hey hey hey! I was "lucky" to have mine last to 199,000 miles! I should say nanana booo booo to the rest of you! Damn transmissions in these things are junk, along with the wheel bearings, toe links....all of those things repeatedly replaced, I will find a tranny from a wrecked donor car, put it in my explorer and proceed to sell it to the next stupid person I see! Hey do any of you ford loyalists want to buy a great vehicle with an awesome reputation for, well, okay you can haul alot of people in it, 7 I think? I have the lemon, errr, vehicle for you! Thank you Ford for proving my point to my wife which is, if you buy blue oval you walk to work eventually. The bummer of it is, I was driving the Piece of crap at the time of break down! hahahaha She was driving my Chevy because, it rides nicer, it doesnt rattle ( oh yeah this explorer rattled since 54,000 miles when my wife decided to bring this rolling turd home). I will say DAMN the HEATER works like a sum bitch! They should duct the heat to the bumpers so when you push it in the winter your hands won't get too cold! ha heated bumpers! Oh which I have to close with this one, stop me if you heard it already.................................................You know 90% of ALL Fords are still on the road today..........................................................................................................................................................The other 10% actually MADE it home!!!!!! Another fine vehicle ford! Too bad it didnt have your fancy sync and navigation with it! I'd look hella cool looking up a towing service on the side of the road all while listening to a tune downloaded from itunes! Thank you so much Ford for not taking bail out money! hell you dont need to because you make defective parts and dont fix them.....EVER! oh, anyone that has owned a ford taurus SHO MTX or ATX ( I have owned 2, a 90 MTX and a 94 ATX) will back me up on this, FORD makes SLUSH BOXES not transmissions!

I had the same old problem with my 2002 Explorer that seems to plague most the other owners. I also got the blinking O/D light of death and the harsh shifting. So instead of giving up and having a rebuilt transmission put into the truck just to have the same old problem again, I did some research on what exactly is going on. I found out that the servo (on the outside) of the transmission which controls the bands (on the inside) of the transmission create an oblong hole over time. This creates and pressure leak and thus shifting problems. The solution...instead of replacing the transmission with a new or rebuild one just to have the same issue return I had the servo hole re-bored and a brass sleeve installed.(brass is tougher than aluminum case the transmission is made of) Problem solved and it will last a lot longer now. My cost was $1500 thru a local transmission shop. That was the complete cost including parts and labor.

My suggestion to all of the hate/love Explorer owners out there is to research servo bore and ask some shops if they perform this service. I now have 40k more miles on the Explorer and not a single shifting issue.

I wanted to do my small part in helping Americans to keep manufacturing cars in the USA, so I purchased a 2002 Ford Explorer. In 2004, the hatchback/lift gate cracked. When I contacted Ford, they said it would cost me approximately $300 to fix the problem. I believe it is a design flaw and not due to neglect on my part. I have never had it fixed and now there are multiple cracks on the liftgate. Also, in 2004, the "Check Engine Light" permanently came on, despite different mechanics seemingly fixing the issue. In about 2006, the "Over Drive" turned on randomly. Now, in 2013, with 88,000 miles on my Explorer, it was diagnosed to need a transmission. The cost we were quoted by our mechanic to install a new one is $3890. My husband and I contacted Ford and they suggested we take it into a Ford dealer and have it replaced. We have to pay for the transmission if we want an operable vehicle. I am now left with the opinion that my Ford is an INFERIOR auto that lacks the support of the manufacturer. It is Ford's choice to ignore my issues and it is my choice to NEVER again purchase a Ford and I my choice to tell my friends and family my experience with my Ford Explorer.

Moms explorer went out at 83000 1st time last march. Then only 3 months later needed another one at 86000 and now at 93000 a year later its slamming into reverse and hesitating alot im sure it won't be long before the next one. Can't get rid of it cause we are still in debt from the first 2 trannys and my mom works for a ford dealer. Mine is an 02 as well same car. Only has 66k miles and I cross my fingers when i drive all the time. Mine has had no problems except the one wheel bearing. My moms has been a total f*ck job. Probably 5 different times wheel bearings went. Rear window cracked. A/c went out, and heat then the regulator broke, and now with the 3rd tranny on its way out. the rear end is making noise and i took a look at it, pretty sure it needs rebuilt and a new pinion bearing. Mine has been good but i drive very carefully and i definetly plan to sell it asap

O/D LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND CHECK TRANSMISSION CAME ON IN INFORMATION CENTER WHEN OUT OF TOWN, THEN WE HAD STOPPED, CALLED A FORD DEALER AT 11:20 AM, AND WAS TOLD, SORRY NO MECHANICS ON, CALL BACK TOMORROW. I CONFIRMED WHAT I HEARD, THEN WAS TOLD NO ONE HAD TIME TO TALK TO ME TODAY, SO I CALLED A TRANS.SHOP. HE SAID BRING IT IN, STARTED TRUCK BACK UP, HAD NO GEARS WOULDN'T MOVE IN ANY GEAR. HAD TO BE FLATBED TO TRANS. SHOP, WE HAVE PENN WARRANTY COMPANY AS EXT SERVICE, BUT THEY WONT EVEN COVER 1/4 OF THE COST, CALLED FORD, THEY SAID NO RECALLS, AND ITS OUT OF WARRANTY, SORRY CANT HELP YA.

Ford transmission slipping from park into reverse. As these cars start to age the problem with the faulty transmission is becoming more and more apparent. Please anyone who has a similar story share it with my family, this is our story....

My name was Kim, I was 30 years old...the mother of 2 little children, Jace 5 and Julie 2. I had a good life and enjoyed it to the fullest, I was a nurse, a teacher, and I was going to the University of Alberta in September to complete my masters in nursing.

On April 1st, 2012 Ford took all of that away from me and took me away from my family when my SUV surged into reverse and killed me in my garage as I was getting ready to take my dog to the park. It destroyed a lot of people. Never thought I would die that way!

Update from Apr 3, 2013: One week prior to the accident my sister was telling me and my family how her car was surging while driving down the highway coming back to Spruce Grove Ab from Banff Ab. If your vehicle is experiencing any of these issues please STOP driving it. Do your research for injuries / deaths related to these vehicles. This is a SERIOUS issue!!

I am (was) a ford truck guy. I spent most of my summer vacation, as a youth, on my grandfathers farm. Every tractor, and truck was a ford. So naturally when as an adult, it was just ingrained in me, when the time came to buy a truck...buy a ford. And i did. My wife and I are on our 8th ford vehicle in about 22 yrs. 4 where explorers ( 1991 thru 2002), 2 where p/u (1992 & 1997), 1 was a E150 conv. hi-top ( 2002 ) and the Flex (2009). So i think Ford motor company might consider me a loyal customer !?!?

My issue is with my wife's 02 explorer XLT. The tranny just Sh!T the bed. With 71000k mi. We are the orig. owners and it hasn't haul anything other than a double stroller and the kids. And the tranny is just the last straw with this Suv.

Prior to the 02 explorer, i owned a 98 explorer sport and my wife owned a 2000 explorer xlt. But with the family growing, and me hitting my head on the door jam ever time i strapped Jr. in the car seat, we trade up. That was the beginning of the end.

Within the first yr. it was back to ford for: Interior lights that stayed on, steering column replacement, And though the years a host of annoying things like broken rear strut, window motor, heater coil, water pump, e-brake cable, heater blower switch, rear lift gate strut, and the computer modular for the anti lock brakes. With by the way is another design flaw the ford has turned a blind eye to.

Even with all the problems we had with the 02, i kinda chalked it out to " first model yr flaws", i still went out and bought an 09 Flex.

But if ford doesn't stand behind the product and at least offer a pro rated refund for the replacement.....

I'M DONE...FOREVER....AND I'LL TELL EVERYONE WHO ASK (and those who don't) TO PISS ON FORD !!!

At 52,000 miles, had roughly $11,000 in repairs from transmission dropping to stabilizer bar replaced twice, window motors burning out, etc. Only saving grace was purchased extended warranty, but still cost me around $700 in deductible payments. Worst vehicle I've ever purchased. Quality is definitely not "Job 1" with Ford. Never mind the 5 or 6 recalls on this vehicle. I try and tell everyone about this so they don't purchase a Ford.

Update from Dec 18, 2012: Just received ANOTHER recall from Ford.

Update from Feb 1, 2013: Now at 116,201 miles, transmission drops for a SECOND time. That's right, every 5 years a Ford transmission needs to be replaced. NEVER AGAIN. Got rid of this lemon and bought a Toyota. Will never, ever buy Ford again and neither should you. Biggest piece of junk I've ever bought. But remember what Ford says, "Quality is Job 1"

The transmission has been slowly dying for years now. Two years ago the OD light started blinking because the transmission would slip between 4th gear and overdrive. I turned the OD off and ran the vehicle without overdrive. Since then the transmission started slipping between 1st and 2nd gears and a few weeks ago, it stopped working completely. The transmission makes a noise and will only go about two miles before you have to shut off the engine and restart. It will then go another two miles shaking and jerking the whole way. I am replacing the transmission with a new one that has a warranty of 3 years or 100K miles.

Update from Oct 3, 2013: After getting the price to replace the transmission, I decided to sell the Explorer for parts on Craig's List. After being a loyal Explorer fan, I will never purchase an Explorer again.

Just as all of the other folks have said, This obviously flawed transmission needs to be recalled by Ford. I have owned only Fords my entire life I probably have Ford blue running through my veins and have never had this kind of a problem from any of them. I own 7 Fords, 3 Eddie Bauer Explorers (2002, 92 & 91) and 4 Mustang collector cars... After experiencing this very same transmission problem and then learning of just how many vehicles are effected and how long Ford has been WELL AWARE of all of this crap, my allegiance is over... COME ON FORD stand up for your people and fix this disaster... You are sadly driving all of us over to "the dark side" and will have no one to blame but your greedy selves... Can't blame Firestone for this! I also have all of the rest of the standard issues... Cracked rear hatch, broken coil springs, CD player doesn't work or eject CDs, clicking noise from rear heater fan, broken window regulators and bad wheel bearings! WHAT A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A LEMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is my 3rd transmission on this Explorer. I had my transmission go on my previous Explorer at 80Km miles, then traded it in. Now on my the 2002 Explorer I lost the first transmission at 65K and had a brand new one put in. Now again at 138K it goes bad. The transmission specialist I took it to stated that 2002-2008 Explorers had transmission issues that Ford did not know how to fix. Some thrust bearing wears out. They have a fix for it now, but Ford should have taken care of their customers and bellied up to the table. I've bought Fords for me an my family for over 40 years. I just bought my wife a Ford Escape last year, but I'm done with Ford now unless they match the 100K mile power train warranty like their competitors.