Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES, AIR - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||||
| 17215 | 09/01/2003 | 10004076 | The amber anti-lock brake system (abs) warning light on with diagnostic trouble codes c1235, c1236/c1237 stored in memory. *tt | 11/17/2003 | |
| 16918 | 06/01/2003 | 10002629 | Anti-lock brake system (abs) indicator lamp on with codes c1235 and c1236 or c1237. *tt | 09/09/2003 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||||
| 16926 | 06/01/2003 | 10002637 | Stability assist (advancetrac/ivd) systems may not be recalibrated properly using wds. *tt | 09/09/2003 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | |||||
| 03263 | 07/05/2003 | 10008281 | Anti-lock brake system (abs) lamp illuminated and diagnostic trouble code (dtc) c1235, c1236, c1237 on vehicles with differential-mounted rar wheel speed sensor. *tt | 07/26/2004 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - SWITCHES - BRAKE LIGHT | |||||
| 02176 | 09/02/2002 | 10008580 | Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. *mj | 08/05/2004 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SERVICE BRAKES | |||
| 12/01/2005 | 21000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that when the brakes were depressed, the abs warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. pmb | |||
| 12/01/2005 | 21000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated when the brakes were depressed. the abs warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 21,000 and the current mileage was 105,000. rds | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | |||
| 03/07/2010 | 142000 | 1 | |
| The vehicle is a 2003 ford explorer. has 142,000 miles. had tire rotation at 137,000 miles in jan 2010. on 3/6, we drove 120 mi from home to baltimore, parked in parking lot for 6 hours. drove 50 mi to tyson's corner va, parked in hotel parking lot. on 3/7, we drove 15mi to daughter's home in arlington. left car there for 7 hours. drove back home along routes 66, 495 and then 95. went about 60 mi when i noticed the steering wheel was shaking a bit. kept driving for maybe 5 mi before i heard a noise from the front end near the wheels. decided to pull off the highway and get to a service station to check tire pressure. checked tire pressure and began to back out when the right front wheel fell off. there was only 1 lug stud remaining that was broken off about 1/2 above the brake drum. the other 4 lug studs were missing, and seemed to be sheered off about 1/2 below the drum. thankfully, the wheel did not fall off on route 95, else we and, most likely others, would have been seriously injured or killed. i had the car towed to my body shop, also the dealership that i bought the car from and had the tire rotation done. looking at some forums, it seems like this is not the first/only time that a ford explorer has lost a tire by broken lug studs disappearing. i will get the vehicle repaired and then will sell the vehicle. i will also have the other lug posts inspected, but who knows if anyone will see anything. i believe that this issue warrants further investigation, if none have already been done. thank you. *tr | |||
| 06/04/2009 | 54000 | 1 | |
| I was driving on the freeway at approximately 60 mph. when i depressed the brake, the car accelerated to 70 mph first, then to 80 mph. i tried applying the emergency brake, but it did not slow down the vehicle at all. to avoid colliding with the vehicle in front of me, i forced the transmission gear into parking. this momentarily slowed down the vehicle, and i tried to move it into the far right lane of the freeway. then suddenly it started driving in reverse at a very high speed, causing me to collide with an oncoming truck on the freeway. unable to control the car and fearing for my life, i turned the ignition key, which brought the car to a halt. the high patrol arrived within only a couple of minutes. when one of the officers turned on the car so as to determine what the problem was, the car immediately accelerated to 80 mph. he turned off the car and directed everyone to step away from the car, cautioning that the car was dangerous. two officers disconnected the battery and said that there appeared to be a problem with the accelerator. they then pushed the car off the freeway to the nearest gas station. fortunately, i did not get hurt. but there was significant body damage to my car and to the other truck with which i collided. however, the driver of that truck drove off, thus i was unable to get his information. i had the car immediately towed to my neighborhood ford dealership, which determined that the accelerator pedal was defective. when i advised them that the emergency brake had failed, i was told that nothing works when the accelerator pedal breaks. this is a serious problem. the car was out of control on the freeway, driving in reverse, and it could have injured many people and caused a lot more damage. ford refuses to pay for the body repair, and is charging me nearly $1,000 to replace the accelerator pedal. i would appreciate your investigating this problem. i would be happy to provide a copy of the letter that i sent to ford. *tr | |||
| 10/20/2006 | 50000 | 1 | |
| 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 issue, only this time i notified the repair shop that the o/d light had been coming on. furthermore, my car had actually stalled in the middle of traffic. again, nothing was found. by early december, i was back. my car had stalled on a few more occasions and would not pick up. that is, even though the rpm's would reach anywhere from 2500 - 4000, my car could not accelerate above 25 - 30 mph. several days later i was told that the transmission needed work. i got my car back a few days before christmas and decided last minute to head to the mountains. as soon as i reach a slight elevation, the car ceased to accelerate and what's more, a thick heavy cloud of black smoke came out of the rear and persisted for at least two miles. i headed back down the mountain for home. i took the car back and they kept it for at least a week and a half to repair the torque converter and other transmission related issue. in early fall 2007, i took the car to my local ford dealer for some strange noise coming from the engine. it ended up costing $2500.00 to repair. i returned in november for more work, this time for the same torque converter and solenoid issue as a year ago. during this two year period, my vehicle was under extended warranty. the total repair cost for the first year of ownership is anywhere from $5000 - $9000, of which i paid at least $2500 out of pocket. my warranty has since expired and i am worried that these same issues will recur, as i have read they have. this is not an isolated incident and should be investigated and a recall issued. *tr | |||
| 01/10/2008 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Brake pads completely disintegrated when inspecting pads, front edge of rotors have completely rusted. pads were in good shape thickness wise in some areas and rotted in other areas. pads and rotors were replaced now 5 months later it's starting again. parking brake pads delaminated again. abs light came on during trip for no reason? *tr | |||
| 12/31/2003 | 1 | 07/27/2003 | |
| Numerous problem: brakes, rear window opening, seat belt retraction, heater, rear defrost, body work, etc.. *ph while braking the brake pedal went to the floor and caused extended stopping distance. the rear window hinge failed which caused the window to open while the consumer went through a car wash. the seat belt retracted slowly which caused the belt to become hooked onto the door lock system. as a result the passenger could not get out of the vehicle. the left wiper was not clearing the windshield. the left rear door would not close all the way unless it was slammed hard. *nm | |||
| 05/28/2004 | 3 | ||
| While stopped with foot on brake, the brake pedal went to floor when applied. *bf consumer was told that the vehicle was functioning properly. *tc | |||
| 09/03/2003 | 1 | ||
| Potential safety problems with the 2003 ford explorer.*mr *cb | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 3 | ||
| Problems with brakes, transmission and seat recliner handle.*mr dealer was notified. *cb | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK | |||
| 12/30/2007 | 1 | 10/15/2003 | |
| Brake rotors corroded to the point that the front surface was flaking off. *tr | |||
| 09/13/2006 | 139000 | 8 | 01/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated during heavy braking, the abs light illuminated and the brakes vibrated. the dealership replaced the abs sensor 7 times, but the problem persisted. | |||
| 02/03/2006 | 63000 | 1 | 08/26/2003 |
| Abs speed sensor failure at 63,000 miles. this also happened on my son's 2003 explorer and 2002 mercury mountaineer. *jb | |||
| 06/01/2005 | 1 | ||
| I have a 2003 ford explorer xlt 4x4, i have had nothing but problems with it, a few months ago i took it to the dealership because the abs light was on and the 4x4 was not working properly, they supposedly fixed it and told us they replaced a speed sensor, they also found 2 rear axle seal leaks and supposedly fixed those, then in october of '05 i took it in to the dealership because it was jerking between 30 and 40 mph and upon acceleration on hills not mention that i could hear something happening underneath my vehicle, they put it up on the rack and came back out and said the clutch in the rear end was scorched and needed to have the whole rear end replace, so i did but when i was driving it back home after the repair it started jerking again, and after several weeks of worry and wonder another dealership tells me that the transfer case is bad, my explorer is trying to engage itself in 4x4, so now i am having the transfer case replaced! my explorer has 41,000 on it right now and ford has not been much of a help, i have to pay $1500 for the transfer case, i will never buy another ford product, i will buy a foreign car. ford really needs to look into all of the complaints and technical service bulletins on these vehicles and i will do anything i can to promote that. *nm | |||
| 05/01/2005 | 31900 | 0 | 10/17/2003 |
| I was driving at freeway speeds when a collision occured in the lanes next to me and the vehicles swerved into my lane. i slamed on the brakes and the abs system started working, then failed. the back wheels locked up and i fish-tailed, ending up in the dirt center median. when i looked at the dash, the abs warning light was on. the dealership checked and found that the rear abs sensor failed (open circut). | |||
| 09/20/2004 | 260000 | 2 | 12/28/2002 |
| Abs light has been activated twice. i have taken my vehicle to the dealership. the dealership has replaced both rear abs sensors on the vehicle. *nm | |||
| 05/12/2004 | 22000 | 2 | |
| When braking brake pedal went to the floor, causing extended stopping distance. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.*ak | |||
| 10/18/2004 | 23000 | 1 | |
| When applying the brakes the pedal proceeded to the floor without warning. the dealer stated this procedure was normal. please provide additional information. *jb | |||
| 10/19/2004 | 23300 | 1 | 08/09/2003 |
| I was approaching a stop sign and began to brake, when the brake pedal started to make a grinding noise and then went all the way to the floor. i began to pump the brake and luckily enough i stopped before entering the intersection. if there would have been a vehicle in front of me, i would have hit them because the brakes would not work. i called the ford dealership where i purchase the explorer and they had me call road assistance to pick up my vehicle. of course, they were not able to duplicate the problem. i was told that the abs probably locked up because the street may have been wet, which it was not. then they said that maybe i was on a gravel or dirt road, which i was not. i was told to keep an eye on it and if it happens again to call roadside assistance and they will look into it again. if there is a next time, i hope there will not be anyone injured. | |||
| 10/14/2004 | 3 | 03/11/2003 | |
| The abs light comes on and there is no abs saftey feature. this is happened 3 different times. i took my car to the dealer and they said it was the rear wheel speed sensor. it has been replaced 3 times. this is unacceptable and they said ford released a new sensor the 2nd time i was there and i had the problem again. what is ford going to do, if the abs fails again. i have drafted a complaint with ford and i am awaiting for a reply. this is unacceptable for the same problm 3 times.*ak | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 1 | ||
| Problems with abs braking system on 2003 ford explorer.*mr when making emergency stops and abs initiated, brake pedal suddenly decreases, and travels downward past the gas pedal stopping close to the floor. in some cases, consumer has the tendency to press both the gas and brake pedals due to the proximity of the two pedals, which resulted consumer to rear end another vehicle. *la | |||
| 12/27/2003 | 5000 | 3 | 03/16/2003 |
| Brake pedal goes down to the floor intermittently.this is a major safetty issue.the dealership has not fixed the problem yet.took in the shop for more than 3 times.also the oil leak from the rear main seal,harshe shift in transmission ,power steering pump failure,oil pan gasket leak ,master cylinder leak ,coil (spark plug) failure.*ak | |||
| 03/09/2004 | 3 | ||
| While driving 20 mph consumer applied the brakes and pedal went to the floor. consumer was unable to maintain control, and hit another vehicle on the left front rear. upon impact, both air bags did not deploy. no injuries were reported. consumer's vehicle was towed to dealer. *ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||
| 08/12/2006 | 52179 | 1 | 11/10/2005 |
| 4 items 1 - have owned the 2003 ford explorer for 7 months. while test driving, i noticed a hum noise coming from rear tires. was told it was tread noise. we took it for oil change at very well respected national automotive service shop. i was informed i needed to replace the rear hub assembly that is was critically broken. waiting to contact local ford dealer for resolution based on tsb research i have done. 2 - whining noise from air conditioner when accelerating. don't really know what is going on. saw this also on tsb. contacting local ford dealership. 3 - abs light randomly comes on. don't know why and no pattern to when. contacting local ford dealership. 4 - cruise control not working. i was driving down the road this weekend, using cruise control. stopped quickly for a car in front of me. when i started going again, the cruise control wouldn't work and hasn't worked since then. i don't know if it has to do with the brakes. i noticed ford recalled some cruise control mechanisms in other vehicles but not in the 2003 explorer. *jb | |||
| 05/01/2005 | 31900 | 0 | 10/17/2003 |
| I was driving at freeway speeds when a collision occured in the lanes next to me and the vehicles swerved into my lane. i slamed on the brakes and the abs system started working, then failed. the back wheels locked up and i fish-tailed, ending up in the dirt center median. when i looked at the dash, the abs warning light was on. the dealership checked and found that the rear abs sensor failed (open circut). | |||
| 07/29/2003 | 25000 | 5 | 11/01/2002 |
| Antilock brake warning light comes on and goes off. when light comes on the brake pedal will go to the floor and will still stop, but pedal pulsates vigorously. this occurs under normal braking. also when the light is on, under a heavy stop, all four wheels will lock up. the truck has been at the dealer (gwinnett place ford, duluth, ga) for five weeks now. they say that they have four other explorers with the same problem. ford currently does not have any way to fix the problem at this point. there has been a revised antilick brake control module that was supposed to be released last friday. as of this morning, ford has stopped the release with quality issue - all parts are bad and cannot be sold so now i am back at the starting point and still driving a smaller rental vehicle instead of the $34,000 truck my company bought for me to drive to do my job.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - CONTROL UNIT/MODULE | |||
| 05/01/2005 | 31900 | 0 | 10/17/2003 |
| I was driving at freeway speeds when a collision occured in the lanes next to me and the vehicles swerved into my lane. i slamed on the brakes and the abs system started working, then failed. the back wheels locked up and i fish-tailed, ending up in the dirt center median. when i looked at the dash, the abs warning light was on. the dealership checked and found that the rear abs sensor failed (open circut). | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC | |||
| 04/20/2003 | 50 | 1 | 04/19/2003 |
| On my new ford explorer when i apply the brakes at speeds above 40 mph whole front end shakes violently, the steering wheel also shakes violently, and the vehicle loses control.*ak | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - FOUNDATION COMPONENTS - DISC - ROTOR | |||
| 09/20/2007 | 18000 | 1 | 09/01/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. the contact stated that the two rear rotors rusted two inches from the top. the rear rotors, rear brakes, and parking brake disintegrated due to the corrosion from the rotors. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the corrosion; however, all the components were replaced. the failure mileage was 18,000 and current mileage was 19,000. updated 03/14/08. *lj | |||
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - PEDALS AND LINKAGES | |||
| 02/12/2007 | 15 | 07/15/2005 | |
| Brake & accelerator pedals too close together. many times applying brakes will hit accelerator at the same time and the accelerator wins. primarily going from reverse to drive or drive to reverse, but has also happened in traffic. (v8 2003 ford explorer) . *nm | |||
| 06/01/2004 | 1 | ||
| 2003 ford explorer recall regarding the travel on the brake pedal. *mr on a number of occasions when it was necessary to brake hard to avoid an accident, the consumer had simultaneously engage the accelerator and brake pedals. this resulted in the consumer hitting a vehicle that had suddenly stopped in traffic in front of him. the brake pedal never passed the accelerator pedal, including panic stops. the problem could not be fixed. *sc the consumer requested that the dealer adjust the brake pedal to stop higher than the accelerator pedal. the dealer stated it was impossible as in older models due to abs. *jb | |||
| 1 | |||
| The brake pedal bracket interfered and restricted the proper application of the brakes. *scc *nlm | |||