NHTSA Complaint #10438051 — 2003 FORD EXPLORER

TIMING CHAIN BROKE, WITH NO WARNING, BENT ALL THE VALVES AND WASN'T EVEN DRIVING IT. HAD JUST STARTED THE CAR IN THE GARAGE AND BACKED OUT OF DRIVEWAY WITH CAR IDLING VERY ROUGH. PULLED BACK IN DRIVEWAY AND OIL WAS POURING OUT UNDERNEATH, DUE TO CHAIN HAD BUSTED THE VALVE COVER. WELL HAD TO PULL THE MOTOR, REPLACED GUIDES, CASSETTES, AND TENSIONERS, WITH 2000.00 JUST IN PARTS ALONE. HAD CAR BACK FROM MECHANIC NOT EVEN 3 WEEKS AND ENGINE STARTED KNOCKING AS IF A ROD WAS KNOCKING. WENT BACK TO MECHANIC AND TENSIONERS WERE THE CAUSE OF TIMING-CHAIN "CLANK". APPARENTLY THEY (FORD) DESIGNED THESE TENSIONERS WITH "PLASTIC" GUIDES WHICH SHRED OFF INTO THE HYDRAULIC TENSIONER PICK UP TUBE THEREFORE CLOGGING UP THE HOLE FOR OIL TO GET TO CHAIN AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO UNLESS YOU GET UPDATED TENSIONERS DIRECTLY FROM FORD AT 100.00 EACH. THERE ARE 3 TIMING CHAINS AND MULTIPLE TENSIONERS AS WELL, WHICH CONTINUE TO GO OUT AFTER 30,000 MILES AND NEED REPLACING, WHICH MOST CAN BE REPLACED WITH MOTOR IN BUT SOME CANT THEREFORE I HAVE HAD MOTOR OUT TWICE NOW, AT 2500.00 EACH TIME. THERE WAS AN ONP TO OWNERS BUT FORD WOULD ONLY COVER COST UP TO 100,000 MILES AND ONLY IF OWNERS COMPLAINED!! OTHERWISE THEY WOULD NOT FIX!!! WELL THIS IS A BAD DESIGN ON FORDS PART WITH PLASTIC TENSIONERS TO GUIDE YOUR TIMING CHAIN!!! NOW THEY HAVE UPDATED WITH A TOUGHER NYLON "PLASTIC". BUT HAVE NOT RECALLED THE OLD ONES SO UNLESS YOU ORDER DEALER PARTS YOU RECEIVE THE OLD PARTS WHICH ARE NO GOOD AND WILL END UP MAKING YOU SPEND MORE MONEY AND FOR THE LAST 12MONTHS, I HAVE HAD MY CAR 3 WEEKS DUE TO CANT AFFORD THE ENORMOUS REPAIR BILL, WHICH FORD KNEW ABOUT ALL ALONG, BUT FAILED TO RECALL PLASTIC PARTS UNLESS SOMEONE COMPLAINED. ACCORDING TO MY RESEARCH IT HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM SINCE THE 1996-2006 YEAR MODEL EXPLORES WITH 4.0 SOHC V-6 MOTORS. SOMETHING DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE DONE!!! *TR