2002 Ford Explorer Suspension Problems
- 113
- Owner complaint records in our dataset
Records are owner complaints, not a measured failure rate.
Owner complaint recordsComplaint records reflect reports in our dataset and do not measure how frequently the problem occurs across all vehicles.
Among these 113 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- Rear · 2 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 37 |
| 100–150k mi | 21 |
| 30–60k mi | 15 |
| 150–400k mi | 9 |
| 1–30k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Suspension
Takata recall i was driving about 10 miles took a right into the libiary parking lot and my front side drivers tire snapped the ball joint completely snapped and it broke the spring, upper control arm, sway bar and tyirod
ODI 11076407
Power Train · Suspension · Wheels
The rear stabilizer links just broke out of nowhere not even to latest later the front stabilizer links just broke out of nowhere and i have no steering a whole lot of loose control
ODI 11003536
Glass, Side/Rear · Power Train · Service Brakes · Steering · Suspension · Tires
Driving nd steering wheel fell apart brake switch stopped working 3 times had new transmission put in had to have 3 different sets of tire put on back window shattered while sitting at red light. *tr
ODI 10917406
Service Brakes · Steering · Suspension
I own a 2002 ford explorer, it's our daily driver everything works except the hubs, this truck has never been wrecked, and we find ourselves@ about every 15,000 to 20,000 miles having to replace the wheel bearings and hub assembly's , last night on the way home the driver side front hub started squealing and came apart and we had to have it towed again, i have owned this truck for 3 years, i have had to replace the…
Crash reported
ODI 10885215
Electrical System · Power Train · Suspension
Both rear coil springs broke. Replaced front and rear wheel bearings replaced ball joints replaced transmission has now failed and is now undependable. May fail with out warning no accidents, any of the above could have resulted in an accident ford is aware of all of the mentioned problems and refuses to rectify the problems. This is a wide spread problem with all 2002 ford explorers.
ODI 10816783
Air Bags · Power Train · Suspension
Air bag wiring harness to short : every time you move the seat the air bag light would come on $683.00 repair service technical service bulletin from ford no compensation for repairs miles 22,000. Front wheel bearing failure left and right 60,000 miles. Rear spring failure 75000 miles front spring failure 75000 miles. Fuel tank registers 1/4 tank when tank is empty 45000 miles transmission cellinoid failure 28000…
ODI 10811045
Suspension
Inspection found both rear coil springs broke and driver front coil spring also broke. 3 broken springs. Never heard of spring breaking, ever. Seems to be a problem with ford exployers
ODI 10736033
Suspension · Wheels
The rear suspension is broken on either side of vehicle, the rear passenger side bearings were replaced, now the drivers rear wheel bearings are shot.
ODI 10762830
Suspension
My ford explorer started making a sound like there was something rolling around in back gate. First mechanic couldn't find problem. I worked on this for three months. Looks as if it is the bushings are worn and body is touching frame. I also understand that several others have had this problem. *tr
ODI 10712719
Suspension · Vehicle Speed Control
I got a knock on my door by the fire department telling me that my car set on fire i filed a claim with my insurance and they told me to file a claim with ford because they have reason to believe it was the cruise control button that set the car on fire . *tr
Fire reported
ODI 10703950
Steering · Suspension
Utah i-15 south bound, inside lane next to concrete barrier with tour bus in lane on my right. My vehicle began to drift to the right as i was passing the bus. I corrected by slowly turning the steering wheel to the left; not hard or fast but slowly and evenly. The explorer (4-door, 2002, xlt) began to whip back and fourth violently. It took me several hundred yards to get the car under control after coming within…
ODI 10564282
Suspension
Rear spring broke on left side, not even rusted. Car only has 32000 miles on it. Have been seeing that this is a known issue with this model but no recall was ever instituted. A travesty. *tr
ODI 10554241
Fuel/Propulsion System · Service Brakes · Suspension
We were driving down the highway and we heard a clunk and so we pulled over right away and looked and thought it looked like the rear passenger side was sagging but wasn't sure, we drove home and then realized it was def sagging. I took it to the car lot i bought it at and their going to check it all out to see what's going on.. Just be looking at it the car lot mechanic said looks like suspension issue as if…
ODI 10503988
Power Train · Suspension · Wheels
Bearing keep have to be replaced, an the rear coil spring is cracked an the tire came off while driving my truck, have replaced the wheel bearing 3 times already. An i have replace the transmission 2 times. *tr
ODI 10504254
Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance when the dealer stated that the rear coil springs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 118,000.
ODI 10503463
Suspension
Heard a clunk noise in the rear of truck...come to find out both rear strut coils were rotted out and broken..trucks has never pulled a trailer or been off road! *tr
ODI 10475201
Suspension
Rear coil springs are rusted and cracking, piece fell off. It appears that inadequate or deficient metal was used. Mechanic says very rare for coil springs to rust like this, springs look as though they have been in a junk yard for 30 years.this vehicle is a family car, not used for off-roading and kept in a garage. According to my research many other owners have had the same issue, some have even had the pieces…
ODI 10468064
Equipment · Power Train · Suspension · Wheels
My name is[xxx] and i own a 2002 ford explorer xlt (v6). I have owned it for almost a year now (will be in jan 2012) and loved every minute of it until recently. About 4 months ago, i heard a strange loud whining noise. I immediately took it to my mechanic and found that rear wheel bearing was going. I was also told that if i would have took the interstate to work that evening i could have possibly died or caused…
ODI 10440111
Suspension
I am a mechnical engineer, and do a lot of my own car repairs, when i was adjusting the emergency brake i noticed that my rear coil spring was broken in 2 places and rusted through, i went online to buy replacement springs and struts, and i came upon a website with others also with this issue of broken springs on this ford model. This is a serious safety issue, a broken spring could drop and puncture the tire. At…
ODI 10439942
Electrical System · Power Train · Suspension
Rear spring cracked at 100,000 mil transmission failed at 120,000 mil body electrical not sealed well and keeps shorting in different places cruise gets stubborn and scared to use it , im afraid of it getting stuck in cruise. *tr
ODI 10438819
Suspension
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for replacement of the rear wheel bearings when the mechanic noticed that the driver and passenger side rear coil springs were fractured and would have need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
ODI 10428448
Suspension
I recently had the dealer install 2 new rear wheel bearings (2nd time in 2 years) and was told that both rear springs are broken. I was told that the broken pieces can come out while driving and puncture the tire. I did an internet search and found over 100 complaints of the same broken springs on other explorers. *tr
ODI 10428071
Suspension
2002 ford explorer had all coil springs broken and some may have been for quite some time. This is a common problem that ford will not acknowledge. I pulled into my driveway and i heard something clunk in the back and sure enough it was completely cracked. Took it into get repaired along with struts and ball bearing plate. Total cost for the failure of these springs = $1750! *tr
ODI 10417075
Suspension
This complaint is in regards to the 2002-2005 ford explorer/mercury mountaineer models (4 doors). I own a 2002 ford explorer 4 door xls with 150,000 miles. Recently my vehicle became very dangerous to drive. When i accelerate and then release the pedal the vehicle would "push" to one side or another. Also going around curves i would get a "death wobble" where the vehicle would "push" from side to side in almost a…
ODI 10415134
Suspension
I took my car to a local repair shop to have the front & rear struts replaced. They found that all of the springs were broken. About 1/2 to 3/4 of the top coil had separated from the rest of the spring.
ODI 10391108