2002 Ford Explorer Electrical System 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:
- 3 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 14 indicate fire
What owners report
- door ajar · 28 records
- ajar light · 15 records
- dome light · 11 records
- door locks · 8 records
- several times · 7 records
- lock unlock · 7 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 26 |
| 60–100k mi | 23 |
| 150–400k mi | 15 |
| 30–60k mi | 12 |
| 1–30k mi | 9 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Electrical System · Engine
Was driving on hwy and my vehicle just shut down as i was turning off the main road, lost all control of steering. When i raised the hood i saw my radiator smoking and all of a sudden it popped. Had to have it towed in to the shop and was told that the radiator had exploded and the engine seized up! How could this happen? I never even had it to over heat or the light never even alerted me. Just blew up and left me…
ODI 11300581
Electrical System · Engine · Fuel/Propulsion System
I was driving down the highway i went to make a left hand turn when smoke started coming out of the grill, so i pulled over to check under the hood, smoke started boiling out from under the hood
ODI 11271276
Electrical System · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the transmission independently switched to [redacted] and the vehicle stalled. The failure recurred several times. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the transfer casing and ignition coils needed to be replaced. The ignition coil was replaced and the transfer casing was repaired however…
ODI 11300058
Electrical System · Engine · Unknown Or Other
The radiator started going out on me. I had to fix it twice. The breakes i keep having the continued fixing them every 4 months. Recently october 25, 2019 it started smelling like burnt rubber came thru the air vents. Things with the electricity oe a shortage. With the tires they put wrong tire size. They told me to sign and go because they didn't have my actual tire size. Its always on the smalls streets and on…
ODI 11278383
Electrical System
Well i have a 2002 ford explorer xlt. It has the trailer brake which i never have used yet. I have a couple issues with it. The theft light blinks as long as the vehicle ain't running. Some times it doesn't like to start and has a brand new battery. Sometimes when put in gear while running it will shut it's self off. I also noticed when i bought it from another private sell that when i was driving the explorer that…
Fire reported
ODI 11076345
Electrical System
HAD A BAD BATTERY AND NOW 4X4 WON'T WORK
ODI 11072133
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting · Seats
The door locks lock and unlock all by themselves dozens of times in a row while i am driving. With this the dome light flashes off and on and the door ajar light flashes and the interior chime goes off constantly. All of this happens at the same time. This is a huge and common issue with thousands of forum posts by other owners who have spend countless $$ at mechanic's to no avail. This can cause wrecks at night it…
ODI 10967531
Electrical System
Blinkers and gauges won't work also bright lights do not work. Everything else works fine including emergency flashers. I've changed relay and checked fuses.
ODI 11083324
Electrical System
The fuel gage is not working properly even though i have full tank of gas
ODI 10956792
Electrical System · Engine · Seat Belts
Door ajar light is always on and alarm goes off constantly from it. Seat belt light is always on even when seat belts are in use. Abs light is always on and off. Always issues with heat and coolant.
ODI 10937883
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, the door ajar warning indicator illuminated, which caused the door locks to consistently lock and unlock. The failure caused the battery to drain and the security alarm to sound. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
ODI 10926016
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While the vehicle was idling at a stop light, the overdrive warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle stalled several times. In addition, the vehicle was difficult to shift into second and third gear as well as drive, which was when the intermittent stall failure occurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The…
ODI 10991130
Electrical System · Exterior Lighting
The door locks lock and unlock all by themselves dozens of times in a row while i am driving. With this the dome light flashes off and on and the door ajar light flashes and the interior chime goes off constantly. All of this happens at the same time. This is a huge and common issue with thousands of forum posts by other owners who have spend countless $$ at mechanic's to no avail. This can cause wrecks at night it…
ODI 10894248
Electrical System · Unknown Or Other
I just bought my vehicle on 5/17/20 at a lot called grant motors [redacted] fort myers fl, 33901 during the daytime, they keep pushing , and pushing me to buy it took my id to copy we left without my id, had another vehicle i wanted to buy but had to go back to grant to get id, when pete started at us again and keep coming down on price, till my brother told me it was worth it to buy it, so i did, well during the…
ODI 10865728
Body · Electrical System · Engine
I was driving my ford on the highway and the next thing i know my feet were really hot and black smoke started coming up. Then the black smoke started coming from the engine and i nearly crashed trying to get to the edge of the highway before the fire took over the whole front of the car. Luckily the fire department was right there for another accident. It was incredibly disturbing experience. Luckily my 3 small…
Fire reported
ODI 10837161
Air Bags · Electrical System
Two weeks ago for no reason my air bags deployed while i was driving. I contacted ford and couldn't get any help from them at all. I was leaving work in virginia.
ODI 10838854
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
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the door ajar warning light illuminated while the doors were closed. As a result, the battery became inoperable due to the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 155,000.
ODI 10750006
Electrical System
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While at a traffic light, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed that there was an electrical fire in a wiring harness leading to the fuse panel. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified, however, the contact was…
Fire reported
ODI 10732886
Electrical System
My alarm system go off all time i don't know what to do.
ODI 10861090
Electrical System · Equipment
The consumer stated the home fire hazard created by faulty design of non ul approved personal snow plow use for suv manufactured by western products. Snow plow electric motor was unfused and overheated not responding to the comman controller shorting out and causing a serious expensive fire. *js
Fire reported
ODI 11253850
Electrical System
Alarm started going off and the back gate door became unlocked without anyone being in or near the suv saturday night june 14,2014. It continued off and on every twenty minutes, then ten minutes. This was at night about seven o'clock. It stopped. The next day on sunday after coming back from a religious meeting it started going off again with an error message stating that the rear back door was open. It was and i…
ODI 10598696
Air Bags · Electrical System · Seat Belts
I have a 2002 ford explorer and it has not been wrecked and i had the light that come on in my dash and they said that my seat belt pretentioner was gone in my seat belt. *tr
ODI 10598441
Electrical System · Engine · Power Train
It is having trouble shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. Engine revs up to and over 4,000rpms and slams into the gears. *tr
ODI 10565490
Electrical System · Structure
The 2002 ford explorer has a design flaw such that the rear panel cracks. When moisture gets in it causes electrical problems. The six problems experiences on this explorer are as follows: 1) false "door ajar" indicator 2) rear window wiper no longer worked 3) dead battery 4) back-up warning signals no longer work 5) rear window can no longer open 6) brake lights won't turn off even after the engine is turned off.…
ODI 10548513