NHTSA Complaint #10215094 — 2005 FORD EXPLORER

I PURCHASED A NEW FORD EXPLORER XLT WITH JUST UNDER 6,000 MILES FROM MY LOCAL FORD DEALER. IT WAS CONSIDERED "NEW" BECAUSE IT HAD UNDER 6,500 MILES (IT WAS THEIR DEMO CAR.) 5000 INTO MY NEW PURCHASE, AT APPROXIMATELY 11,000 MILES, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THE VEHICLE DRIFTED BACK WHILE IN GEAR AND WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR SMOOTHLY. I TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR AS A TRANSMISSION COMPLAINT. 8,000 MILES LATER (AT APPROXIMATELY 19,000 MILES), I WAS HAVING MORE DIFFICULTY WITH A SLIPPING TRANSMISSION AND TOOK IT TO THE FORD DEALER IN MY AREA. THEY FOUND A LEAK WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION AND FOUND OTHER TRANSMISSION ISSUES. AT APPROXIMATELY 49,000 MILES (CURRENT MILEAGE), I WAS AGAIN EXPERIENCING TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL FORD DEALER WHO SAID THE REAR NEEDED REPLACEMENT AND BASICALLY THE ENTIRE BACK END WAS FALLING APART. I COULD FEEL THIS WAS ALSO RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION. I, AGAIN, TOOK IT IN FOR THE 3RD TIME AS A TRANSMISSION COMPLAINT. THE DEALER CALLED ME AND TOLD ME MY CAR WAS REPAIRED, BUT APPARENTLY, THEY ONLY FIXED WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE REAR. I PAID $1500 TO FIX THE REAR. I PICKED UP MY VEHICLE AND I NOTICED THE CAR WAS NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY AND IT WAS MORE OBVIOUS THAN BEFORE. I LIVE ONLY 6 BLOCKS AWAY. I DROVE IT HOME AND PARKED THE CAR. THAT MORNING, I COULD BARELY GET MY CAR TO GO INTO GEAR. IT WOULD NOT EVEN GO INTO REVERSE. IT WOULDN'T MOVE. I EVENTUALLY GOT IT TO GO INTO DRIVE AND WAS JUST BARELY ABLE TO RETURN IT TO THE DEALER, WHICH, FORTUNATELY, WAS JUST A FEW BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY HOUSE. THE CAR CLEARLY HAD A BAD TRANSMISSION FROM THE START. NOW, THE DEALER TELLS ME I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION WHICH WILL COST ME $3500. I HAVE ALWAYS CHANGED THE OIL EVERY 3,000-5,000 MILES. I TREAT THE CAR LIKE MY BABY - IT WAS WELL TAKEN CARE OF. I HAVE NEVER BEEN HARD ON THIS VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THE BACK END TROUBLE IS RELATED TO THE TRANSMISSION, AS WELL. *TR