Bought an Explorer we thought was a private owner on craiglist in Chicago, and found out he was a dealer from Indiana. He signed the title as first auto Inc. 2620 165th in hammond in 46323. The name of seller is [xxx]. the dmv file a complaint on our behalf and stated what he did was illegal. We did not know he was a dealer til when we tried to transfer our plates the next day. We took the truck in for service and my mechanic stated that carfax has the miles almost 80,000 more than what is on the odometer. The odometer listed 110,000 and carfax was far past that amount. The dealer rolled back the miles of Explorer. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Round Lake Beach, IL, USA

Overdrive light came on. Check transmission light came on. The truck suddenly started screeching loudly, nearly caused an accident while going to the airport on an expressway.

- Copiague, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the engine light illuminated as the vehicle started to overheat and stalled. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The technician diagnosed that the water pump and heating core needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 183,000. Updated 1/16/15 updated 9/7/2017

- Mobile, AL, USA

Timing chain problems; back chain 'plastic' tensor broke and affected critically entire engine. Many people with the same problem. Transmission solenoid problems; shift rough from 1st to 2nd. Put new solenoid block, problem still there. Ford does not know what the problem is. Many people with the same problem.

- Bayamon, PR, USA

" check engine soon" sign is on. " O/D" sign is on.

- Middletown, NY, USA

I was driving home from work thank god I was almost home at this time, my Ford explore was driving fine all of a sudden I herd a pop and a bang and then the motor started stumbling and shaking. As it was running the motor kept on popping I got out and seen a spark plug next to driver side fender under the hood also the coil that was plugged on to the plug was there too.I tried to grab the coil but got shocked because the rubber on the coil was broke from the plug flying out like a bullet and hitting the coil braking it in four or five places thats Y I got shocked so much.the hole point is that the plug striped out of the head and did all this damage. Now I have no way to fix this issue one of the ways to fix it can be to replace the heads on the motor witch will cost lots of money.what can I do im desperate so it would be nice to have a helping hand by the dealer but they claim it's not there fault but this has happened to so many Ford because of the heads they have used on this motor please make a recall for this issue it is a defect I do believe it is. I found over 50 people online having trouble with the same issues as me. Please help us.....

- New Haven, CT, USA

Explorer O/D light blinks and shifts rough from 1st to 2nd.

- Washington, DC, USA

When driving to work three blocks away from my house I stopped at a stop light. I started to take off again once the light turned green and a sound from the engine scared me. The truck started to sound like a lawn mower. I then had the truck towed and taken to the garage where the mechanic showed me that the spark plug blow out the engine. He said that with Ford it happens alot and if you search online there are so many people that it happens to. He then told me once he fixes it I should sell it right away unless I am willing to spend what the car is worth on replacing heads. If Ford knows about the problem why isn't there a recall on this already.

- New Haven, CT, USA

It is having trouble shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. Engine revs up to and over 4,000rpms and slams into the gears.

- Ringwood , NJ, USA

The engine overheated without any warning from the dashboard. I bought this car with 18,000 miles. The engine overheated when it had approximately 25,000 miles.

- Fair Lawn, NJ, USA

Was driving car along local road when the engine started to make noise and the car would not go over 5 miles and hour. Many cars severed to avoid truck and was lucky there was no accident. Truck was towed to local facility and had Ford tech look at vehicle. The timing chain tension broke. Tech and dealerships( called two for quotes ) said this was a common problem. After finding out the engine needed to be pulled for repair I had to junk the vehicle could not afford repair. This is certainly a safety issue any time a vehicle breaks without warning in the middle of traffic. It is also a know common problem. Dealer says the design of the tension is poorly produced and they had extended the warranty for the repair. Ford should fix/ replace the tensioner on these truck before someone is killed.

- Geneva, IL, USA

I bought a used 2002 Ford Explorer in April of this year at a used car lot. It was a beautiful blue SUV in remarkable good condition. I had it four months, and it caught on fire while at a stop sight on my way home from a shopping strip twenty miles from my home. It started smoking and while I was fumbling for my purse to get my cell phone to call for help, it caught fire and bystanders on the thoroughfare pulled me forcefully from the car, and then called the fire department. It was a total loss when the entire hood caught fire and melted. My garage mechanic, who had just seen the car, told me that he could see no reason why it would have caught fire. Can you help me?

- Oklahoma City, OK, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the vehicle burst into flames and the contact crashed into an embankment. The contact suffered injuries to the back. The vehicle was destroyed during the crash. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire. The fire department stated that the fire had started from the engine. The contact did not call the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 180,000. The VIN was not available.

- Maryville, TN, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the engine intake manifold failed due to defective plastic that fractured and caused fluid to leak. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection where the intake manifold was replaced with a steel manifold. In addition, the spark plugs rubber and gasket was replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and current mileage was 180,000. Updated 10/17/13 the consumer stated when he returned to the dealer, he learned when the five spark plugs were flooded they ruined two coils that sent electricity to the spark plugs. Updated the consumer believed Ford hid the plastic intake manifold problem, re-engineered the part to include 1/3 metal and then equipped all subsequent models with 1/3 metal as standard equipment in an effort to avoid responsibility for their defective design. Updated 04/17/14

- Niles , MI, USA

August 27,2012. Huaband driving howm from work. Going down hill to traffic light. Car suddenly, with no warning, stalls out completely. Loss of power steering, power brakes.etc. A/S contuinued to work. Engine ligh came on. Wrestled car to verge of road. Turned car off and it restarted on forst try. Stated that the following day as he attempted to pull away from stop sign, car would not initally take gas but then suddenly accelerated ( " I peeled rubber!") recalled that thatsame incident had had happened approx. 2 weeks before at a diffeent stop. Car taken to repair shop, somputer shows no issues. Believe car unsafe to drive if affected with sudden, unexplained stalling with no apparent cause. Bought car as "certified, pre-owned" used car from Ford dealership in Dec. 2012. They have no answer, no suggestions as to problem cause. Internet search shows multiple complaints for this same problem with the Ford Explorer.

- New Fairfield, CT, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the engine temperature gauge fluctuated intermittently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated that the thermostat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.

- Las Angeles, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that after shifting into reverse, there was an explosion under the hood. The air bags deployed and the engine caught fire. The fire department was present. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the gears slipping where the transmission was rebuilt but the failure was not corrected. The contact and two passengers suffered injuries but they were unknown. The vehicle failure and current mileage was 291,000.

- Guilford , ME, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was a rattling noise heard from the engine as soon as the vehicle was started. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the timing chain plastic tensioner was fractured. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Baton Rouge , LA, USA

The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while traveling 45 mph, the vehicle made a loud popping noise and the vehicle shook. The also contact stated that the check engine light, over drive, and message centers lights illuminated. The contact stated the vehicle had not been to the dealer or a mechanic. The failure and current mileages were 126,000.

- Eleanor, NC, USA

My Ford Explorer has had so many ridiculous problems. This one is extremely inconvenient. The car has trouble shifting gears, it spins from 1st to 2nd gear and then I have to let go of the accelerator for it to shift again, it skips 3rd gear altogether and jerks into fourth after pressing and depressing the accelerator a series of times. Once it's in 4th gear, it doesn't go past 50 mph. My mechanic says his monitor detected a faulty solender and the entire pack has to be replaced, but that may not be the only problem. If that doesn't do the trick (even though it needs to be replaced regardless) he will have to open the transmission and possibly rebuild or replace some of the parts. I have encountered hundreds of other 2002 Ford Explorer owners with the same problem. Aside from this, I have a list of other dangerous issues that this car has had and that has endangered my family's and my life numerous times: - gear shift breaking off the steering column as I shifted from reverse to drive in the middle of a busy intersection. - ignition cylinder/switch breaking - possible spontaneous explosion recall related to the cruise control - rear latch breaking and inability to use the rear latch. - electrical system failure - doors not closing properly & draining the battery - faulty alarm system - faulty temperature gauge and radiator - Ford not allowing customers to buy just the parts needed for replacement and repair and forcing their customers to purchase entire packages only in order to get the necessary parts at extremely high prices. Ford should be incriminated for selling these vehicles knowing full well that they are flooded with life threatening issues to their customers.

- Orlando, FL, USA