NHTSA Complaint #10486027 — 2006 FORD EXPLORER

FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED IN EARLY APRIL 2012: MY CAR WAS EMITTING A FOUL SMELL AND OVERHEATING. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT MY RADIATOR WAS LEAKING. I TURNED MY VEHICLE INTO FORD AND IT WAS REPLACED. SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED EARLY-MID OCT 2012: MY CAR WAS JERKING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT WAS TAKEN TO HAVE THE CODES CHECKED AND IT WAS INDICATED THAT I HAD 2-3 RANDOM "MISS-FIRES" TO MY SPARK PLUGS. AS THIS IS NORMALLY AN EASY AT-HOME FIX, WE WERE ABLE TO REPLACE ALL THE SPARK PLUGS. THE ISSUE WITH THIS INCIDENT WAS THAT IN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING THE SPARK PLUGS, ALL BUT ONE BROKE IN HALF. THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT FORD HAS DESIGNED AND SELLS A SPECIFIC TOOL TO REMOVE BROKEN SPARK PLUGS. ONCE THE TOOL WAS PURCHASED, I WAS ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND MY CAR NO LONGER JERKED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED LATE NOV 2012: VEHICLE STARTED JOLTING AND JERKING EXCESSIVELY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. FEELS LIKE TRANSMISSION IS NOT ENGAGING GEARS PROPERLY. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON AND MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE REGARDING THIS VEHICLE. A SAFETY RECALL NEEDS TO BE DONE IMMINENTLY. ANOTHER ISSUE, STARTED IN THE END OF 2011: WHEN GOING FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR DRIVE, STICK SHIFT WILL STICK AND I WILL HAVE WIGGLE AND PULL HARD TO MAKE IT MOVE. *TR