NHTSA Complaint #10378666 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

I WAS DRIVING MY EXPLORER YESTERDAY AND IT WAS ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT GEARS AND INSTEAD SOUNDED LIKE AN EXPLOSION OR A TIRE GETTING BUSTED. THE O/D LIGHT CAME ON AND START FLASHING. IT WOULD RESET ITSELF EVERYTIME THE CAR WAS RESTARTED BUT IMMEDIATELY CAME BACK ON. LATER IN THE EVENING, THE SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON. I'M NOT ONE TO WAIT AND LET SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAPPEN TO MY VEHICLES SO I TOOK IT TO AAMCO AFTER FORD TOLD US THEY WERE TOO BUSY TO RUN DIAGNOSTICS ON IT. AAMCO EXPLAINED THAT IT WAS EITHER THE TRANSMISSION OR THE SOLENOID PACK. UPON OPENING THE PAN UNDERNEATH, THEY EXPLAINED THAT IF THERE WERE METAL CHUNKS IT WOULD BE THE TRANSMISSION; IF NOT, THE SOLENOID PACK. SURE ENOUGH, THERE WERE BIG METAL CHUNKS. NOW, AFTER HAVING THE CAR ONLY TWO MONTHS, I'M HAVING TO COME UP WITH MONEY TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN A CAR THAT APPEARED TO BE IN STELLAR CONDITION. UPON DOING SOME RESEARCH TODAY, APPARENTLY THIS IS A COMMON AND WELL KNOWN ISSUE IN THE FORD EXPLORER. FORD NEEDS TO STEP UP THEIR QUALITY OF EQUIPMENT USED IN THEIR VEHICLES. IT IS SCARY TO KNOW I COULD HAVE BEEN IN TRAFFIC OR SOMEWHERE ELSE AND THE CAR DIE AND LEAVE ME STRANDED OR HURT. *TR