NHTSA Complaint #10188511 — 2003 FORD EXPLORER

MY 2003 FORD EXPLORER LIMITED, WITH 59K MILES, DEVELOPED A LOUD ROARING ROAD NOISE THAT SEEMED TO BE COMING FROM THE TIRES. INSPECTION BY THE FORD DEALER IDENTIFIED 3 DEFECTIVE WHEEL BEARINGS. THE RIGHT FRONT AND BOTH REARS. I KNOW THAT WHEEL BEARINGS SHOULD NOT FAIL WITH SUCH LOW MILEAGE SO I INSTRUCTED THE DEALER TO REPLACE THE 4TH BEARING WHICH THEY SAID WAS NOT MAKING NOISE BECAUSE I WOULDN'T RISK A FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. I KEPT THE OLD BEARINGS AND IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DETERMINE WHICH ONE THEY THOUGHT WAS GOOD. THEY ARE ALL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO ROTATE AND THERE IS VERY OBVIOUS ROUGHNESS DURING ROTATION. MY EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED THE COST OF THE FIRST THREE. MY PRIMARY CONCERN IS THE SHORT LIFESPAN OF BEARINGS. THE FRONT BEARINGS WERE SO BAD THAT I FEEL SURE AN EXTENDED TRIP WOULD HAVE CAUSED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. MY SECOND CONCERN IS THAT FORD HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THIS PROBLEM. ON-LINE RESEARCH HAS CONFIRMED THAT I AM NOT THE FIRST TO HAVE BEARING FAILURE BEFORE 60K ON A 2003 EXPLORER. *TR