Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 02222 | 11/11/2002 | 10008305 | Noise-gear whine noise in 1st and 2nd gear only-vehicles equipped with 5r55e transmission and 4.0l engine only. *mj | 07/27/2004 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 042107 | 12/13/2004 | 042414 | 10014086 | General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt | 04/28/2005 |
| 04217 | 11/01/2004 | 10013369 | General power train control module (pcm) programming procedures. *tt | 04/15/2005 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - COOLING UNIT AND LINES | |||||
| 03148 | 07/21/2003 | 10003748 | New transmission cooler flusher - service tips. 2003 escort and super duty f series included. *tt | 10/29/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 030508 | 04/01/2005 | 05620 | 10017891 | Front axle leaks fluid from vent tube - vehicles equipped with 4x4 or awd. *tt | 12/06/2005 |
| 0358 | 03/17/2003 | 10001922 | Fluid may leak out of the front axle vent tube. *tt *jb | 07/25/2003 | |
| 0186 | 04/30/2001 | 619276 | On some vehicles, including sport and sport trac, the front axle leaks fluid from the vent tube. *tt | 05/22/2001 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 10/31/2010 | 104000 | ||
| 2003 ford explorer xls 4x4, front and rear hub bearings going out on a vehical especally the front hub bearings. the left front hub bearing went bad and luckily we was not going down the highway at 55 mph or higher, we was only going about 25-30 mph. the left front hub bearing froze up and we did a u turn and no one was hurt. i had it towed to a service shop and they told me what the problem was,and they told me that this is a major problem with this truck. i contacted ford on this matter and they told me i had to pay for the repair by myself,but if the same problem is on many,many trucks this is bad and not safe. do you have any ideas? the repair shop called me and told me we should replace the two front hubs and the rear axle bearings also,and looked at them after the repair and the other ones were worn excessive also. the repair work for parts and labor was $1488.00 with a limited life warranty on the parts. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 06/09/2005 | 33125 | 2 | 09/11/2003 |
| 2003 ford explorer eddie bauer awd 4dr vin #1fmzu84w23zb59798 under warranty - 33125 miles when in reverse experience bangs/jerks - dealer stated it was transmission shift solenoid pack and replaced 6/05 - continued to bang/jerk into reverse until approx 1 month later, vehicle would not move whether in drive or reverse, along with loud whining noises - dealer could not look at vehicle for one week at which time flat bedded at owners cost as now at 37,000 miles (out of warranty of course) ford inspected transmission and has denied repair/replacement under warranty. at 37,000 miles one would not expect a transmission to fail. owner escalating this issue to ford customer service. dealer has been great, after reading similar complaints from this website, it appears ford corporation is in total denial of a transmission problem for 03 explorers. *jb | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||
| 08/12/2005 | 35000 | 1 | 07/19/2005 |
| Vibration in front end of 2003 ford explorer sport determined to be associated with the front wheel drive. resolution has not occurred to date. balanced all drive lines but still vibrates. vibration stops when front drive line is disconnected. next approach is to continue through rest of drive train. *nm | |||