Ford Explorer 1993 - Engine and engine cooling - car safety information, failing parts, recalls, bulletins, complaints

Ford Explorer 1993

Technical Service Bulletins
Consumer Complaints

Bulletins

Bulletin	Bulletin date	Item no.	Summary	Added
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - HOSE
BC3485972301	01/23/1997	51482	4.0l equipped vehicles may experience temperature gauge fluctuation that may be accompanied with a thumping noise or feel in the coolant hose with the engine at normal operating temperature. *jd	06/27/1997
BC1019997230	01/23/1997	51559	4.0l equipped vehicles may experience temperature gauge fluctuation that may be accompnied with a thumping noise or feel in the coolant hoses with the engine at normal operating temperature. *jd	06/27/1997
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
95153	07/01/1995	45934	Temperature gauge - fluctuating and /or inaccurate high readings. *sd	04/25/1996
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
95218	10/01/1995	46481	A vibration/shake may be felt in the seat and/or floor at speeds above 50 mph (80 km/h) and peaking near 65 mph (105 km/h) on some vehicles. an 'after shake' condition may also exist when driving over a bump at speeds less than 45 mph (72	04/25/1996
95910	05/01/1995	42083	Unknown	11/01/1995
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE
02142	07/22/2002	635982	Some vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission and a 4.0l ohv engine may exhibit a noise / vibration, no drive, unusual noise during cranking or a no crank condition. *tt	11/04/2002
01197	10/01/2001	627752	Some vehicles equipped with the 4.0l ohv engine may exhibit an engine noise which may be perceived by the customer as a piston / onnecting rod bearing knock. *tt	02/22/2002
13118	08/01/1999	6091931	Some vehicles may exhibit an engine noise which may be perceived by the customer as a piston / connecting rod bearing knock. *tt	11/16/2000
6896	08/01/1999	608921	Some vehicles may exhibit an engine noise which may be perceived by the customer as a piston / connecting rod bearing knock. *tt	11/09/2000
99816	05/03/1999	606420	Ford motor company now recommends sae 5w-30 viscosity grade for servicing any ford gasoline-powered vehicle regardless of model year. *tt	08/19/1999
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM
982010	10/12/1998	603695	Experiencing a buzzing or rattling noise from the exhaust system. *yc	03/02/1999
9864	03/30/1998	601312	Information on a buzzing or rattle noise from the exhaust system. *tt	07/21/1998

Consumer Complaints

Fail date	miles	occurences	Purchase date
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
11/01/2004		10
	Multiple failures, continually brake problems. the vehicle also overheated, thermostat replaced several times. a/c compressor malfunction, etc. bf a blowout ripped the running board assembly, the abs light was intermittent and the mechanic could not figure out why, the brakes locked up on the vehicle and violently skidded to a stop, the exhaust was replaced twice, there was a noise that lingered on in the front end and a loud creaking sound. sc
12/19/1995		1	10/01/1992
	This is one of two explorers on which the same component failed. i had the guage replaced at the date and mileage noted, but it failed long before that date. i find it hard to believe i was unlucky enough to get two bad temperature guages. especially since a friend told him he had to replace the guage on his 1997 explorer. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM
06/01/1996			07/01/1993
	No summary
		1
	Anti-freeze leaks.
01/17/1995		1
	Coolant leak. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN
11/26/2003	124000	1
	The vehicles cooling fan cracked. the consumer was concerned that the fan would fail while driving. please provide any additional information. *nlm

	Plastic engine cooling fan has several cracks in it, causing potential safety hazard. dealer cannot determine cause. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
12/01/1995		1	12/07/1992
	Thermostat sticks.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE
10/25/2009	200000
	Tl* the contact owns a 1993 ford explorer. . after three attempts of attempting to start the vehicle, the engine misfired. a bystander near the driver-side door sustained injuries to her eyes, hair, and upper portion of her body. she had to be transported to the hospital. the vehicle was completely destroyed. the failure and current mileages were a little over 200,000.
02/13/2006		1	02/13/2006
	I bought a car from a dealer and have the car for less than 30 days and the transmission is going out. the dealer would not give me a temporary tag unless i went to his mechanic for a inspection also the vehicle has been constantly leaking oil since the 2nd day i purchased. *jb
09/23/2001	65	40	09/01/1993
	Intermittently engine stalling. *jb
11/01/2003
	Cylinder heads need replacing. *la
		1	03/18/2001
	Vehicle fire. mr. while driving, the consumer noticed flames coming from under the hood, the vehicle was totaled. *jb
04/01/2000
	Vehicle shakes at 60 mph and higher. dealer stated a kit to replace motor mounts was needed. *ak
11/01/1997
	Consumer heard clicking sound while at stop light, pulled over,and noticed that flywheel had fallen off at 33000 miles. *ak
12/29/1999		1	08/01/1993
	Premature head gasket failure is apparently a common ford problem. this head gasket blew at only 70,000 miles on a 6-year old vehicle. this is too early for this type of problem to happen. it could be a fluke, but there are internet sites about ford vehicles with this same problem. repairs are very costly for parts that shouldn't have gone bad in the first place. this vehicle was not ever driven roughly or put under unusual stress--just city driving. i think that there is a real problem with ford head gaskets that should be investigated. thank you.*ak
12/13/1999			09/01/1996
	Manufacturer fails to make left engine valve cover for his particular vehicle that needs to be repaired. finally received part 5 weeks to the day after it was ordered. *ak
12/13/1999		1	09/01/1996
	Results in oil leak which could lead to fire as well as a source of pollution. ford motor company does not have any replacement valve covers on hand. how can a company of this size get away with selling as many of these vehicles as they have and not have replacement parts available to there customers? *ak
10/22/1999			04/01/1998
	Spark plugs were replaced by h&l on 4/19/99 part # awsf-4c, mileage was 74,497. failure of plugs was during trip, at another dealer rhinebeck ford, 914-876-4440, they replaced them with awsf-42p- stating wrong plugs installed by h&l. h&l responded initially that these were the correct plugs, but later agreed that the 42p were the right ones. subsequent, the vehicle ran rough and had poor performance. h&l contacted regarding this, noted to monitor fluid levels, tune up would not cure problem. manager stated it could be a cracked head. within 7 days since 10/11/99, engine is in shop, white smoke coming out of exhaust and fluids indicate a leak. manager also stated that this is a known problem with the explorer for that year. car no longer under warranty, expired at 89,830. feel ford is responsible!
		1
	Engine mounts and rear axle-to-frame lateral shock absorber kit installed as per service bulletin due to excessive vibration due to component failures.
10/11/1995		1
	Oil pan gasket failed, crankshaft seal assembly failed,resulting in leakage.
06/15/1998		1
	Complete engine failure, valve rocker gasket failure.
			08/11/1993
	Vehicle vibrates severely at approx 65 mph, resulting from engine mount problem that ford is aware of.
			04/13/1998
	The truck has a known design flaw causing the truck to vibrate excessively between 52 and 67 mph. the dealer graham ford in dickson looked at the truck and will only repair the truck if i buy the service kit and pay labor. the service manager informed me this was a known defect and that they had to buy back a truck they sold new on one occasion. ford is aware of the problem and even supplied this dealer a kit while under development to see if fixed this problem. this vibration causes the truck to becom difficult to control while drive in the about speed ranges.

	The oil seals are leaking into the engine. consumer cantacted the dealer about the problem. *ak
06/05/1997		15
	While driving vehicle 20 mph the abs did not respond when stepping on brake pedal; the vehicle had been taken to the shop many times, the mechanic did replaced the total braking system. ak also the left speaker was inoperable, and dealer replaced the front cover gasket due to an antifreeze leak. jb
12/01/1995		1	12/07/1992
	Rear main seal and oil pan gasket leak.
07/07/1995		7
	Engine mount design problems, cause vehicle to shake violently at speeds of 63 mph. *skd

	Motor mounts wear out; front end severely shakes at 55 mph; front end constantly realigned. tt
10/17/1995
	The motor mounts are broken and causing a violent shimmy in the front end. please describe. tt
08/08/1995		1
	Excessive engine oil consumption, vehicle burned a half quart of oil every 900 miles. *ak
11/05/1994		1
	The engine mounts are defective. the truck shakes and a thumping sound is heard *ak
05/28/1993		8
	Problem w/engine mounts causes wheels to vibrate/premature tire wear. *aw
11/22/1994		4
	Oil filter replaced 4 times/engine overhauled due to large oil consumption, also exhaust system replaced due to oil entering pipe/noise.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE
10/29/2002
	Consumer was travelling approximately 60mph on the highway. when consumer removed foot from accelerator pedal in preparation for exit, the vehicle made a strange clunking noise and began to accelerate suddenly. attempts to slow down utilizing the brakes and downshifting transmission were unsuccessful. consumer had to run vehicle off the road to avoid a collision. vehicle flipped over and engine was still revving high. ts
07/04/2001		1	05/01/1995
	While vehicle was parked, consumers neighbor noticed smoke coming out of the windows, consumer attempted to put out the fire, however by the time the doors were opened flames were smoldering in the front seats, fire department could not determine the cause of the fire, vehicle was a total loss. *slc
11/25/2001		8	10/01/1996
	The engine, regardless of speed or driving conditions shuts off and creates a dangerous situation when it occurs in the middle of traffic. the lights, horn, flasher function ,but the engine just cranks without starting sometime 5 minutes, sometimes one or more hours blocking traffic lanes. aaa has towed to garages a couple of times and when the mechanics turn the key, the car starts right up and a diagnostic cannot be performed. i do not wish to be a victim in an accident with any vehicle before ford decides to investigate this failure that is becoming more frequent. i checked with ford in order to see if this problem was re called, but it was not as of 10/29/01. *ak
01/10/2001		1	05/01/2000
	No summary listed for abov evehicle. *ak
07/01/2000		12
	Vehicle stalls mostly after driving for at least 30 minutes, mostly at speeds of 40-70 mph. has stalled at least 12 times. dealer cannot remedy problem. *ak
09/01/2000			07/01/1993
	Intake gaskets failed / lost coolant
07/12/1999		1	07/01/1999
	While driving an oil leakage occurred. it smoked up the whole vehicle .then we stopped and the leak stopped also and did not reoccur. *ak
07/01/1999			10/01/1992
	Wantagh ford, the servicing dealer has advised me that there is internal engine wear/ low oil pressure, and that i needed a new engine. *ak

	While traveling vehicle caught on fire in engine compartment without any inications, causing damage to the vehicle. please provide further information. *ak
12/01/1998			06/01/1993
	The movement frequency of the engine aligns with the tire rotation frequency causing a virbration/shake that causes the truck to become difficult to manage. known problem with explorer, however they classify it as a problem not a defect. requires horizontal stablizers to be added to the truck to eliminate the vibation. ford will not cover as a defect.
06/12/1997		1
	Piston ring failure resulting in leaking.
06/15/1998		1
	Complete engine failure, valve rocker gasket failure.
		1	01/01/1996
	Engine fire. (qc-aw)
		1
	Engine stalls on occasion.
		1
	Vehicle stalls.
		20	09/01/1993
	Vehicle intermittently fails to start or stalls during operation.
10/01/1995		1	06/01/1996
	Water was sucked into the engine when driving through a puddle, causing engine damage/stalling.
05/01/1994		1
	Oil leaks.
03/22/1995		2
	Engine runs rough, also vehicle intermittently fails to start.
03/20/1995
	Excessive engine vibration when traveling in excess of 50 mph. tt
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE - BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS
12/01/1995		1	12/07/1992
	Serpentine belt cracked.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM
08/01/1999		1	07/01/1993
	Rusted causing loud noise
03/05/2000		1	01/01/1993
	While consumer was traveling about 55 mph , the spring for the throttle gauge broke, causing the vehicle to go into full throttle. in order for consumer to stop vehicle he had to apply the brakes until they were worn down and put vehicle in park. *ak.et.
06/01/1998			11/01/1996
	Vehicle vibrates due to tiny imbalances in drivetrain. these tiny forced vibrations in drivetrain begin to excite resonant vibrations in exhaust system. need sto replace exhaust system.

	Vehicles protective shield of exhaust system fell off due to defective welding/brackets.dlr has seen several of these failures. tt
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL
11/01/1994			06/21/1993
	Battery/manifold absolute pressure (map) sensor/radius arm bushing/hydraulic lift cylinders (rear door) and driver's side mirror failed.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR
02/01/2000		1	03/01/1993
	Inside left door handle comes completly off in hand when closing door. bottom hinge on left door broke. catalatic converter rattles when accelerated to 55 mph. *ak
03/25/2001
	While driving about 10 mph consumer noticed flames from underneath vehicle, pulled over, and saw flames underneath fenders. vehicle burned, totalled. fire chief thought that catalytic converter caused fire. *ak
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
12/01/1995		1	12/07/1992
	Rear main seal and oil pan gasket leak.