10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,612 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #17

Mar 012015

Explorer

  • 57,000 miles
This vehicle has less than 60,000 miles on it and the transmission is out. There is no reason for this. It is jerking into gear hard. We took it and had it put on a diagnostic test and it is not electrical which means it is internal.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #16

May 252011

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
Vehicle has started to roll away when in park. Took in for service and reported to dealer. They claim they can find nothing wrong. This has happened 5 times.

- Mehoopany, PA, USA

problem #15

Mar 212011

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
My wife was driving down the street and without warning the car stopped accelerating when she tried driving. She was able to coast across 2 lanes with hazards on and park the car. A local shop says the transmission is french and is known to have issues of failure. Total repair will be $2900 with an american made transmission with a 100K mile warranty.

- Magnolia, TX, USA

problem #14

Feb 162011

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was not accurately shifting gears and the vehicle would accelerate backwards while in drive. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they performed a diagnostic test which concluded that they needed to reprogram the trans memory to update calibration for converter lockup. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current and failure mileages were 29,000. Updated 11/28/11

- Sandusky, OH, USA

problem #13

Jul 012008

Explorer 8-cyl

  • 10,000 miles
I have 2007 Ford Explorer eddie bauer edition with 4.6L V8 engine. My car jerks and lunges forward as I'm slowing down to stop. It appears to me that this problem occurs when my automatic transmission down-shifts from either 3rd to 2nd gear or 2nd to 1st gear. This is a significant and potentially dangerous problem.

- Long Island City, NY, USA

problem #12

Sep 202010

Explorer

  • 54,000 miles
2007 Ford Explorer making a loud roaring sound upon acceleration. I finally got it to do it at the dealer. The service manager, lead tech and myself went for a ride. They agreed that the fan clutch was locking up and felt that a simple R&R would fix it. However at the last minute the service manager decided to call Ford engineering and he talked to an engineer who explained that the fan clutch is controlled by the PCM (module) and that replacing the fan would not solve the issue. He explained that for some reason the PCM thinks the engine is overheating and it is trying to increase air flow through the radiator. Makes sense. However there are no codes showing an overheating problem. Hmmmm'' upon further investigation it was found that the trans was throwing of an overheat code! I'm not sure why that was not apparent from the beginning. The laptop showed the trans temp at 270!. no way! so up on the lift, and physically check the trans temp and fluid temp. Well, 160 all day long! turns out that the thermo bypass was faulty and was misinforming the PCM that the trans was overheating and the PCM was locking up the fan clutch to pull more air to compensate. Replaced the thermo bypass and so far problem solved. To do this you must drop the trans pan and remove the valve body as the thermo bypass is located in the valve body.

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

problem #11

Jun 272010

Explorer

  • 113,000 miles
I have a 2007 for Explorer. While I was driving on the interstate the vehicle went from 65 mph to 20 mph. I took the vehicle to the Ford dealer who advised that the transmission went out. That this is a know issue with the Explorer from 2002 to 2008. I contacted six other independent transmission shops who also advised that this is a know issue for Ford Explorer year 2002 to 2008. I then contacted Ford customer relationship center 800-392-3673 who advised that even though its a know issue with Ford that only dealer repair reports count towards a recall with NHTSA not independent transmission company's repair of the problem. I explained to them that I had a two year old in the vehicle with me not only my life was in danger but a child also. The response from Ford customer service group was regardless no one got hurt.

- Dulith, GA, USA

problem #10

Apr 102010

Explorer

  • 21,900 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 mph, the vehicle crashed into another vehicle. There were no injuries but the vehicle was not in drivable condition. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealership where transmission fluid was added to allow the vehicle to shift properly. The contact noticed similar transmission problems a month later so the vehicle was taken back to the dealership where the transmission overhaul and throttle position sensor were replaced. After the repairs, the vehicle was parked on hill and it suddenly rolled down. The failure mileage was approximately 21,900.

- Conroe, TX, USA

problem #9

Aug 012007

Explorer

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,000 miles
Almost from day one I thought there was a transmission problem. Ford never informed me, so I waited until it was noticeable enough to drop it off at a Ford dealership for repair. When coming to a stop the transmission kicked as if someone had run into the back of us or the transmission would unexpectedly lunge the SUV forward as it came to a stop. The consumer stated in order for the dealership to fix the problem, they had to reprogram and replace the bad software part with a new software part. Even though the transmission was reprogrammed, the consumer was informed the problem most likely would return. The consumer also stated there was a problem with the brakes. Updated 04/07/10.

- Longs, SC, USA

problem #8

Feb 152009

Explorer

  • 20,000 miles
When I brake my Explorer car jolts forward like I've been rear ended.

- Minot Afb, ND, USA

problem #7

Sep 222008

Explorer

  • 20,000 miles
I am having problems with my brakes bleeding down it is to go in the shop in a couple of days..I have also had the surging problem as others have had. My car was taken to a local Ford dealership were they keep it for a couple of days. They did have to reset the computer and the surging has stopped and had no problems since then.

- Longview, TX, USA

problem #6

Mar 012007

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 500 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitates and lunges from first to second gear. The failure occurs during acceleration and deceleration. The vehicle has been to the dealer six times and they performed tsb work and reset the tcm system. The current mileage was 13,000 and failure mileage was 500.updated 04/22/08.

- Tukwila, WA, USA

problem #5

Jun 072007

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles
Transmission wants to surge in first gear and then slams itself into second. Also at low speeds it wants to surge up and down by not pushing on the gas. Now the seat belt is stuck where I can hardly get it long enough to get it on. I have reported the transmission problem before. They reprogrammed the transmission and it fixed it for about one week.then it started all over again. Sure wish I had never have bought it. I got so disgusted I bought a 2008 Toyota Camry and love it.

- North Mankato, MN, USA

problem #4

Jan 182008

Explorer

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,600 miles
I bought a 2007 ironman Ford Explorer in April. At about 5,000 miles it started having shifting problems. Jerking into gear and surging forward when stopping. I took it into the dealership in Dec.2007 at first they said they couldn't find anything wrong with it. Four days later it was back at the dealership and after they drove it for a while they finally noticed the problem. They re- programmed it and it drove fine for about two weeks. On Jan. 18th it was back in at the dealership with the same problem now the have had it for seven days and don't know when they will have it fixed.

- Leesburg, GA, USA

problem #3

Jun 072007

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles
I purchased my new 2007 Explorer V8 eddie bauer on 06-07-07. I traded in a 2002 same thing. The minute I drove it off the lot I knew there was a transmission problem with it. It wants to surge between first and second gear and when it finally goes in it just slams itself in. Also if you are idling along at a slow speed it acts like you are gently giving it gas as it speeds up and slows down. The back lock on the window wants to pop open a lot also. The dealer has reprogrammed the transmission once and for about a week I thought it was fixed. Then it started all over again with the transmission. The Explorer now sits in my garage for 99.9% of the time. It has 5808.8 miles on it. I got so disgusted with the thing I bought a 2008 Toyota Camry and just love it. I have been a union member all my life and have always bought american products but it seems the american manufactures no longer care or there designers no longer care as some of the foreign manufactures are putting our products to shame. This used to be a proud country but now it is just greed. I believe I have bought my last american car or until they get there act back together. Ford motor you are putting out junk. Get back in the ball game. A very unhappy customer.

- North Mankato, MN, USA

problem #2

Oct 222007

Explorer 4WD 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles
The latest complaint/issue is that I am getting a blinking "O/D off" light and "service engine soon" light in my Explorer. I had just had my truck in for some extensive assessment, following a litany of back-to-back electrical issues (full battery failure, failure of the 4WD component, broken or detached wire in driver's door, resulting in inability to lock/alarm that door with remote) as well as, long as it was in there, the 60K maintenance cycle (which included electrical, transmission, clutch, and axle checkup). Then, problems again - I noted a blinking "O/D off" light and "service engine soon" light on the console while driving on the weekend. I was forced to take it back in for maintenance, about 3-4 weeks after the last service. Just talking through this on the phone with the service dept, the indicated it was probably a transmission problem - quick search on the web for other Ford owners with similar indications/warning lights seemed to back that up - so I anticipated I was looking at a full transmission replacement. To add insult to injury, the Ford dealer where I get service done was in a 2-week backlog on transmission work (seems Ford has a lot of these issues...)...so I ended up dropping off my truck and did not see it for 2 weeks while the work was done - then, when I asked if they had rebuilt the entire transmission (so that I could expect, at least, another 50-60K w/O the next issue), they noted that they had not rebuilt it all - here at am a few weeks later and the transmission seems to be acting up again...very disappointed in the quality of this Ford with the repeated, back-to-back electrical and mechanical issues that all seem to happen at the same time - right around 50-60K for the 2003 model XLT.

- Clifton, VA, USA

problem #1

Jul 182007

Explorer 4WD 8-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,400 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Ford Explorer. While driving 5 mph, the vehicle hesitated when the accelerator pedal was depressed. In addition, the vehicle would surge forward while stopped. The dealer inspected the vehicle on five occasions and they stated that the transmission caused the failure; however, they were unable to remedy the failure. As of November 28, 2007, the dealer had not repaired the vehicle. The failure mileage was 2,400 and current mileage was 3,588.

- Stewartstown, PA, USA