After reading all the complaints about the rear end noise in 2002 explorers I resigned myself to the fact that if was a defect , so we drove the vehicle for over a year with the annoying whine. I then decided to inspect the rear end , the oil was very dirty so

I drained it and flushed out the rear end . I replaced the oil with Pensoil 75-140 synthetic oil and also added gm antislip lube to it , presto , whining noise GONE!!

A friend at Piston Ring auto parts suggested this fix and it as worked for me ?

I had it diagnosed by pros I thought , 1200.00 dollar touch to replace the crown and pinion gears anyway hope this helps those out there . remember also those with

transmission problems , change your tranny oil every 60.000 k that is the magic to

saving dollars on costly repairs

yes ford i can not believe the stuff you are putting out there, i've replaced the rear end in this truck twice because of your negligence. now the rear end roars like the differential is about to lock up, let alone the transmission is starting to slip, my god if you do believe in god you better hope my family is safe and that you take responsibility for your mistakes, god forbid its your family riding around in this truck, but you better hope nothing endangers my family. and survive , i will pursue compensation and every thing ford has down to the coffin henry ford is layin in now, i see why henrys brother put the hydrosalator in the vehicles. its a warning that you should heed. we are your customers, you're about to lose millions of customers and dollars......i guess its true that ford means F*#@$ed Over Rebuilt Dodge.

I ditto most of the complaints already - whirling noise, started at 78,000 miles, warranty expired at 75k and dealer and Ford would not comply. I continued driving and the noise never got worse, it now has 105k on it.

Took it in on 4/14/08, auto shop was not certain it was the ring and pinion. They removed wheels/axles to inspect bearings - never removed them but by rotating the hubs they felt they were going bad. Knowing this was a FE problem I agreed to have them fixed. They called back and said the noise is still there. F!!!!

I am having them proceed with a ring and pinion repair, i'll see what happens. POS Fords.

My ex-wife had the car for 4 months after we were divorced and it started to make the whining noise. she took it in and it cost around 500.00 dollars to replace the bearings and seals and they said the diff was empty. Now I have the vehicle back and its starting to do the same thing again, only on the front dif. This is ridiculous.... this is an expensive vehicle already and the cost of the repairs is just as nutssss. They need to recall the diffs and fix what they f#$@ed up in the first place... I will never buy another ford for this matter.....

I have had many problems with this vehicle from transmission to radiator to drive train.

I had the rear end repaired in late 2005-early 2006. It started making noise about a year later so I took it back in and was told that the differential is vented by a tube that lets water into the differential causing the rear end to go bad. They did not know this at the time I got it fixed the first time NOW I HAVE TO GET IT FIXED AGAIN - FORD WILL NOT BACK THIS OR THE TRANSMISSION THAT WENT OUT AT JUST OVER 65,000.00 miles.

I HAVE WELL OVER $5,000.00 in repairs just on the transmission, radiator, rear end and wheels -

FIRST & LAST FORD I WILL EVER OWN!!!!!

I have been hearing a slight humming noise so I decided to take a look under the SUV. That was when I noticed the differential was wet with oil. A few days later I noticed a couple drops of oil on the floor of my garage then a few days after that it just stopped leaking. I have not checked the level of oil as yet but I see that there are no recalls on this problem and I think that it is madness. The hum is still there though.

Is there a recent fix to this problem? Please help! Any do it yourselfers out there? The dealership is another joke by itself!

Don't ever buy a Ford vehicle. I paid $28,000 (brand new) for this piece of crap in 2002 and it has been nothing trouble. Here a just a few of the issues: Drive train whining noise from rear differential due to a manufacturer�s defect. Cost of repair approx. $2,000. Body trim and interior trim fading and flaking due to inferior materials. This started to occur shortly after 3 years and my Explorer is in a garage at home and at work. Engine idles ruff. Ford has looked at this problem several times out of warranty but was unable to fix. Rear door cracked down the middle exterior panel which I have noticed this trademark on many Explorers I have seen. The rear door hatch struts do not work due to inferior parts. Rear door interior plastic falls off the door. Once again cheap inferior parts. There were other issues that I had repaired while the Explorer was still under warranty but it would take too long to go into detail on all of them but the service was also just as lousy as the vehicle.

At the time I purchased my Explorer, Ford was posting record profits for all the automotive industry. Cheap labor from Mexico and record sales of light trucks, SUV's enabled them to make the big $$$, but guess what those profits were not going back into their products but rather to stock holders and company execs.. My wife been driving a Honda and Acura for the past 15 years and I always encouraged her to by American but she would not listen to me. You know who the dummy is. Ford vehicles are primarily manufactured in Mexico and more recently in China where the labor is even cheaper than Mexico. Honda and Acura are manufactured in the USA. Take a look at consumer reports and see what vehicles have the best customer satisfaction� HONDA and ACURA! I guess I should start listening to my wife.

Hi all well I to have the same problem as all of you loud whining/grinding noise from rear. Brought it to my mechanic he told me the bearing was shot. He also told me that in 2005 there were 2 bulletins issued in regards to this problem and before he has to fix it for $500 try to have the dealer fix it for free.

I called the first dealer Able ford in Oceanside New York told them of the problem..they told me there was no recall on the truck for this problem. So then I called the dealer I purchased the truck from Hempstead Ford in Hempstead New York, after explaining the problem and giving them the file numbers on the bulletins and asking if they would fix it for free same as a recall they said no problem we would take care of it. I have a appointment in the morning. The File #'s are 05-23-3 of nov. 05 drivetrain rear axle humming and 05-25-8 of Dec. '05 same title. Hope this helps.

We have always been strong Ford people but over the last year we are questioning our loyalty. Our 02 Ford Explorer was purchased new and serviced faithfully every 3,000 miles by the dealership. At 178,000 miles we began to feel a shudder from the back of the vehicle during low speed turns. While I know this is a lot of miles and reading here, many people have problems much sooner, I still questioned why the dealer did not suggest servicing it on a regular basis. I was told it was a sealed system and did not require service and they said this was a common problem with the clutch pack on 02 and 03 explorers. We paid the $1300+ and moved on.

Now after just 24,000 miles on the rebuild which included clutch packs and ring and pinion gears we are having the same problem. Returning the the dealer we've been told that it once again needs a new clutch pack and ring and pinion and also carrier bearings for an estimate of $1550. After considerable complaining, the dealership said to call the Ford customer service center, which we did. Our frustration after calling customer service was even higher because they seemed to deny, or at least suggest, that they have no knowledge of this problem while our local dealership says they are on at least the 3rd revision of the clutch pack. While we complained to both the dealership and Ford, neither are willing to share in the expense and they say the repair only had a 12,000 mile warranty.

To make matters worse we our 2003 Expedition has started experiencing the same problem and I am sure we are in for a similar repair on it.

Our family with 4 Fords and 3 children driving or approaching driving age is looking serious at moving to anything BUT Ford.