Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | |||
| 03/06/2013 | 145000 | ||
| Driving along and vehicle seemed to slow way down, in traffic. tried to give it more gas, but realized that it seemed to be out of gear and then all of a sudden it clunked really hard into gear and sped up. very dangerous in florida interstate highway traffic!!! | |||
| 02/06/2013 | |||
| My 2005 ford has been in the dealership service center 3 different timesfor the same problem with the transmission. first time 2006 second 2010 thi 2013. i'm told the silinoid pac the od bands are to blame all three times.i'm getting very frustated with this car and ford motor companies inability to take care of this problem or to atleast except some responsibility for this.with this last failure they have given me to opptions rebuild again or put in a new transmission. why would i want to replace a crappy transmission with a new crappy transmission.is their any help with this. | |||
| 11/18/2012 | 126000 | ||
| Transmission continues to go out and an investigation is needed for all 2005 ford explorer transmission problems after 120,000 miles. | |||
| 10/06/2010 | |||
| We purchased a brand new 2005 ford explorer and have kept the maintenance on it. when the temperature control is turned to the warm/hot (red) position or the a/c unit is turned on, we noticed a thumping noise over the years. within the last couple months, the thumping sound has become progressively stronger (as if someone was physically punching through my dashboard/glove compartment), causing my heating/cooling system to be inoperable. a recall needs to be issued to repair the heating/cooling system as a manufacturer defect and should not be the responsibility of the owner to fix. there have been several complaints that have been filed online along with complaints from other ford owners that we know. | |||
| 01/20/2010 | 49000 | ||
| Large cracks developed on tne tailgate on both sides of the ford sign in the panel below the rear window. the cracks continue to get larger and i am concerned that a piece of the panel could come loose and cause a following motorist to have an accident. i am aware that ford has received thousands of complaints regarding this issue which is obviously a design flaw and should be held accountable for the repair. | |||
| 11/23/2011 | 66500 | ||
| Despite my maintaining the vehicle in perfect condition, like many other ford explorers, mine developed a crack along the ford logo on the rear lift gate, running from the window to the bottom of the lift gate. temperatures have not been extreme in our area, yet the crack appeared within a time frame of 5 hours. ford motor company should be held responsible for this obvious defect in the explorers. | |||
| 10/22/2011 | 88081 | ||
| Cracked rear door panel just below the window, in the middle of the ford emblem. may cause rear window to fall out unexpectedly. ford is aware of the defect but refuses to recall and fix it. | |||
| 10/06/2011 | 80400 | ||
| While driving on the highway, transmission slippage occurred switching suddenly from drivinig to neutral, gear could not be changed unless vehicle was parked and break pedal was pressed down. scary situation considering that i could be driving on the left lane. please consider this as a safety complaint and request for safety recall. | |||
| 04/13/2011 | 71000 | ||
| The car stalls while driving at various speeds from 25 mph to 55 mph without warning. the loss of power brakes and steering at these higher speeds is extremely dangerous especially in close traffic. after coasting to a stop the car restarts easily. this stalling occurs with the cruise control on and off and does not appear to be a factor. weather in all cases was dry and warm. the stalling has occurred several times ,weeks and months apart. two ford dealers have looked at the car but cannot find a computer code problem, they also haven't been able to recreate the problem thus they say they cannot fix the problem. a web search divulges that others have reported this similar problem to ford for the 2002,2004 and 2005 explorer. please look into this before someone gets injured or killed! | |||
| 03/04/2005 | 57000 | ||
| Cracked panel under rear window 2005 ford explorer | |||
| 02/26/2011 | 70000 | ||
| The ford explorer from the mid-2000s is starting to show multiple defects. ford co. advised owners to report these problems through this complaint form because as of now they are not doing anything to recall the defects. the back panel below the back window cracks vertically right near the ford emblem. some cars have multiple cracks. the majority of this type of ford explorer body type are showing the crack. it happens around the 5 year mark. i believe it is due to freeze/thaw happening at the back window, which then cracks the body. it is an expensive repair job and owners are advised to not even bother because it will happen again. it appears abruptly and is disconcerting to see this suddenly and for no personal reason happen to your car due to bad design. newer explorers have been redesigned so it doesn't happen. the second defect which is happening now to many explorer owners at the 5 year mark is the failure of the heating system. the damper flap starts clicking non-stop and there is no heat. again the repair is expensive because the entire dashboard has to be taken off to repair. these defects are widely discussed on the internet and this is the only real formal way to document them. the ford explorer has proven to be a real lemon, full of design defects and a real disappointment. | |||
| 04/06/2011 | 90000 | ||
| Check fuel cap light elluminates in '00-'05 ford explorers. there have been hundreds of reports of this issue occuring, and it is the result of emission failure parts in these vehicles. each inspection and replacement of these parts is costing owners thousands of dollars in repairs, and is clearly a default of the company. almost every report has shown trouble codes of p0455 or p0457, or both simultaneously. you can follow this thread and others at http://explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=244624 to see numerous occurances of this same issue in multiple ford explorers. if the problem is not fixed right away, the check engine light or service engine soon lights illuminate as well. after ford replaced my fuel cap and said this would solve the issue, my check fuel cap light illuminated a week later again. ford then inspected my vehicle again and said nothing was wrong with the fuel system. it came on yet again, and now they are charging me over $1,000 in repairs including a $108 diagnostic check on my vehicle for codes p1000 and p0457. i do not have the money to continuously bring my vehicle to ford for the same issue. this is the third time i've taken it to them, and they still cannot guarantee me this is the problem. ford explorer owners are asking for an investigation to be launched, and for ford to recall their explorers and fix this issue as soon as possible. i took my vehicle to the watertown ford in watertown, ma. | |||
| 02/24/2011 | 121000 | ||
| Today, i started our 2005 ford explorer to drive my two children to the bus stop. the electronic throttle control light on the instrument cluster went on out of the blue. i've had many cars but this is the first ford and since august we've put in an alternator, new engine and now the electronic throttle control light. our prior suv was a 1999 dodge durango and we didn't have to put any of these repairs into it. | |||
| 06/01/2010 | |||
| I purchased a 2005 ford explorer in march of this year, after having it for 3 months the rear lift gate got a crack in it right next to the ford symbol. i contacted ford and was told this is not on recall nor is it under warranty, i have an extended warranty as this was a used vehicle, my parents own a 2003 explorer and the same thing happened, my neighbor owns a 2004 and also the same thing happened, i have also seen numerous explorers on the road with this problem and i want to know why is this not a recall, with the research i have done this is an ongoing problem for explorers ranging from 2002-2005, if this crack continues to spread my glass will eventually fall out | |||
| 10/01/2008 | 32580 | ||
| Sun visors broke off. not being able to block sun making driving very dangerous during sunny days. | |||
| 07/25/2010 | 75000 | ||
| I have a problem with the cruise control on my 2005 ford explorer. my son first discovered it back in july-august 2010. while he was adjusting his speed for the cruise control while on the highway, the car completely stalled out and he lost all power steering and brakes. thank goodness, he had the peace of mind to put the car in neutral and turn the key to start it again. i would not have thought to do that while traveling at a high speed trying to control the vehicle without power brakes or steering. since that initial episode, both my son and my husband have tested it at slower speeds and have had the same results. so we brought it to a ford dealer in our area to have it checked out. they eventually determined that it was a problem with the electronic throttle box and that it would cost in the range of $800-850 to fix. i asked the dealer if there was a recall regarding this problem and he said there wasn't. i questioned why there wasn't since this was clearly a safety issue, stalling at high speeds. i realize it is only when i use the cruise control but that still doesn't take away the safety concern. he assured me that it would not happen if the cruise control was not used. so i opted to contact their customer service center to see what they could do. $800-850 is a lot of money. i got feedback on the issue a couple of days later that basically said there was no recall so they couldn't help me. then i was asked to fill out a customer service survey where i reiterated that my concerns about the safety issue were not answered. i have not gotten a response from them and that was back on 8-10-10. so i am now writing to you. just how does a safety recall get started? are there other people out there that have had the same problem? | |||
| 10/04/2010 | |||
| I have a 2005 ford explorer that has bubbling of paint and rust in the groves on top of my roof. i have contacted ford direct i have also contacted my local dealer who has also advised this is a paint defect and contacted ford direct themselves to have this defect repaired and ford states the only way to repair it would be if the roof has rust holes thru the top or if i was the 1st owner of the vehicle. this is very apparent that it is a paint defect and nothign more. i have done an internet search and found this problem is a very regular problem for most vehicles between 200-2005 | |||
| 07/25/2010 | 75000 | ||
| I have a problem with the cruise control on my 2005 ford explorer. my son first discovered it back in july-august 2010. while he was adjusting his speed for the cruise control while on the highway, the car completely stalled out and he lost all power steering and brakes. thank goodness, he had the peace of mind to put the car in neutral and turn the key to start it again. i would not have thought to do that while traveling at a high speed trying to control the vehicle without power brakes or steering. since that initial episode, both my son and my husband have tested it at slower speeds and have had the same results. so we brought it to a ford dealer in our area to have it checked out. they eventually determined that it was a problem with the electronic throttle box and that it would cost in the range of $800-850 to fix. i asked the dealer if there was a recall regarding this problem and he said there wasn't. i questioned why there wasn't since this was clearly a safety issue, stalling at high speeds. i realize it is only when i use the cruise control but that still doesn't take away the safety concern. he assured me that it would not happen if the cruise control was not used. so i opted to contact their customer service center to see what they could do. $800-850 is a lot of money. i got feedback on the issue a couple of days later that basically said there was no recall so they couldn't help me. then i was asked to fill out a customer service survey where i reiterated that my concerns about the safety issue were not answered. i have not gotten a response from them and that was back on 8-10-10. so i am now writing to you. just how does a safety recall get started? are there other people out there that have had the same problem? | |||
| 10/04/2010 | |||
| I have a 2005 ford explorer that has bubbling of paint and rust in the groves on top of my roof. i have contacted ford direct i have also contacted my local dealer who has also advised this is a paint defect and contacted ford direct themselves to have this defect repaired and ford states the only way to repair it would be if the roof has rust holes thru the top or if i was the 1st owner of the vehicle. this is very apparent that it is a paint defect and nothign more. i have done an internet search and found this problem is a very regular problem for most vehicles between 200-2005 | |||
| 07/25/2010 | 75000 | ||
| I have a problem with the cruise control on my 2005 ford explorer. my son first discovered it back in july-august 2010. while he was adjusting his speed for the cruise control while on the highway, the car completely stalled out and he lost all power steering and brakes. thank goodness, he had the peace of mind to put the car in neutral and turn the key to start it again. i would not have thought to do that while traveling at a high speed trying to control the vehicle without power brakes or steering. since that initial episode, both my son and my husband have tested it at slower speeds and have had the same results. so we brought it to a ford dealer in our area to have it checked out. they eventually determined that it was a problem with the electronic throttle box and that it would cost in the range of $800-850 to fix. i asked the dealer if there was a recall regarding this problem and he said there wasn't. i questioned why there wasn't since this was clearly a safety issue, stalling at high speeds. i realize it is only when i use the cruise control but that still doesn't take away the safety concern. he assured me that it would not happen if the cruise control was not used. so i opted to contact their customer service center to see what they could do. $800-850 is a lot of money. i got feedback on the issue a couple of days later that basically said there was no recall so they couldn't help me. then i was asked to fill out a customer service survey where i reiterated that my concerns about the safety issue were not answered. i have not gotten a response from them and that was back on 8-10-10. so i am now writing to you. just how does a safety recall get started? are there other people out there that have had the same problem? | |||
| 10/04/2010 | |||
| I have a 2005 ford explorer that has bubbling of paint and rust in the groves on top of my roof. i have contacted ford direct i have also contacted my local dealer who has also advised this is a paint defect and contacted ford direct themselves to have this defect repaired and ford states the only way to repair it would be if the roof has rust holes thru the top or if i was the 1st owner of the vehicle. this is very apparent that it is a paint defect and nothign more. i have done an internet search and found this problem is a very regular problem for most vehicles between 200-2005 | |||
| 07/25/2010 | 75000 | ||
| I have a problem with the cruise control on my 2005 ford explorer. my son first discovered it back in july-august 2010. while he was adjusting his speed for the cruise control while on the highway, the car completely stalled out and he lost all power steering and brakes. thank goodness, he had the peace of mind to put the car in neutral and turn the key to start it again. i would not have thought to do that while traveling at a high speed trying to control the vehicle without power brakes or steering. since that initial episode, both my son and my husband have tested it at slower speeds and have had the same results. so we brought it to a ford dealer in our area to have it checked out. they eventually determined that it was a problem with the electronic throttle box and that it would cost in the range of $800-850 to fix. i asked the dealer if there was a recall regarding this problem and he said there wasn't. i questioned why there wasn't since this was clearly a safety issue, stalling at high speeds. i realize it is only when i use the cruise control but that still doesn't take away the safety concern. he assured me that it would not happen if the cruise control was not used. so i opted to contact their customer service center to see what they could do. $800-850 is a lot of money. i got feedback on the issue a couple of days later that basically said there was no recall so they couldn't help me. then i was asked to fill out a customer service survey where i reiterated that my concerns about the safety issue were not answered. i have not gotten a response from them and that was back on 8-10-10. so i am now writing to you. just how does a safety recall get started? are there other people out there that have had the same problem? | |||
| 10/04/2010 | |||
| I have a 2005 ford explorer that has bubbling of paint and rust in the groves on top of my roof. i have contacted ford direct i have also contacted my local dealer who has also advised this is a paint defect and contacted ford direct themselves to have this defect repaired and ford states the only way to repair it would be if the roof has rust holes thru the top or if i was the 1st owner of the vehicle. this is very apparent that it is a paint defect and nothign more. i have done an internet search and found this problem is a very regular problem for most vehicles between 200-2005 | |||
| 09/02/2010 | 40000 | ||
| Rear window trim cracked. i am now worried that the pieces will fall off and cause problems on the road to other drivers, but ford says this in not a safety issue and will do nothing to fix problem | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 75000 | ||
| Approximately 2 years ago the paint on the top of my 2005 ford explorer began to chip off. i was told ford would not fix it unless it was rusted, however now what began as a chip has grown to approximately an 18in circle in the middle of my vehicle. ford has indicated there is a technical service bulletin about the defect however no recall has been issued. | |||
| 04/29/2010 | 47000 | ||
| I was driving on 77 north in fancy gap, va, when suddenly i lost power steering and acceleration. i noticed smoke coming from car and in fact the car in front of me said he noticed black smoke and flames underneath the car. i pulled over to the shoulder and the car was immediately in flames. i exited through driver side door. my passenger had to exit through driver door as well because flames were spreading across the passenger side of the car. we distanced ourselves from the vehicle as the entire thing became engulfed in flames. carroll county fire department and va state police arrived. it took over 45 minutes for the fire to be extinguished; the car kept re-igniting, even after several applications of water and anti-flame chemicals. the entire vehicle melted, including tires. nothing was salvageable. the vehicle was a 2005 ford explorer with only 47,000 miles. it was meticulously maintained and recently serviced. | |||