2003 Ford Explorer Engine And Engine Cooling Problems
- 33
- 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 33 stored complaint records:
- 1 indicate a crash
- 0 indicate injury
- 2 indicate fire
What owners report
- timing chain · 4 records
- motor company · 4 records
Mileage in stored records
| Band | Records |
|---|---|
| 1–30k mi | 9 |
| 100–150k mi | 7 |
| 30–60k mi | 6 |
| 60–100k mi | 5 |
Complaint records
Owner-submitted complaint content, presented as stored.
Engine And Engine Cooling
Transmission light flashing and i am told the transmission needs to be replaced or rebuilt. This tranny should be more durable, ford is better than all the complaints i have read online about this situation. *tr
ODI 10453749
Engine And Engine Cooling
Rattling noise in 4.0 liter-sohc 2003 ford explorer xlt. Dealer replaced rear tensioner. Noise remained. Diagnosis said engine noise is coming from rear cassette and possibly front one. Engine would have to be removed and taken apart to replace timing chain cassettes for @ $4k. The car only has 53,070 miles on it. Online search verifies an obvious issue pattern and complaints to an inferior quality cassette material…
ODI 10440172
Engine And Engine Cooling
Took explorer to dealership to get the transmission fluid checked and got a call from the dealership that the spark plug had blown out of the engine and stripped the threads in the head but not on the spark plug. *tr
ODI 10438045
Engine And Engine Cooling
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated when she started her vehicle it was idling it was very rough. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised her that the timing chain fractured and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer also advised her to no longer drive the vehicle under those conditions. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and offered no…
ODI 10422750
Engine And Engine Cooling · Unknown Or Other
Timing chain tensioner failure with valve cover damage provoking oil leak and heavy smoke out of the engine, wich lead to spill of oil in the highway (oil dropping) and engine out of sequence due to a plastic "casset" tension break, i have read over the internet alot of complains about the same incident
ODI 10421728
Engine And Engine Cooling · Structure
My 2003 ford explorer limited blew a spark plug right out of the engine. Very scary & very loud while going to the grocery store. I thought for sure the engine blew. *tr
ODI 10399762
Engine And Engine Cooling
Timing chain broke, with no warning, bent all the valves and wasn't even driving it. Had just started the car in the garage and backed out of driveway with car idling very rough. Pulled back in driveway and oil was pouring out underneath, due to chain had busted the valve cover. Well had to pull the motor, replaced guides, cassettes, and tensioners, with 2000.00 just in parts alone. Had car back from mechanic not…
ODI 10438051
Engine And Engine Cooling
Our ford explorer shut down without warning in an intersection. People began pushing my wife, baby son, and two other sons out of the intersection when the truck began smoking and then the engine burst into flames. We lost the truck (which only has two payments left and which was in perfect working order), our car seats, and a considerable amount of personal items to smoke, fire, and water damage. The fire…
Fire reported
ODI 10293698
Engine And Engine Cooling
2003 ford explorer 4.0 sohc engine rattle noise.i guess there is alot of issues due to this problem. Timing chasis *tr
ODI 10259488
Engine And Engine Cooling
I have a ford explorer 2003 with 93000 miles and the o/d light as well as the service engine soon light is on. From my research it seems this is a major problem that ford refuses to address on the car mentioned. *tr
ODI 10248290
Engine And Engine Cooling
I was driving home from work when i noticed my vehicle started to make this taping noise. I pulled over to the side of the road to see what it could be then noticed it was coming from under the hood. I didn'ttt feel safe continuing to drive on the highway so drove to the next exit and got off. The noise started to get louder so i pulled into a gas station and waited for someone to come pick me up because i didn't…
Fire reported
ODI 10267663
Engine And Engine Cooling
Re: ford motor company ford motor company is illegally charging customers for computer engine updates. In july of 2008 my service engine light came on in my 2003 ford explorer 2003. . I was told by the service department at buerge ford that my engine codes had to be updated per ford motor company. They updated the engine codes in 15 minutes and charged me $128.00 dollars for updating fords new engine computer codes.…
ODI 10246155
Differential Unit · Driveline · Engine And Engine Cooling · Hatchback/Liftgate
2003 ford explorer. Consumer writes in regards to humming/whining noise in the rear end of vehicle and a frequent leak in the differential. *smd the consumer stated several components such as the ring an pinion, bearings, seals and gear and pinion were all replaced. However, the issue remained unresolved. Also, the rear hatch was cracked. When the consumer inquired about a replacement and its cost, the dealer…
ODI 10532496
Engine And Engine Cooling
There was a clicking noise in the dash when i turned the heat on. One day there was one more hard click and after that no more heat. So now when i turn the heat on there's a clicking noise and no heat, when i turn it on cool the clicking noise stops. *tr
ODI 10222626
Engine And Engine Cooling
Sat. Jan. 19, 2008; approx. 99,780 miles - engine stalled while we were turning off the highway to a side street. We had just driven approx. 20 miles, so the engine was warm. The steering wheel locked up when the engine turned off, which caused us to go into the oncoming traffic lane. Fortunately no one was coming towards us so we could stop, put it in park, and restart the engine. This is about the fifth or sixth…
ODI 10215910
Automatic Transmission · Engine And Engine Cooling
Brand new 2003 ford explorer. Replaced engine at 115 k miles and now the trans is going; specifically, the o/d light keeps flashing and it shifts badly. I've seen numerous complaints about the same thing online, while ford ignores this faulty trans. *tr
ODI 10215425
Engine And Engine Cooling
The ford recall for engine stalling does not appear to apply to the 2003 explorer, but i have definitely had the engine stall 5 or 6 times while i've been driving. It has happened while i've been decelerating, either for a stop sign, traffic light, or turn. The engine was warm each time. I was always able to restart the engine quickly enough so that no accidents occurred, but the closest call was when it happened at…
ODI 10211351
Engine And Engine Cooling
When we starte d our car for the first time after it had sat at an airport parking lot for a week, we heard a ticking noise upon start up ouf our vehicle (2003 ford explorer eddie bauer with v8 engine). Upon taking it to a repair shop they stated the noise is coming from the value guard area in the would need to replace both cylinder heads (per ford need to replace both & cannot replace just one). The cost of this…
ODI 10194757
Automatic Transmission · Engine And Engine Cooling
Dt*: the contact stated while shifting to any gear at various speeds, a noise was heard. The vehicle was driven to the dealer who determined the oil needed to be changed every month.
ODI 10172934
Automatic Transmission · Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Service Brakes, Hydraulic
I purchased a 2003 explorer in august 2006; mileage was approximately 45,000. By october the car would not start and the alternator was replaced. A few weeks later, i was back because my car was jerking. Nothing showed up on the diagnostic tool at that time. However, i was told the starter would have to be replaced as would the recently installed alternator. I returned less than a month later with the same jerking…
ODI 10242371
Engine And Engine Cooling
1 history of engine surge, very fast idle upon starting since vehicle acquired.-all reported to dealer.---------------------------------------------------------------- 2.car stopped, motor off. Started, placed in reverse-touched accelerator and car jumped back full speed. Very narrow parking area (have pictures). Had to turn car rapidly to avoid large hill and trees -too short a distance to turn completely and hit…
Crash reported
ODI 10152371
Engine And Engine Cooling · Software
Stalling with no warning. Ford found nothing. They know of the problem. Said i should get an after market computer. Ok *tr
ODI 10214871
Engine And Engine Cooling
2003 ford explorer boyfriend's description of event: 1)i can consistently get the vehicle to stall out when coasting down to a stop. It is all in the way of the coast down. It is more repeatable if you start braking way before a stop event (slowly coasting in). The bad thing is the event is so quiet that half the time you did not know it stalled (unless you were looking at the ipc). You have to put the car in park…
ODI 10133283
Electrical System · Engine And Engine Cooling · Seal
Aroiund 37,000 miles i started having electrical problems. Half of them go off when they should and half of them stay on which runs my battery down and i have to be jumped. Then around 40,000 mile i started hearing a lound whining noise from my rear end. The dealer said nothing was wrong. It is so loud you have to almost yell to talk to someone. Then at 47,000 miles my service engine light soon started coming on. It…
ODI 10153253
Engine And Engine Cooling
The vehicle jerked while being driven. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer 4-5 times. Each time the technician stated the problem was repaired but each time the jerking problem returned. The consumer does not believe that the technician can repair the problem. *nm the vehicle would oscillate intermittently while pulling in and out of a driveway or parking. The wheel jerked violently. The consumer lost control…
ODI 10057387