NHTSA Complaint #761560 — 2002 FORD EXPLORER

TWO PROBLEMS, ONE WITH TRANSMISSION AND ONE WITH INSTRUMENT LIGHTS. 1) TRANSMISSION WOULD DELAY ENGAGING INTO DRIVE OR REVERSE WHEN BEING TAKEN OUT OF PARK (LOCAL DEALER SAID THIS WAS "NORMAL") BUT TRANSMISSION WOULD ALSO "CLUNK" AND "LURCH" WHEN CLIMBING HILLS. LOCAL DEALER (VISTA FORD) ADJUSTED WITH COMPUTER ON THREE OCCASIONS, AND IMPROVED THE PROBLEM, BUT NOW THERE IS STILL THE OCCASIONAL DELAY BEFORE TRANSMISSION ENGAGES AND AN OCCASIONAL "BANG" (WORSE THAN "CLUNK") ALONG WITH A VIOLENT "JERK" (WORSE THAN A "LURCH") AND THIS NOW HAPPENS DURING NORMAL DRIVING ON LEVEL GROUND. 2) FOR THE ENTIRE 300 DAYS I HAVE OWNED THE VEHICLE THE ILLUMINATION OF THE "MESSAGE CENTER" DISPLAY IS SO DIM DURING THE DAY THAT IT IS AMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO READ (DEALER SAYS THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH NO FACTORY FIX). THE DISPLAY IS NOT CONTROLLED BY THE RHEOSTAT THAT ADJUSTS THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE GENERAL INSTRUMENT ARRAY SO THE PROBLEM MUST BE WITH THE INTENSITY OF THE LED DISPLAY ITSELF.