2002 Ford Explorer Power Train Problems
- 283
- 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 283 stored complaint records:
- 5 indicate a crash
- 3 indicate injury
- 1 indicate fire
What owners report
- Automatic Transmission · 6 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 100–150k mi | 108 |
| 60–100k mi | 59 |
| 150–400k mi | 54 |
| 30–60k mi | 12 |
| 1–30k mi | 8 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Power Train · Steering
I just purchased the vehicle in a private sale on 11/09/12 and on 11/10/12 went to shift from park into reverse on a flat surface and my shift lever broke off and i am not able to shift my vehicle. *tr
ODI 10483947
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 2 mph and attempting to shift into park, the gear shift lever became detached, leaving the vehicle stuck in reverse. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was awaiting diagnosis of the failure. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The vin was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 167,000.
ODI 10483878
Power Train
Transmission is junk, it slips really bad, whines and chatters. *tr
ODI 10561416
Power Train · Steering
On the afternoon of october 22nd 2012 my pregnant wife was leaving the speech therapist with my son went to put the car in reverse and the shifter snapped off in her hand. The car every since we had it when u put it in park as a delay and rolls for ward a bit i feel that this is a recall that ford should issue for this car. Its just not fair to have to pay over 1200 dollars to fix something that is not my fault.what…
ODI 10481485
Engine · Power Train
While coming off a freeway my car suddenly jerked and the transmission failed. Causing my vehicle to stop. When trying to move forward the car began to try to roll backwards into the car behind me. I was lucky i was coming to a stop rather then going full speed on the freeway. After much research i have found that this is an all too common problem with this make model and year. The transmission now needs to be…
ODI 10477337
Power Train · Steering
Went to put car in drive from the park position and the shifter completely broke and was hanging. Also, i was not able to get my key out of the ignition. We were planning to make an out of town trip the following day, however, had to change plans due to this situation. After searching online, i have discovered there has been numerous complaints for this exact defect for the exact type of vehicle. It seems that since…
ODI 10475485
Engine · Power Train
Transmission failed on the highway at 70mph pulled off exit and continued on city roads to our jobs parking lot and is no longer drive able. *tr
ODI 10471653
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving in reverse, the gear shift lever failed. The contact tried to shift the vehicle in park but the gear shift remained stuck. The contact stated the vehicle continued to move and the emergency brake was used to stop the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic for inspection where they stated that the aluminum house that connected the…
ODI 10470035
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to shift from park to drive, the gear shifter lever fractured. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and denied assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 64,549.
ODI 10469310
Equipment Adaptive/Mobility · Power Train
Parked on hill or flat ground it happen before,but the gear shift gets stuck. You can turn the steering wheel right,left to get it to unlock but it want, no locked brakes.but i kept on trying to get my truck in gear to point of doing dangers things as of sticking one foot out of the door and rocking it back and forth.to get the lock to brake but that did not work then i tried again and the gear shift broke a…
ODI 10702144
Engine · Power Train · Steering
When accelerating on a start, car doesn't shift into 2nd and 3rd gear....unless there is a push or jump into it. *tr
ODI 10467725
Engine · Power Train
While driving car would not shift passed 3rd gear. I had to pull over on a busy highway because i was afraid the engine would explode. I later found out, after researching, that the risk of it shifting into reverse is a common problem with the po745 error code in 2002 explorers. *tr
ODI 10463294
Power Train
I have a 2002 ford explorer and the over drive light started flashing and the check engine light is on and the transmission started slipping from 2-3 gear and i found out with my 2yr and 3yr kids in the car if i need to pull out on to a highway with cars coming the suv don't want to do so and will rev up and might slam into gear when you let off the gas. I love my explorer great family car but with this problem i…
ODI 10464378
Power Train
Drive train, bucks, grinds, is slipping. Makes alot of noise. Had the rear end replaced and it did not work, paid $1000.00 or so and did not take care of the problem. *tr
ODI 10486631
Power Train
The o/d light flickers on and off and there appears to be no third gear, according to three mechanical transmission inspections. Researching websites indicates that this is a known prevalent problem for this vehicle. Need to know: 1. Was there a recall? 2. What, if anything, ford is willing to do to fix or compensate for the considerable expense involved to repair this obvious defect. *tr
ODI 10458157
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated the gear shift detached while shifting gears from the park to drive. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the manufacturer was contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 121,000.
ODI 10455504
Power Train
Vehicle transmission has suddenly quit at only 120,000 miles. Because of a code p0775 "pressure control solenoid". Shopped the fix (which all repair shops say is very common on early 2000 ford's) and it will need a $2500 rebuild. Did some online research and found more complaints on this than i can account for. I contacted ford customer support line and was transferred to my local dealer. Local dealer said i fall…
ODI 10455554
Power Train
Been jerky and jumping for 2 years but today the transmission would not upshift when starting out or down-shift when slowing down. The engine went to high rpm with little or no forward progress.all this was preceded by the over-drive light flashing on and off followed next by the check transmission light. Next the check engine light came on. The forums on this vehicle will tell you that this 6 speed automatic…
ODI 10453631
Power Train
The transmission is having trouble shifting from 2nd to 3rd, engine light and o/d off lights are on. Local mechanic says that the intermediate band on the transmission is broken. This is a sealed unit with no way to service without a rebuild.
ODI 10453447
Power Train
Out transmission isn't out yet, it's on its way out. When accelerating it stops at 25-35 mph and the rpm rev up to the red limit if you don't take your foot off the gas and it wont switch gears for a minute or so. Sometimes you hear a loud dropping sound and the entire car jerks when it switches gears. This first happened when speeding up on a busy main road near detroit, almost causing us to be rear ended. We took…
ODI 10453916
Engine And Engine Cooling · Power Train
I had to replace transmission and solenoid, costing over $2500. *tr
ODI 10574652
Power Train
My wife started our explorer and tried to put the vehicle in reverse and the gear shift handle snapped off in her hand. Only to find out that this problem has happened to many other ford owners! Unbelievable! So now i have to have my vehicle towed to a repair shop to have this "ford problem" fixed! And also shell out over $1000 dollars just so i can get my explorer back on the road!!! And when i called the local…
ODI 10452034
Power Train · Wheels
I was driving my 2002 ford explorer about 25mph when i felt the rear end drop down. Pulled over to the side of the road and all 5 studs had sheared off. The second time it happened i was only backing out of my driveway when i put it into drive & started to accelerate the opposite side studs sheared off. This time only 4 studs broke so i limped the truck back onto my driveway. The third time this happened i was…
ODI 10492346
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the over drive warning light illuminated as the vehicle started to skip gears. There was an abnormal increase in engine rpms and the vehicle would not shift into gear. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic but the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The failure and the current mileage was unknown.
ODI 10450057
Power Train
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer eddie bauer edition. The contact stated that at engine startup, the gear shifter detached from the vehicle while attempting to shift into gear. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 120,000.
ODI 10449460