NHTSA Complaint #10269561 — 2004 FORD EXPLORER

VEHICLE HAD A HISTORY OF SUDDENLY JERKING HARSHLY WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (65 MPH), BUT AT IRREGULAR INTERVALS AND PROBLEM COULD NOT BE FORCED TO REPLICATE. AT APPROXIMATELY 97,000 MILES WHILE ON AN OUT OF STATE TRIP, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO REFUSE TO ACCELERATE PROPERLY FROM A STANDSTILL, APPEARING TO "LIMP" (IN FORD'S WORDS) UNTIL IT REACHED 10-15 MPH, THEN IT WOULD SUDDENLY ENGAGE AND ACCELERATE RAPIDLY, BUT WOULD STILL QUIT ACCELERATING BRIEFLY UNTIL REACHING SPEEDS >40 MPH. AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO RUN FINE UNTIL GOING INTO MOUNTAINS, WHERE IT WOULD NOT FIND THE RIGHT GEAR FOR MAINTAINING SPEED. CAR CONTINUED TO WORSEN UNTIL FINALLY REACHING A DEALERSHIP THAT WAS WILLING TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM. NO ERROR CODES WERE OBSERVED, SO WAS TOLD THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE OVERHAULED OR REPLACED. THE OVERHAUL WAS NOT GOING TO BE GUARANTEED NOR WOULD THE DEALERSHIP PROMISE WHEN THE CAR WOULD BE REPAIRED AND RECOMMENDED A FORD REBUILT TRANSMISSION, WHICH I WAS FORCED TO SELECT. THE VEHICLE STILL HAS PROBLEMS, THOUGH NOT AS SEVERE AS FORMERLY, BUT THERE ARE STILL NO ERROR OR SERVICE CODES BEING RETURNED BY ANY OF THE CAR'S ELECTRONICS. I HAVE NO OPTIONS OTHER THAN TO DRIVE IT UNTIL IT FAILS COMPLETELY AGAIN, WHEREVER THAT MAY HAPPEN. *TR