Well, this is my second Ford explorer the first was a 2004 and my gear shaft within the transmission cracked. I am a DAV and a mother of two college students now. But at the time my children was still in high school so I paid the $1200 to have it fixed however that was back in 2009 so I got traded it for a 2006 Ford explorer Eddie Bauer. with 48,000 miles. Haven't had any problems with it up until a few months back, when put into gear truck make a hard cluck sound and whole truck shift, sometimes after putting in to gear when pressing on gas it wouldn't move then I would have to put in back into park , turn truck off sit for about 1 or 2 minutes then restart truck. When at stop lights it slow in changing into gears and have to press hard on gas pedal. This SUV has 112,583 miles on it however I was told it should be doing this at only this mileage. and now after reading about all these similar complaints, I know it should be doing this and I know its not my fault was I has actually thought it was my fault with the first SUV and maybe I had put too many miles on this 2006 SUV. Ford needs to step up and have the RECALLS for these trucks if only Fair and the right thing to do. I remember, when I was on a major highway and my 2004 started jerky it was awful and scarey.

Yes, I'm back again...in addition to the radiator leak they also informed me that I needed a new Gear Shifter Assy. It was sticking when I tried to put into reverse to back out of a parking space, sometimes taking 5-10 minutes or having to shut off the vehicle to get it to move out of park. This little jaunt cost me another $407 in addition to the $1014 for the radiator, with tax/shop supplies it totalled $1505...keep in mind this was 2 mos. after I bought it and of course none of this was covered under my extended warranty...it continues!

There was a recall in 2010 on Ford Explorer concerning the gear shift sticking in park. I had to force it into gear just to drive it. Took it to a Ford dealership to get it fixed. Sunday it started all over again. This time it couldn't be forced into gear and the keys couldn't be removed. Had it towed to another Ford dealership and they tell me that the gear shift is stuck (no kidding) and it is going to cost me more than $500 to get it fixed. When I explained that there had been a recall for that reason, I was told that there is no warranty on the recall and I would be responsible for the service. Is there anyone who can tell me if I am responsible for having a defective part fixed?

The transmission is not shifting correctly. Some times it will work ok and they it will start acting up again. Took it to the transmission place and they put a machine on it but couldn't tell what the problem was because he said that the check engine light wasn't on. When I took my car to the transmission place, he said that they are having trouble with the transmissions on just about all the Ford Explorers and that should tell you something. He said a lady had on 36,000 miles on her Ford Explorer and the transmission has already started giving her problems.

I have only had this vehicle for a year and half and it should be having this problem. I think that everyone that owns a Ford Explorer should get together and make Ford fix their mistake. Ford needs to be made to fix there problem and if we all band together we can make them fix it. I am not a wealthy person and don't know where I am going to get the money to pay for it. My car is not paid for so I cann't borrow any money on it. Please help me to get my car fixed!!! Dot

Purchased a used 06 Explorer when I recieved orders that I was to be stationed in a snowy area of the US, appox 5 months later, the car shut it self off and the dash lit up like a christmas tree. after pushing it back up hill in -15F temps and screwing disconecting the battery in order to reset the computer, i got it started but the transmission was dangerously random. I placed the vehicle in Drive and it would slam in and out of gear and did the same in reverse. had it towed to the local ford dealer that said it was a free fix but the tow was out of my pocket. picked up several days later and got on the interstate to move back to Florida that same day. 10 miles down the road it started popping in and out of gears and then stopped as suddenly as it started, made it another ~150 miles until it started doing it so badly again that i pulled the first ford dealer i could find, they told me it would be 2 weeks before they could look at it. Got a Penske and a trailer and spent 1200 just to tow the dang thing to FL.

Local dealer were i used to work got it in first day they were open, did the same thing the other dealer did for free and told me that there was a short in the wiring causing the computer to burn up and it would be 300 to fix, so i paid. Picked up from dealership and notice that the 4x4 lights on the dash as well as a few other lights were not working, told me to bring it in when ever was convenient and they would fix it, and they did.

a week later, driving home from my mother's house with my wife and 2 month old in the car when it randomly shut off, luckily there were no cars around, started up and drove fine, but scared the tar out of us. Calling the dealership tommorow to see if its a known problem and if they give me the run around i am calling corprate. If this would have happened on the interstate, lives could have been lost, Ford needs to get their heads out of their butts and do the right thing. unless they bend over backwards and make this right i will not be buying ford again, and all but one of my cars have been ford

Had the same issue as several posts on the site. Purchased the vehicle used, and took it for a test drive. Stopped the car at an errand, started again and it wouldn't go into gear. It was obvious that the shift lock wouldn't disengage. Finally just grabbed it with both hands and pulled hard until it shifted. Told the dealership and they said they fixed it. We purchased the vehicle, and the next day my wife got stuck at the gas station for 15 minutes. I made the dealership replace the entire shifter, and it seems to work fine now.

Last night I had the same problem as most of you, but it happened over and over again... the car was in drive but would keep kicking out of gear... I would push the gas, the engine would rev, but the car wouldn't go anywhere. I even rolled backwards down a hill on a highway and almost hit another car! I had to shut the car off, and restart it in order to get it to back in gear. This happened 10-15 times in a 20 minute drive! I was nervous to even drive it home! It is at the ford dealership now... I will keep you posted... Will never buy an American car again! It is completely unsafe to drive!

I bought this truck less than a month ago and have already had to replace the radiator, tires, and probably the transmission now!... Trading it in as soon as it is fixed....

Well, I just had the transmission issue with the hard shifting fixed back in January and I haven't had any issues with that since. Now since I am no longer under warranty, I had my gear shifter stick in park for the first time. I turned off the engine and restarted it and it worked, but that is an issue that will piss me off if I am some where far away from service. These darn American auto companies should own up to there problems and issue a recall if they are aware of them. No wonder the Japanese and Germans make better cars. The UAW Union can kiss my ass, highly over paid and make inferior products. Wish I could make $80hr to turn a screw.

This is the communication I received today from Ford: Dear Jerry,

Thank you for contacting the Ford Motor Company Customer Relationship Center regarding the transmission concern on your 2006 Ford Explorer.

We regret the circumstances that prompted you to contact us and we apologize that we are not able to give you a satisfactory answer. We thank you for the opportunity to address this concern however, after reviewing your situation, there are no warranties or other coverages available that would provide assistance.

We understand how frustrating this experience has been for you. We are sorry that we have not met your expectations.

Thank you for the time that you have taken to have this addressed by the Customer Relationship Center. If you have any other inquiries or concerns, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to address them for you.

In other words T.S. ! 2 months out of warranty and the dealer Berge Ford in Mesa Arizona and Ford could care less. Too bad they aren't forced into bankruptcy !

There have been issues with the 2006 Ford Explorer Eddie Bauer since we bought it. My wife has complained about the transmission popping out of gear or jolting into gear since we have owned it. The issues were intermittent at first and everytime we brought it to the dealership, they said that they "could not reproduce the problem". Quite honestly, because I don't drive my wife's vehicle or ride in it often, I never experienced it either. So I didn't think much of it. Until this past weekend, when I was driving slowing up a hill (25mph speed limit on that road) and it popped out of gear on me and it just would not go back in gear. So I ended up rolling back down the hill! Eventually, it went into gear and I got home, but it kept coming out of gear every couple minutes. Which was quite the pain in the ass, aside from being quite possibly dangerous. Had to have a tow truck pick it up to get it to the dealership. Dealership spent 2 days trying to determine the problem. On day 3, they tell us that an engineer is coming to look at it.

Just wanted to post this because there is strength in numbers. After reading the other posts on this site, I believe there is something seriously wrong with the design of the drive-train in these vehicles and I wanted to share my experience. Furthermore, when you pay this much for a vehicle, I expect quality and the manufacturer to stand behind their product. Not just do quick fixes and give us the run around till the warranty expires.

Good grief. Had to leave the car with the dealership on several occasions because the shifter didn't stick every time and they couldn't diagnose the problem. The computer didn't store any codes indicating a malfunction, but some days it would be impossible to move the shifter from park to drive or reverse...it was just stuck. Of course the service tech wouldn't do ANYTHING until it happened to him personally. They tinkered with several things before finally replacing the "stick". Seems to have worked. What a pain.