NHTSA Complaint #10184970 — 1997 FORD EXPLORER

ON A 1997 FORD EXPLORER HAD PROBLEMS WITH TRANSFER CASE. FIRST NOTICED WHEN DRIVING ON INTERSTATE WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON VEHICLE MADE GRINDING NOISE AND WOULD NOT DECELERATE HAD TO PUT INTO NEUTRAL TO STOP. WHEN DECELERATING WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE IT WOULD ALSO MAKE GRINDING NOISE ALMOST SOUNDING LIKE IT WAS NOT DOWN SHIFTING. FEW WEEKS LATER WHEN VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO REVERSE IT WOULD MAKE A GRINDING NOISE AND WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. DID NOT FEEL SAFE TO DRIVE. ENDING UP HAVING TO HAVE A MECHANIC REBUILD TRANSFER CASE, COST ALMOST $1000.00. NOW FIVE MONTHS LATER HAVING PROBLEMS WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONTINUOUSLY COMING ON. REPLACED SENSORS AND SPARK PLUG ON #4 CYLINDER TWICE. THIS WILL BE REPLACEMENT NUMBER 3 FOR SPARK PLUG IN FOUR MONTH PERIOD. MECHANICS CANNOT SEEM TO FIGURE OUT WHY. *JB