7.8
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $680
- Average Mileage:
- 89,600 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 130 complaints
Most common solutions:
- replace wheel bearing (43 reports)
- replace complete hub assembly (26 reports)
- replaced wheel bearings (23 reports)
- 3rd party repair, no way i'm giving dealer more money (14 reports)
- not sure (11 reports)
- dealer replaced all the bearings (6 reports)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Ford dealer.
This has been a recurring problem. All four wheel hubs have been replaced and one twice.
- jjfitch, Shelton, WA, US
This has been a recurring problem with all four hubs requiring reoplacement. One twice.
- jjfitch, Shelton, WA, US
This turned out to be a recurring problem. The car now has 134,000 miles. All four wheel hubs have been replaced and one has been replaced two times. Another hub is now making a whirring noise. This vehicle has been very reliable and no other out of the ordinary maintenance issues. All maintenance is completed according to the recommendations found in the owners manual.
- jjfitch, Shelton, WA, US
ever since i owned the car i had to replace 3 wheel bearings
- jr9306ac, Saint Paul, MN, US
Went to get my brake pads changed and ended up needing new pads, rotors, and new bearings as they were barely holding the wheel on the axle anymore. All together I got hit with $1,600 in repairs during a routine brake change, then my transmission failed 2 weeks later....and then again 2 weeks after that...
- John S., Abington, PA, US
Slight grinding sound on turning and now ABS light has come on. We have quit driving it due to this and the transmission going bad for the safety of our children. Ford says they know about the problem but our car does not meet the CRITERIA for them to do anything about it. I thank God we found that there was a problem prior to an accident but now the challenge is how to get it repaired, since nobody will help. The dealer has told us between $3000-$3500 for the tranny and close to $1000 for the bearings!
- Kimberly M., Gridley, CA, US
ford needs to agree to repair all problems with their vehicles.
- branchanskyflorida, Pompano Beach, FL, US
Had to replace the driver's side rear wheel bearing because it went out, another common problem when you ask the dealership about it.
- Ontario J., Jacksonville, NC, US
Same problem everyone else is having with failing wheel bearings and hub assemblies. MANUFACTURER DEFECT, FORD! You call this built Ford "TOUGH"? This is a joke, especially with such low mileage.
- Howard H., Brookline, MA, US
Had to replace both front wheel bearings on my Ford. That sucked. I wish I had known all the problems before buying this type of vehicle.
- Dawn E., Piketon, OH, US
I bought my Explorer in 2010 with 111k miles on it. It ran great and everything was fine until at about 180k miles the first wheel bearing went out. I wish I had found this site before I ever purchased this vehicle. I surely would not have bought this model.
I drive about 40k a year over dirt roads most of the time. I have replaced 6 wheel bearings at about $400 a pop. The replacements last about 20-30k miles. That's it! What a scam. They are warranted for 12 months or 12k miles. The engine is in great condition and I replaced the transmission at 250k miles. I really should have gotten rid of the car at that point.
Have I gotten my moneys worth out of the car? I'd like to continue driving it, but now the two front bearings are bad again. The car has 290k miles on it and with a fairly new transmission, I hate to just get rid of it, but I don't really want to put any more money into it either. With all other repairs I have spent over $15k to maintain this vehicle. I think that's a little too much.
- David P., Grand Forks, ND, US
dealer replaced bearing but it was guess work, it's really the transmission causing the noise and clunking.
- hjones15, Bedford Hills, NY, US
This is at least the 2nd time in 3 years that the wheel bearings went. May have been only 20,000 miles. No off-roading. I had a 1994 Explorer for 15 years 114,000miles and never had to replace the wheel bearings. Already had the front diff. serviced in March 2014 for $693, oil change, air filter, coolant flush, front pinion seal, 4 new tires, transmission flush, and 4 wheel alignment for a total of $2183. Then 1 week later exhaust leak that needed a new flange and gasket for $192. So far a total of $4035 with taxes. Had the rust removed last year for $1700.
I find that this used Explorer is costing about $2000 per year in average repairs. The 1994 averaged maybe $400.
- Mark R., Seneca Falls, NY, US
I promise you I will never ever buy another Ford product again. I purchased a 2003 Ford Explorer after talking with friends and was told they are great vehicles. What they didn't know is that the 2003 model has a chronic problem with wheel bearings. I bought the vehicle in 2010 with 110,000 miles on it and drove it for my work and put another 140,000 miles on it in a little over two years. I am a traveling salesman. In that time I had to replace wheel bearings six times. I retired the vehicle a year ago and have put less than 10,000 miles on it since the last wheel bearing was replaced. I have been hearing noises and checked the right rear bearing today and found that it needs to be replaced. This is ridiculous. The engine runs great and does not burn oil at all and I replaced the transmission at 250,000 miles. I planned on keeping the vehicle because I have put so much into it. I may have to cut my losses or find a wheel bearing with a lifetime warranty. Seven wheel bearing failures in two years is absolutely absurd. That's over $2000 for wheel bearing replacement alone. No warranty on this last one because it's for 12,000 miles or 12 months. It's been over a year even though not over 12,000 miles. No bearing should fail with that little miles on it.
- David P., Grand Forks, ND, US
Front end humming , thought it was bad roads . Nope , both front wheel bearings were bad . Design doesn't allow for just bearing replacement . Complete hub replacement necessary. Ford should be ashamed of this design . We took great care of this vehicle . My 1996 crown vic has 191,000 miles on the original bearings with no problems.
- chuckmn, Hugo, MN, US
had to have both front hubs replaced and both rear bearings repacked.
local garage did both rear for around 600.00 (if i remember correctly.)
one front hub dealership did at cost of about 400.00 (if i remember correctly.) had to have them do it as we were leaving for vacation the next day.
other front hub i replaced myself for about 180.00
this is just another common annoying problem with this explorer. i've owned several vehicles that have had over 100k miles on them and i've never had to replace a hub/bearing. to have to replace all 4 on one vehicle is crazy. this thing has not been off-road or hauled anything.
- Billy O., Wooster, OH, US
Wheel bearing failure at about 100,000 is NOT normal.
- N Q., New Castle, DE, US
Also had to replace both cv shafts and rear tie rods and both struts.
- Martin B., South Lyon, MI, US
I am surprised such a major problem happened so easily? It has potential to snap wheel off while car is moving. This clearly exposes poor quality of vehicle design and manufacturing.
- Thanda P., Seal Beach, CA, US
This has been a recurring problem with all four wheel hubs requiring replacement at different times. One has been replace two times. The is a whirring noise now that may indicate another hub failure.
- jjfitch, Shelton, WA, US