NHTSA Complaint #10074990 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC

I BOUGHT A FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC IN AUG. OF 2002. EVER SINCE IT WAS A YEAR OLD I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH IT. I HAD IT 6 TIMES FOR THE SAME ISSUE, THEY REPLACED THE SAME PART 4 TIMES, THAT DID NOT HELP. THEY FINALLY CALLED THE FORD HELP LINE AND FOUND OUT THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE THE WHOLE GAS TANK. MY TRUCK THE FIRST TIME LOST ALL POWER WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD, I SHUT IT OFF AND IT RESTARTED FINE. I TOOK INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD TO RE-PROGRAM THE MAIN COMPUTER CHIP. NEXT, MY TRUCK WOULDN'T START UNLESS HOLDING DOWN THE GAS PEDAL THEN FINALLY IT WOULD START AND THERE WOULD BE A BLACK SMOKE CLOUD THAT WOULD COME OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE EACH TIME. THE NEW GAS TANK FINALLY FIXED THIS PROBLEM! NOW I HAVE OTHER ISSUES WITH A NOISE IN THE ENGINE AND WHEN I FIRST START IT UP AND BACK OUT OF THE GARAGE OR PARKING SPACE IT SPUTTERS THEN ONCE IN DRIVE IT IS OK, ALSO WHEN SHIFTING AFTER 40MPH IT HAS A HARD SHIFT INSTEAD OF A SMOOTH ONE. STILL TRYING TO GET IT FIXED.*AK