We have the same problem so many others have with their Exploder tranny. We no longer drive the vehicle more than 25 miles from the house (expecting a tow when it dies). So, we have a $30K vehicle that should last 200,000 miles, and is now worthless. Hmmm. Would I ever buy a Ford product again? I don't think so. I was wondering if the extended warranties offered any value (they cost the same as a new transmission). I see that they don't. Ford will still stiff you. My daughter just bought a new 2012 Hyundai Tucson. Now my wife wants one to replace the Exploder (both rear windows quit working, the parking brake handle just broke, and the rear heater deflector is broken again. It goes, clunk,...clunk... clunk. What a piece of crap, and no factory support. Remember when Honda replaced/fixed every transmission for their 2003 Acura TL. Wouldn't that be nice.

The most depressing thing about this issue, is that there is not a reliable fix. So, what is the point of fixing these transmissions?

My problem is basically the same as mentioned before. Slamming while changing in Reverse or Drive Delay in transmission when shifting gears.

The dealer just told me today that I need a new transmission. The cost of the repairs..approx $5000. I only have 76000 miles on my clock.

I called the customer service number for ford and spoke with a rep and filed a complaint. She stated that one of the reasons why we never see a recall is that most customers head to the internet on forums to complain ...but never call to lodge a formal complain with Ford.

I urge everyone to call them and report the problem.

She also stated that for those who got the problem fixed out of warranty, they should keep the receipts just in case there is a recall.

Rob

We bought a 2004 Explorer in 2004. We also paid several grand extra for a 100k mile extended warranty. In 2008 at just over 60k miles the transmission started shifting hard and slipping at certain times. We took it to the local Ford Dealership in Jefferson, GA where we were told they couldn't find anything wrong with it. We continued to drive it for about another year and the problem gradually got worse.

When pressing the gas from a stop the engine would just rev up like it was in neutral for a couple seconds and then slam into gear. At this point it was doing it 1 out of 10 times.

In 2009 we took it back to the same dealership where we were then told it was doing this because the tire tread was less than 50-60% ?!? It was probably around 40-50% tread left. I didn't agree with this and said I wanted the transmission repaired. They refused.

So... we continued to drive it for about another year.

In 2010 at 98k miles (just before the warranty ran out) I took it back in because it was doing the same ole gear slamming but also started slipping and sputtering under normal driving too. Almost like the shift solenoids were going out?!? The dealership said there is nothing wrong with the transmission and would not repair it. And of course would not refund the useless warranty we had bought.

We decided to keep driving it because hey nothing was wrong with it right? Well here we are 2 years later and guess what - took it to 2 different mechanics and the transmission is shot. Maybe it was all the hard shifting for 4 years?!? One of the mechanics said "these transmissions are NOTORIOUS for the original shift solenoids being crap" and said I was lucky it had lasted as long as it did. Great...

Here's the icing on the cake - I just spoke with Ford customer service and this guy just told me he has heard of transmission problems with this model but there is no recall currently. He said there is nothing that can be done and... I should have taken it to a dealer before the warranty ran out!!!!!!!!! I told him I did...3 times. He said "maybe you should have taken it to another authorized dealer sir." I can't believe it. By the way, he stated he saw everything I told him (about taking the car in to be checked) on his records.

I have never driven anything but a Ford since I was 16 years old - which was 20 years ago. My wife has never driven anything but a Ford - for 18 years. They are not the same company Henry Ford made famous with their reliability. Riding a good name with cheap parts. I swear before God Almighty we will NEVER own a Ford again. Toyota here I come.

I have the same problem as a lot of people here. Transmission on my Ford Explorer shifted hard and was slow. Noticed also that it was slow to put in gear from Reverse to Drive and vice versa. Noticed it would have a downshift clunk from 3rd gear or so to 2nd or 1st. Annoying, especially when it got worse and shifts were harsher, and when the tranny gradually changed into gear slower and slower from R to D and D to R and when downshifting. The good news is I have thought about this for awhile and have come up with why this is happening to a lot of people. In my opinion, the solenoid pack goes bad over time or goes bad for people who shift from R to D and D to R and accelerate quickly instead of waiting for the tranny to gear in. (Should you have to wait; I agree you shouldn't have to wait, reasonably). The solenoid pack reacts slower over time and people will shift from D to R and R to D and accelerate like they did when the car was new. Since the solenoid pack is slower to respond and consequently slower to make the tranny go into gear, this causes the engine reved at a higher RPM (cause you are accelerating at this point with your foot depressing the accelerator pedal) to kick power to the tranny abruptly. This shocks the tranny and over time causes problems to the tranny and that jolt. If you catch the slow response of the solenoid pack in time before it ruins your tranny you might be able to replace your solenoid pack and fix your problem quickly. Make sure you use a genuine solenoid pack from Ford from the dealer; take your chances if you bid for one at an auction online. If you are one of those owners who has the OD light flashing, I am thinking in my opinion, your tranny has already taken a beating and the fix will require more than a solenoid pack replacement. As for me, I replaced the solenoid pack myself and all problems forementioned were fixed. No more slow shifts, not more hard shifts, no more down shift clunks. The solenoid pack fixed the downshift clunk because eventhough the engine told the pack to downshift, it was slow and when it did make the tranny shift, the engine and tranny were past its calibrated shift zone. If you are one who can drop the tranny pan, then this fix is just a few steps and screws more to get to the pack. Replace the filter at the same time and the fluid. Total cost was basically the solenoid pack from the dealer at around $460.00. Filter and fluid extra. Note: This is not your typical tranny. No dip stick = must fill the fluid from the bottom from the inner drain screw; when it starts dripping out then you know you have filled it to the right level. I used a modified week sprayer to pump the fluid into the system. You can buy a bottle pump (looks like a soap pump that fits on top of a tranny fluid quart bottle) at most auto shops. Hope this helps!

Well it seems I'm the next person in a long line of people who is having transmission issues with the 2004 Explorer and Ford still does not accept any fault for this. Out of the blue the service engine soon light comes on and turns out to be a transmission sensor code. The truck only has 62,000 miles on it. I take it to a transmission specialist and they tell me its about to fail - sensors, slipping, and skipping gears? To correct they would need to rebuild and it would only cost me $2,500. WTF!

We were the original owners of a 2004 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer V6. We were overall happy with the car, for the exception of the transmission. The first rebuild (due to total failure) was at 75,000 miles in October 2010 and cost us $2,700. The transmission shop gave us a 2 year 25,000 mile warranty (which would take us to 100,000). I was driving the other day and it started slipping gears and revving the engine. It makes loud bangs and thuds when shifting , especially out of reverse. I cannot get out of 1st gear sometimes so I am forced to release the gas pedal and let it shift. It is a major inconvenience and has deterred me from buying a Ford car again.

Transmission slips out of 2nd and 3rd gears, and/or cannot 'find' those gears when it tries to shift up into them. That results in a long coast in something resembling Neutral until the transmission 'finds' the gear again, causing the vehicle to lurch hard and make some bad sounding noises. I had the solenoid pack replaced a year ago when it did this before, but now the problem is back. A transmission service has looked at it again and now tells me that they would have to rebuild the transmission case to fix the problem.

The service techs told me that the problem is that the inserts where the control rods enter the transmission casing from the solenoid pack are made of steel, while the transmission case they thread into is made of aluminum. Pretty bad design to put a steel insert into an aluminum receiver if you ask me, since A) steel is stronger than aluminum, and B) they are dissimilar metals (meaning they corrode when put in contact). They tell me that they would need to drill out the casing, put in brass inserts, and then thread the steel rods into the brass inserts. About $2000 of work. Recall this thing and fix it like a responsible car company.