To be clear, I have always taken care of my vehicles religiously. I work close to home & don't put on an long, hard miles on my truck. About a month ago, I started hearing a loud hum in the front end once I hit 50MPH and above. I took it to my mechanic & he thought it was a hub bearing issue. I was told to add a few more miles to it & bring it back in a few weeks. A few days later, the tranny started to slip & the O/D light started flashing. I had to have it towed. It turns out, not only did I need to have the tranny rebuilt, the hub bearing had to be fixed, both ball joints were bad & I also need to get the transfer case fixed. I am so angry & disgusted that this happened to a truck with low mileage. I had a 1987 Jeep that I had for 18 years with 200,000+ K om it, no issues whatsoever! The only reason why I bought a new truck was because I was hesitant to drive an old truck with a newborn. If I knew then what I knew now...NEVER again with I purchase another Ford...I wish I still had that old Jeep...and for what it's worth, a 'closed system' is absurd, maintenance free my a**...they do this so they'll make more money of you in the long run...way to go Ford... I'm one disappointed, angry Ford 'Exploder' customer...

Had transmission problem, shifting ruff, warning light on. Went to local ford dealership, Bea Townsend Ford, Vandalia, Ohio to have problem checked. Was told by service writer that to tell me the problem would cost me $96.00. Then told me that the shop would not know if they could repair the problem without taking the transmission out of vehicle and tearing it apart. When I question him about what would happen if the mechanic could ot fix the problem what would my options be. He told me that I would have to replace the transmission at a cost of $3000.00. I alos questioned him about the fact that the vehicle only had 51000 miles on it, was serviced per specs. He told me that it "was 7 years old". I then asked him since when does a damn car have a born on date and that a transmission should not fail under light driving conditions at 51000 miles, my wife drive the vehicle, 1 1/2 miles to work one way. I then asked him about trying to have Ford cover the repair and he told me no, that he would not even to attempt to do so. I drove the car out of the dealership to an independent shop and have the transmission fixed at a cost of $1700. plus the $96.00 it cost me to have this idiot tell me that the transmission was broken. I knew that when I drove into the shop. Been a Ford customer the past 30 years, same dealership, will never own or buy another Ford because of this treatment I recieved.Note; I received a customer satisfaction form in the mail and it stated that if there was any problems with the service to call the dealership and talk to the service manager. I did this, he was not in, I left my info with the person I talked to and NEVER received a call back. See ya Beau Townsened Ford Dealership and see ya Ford.

Purchased new in 2002 On 5/1/10 the O/D light started to flash for the first time ever. I called my local guy and he said pull it over and let the truck sit for 30 seconds the computer should reset itself. Did this and it worked for about 1 mile. I was on my way to a relatives funeral so I could not turn back. Upon continuing to drive the check engine light now showed up. When at a stop the engine would rev up to 4.5 in order to start moving. After having it TOWED I discover that I need a new/rebuilt transmission??? REALLY?!? No indication that there was ever a problem prior to this other than an occasional clunk sound when putting vehicle in reverse (maybe 4 times or so over the life of the truck)

My mother has a 2003 Explorer, and she was driving it last Friday when she noticed that it felt like the tranny was slipping then grabbing, jerking the truck forward. she said that it was doing this constantly. We didn't drive it until today, when my parents went bring it to our mechanic. They called back, and said that the transmission solenoid body needs to be replaced. they said that it was going to cost a little more than $500, which is a lot cheaper than what we were thinking we would have to pay. The Explorer has about 175,000 miles on it, so it lasted way longer than most of the explorers that are listed on this website.But im not sure if this is going to be the correct fix or not. we'll have to wait and see once we get it back.

Had a 7 year 75,000 bumper to bumper warranty. Through that time period, had transfer case replaced, three wheel bearings replaced, plus numerous other issues including replacing all four brake rotors. Parking brake "boot" was jammed and was replaced under warranty as well. The part-time 4WD would kick in to 4WD Hi on random occasions (tires were all even, and this occurred when new tires were installed as well). After the warranty period, the next 20,000 miles were fairly uneventful. Around 99,000 miles, the alternator failed (this was the first time the car actually broke down and could not be driven). Cost was $400+ tax. Had inspection done at 101,000 miles and car needed new rotors on all four wheels (again), new brake pads, both rear springs needed replaced. Cost for the inspection, $1,100. A few days later, transmission started slipping. Actually, the car wouldn't go into third gear unless you pulled your foot off the gas prior to the transmission shifting into third. Took it to local transmission shop and they ran a pressure test on the transmission. Would not hold pressure, so they quoted $660 to remove the transmission, inspect it to determine the problem, and re-install the broken transmission. This meant spending $660 and the transmission would still need to be fixed. Was told by the transmission shop that they were 90% sure it would be the servo piston. Cost would be around $3,100 total for removal and repair. Was also told that if it's not the servo piston, the transmission would need to be rebuilt/replaced. Cost would be in the $4,500 range. After spending over $1,500 in the last few months and having to spend at least another $3,100, I took it to a dealer and traded it in on a 2010 Toyota 4 Runner. This is the third Ford I've owned (1991 Escort, 1996 Sable), and the third transmission which needed to be replaced. This will be the last Ford I will ever own. I also told Ford I would never buy one of their vehicles again (prior to buying the Explorer) and broke my word by buying another one. Guaranteed it will be my last Ford now.

I am the original owner of a 2003 6-cylinder Ford Explorer. At about 60,000 miles the transmission started slipping and also the o/d light came on and remained on. I brought the car back to Ford under the warranty, and they repaired it no cost because of the warranty, costing the company of over two thousand dollars. I now have 93,000 miles on my Explorer and the transmission is beginning to slip again this time I don't have a warranty.

I took good care of this SUV and yet it has transmission problems. I don't understand why.

Well I took my truck to Ford to see if the trans was recalled. Surprise, NOPE!!!! I had them replace it anyway with a rebuilt unit. They said that they don't sell new units. Know it's been less than 3,000 miles and the new trans already failed. Well I'll be back to update this post. Whether it's from jail or not is too soon to tell. I'll never buy a Ford product again. I sent a 1999 Contour to the junk yard with 80,000 miles on it. The dealer couldn't fix it and neither could I. I spent 4,000 on that car too.