NHTSA Complaint #10135470 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

2002 FORD EXPLORER XLS. AT 24,000 MILES, TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR:TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT. AT 26,000 MILES, LOAD WHINING HEARD FROM REAR OF VEHICLE. BROUGHT TO DEALERSHIP ON THREE OCCASIONS TO COMPLAIN AND WAS TOLD THEY "COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE NOISE" AND "IT IS HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO SOUND". ON THE THIRD RETURN , I PRODUCED SEVEN PAGES OF DOCUMENTED COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS FOUND ON THIS WEB SITE AND OTHERS. THEY DECIDED THAT NOW THEY MIGHT KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AND REPLACED THE REAR DIFFERENTIAL AND DRIVE SHAFT. PROBLEM WAS FIXED FOR THE NEXT 30,000 MILES BUT IS NOW DISPLAYING THE SAME NOISE AND IS "CLUNKING" IN TO DRIVE AND REVERSE. SEPARATE PROBLEM WITH THE DAYLIGHT RUNNING LIGHTS, THEY FLASH LIKE AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE TILL I TURN THE HEAD LIGHTS ON. I DID NOT NOTICE TILL I WAS PULLED OVER BY A SHERIFF AND QUESTIONED AS TO WHY I HAD EMERGENCY LIGHTS INSTALLED ON MY VEHICLE. ON A POSITIVE NOTE, I DO GET THROUGH TRAFFIC JAMS A LOT FASTER NOW. *NM