provided no information or provision for its maintenance. The repair was expensive, because it required the removal of the engine which is based on the sohc design having its right camshaft driven by a timing chain located behind the engine near the firewall. A recall of the timing chain guides and tensioner should be made because of the common problem this has been for this engine design, sohc 4. 0l after the removal of the engine and timing chain guide replacement, my vehicle began to experience transmission failure. The transmission registered an error on my dashboard, and after consultation with an expert, required a transmission rebuild. The cost of the engine and the transmission rebuild has been very expensive to say the least. The unpredictable nature of this failures would compromise safety during high speed operations. I hope NHTSA will review complaints regarding timing chain and transmission failures, which should reveal a pattern of design failures at Ford. Interestingly, Ford had issued a recall for the timing chain tensioners and engine removal to repair chain guides in the past.

See all problems of the 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 🔎.

The body mounts have deteriorated to a point that they are crumbling and are not supporting the frame to the body and need to be replaced for safety reasons. The transmission failed without any warning and had to be rebuilt. Neither of these problems should exist on a vehicle that is well maintained and has only 52,000 miles. These problems appear to be common with this vehicle and need to be addressed by Ford.

See all problems of the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac 🔎.

Transmission fails to act on acceleration into traffic, there is a delay in speed pick up which can cause a near rear end collision with other vehicles. Not sure if it is the on board computer or a failure of the low pressure seals as discussed with car dealership.

2001 Ford sport trac transmission electronics failed at 45,000 miles causing entire transmission rebuild to be necessary. Ford customer service extremely unhelpful, nothing they would do and also would not provide supervisor to speak to.