2002 Ford Explorer Air Bags Problems
- 93
- 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 93 stored complaint records:
- 33 indicate a crash
- 25 indicate injury
- 3 indicate fire
- 2 indicate a death
What owners report
- police report · 13 records
- airbag light · 13 records
- report filed · 11 records
- seat belt · 9 records
- passenger side · 7 records
- light came · 7 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 150–400k mi | 22 |
| 60–100k mi | 19 |
| 30–60k mi | 9 |
| 1–30k mi | 8 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
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
Air Bags · Power Train
First of all the transmission is starting to slip. When accelerating the car transmission slips when shifting into third gear. Took to dealer and they said they need to repair the transmission. The second problem is that the airbag light came on. I have not been in a accident or anything. It just came on. I read online that if the light is on and i am in an accident the airbags wont deploy. This seems really…
ODI 10598610
Air Bags
While driving in eve. I switch lanes and came onto an icy part of road do to broken leaking hydrant hit chuck hole in the road and lost control of my truck and hit pole and hydrant and the complete front end was crushed and no air bags deployed at all. I hurt my chest back and knee's and have headaches. *tr
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10573254
Air Bags · Body · Seat Belts
I was traveling in stop and go traffic. As soon as space opened between me and the vehicle in front of me, i accelerated. While gaining speed i looked in my right rear view mirror to see if i could change lanes. While looking in my mirror the vehicle in front of me stopped. I hit the back of his vehicle with the front of mine. The problem i have is that my airbag(s) fired but did no deploy. You could clearly smell…
Crash reported
ODI 10562358
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 60 mph, another vehicle crashed into the passenger's side, causing the vehicle to spin and then crash into a wall. The air bags failed to deploy. The rear driver's side passenger sustained whip lash and minor bruising. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure.…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10547267
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 4 mph, the air bags inadvertently deployed without the vehicle being involved in a crash. A police report was filed of the incident. There were no injuries. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was…
ODI 10543514
Air Bags · Electrical System
While driving down the road my airbag light comes on. On occasion i am just thankful that my air bag has not gone off yet. Also while driving my door ajar light & dome lights come on. *tr
ODI 10485926
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, he inadvertently stepped on the accelerator pedal and crashed into a pole. The contact suffered a bruised chest, ribs armpit and wrists. He also sustained injuries to the knee and neck. The vehicle was destroyed. All of the air bags in the vehicle failed to deploy. The failure and current mileage was 250,100.
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10482882
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the driver of the vehicle was forced off the road by another vehicle, causing the driver to lose control and the vehicle to roll over several times. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was a passenger in the vehicle and sustained injuries to the head, ankle and ribs. In addition, the contact sustained several lacerations and bruises. The…
Crash reported · 1 injury · 1 death
ODI 10493103
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns 2002 ford explorer. The contact was attempting to park and haphazardly depressed the accelerator pedal as opposed to the brake pedal. The vehicle accelerated rapidly, causing the contact to crash into a building. The air bags did not deploy and the contact sustained injuries as a result. A police report was not available. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and was not inspected for…
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10464441
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while traveling 25 mph, the passenger attempted to secure their seatbelt when the driver and passenger side air bags deployed erroneously and without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was told that the air bags were no longer covered under warranty and provided no assistance.the contact referenced nhtsa campaign id…
ODI 10451593
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact started the ignition and the air bag warning indicator continuously illuminated until the engine was turned off. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
ODI 10444326
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that after loosing control of the vehicle and crashing into a pole, none of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed and the driver sustained minor contusions. The passenger suffered a broken arm. The vehicle was towed to a local mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not…
Crash reported · 2 injuries
ODI 10436184
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer made four attempts to duplicate the failure by replacing the driver and passenger side seat belt pretensioners however, the failure continued to occur. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current mileage was 165,000 and the failure mileage was 70,000. The vin was unavailable. Updated…
ODI 10441685
Air Bags · Engine
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that after shifting into reverse, there was an explosion under the hood. The air bags deployed and the engine caught fire. The fire department was present. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The contact also mentioned that the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the gears slipping where the transmission was rebuilt but the failure was…
Fire reported · 3 injuries
ODI 10503102
Air Bags
Ford has informed dealers that there is a problems with the air bags on 2002 ford explorers. If you move the seat too much it disconnects with the air bag. All ford dealers are aware of the problem, but ford is not willing to issue recall. Serious safety issue that should require action. It would be a simple fix of the pretensioner located under the seats. *tr
ODI 10447138
Air Bags · Equipment
I am so disgusted after reading all the same problems with the 2002 ford explorer. I too have the airbag problem, they told me it was the airbag pretentioner and it is $650.00, now my air bag will not deploy if i get into an accident. I have the extended deluxe warranty that wont cover it. I also have a problem with the rear temp and mode actuators that failed and binding again not covered under warranty that is…
ODI 10363962
Air Bags · Power Train · Steering
Air bag warning light came on,pulled plug apart under drivers ,seat sprayed cleaner on it put it back together, took care of that problem. Gear shift lever sheared off. Ford says you need to replace steering column. Went online found a man in sweden that made a replacement part,ordered it ,put it on ,works great. (why couldn't ford supply one?) the transmission is starting to act up, you shift in to drive it…
ODI 10377297
Air Bags · Automatic Transmission · Engine And Engine Cooling · Visibility
Long list of repairs made this summer including computer, airbag sensors, a/c whole system, main window controls and now my transmission. *tr
ODI 10347569
Air Bags
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact called a local dealership and was advised to take the vehicle in for a diagnostic test at his expense. The current and failure mileages were approximately 121,000.
ODI 10335132
Air Bags
My suv hit a concrete wall on the i-94 eastbound freeway, the impact torn my front end a part. A highway patrolmen said that the impact should have deployed both my front airbags, but it didn't, now i am concerned. *tr
Crash reported · 1 injury
ODI 10293756
Air Bags
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. While driving 15 mph she lost vehicle control, and then the vehicle rolled over. The airbags did not deploy. The manufacturer was notified and she was advised that the non-deployment of the air bags were normal. The current and failure mileages were 174,000.
Crash reported
ODI 10294058
Air Bags
Issue is with the airbag warning lamp coming on and disabling the airbag system in a 2002 ford explorer. Per the error code lfc 34 the issue is the passenger side seat pretensioner, though this also happens with the driver side. There is currently a tsb out article no 03-11-3. For my vehicle the replacement part# is 1l2z-78610e22-aac. This failure is current everything the vehicle is turned on. *tr
ODI 10275717
Air Bags
MY AIR BAG LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF ALOT. *TR
ODI 10267718
Air Bags
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminates intermittently. He has taken the vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions and they have replaced several components; however, the failure still persists. The dealers were unable to determine the cause of the failure and provide a remedy. There were no recalls available. The failure mileage was 89,000.
ODI 10261133