2002 Ford Explorer Engine Problems
- 50
- 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 50 stored complaint records:
- 0 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- spark plug · 21 records
- spark plugs · 6 records
- plug blew · 6 records
- cylinder head · 5 records
- loss power · 4 records
- stalled again · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 60–100k mi | 12 |
| 100–150k mi | 11 |
| 30–60k mi | 10 |
| 1–30k mi | 6 |
| 150–400k mi | 1 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine
#3 cyclinder plub blew. Had towed to dealer. Dealer said they could fix easily by installing a helix coil adapter & could have car ready next day. Dealer calls back and says they fixed it but it was really running bad and that they would not recommend driving it. I asked what the solution was and they said they could pull the head and refinish it but that they would not recommend doing such. I asked about a jasper…
ODI 10426304
Engine
2002 ford explorer spark plug ejection issue on v8 4.6l engine. This is now the second time that i have had spark plugs eject for the engine. From what i understand ford reduced the number of threads for the spark plugs to save machining time and costs in the manufacturing of the engine. This is clearly a safety issue. The first time i was lucky enough to get the spark plug threaded back in and was able to drive it…
ODI 10400833
Engine
2002 ford explorer limited 4.6l v8. Spark plug ejected from head upon start-up. Third time this has happened. *tr
ODI 10328612
Engine
I have a 2002 ford explorer that ejected a spark plug. The spark plug was original (it came with the vehicle and had never been changed). My wife was driving to church when the spark plug was completely ejected and broke the coil mount. This allows fuel vapor to escape from the cylinder head and could result in an engine fire. Luckily, my wife didn't experience an engine fire since she was pulling into her…
ODI 10327337
Engine
My 2002 ford explorer has blown the timing chains in the engine. Plastic parts that wear out easy and caused the chains to fail. Now i am looking for a replacement engine. The engine is v6 and it only had 95,000 miles on it. This truck has been well cared for and this should never have happened. Ford is using faulty parts and causing this damage to their product and now the consumer will have to pay big bucks for…
ODI 10336176
Engine
Spark plug blew out on ford explorer xlt 2002 model year with 4.6l engine. Has 145,000 and original plugs (platinum). Car started to make a ticking sound and then the plug popped off. *tr
ODI 10315293
Engine
Spark plug blown out of cylinder head under normal driving conditions. Threads and spark plug both blown out of top of cylinder head. *tr
ODI 10316729
Engine
Number 8 cylinder spark plug blew out of engine today on 2002 ford explorer 4.6l. *tr
ODI 10304011
Engine
I was driving down the road and then out of no where the engine started to sound extremely loud and spitting smoke i pulled over and after inspection of the motor i found a spark plug laying ontop of the engine block and the coil laying next to it. The spark plug blew out of the threading. This has happened twice to me in the last 1.5 years the first time it was under my warranty from used car dealer and they…
ODI 10298654
Automatic Transmission · Engine · Rear
In may 2005, the car would not go into reverse. The o/d light had been going on and off for a number of days. Transmission has to be replaced at a cost of $4500. Car had approximately 60000 miles. In january of 2008, the engine had to be replaced due to because the timing belt went at a cost of $3000. Car had 75000 miles. In august 2009, both rear spring were discovered to be broken when the car was taken in for a…
ODI 10280397
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving 10 mph, the contact noticed smoke entering into the vehicle from the front windshield. When the contact stopped the vehicle, the smoke became darker. The fire appeared from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The fire department extinguished the fire, but they could not determine the cause. The vehicle was destroyed, but there were no injuries. A police report…
Fire reported
ODI 10279483
Engine
My 2002 ford explorer - 4.6 v8 has the popular blown spark plug issue which has caused me a lot of problems on pretty much the worst weekend of my life that this could have happened in. This is apparently a very popular complaint about fords w/ this engine and i can't believe that there has been no recall for this issue. It is an obvious design flaw w/ the aluminum and metal heating issues causing the spark plugs to…
Fire reported
ODI 10272983
Engine
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the spark plugs were blowing out of the engine while driving various speeds. As a result, the engine shuts off and the vehicle loses complete power. On two occasions, the dealer repaired the vehicle at the cost of $2,000. The dealer has not explained what caused the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
ODI 10264890
Engine
Spark plug blew out of 2002 ford explorer limited. I've had two ford vehicles blow a spark plug this year. *tr
ODI 10278825
Automatic Transmission · Driveline · Engine
My wife's 2002 ford explorer had a whine in the rear end since it was new and it continued to get worse with time. At about 55k miles it was so bad that we had to have the entire differential rebuilt at a cost of over $1,000. At 65k miles the engine had begun to make noise and it became much louder rapidly. The entire cam drive (timing chain, sprockets, tensioners) had been ground up. The tensioner pads had 3/8"…
ODI 10234331
Engine
I have 2002 ford xlt explorer. 102k miles now. I had issue with throttle cable sticking back in feb 2008. Would not decelerate properly driving home in the evening, throttle stuck open. Came close to rear ending another vehicle. Traced the problem to what was that the inner liner of the throttle cable had backed out in the driver compartment apprx 2 inches and not allowing the cable to retract correctly. I removed…
ODI 10227950
Engine
This is to add information to a previous complaint. Odi number 10207581. There was a sudden failure of the engine that resulted in sudden lockup of the engine, resulting in complete loss of power and control. This happened on a residential street at low speed. However a very busy intersection with high speed traffic had just been navigated. If the failure had happened at that intersection, the failure would have…
ODI 10207604
Engine
Sudden failure of the engine that resulted in sudden lockup of the engine, complete loss of power, and control. This happened on a residential street at low speed. However a very busy intersection with high speed traffic had just been navigated. If the failure had happened at that intersection, the failure would probably have resulted in severe injuries or loss of life. The engine failure was sudden without warning…
ODI 10207581
Engine
April 2007 1. Just bringing the car up to freeway speed. 2. A popping noise emitted from the engine, passenger side. Unable to determine the problem as it was dark, the vehicle was towed to the repair shop. 3. It was determined that the 3rd plug had blown out of the engine and also destroyed the coil attached to it. A new threaded insert was installed in the spark plug hole. A new spark plug and new coil were…
ODI 10279865
Engine
Events leading up to the failure: backing out of a parking space failure and consequences: ford acknowledges issues internally with the timing cartridges on the 2002 e code 4.0l v6 sohc engine through several tsb's, however does not notify the public that this issue exists. I found out about the issue after apparently blowing the entire engine on my 2006 ford explorer. Now, instead of having a repair done at the…
ODI 10186319
Engine
Spark plug blew out of cylinder head while driving under normal conditions, could have caused fire had to replace the cylinder head instead of a tap kit to avoid metal shavings ruining the engine. *nm
ODI 10164593
Automatic Transmission · Engine · Hydraulic Power Assist System
Persistent quality problems: engine, transmission, power steering, air compressor, and related safety hazards such as defective rear hinge. *nm
ODI 10163159
Engine
2002 ford explorer with a v6 engine, purchased new, maintained, has 77,000 miles. While driving vehicle it became erratic, as if water in tank, drove about 1/2 mile when it died. Now the engine needs to be replaced: according to warranty inspector the "cassette failed due to the hydraulic tensioner and it is clogged with sludge, sludge is getting thicker and it has clogged a pin hole in the tensioner and caused a…
ODI 10152267
Engine
Engine knock in all 4.6 ford explorer engines-know by ford, due to faulty cylinder heads
ODI 10322911
Engine
Driving on i-65 nashville, tn. Vehicle experienced a loud and abrupt sound in the engine with significant loss of power. Narrowly missed having an accident due to the loss of power. We managed to drive the vehicle home where upon inspection, a spark plug had obviously blown out of the left side of the engine (left side of the engine from the perspective of sitting in the driver seat). *nm
ODI 10142534