2002 FORD EXPLORER Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

2002 FORD EXPLORER O/D LIGHT STARTED FLASHING, TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING, CLUNKING AND SEEMS LIKE IT WON'T LAST MUCH LONGER. *TR

DURING NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, "SERVICE ENGINE SOON" LIGHT TURNS ON, FOLLOWED BY "O/D OFF" LIGHT FLASHING, FOLLOWED BY ERRATIC SHIFTING BY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. HAPPENS AT LEAST ONCE PER WEEK, RESETS AFTER ENGINE IS TURNED OFF AND RESTS FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. *TR

2ND GEAR OUT OF TRANSMISSION. IT OCCURS EVERYTIME YOU DRIVE IT. THE OD LIGHT BLINKS AND THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AS A RESULT. THE TRANSMISSION HAS TO BE REPLACED, THE OLD TRANSMISSION IS AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME, BUT WON'T BE FOR LONG. *TR

I HAVE A 02 FORD EXPLORER DRIVING ON THE ROAD WHEN THE OD LIGHT FLASHING LOST POWER IT HARD TO SHIFT IN GEAR AM NOT THE ONLY 1 WIT THIS PROBLEM THERE THOUSAND OF FORD OWNER WIT THIS SAME PROBLEM WHY CANT U GUYS MAKE FORD RECALL THIS PROBLEM TOYOTA MAKE THEY RECALL THEY MANUP TO THEIR PROBLEM WHY CANT FORD DO THAT. *TR

LAST NIGHT, THE O/D OFF LIGHT ON MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER STARTED BLINKING. TODAY, THE VEHICLE WILL NOT DRIVE IN NORMAL DRIVE MODE OR REVERSE. IN DOING SOME INVESTIGATING, APPARENTLY, THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH FORD EXPLORERS. PARTICULARLY THE 2002 MODELS. THIS IS NOT ONLY DANGEROUS, BUT UNFAIR THAT FORD HAS NOT TAKEN RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS VERY COMMON ISSUE. I'M AWAITING AN ANSWER ON WHAT EXACTLY IS WRONG WITH MY EXPLORER. BASED ON MY RESEARCH, THE MOST COMMON CAUSE IS A FAULTY TRANSMISSION. I HOPE FORD DOES THE RIGHT THING AND INSTITUTES A RECALL TO THE MANY DRIVERS OF 2002 EXPLORERS THAT HAVE SUFFERED WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION FAILS. *TR

O/D AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT GOES ON EVERY TIME I DRIVE MY SUV EVERYTIME I DRIVE IT AS SOON AS THE LIGHTS GO ON THE SUV TANS STARTS ACTING UP AND SLIP CALLED FORD DEALER AND THEY SAID THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT, HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED SO IT WILL COST 2,300.00 PLUS LABOR. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER OF 4 . WHY IS IT THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS YEAR FORD BUT, YET NOTHING IS BEING DONE ABOUT IT ! I JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR IN FEB OF THIS YEAR AND NOW I AM HAVING THIS PROBLEM ! I PULLED OUT FROM A GREEN LIGHT THE OTHER DAY AND ALMOST GOT IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE TRANS SLIPPED HAD ALL 4 CHILDREN IN THE CAR WITH ME ! MAYBE I SHOULD NOT BE DRIVING THIS BUT,THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE AND I NEED TO DRIVE !...

THE O/D LIGHT STARTED BLINKING, FOLLOWED BY A CHECK TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT. THE TRUCK BEGAN TO SHIFT ERRATICALLY. I WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE SAFELY IN TRAFFIC AND HAD TO PULL THE TRUCK TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WHERE IT REMAINS UNTIL IT CAN BE TOWED TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP. THIS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER LIMITED 4 X 4 V-8. FROM READING ABOUT THIS YEAR OF FORD EXPLORER'S, I SEE THAT IT THE MOST COMMON CAR COMPLAINT ON THE INTERNET. I HOPE YOU WILL FORCE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. THANK FOR YOU HELP. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).*TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER OD LIGHT BLINKING TRANSMISSION SLIPS. *TR

1. WAS DRIVING IN TOWN EXPLORER SHIFTED INTO 2ND HARD AND THEN 3RD GEAR SLOWED THE CAR DOWN THEN SHIFTED LIKE A HARD JERK 2.WAS OCCURRING SEEMS WHEN CAR GET WARMED UP THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS HARD AND THE OD LIGHT BLINKS AND NOW EVEN COLD THE OD LIGHT BLINKS ALL THE TIME NOW TOOK TO TRANSMISSION SHOP TOLD ME I NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION JUST BOUGHT IT 4 MONTHS AGO 3 CALLED FORD DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME TO THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL THIS IS HOW I WILL CORRECT THE PROBLEM WITH MY COMPLAINT SO WE CAN ALL GET FIX BY FORD. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED HER THAT SHE HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AT HER OWN EXPENSE AND TO FILE A CLAIM. THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS OR WARRANTIES. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 45,000. UPDATED 10/21/10. *LJ UPDATED 10/25/10

2002 FORD EXPLORER - THE O/D LIGHT IS FLASHING AND NO ONE SEEMS TO KNOW HOW TO FIX IT; IT APPEARS THERE ARE MANY MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE OVERDRIVE BUTTON CONTINUED TO BLINK AND FLASH. THE GEAR SHIFT BUTTON DOES NOT TURN THE LIGHT OUT AS IT'S DESIGNED TO. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 98,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 117,000.

O/D DRIVE FLASHING AND CHECK TRANSMISSION LIGHT IS ON, VERY NOISE ON THE BACK OF VEHICLE,THE TRUCK ONLY 58,000 ON IT. *TR

O/D LIGHT BLINKING AND IRREGULAR SHIFTING DURING ACCELERATION. 2002 FORD EXPLORER DOES NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. EVERYTIME I LEAVE A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE RPM'S BECOME VERY HIGH (OVER 5,000) AND WILL NOT SHIFT. TO KEEP THE ENGINE FROM RACING, I HAVE TO LIFT MY FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL TO GET IT TO SHIFT. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN QUICKLY AND WITH A LINE OF CARS BEHIND ME THAT DO NOT ANTICIPATE ME SLOWING DOWN JUST AS I AM ACCELERATING, THIS FORCES THEM TO SLOW DOWN QUICKLY UNEXPECTEDLY SO THEY DO NOT RUN INTO THE BACK OF THE TRUCK. THIS IS DANGEROUS. *TR

JUST BOUGHT THE TRUCK RECENTLY THE PREVIOUS OWNER TOOK VERY GOOD CARE OF IT LOOKS JUST LIKE NEW EVEN THE ENGINE AND INSIDE PARTS LOOK LIKE NEW. BUT RECENTLY THE TRUCK WOULDN'T REVERSE WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THE ESTIMATE SCARED US IT WAS RIDICULOUS. WE TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND HE JUST CHANGED THE OIL AND FILTER BUT HE TOLD US THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD SOME DAMAGED ALREADY. AFTER WE BROUGHT IT BACK FROM THE MECHANIC IT WORKED FINE FOR TWO DAYS THEN THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN AND THE YELLOW LIGHT KEEPS ON BLINKING. WE HAVEN'S USED IT SINCE THE PROBLEM DOESN'T HAPPEN ALL THE TIME BUT WE'RE AFRAID OF IT HAPPENING WHILE DRIVING IT OR IN A PARKING LOT OR SOMETHING. *TR

JUST OUT OF THE BLUE O/D LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND TRANSMISSION MAKING VERY ROUGH SHIFTS INTO 4TH. THIS HAPPENED 3 YEARS AGO AND I HAVE BEEN DRIVING AS IS AS CAN'T AFFORD A NEW TRANSMISSION. CAR HAD 70,000 MILES ROUGHLY WHEN PROBLEM OCCURRED. *TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION CONTINUES TO NEED REPAIR. I'VE REBUILT THE TRANSMISSION TWICE AND IT HAS GONE OUT AGAIN. IT BEGAN WITH THE O/D LIGHT FLASHING, THEN, WITHOUT WARNING, IT SLIPS OUT OF GEAR, NEVER TO RETURN. I SPEND ABOUT $2,000 WITH EACH REBUILD. I CAN NO LONGER AFFORD THE COST. HAVING READ THE VOLUMINOUS REPORTS OF THE IDENTICAL FAILURE, I BELIEVE IT'S TIME FOR A RECALL BY FORD! *TR

TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. *TR

THE SUV, WHICH IS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. JUST STARTED TO DRIVE REALLY SLOWLY AND AN O/D LIGHT CAME ON WHICH TELLS ME THAT I PRETTY MUCH NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MY VEHICLE. THE CONSEQUENCES ARE THE VERY EXPENSIVE PRICE ON FIXING THE PROBLEM. THE FIRST 2 TIMES FORD FIXED IT WITH A REBUILT TRANSMISSION AND NOW THEY WANT ME TO PAY AGAIN. SORRY NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE PLEASE MAKE FORD RECALL THESE VEHICLES. *TR

1. TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WHEN I STOPPED FAST 2. TRANSMISSION GOES INTO NEUTRAL AND TAKES ABOUT 10 SECONDS TO POP BACK INTO GEAR. 3. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS TOLD THEY COULD REPLACE A $1,000 PART. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, THE VEHICLE STOPPED MOVING FORWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. THE FAILURE HAD NOT OCCURRED SINCE THE REPAIR. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SHIFT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK, THE GEAR SHIFTER BROKE OFF OF THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THIS WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THAT MODEL. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF HAVING THE STEERING COLUMN REPLACED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 113,997. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS UNAVAILABLE.

O/D LIGHT KEEPS FLASHING AND TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND THE VEHICLE ONLY HAS 80 THOUSAND MILES. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE BY FORD PLEASE DO SOMETHING THEY ARE TAKING WE THE CONSUMERS FOR GRANTED. *TR

OH WHERE DO I BEGIN. I HAVE 90,000 MILES ON MY SUV. MY RADIO GOES OFF AND ON RANDOMLY. DOOR AJAR IS ON RANDOMLY. WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK TO DRIVE, IT STICKS AND I HAVE TO TAP IT TO GO INTO DRIVE. REAR WHEEL BEARING HAD TO BE REPLACED. O/D LIGHT CAME ON AND FLASHING. ONE TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS IN PARK AND WHEN GETTING OUT OF MY CAR, IT BEGAN TO ROLL AFTER TAKING MY FOOT OF THE BRAKE. I SEE THESE SEEM TO BE PROBLEMS FOR SEVERAL FORD EXPLORER OWNERS. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GET THIS ACROSS TO FORD THAT THESE NEED TO BE RECALLED, IF NOT I WILL NOT BE A FORD OWNER EVER AGAIN AND TELL EVERYONE I KNOW NOT TO BUY A FORD! WHAT IS GOING TO TAKE, A DEATH OR INJURY?? TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FORD! HOPE THIS NEVER HAPPENS TO YOU BUT THEN AGAIN, YOU...

AT ABOUT 110,000 MILES MY TRANSMISSION ON MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT STARTED SLIPPING. DRIVING DOWN THE EXPRESSWAY MY O/D LIGHT COMES ON AND I AM UNABLE TO ACCELERATE AS THE GEARS ARE NOT SHIFTING CORRECTLY. TOOK IT IN TO A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY INSTALLED AN OVERHAULED 5R55W TRANSMISSION. LESS THAN A YEAR LATER I TAKE MY TRUCK TO TRADE IT IN AND THE DEALER SAYS THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS BAD, GOING OUT AND THEY WOULD ONLY OFFER ME $2000 FOR MY TRADE. THE TRANSMISSION IS STARTING TO SLIP AGAIN AT 117,000 MILES AND I WILL AGAIN HAVE TO TAKE IT IN TO BE REPAIRED BEFORE THE OD STARTS FLASHING AGAIN AS I'M DRIVING TO WORK. LUCKILY I AM STILL UNDER THE 1 YEAR WARRANTY FROM THE TRANSMISSION REPAIR SHOP, BUT I WILL BE WITHOUT A VEHICLE AGAIN TO GET BACK AND FORTH TO WORK. *TR

THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT ON MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER IS FLASHING (BLINKING) AND THE TRANSMISSION IS ACTING ERRATIC. SHORTLY AFTER BUYING THIS CAR(IN 2003) A SIMILAR ISSUE HAPPENED. I TOOK IT TO A FORD SHOP. THE MECHANIC REQUESTED THE TRANSMISSION BE REPLACED. FORD DENIED THE REQUEST & HAD THE MECHANIC CHANGE ONLY THE SOLENOID(I BELIEVE FOR THE 1ST& 2ND GEAR?). THANKFULLY, THIS WAS UNDER WARRANTY. I'VE TAKEN DECENT CARE OF MY TRANSMISSION SINCE IN REGARDS TO MAINTENANCE. NOW, THIS ISSUE(OR SIMILAR) IS BACK. BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO BRING MY CAR TO FORD OR ANOTHER SHOP, I DECIDED TO CHECK ON THE INTERNET. I CAME ACROSS HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM OR MORE SPECIFICALLY: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/EXPLORER/2002/TRANSMISSION/O_D_LIGHT_IS_BLINKING.SHTML. TO MY SURPRISE, THIS INCIDENT IS NOT CLOSE TO UNIQUE. I LIKE MY CAR & FORD, BUT THIS IS JUST NOT RIGHT. I HOPE THIS ISSUE CAN PROPERLY BE ADDRESSED BY FORD. THIS WILL PROBABLY BE THE ONLY WAY THEY CAN RETAIN...

I'M AN OWNER OF A 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT. RECENTLY WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED THE O/D LIGHT WAS FLASHING/BLINKING AND MY TRANSMISSION WAS VIBRATING WHILE SHIFTING GEARS. I IMMEDIATELY ACTED QUICKLY BY GRADUALLY PULLING OVER TO COME TO A STOP. AS I LATER TRIED TO ACCELERATE THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD NOT GO PAST 10 MPH, THE TRANSMISSION WAS STUCK IN 1ST GEAR. THANK GOD MY KIDS WERE NOT IN THE TRUCK AT THE TIME. THIS FAULTY TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGE BY FORD MOTOR COMPANY. PLEASE DO NOT LOOK AT THIS AS ANOTHER COMPLAINT, THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BECOME A LIABILITY ISSUE IF NOT ADDRESSED. THE SAME AS WITH ANY OTHER SAFETY ISSUE ITS INVESTIGATED THOROUGHLY, I'M PRAYING THIS IS LOOKED AT AS SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN ON THE HIGHWAYS. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE, THIS IS THE SECOND TRANSMISSION IN JUST UNDER 2 YEARS. FORD NEEDS TO DO A RECALL. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE PROPERLY MAINTENANCED AND ALL THE NECESSARY UPKEEP. THIS IS AWFUL. *TR

DRIVING DOWN THE HWY THE O/D LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ON AND OFF. TRANSMISSION THEN BEGINS TO RANDOMLY CHANGE GEARS. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE YET TO FIX. *TR

I HAVE A 2002 FORD EXPLORER AND THE O/D LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING AND TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING, 110K MILES ON IT AND NO PROBLEMS. THIS SEEMS LIKE A COMMON ONE, AND FORD SEEMS TO BE LOSING A LOT OF CUSTOMERS BECAUSE NO ACTIONS ARE DONE TO FIX OR HELP US. HAVEN'T GONE TO DEALERSHIP YET BUT AM NOT LOOKING FORWARD TO THE RESULTS. *TR

PURCHASED VEHICLE WITH IN 2 WEEKS TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS EVERY WHERE. TRANSMISSION TOOK TO DEALER. BACK AND FORTH TO DEALER FOR ALMOST ONE YEAR. THEY EVENTUALLY SAID THEY WOULD PUT A NEW TRANNY IN THE TRUCK. WITH IN 2 WKS WAS DOING SAME THING. O/D LIGHT BLINKING, WON'T SHIFT, CLUNKING. TOOK BACK TO DEALER WOULDN'T DO ANY MORE. TOOK TO DIFF. DEALER FOUND OUT THAT THEY HAD PUT A TRANNY OUT OF A JUNK YARD INTO MY EXPLORER. NOT HAPPY. THAT TRANNY LASTED ABOUT 4 MONTHS, HAD REBUILT LASTED 7 MONTHS PARKED FOR A LONG TIME. MAKING PAYMENTS AND COULDN'T AFFORD ANOTHER TRANNY. WORKING ON FINDING ANOTHER TRANNY NOW THAT IT IS PAID FOR. THIS IS RIDICULOUS AS YOU CAN ASK ANYONE WHO OWNS ONE OF THESE VEHICLES AND THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. PERHAPS A CLASS ACTION SUIT WOULD BE THE WAY TO GO SEEING AS FORD IS...

I HAVE OWNED MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER NOW FOR 3 YEARS, WITHIN THIS 3 YEARS I HAVE HAD TO MAKE 2 MAJOR REPAIRS AND AM NOW FACING MY 3RD. THE TRANSMISSION IN MY CAR NEEDED TO BE FIXED WITH 6 MONTH OF OWNING MY CAR AND NOW A YEAR AND HALF LATER I AM FACING MORE TRANSMISSION ISSUES. THE CAR CONTINUOUSLY KICKED HARD WHEN SHIFTING GEARS. ALSO IF I WERE TO PUT INTO PARK IT WOULD STILL ROLL OR IF I PUT IT INTO REVERSE IT WOULD ROLL FORWARD AS IF IT WERE IN REVERSE. NOW IT IS USING UP TO 5/6 RAMS TO SHIFT GEARS. I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND IT MISSING ALL OF ITS 3RD GEAR. I HAVE FOUND OVER 280 COMPLAINT ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE ON THE SAME MAKE AND MODEL AND THAT'S JUST ON ONE WEBSITE. I BELIEVE THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND...

OVERDRIVE LIGHT FLASHING LATE SHIFTING HIGH RPMS HARD SHIFTING. A COMMON COMPLAINT FOR THIS VEHICLE. FORD SAYS TOUGH LUCK TO A 3-5K FORD FIX WHICH WILL RECUR. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON A 2002 FORD EXPLORER 4 DOOR. TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 78,000 MILES AND WAS REBUILT BY CONDIT FORD IN NEWTON NJ AROUND JULY 2006. TRANSMISSION FAILURE AGAIN AT 128,000 MILES ON APRIL 9, 2010 AND WAS REBUILT BY FOXWORTH'S AUTO SERVICE IN GREENSBORO, NC. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE ON A 2002 FORD EXPLORER 4 DOOR. TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 78,000 MILES AND WAS REBUILT BY CONDIT FORD IN NEWTON NJ AROUND JULY 2006. TRANSMISSION FAILURE AGAIN AT 128,000 MILES ON APRIL 9, 2010 AND WAS REBUILT BY FOXWORTH'S AUTO SERVICE IN GREENSBORO, NC. *TR

TRANSMISSION FAILURE, OD LIGHT FLASHING. *TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT. TRANSMISSION O/D LIGHT FLASHES AFTER VEHICLE WARMS UP. THIS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. THIS MAY LEAD TO TRANSMISSION FAILURE. RESEARCH HAD FOUND THAT THIS MAY COST SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS TO REPAIR AND MAY NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE HAS JUST OVER 100K MILES ON IT AND WE ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. *TR

1. NORMAL DRIVING 2. BLINKING O/D OFF LIGHT, CHECK TRANSMISSION LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, TRANSMISSION BEGINS TO SLIP 3. REPLACED TRANSMISSION, STILL INTERMITTENT O/D OFF LIGHT BLINKING. *TR

I HAVE 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT 6CYL FOUR WHEEL DRIVE. I LIKE THE VEHICLE BUT THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT HAD BEEN FLASHING ON IT FOR AWHILE AND THE TRANSMISSION FINALLY WENT OUT COMPLETELY. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. IT WOULD COST AT LEAST $2000 TO GET A REBUILT TRANSMISSION PUT IN WHICH FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND DOESN'T LAST VERY LONG ANYWAYS AND 5000 FOR A NEW ONE THAT WONT LAST A WHOLE LOT LONGER. I THINK FORD DID A VERY POOR JOB OF STANDING BEHIND THEIR VEHICLES. THEY HAVEN'T EVEN OFFERED A REDESIGNED TRANSMISSION OR ANYTHING SO IF IT HAPPENS TO YOU MITE AS WELL SCRAP THE VEHICLE CUZ IT WILL COST TOO MUCH TO FIX AND ITS NOT GOING TO LAST ANY WAYS. I THINK FORD NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD THE OD LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO GRIND , SLIP, THEN JUST STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. *TR

O/D LIGHT CONTINUES TO BLINK. THE BLINKING AS OCCURRED BEFORE AND NO ONE KNOWS HOW TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I ALREADY SPEND A COUPLE THOUSANDS DOLLARS TO FIXED THE TRANSMISSION B/C TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. *TR

FORD 2002 EXPLORER XLT LIMITED. I HAVE HAD A MYRIAD OF ISSUES, WHICH UPON RESEARCH APPEAR COMMON TO THE EXTREME. FRONT & REAR BEARINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES. SPRINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED. NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING -- O/D LIGHT BLINKS, SES LIGHT ACTIVATES, AND VEHICLES OVER-REVS, SLIPS, AND WILL NOT OPERATE IN OVERDRIVE. THE TRANSMISSION DESIGN IS COMPLETELY SEALED, SO I CANNOT EVEN CHECK FOR FLUID LEVELS, NOR DO ANY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE WHATSOEVER. THERE IS NO WARNING, JUST FAILURE. ISSUES WITH THIS MODEL YEAR ARE SO PREVALENT THAT LOCAL MECHANICS NEED ONLY ASK THE MODEL AND YEAR AND CAN ITEMIZE THE PROBLEMS I HAVE EXPERIENCED, AND PUBLIC FORUMS ARE FULL OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. FORD NEEDS TO RECALL THIS MODEL YEAR. *TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER. ONLY OWNER 115,000 MILES, MOSTLY HIGHWAY, WELL MAINTAINED. O/D LIGHT FLASHES, WARNING MESSAGE TO CHECK TRANSMISSION. IMMEDIATELY TAKEN INTO FORD SERVICE SHOP. CHARGED $90 FOR DIAGNOSIS: SLIPPING TRANSMISSION. DEALERSHIP TELLS ME THAT THEY WILL REQUIRE APPROVAL OF $720 TO FURTHER DIAGNOSE PROBLEM. WHEN ASKED FURTHER QUESTIONS, I WAS TOLD THAT IT COULD RANGE FROM THE $720 - $3,000 + . I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE AND HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A LOCAL TRANSMISSION SHOP TODAY. WAS TOLD BY THE MAN AT THE SHOP THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THIS VEHICLE. HE ACTUALLY WAS ASKING ME IF IT DID THIS OR THAT....YES. HIS PRICE FOR REPAIR WAS THOUSANDS LESS THAN FORD'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND I AM NOT BEING ASKED TO PRE-PAY HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND IT APPEARS THAT THIS TRANSMISSION ISSUE IS HIGHLY COMMON ON THE 02...

THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER HAS STARTING SLIPPING AND FAILING TO GET OUT OF FIRST GEAR. THE CHECK TRANSMISSION LIGHT WASN'T ON THEN COMES ON AND GOES OUT - DEPENDING ON WHICH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. IT APPEARS TO NEED A BRAND NEW TRANSMISSION NOW. IN LOOKING UP INFORMATION ON THIS I NOTICED A RATHER LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT 2002 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSIONS AND PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM. I REGARDED FORD AS A SUPERIOR BRAND AND DIDN'T THINK I'D HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. IT IS WELL MAINTAINED AND DOES NOT HAVE AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF MILES. *TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION FAILURE DUE TO FAULTY MACHINING OF PISTON PATHWAYS IN THE TRANSMISSION CASING. MY EXPLORER WILL NOT SHIFT INTO THIRD GEAR BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE AND IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE OUT ON THE INTERNET AND YET FORD WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR A RECALL. *TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER O/D OFF LIGHT BLINKING, HARD SHIFTING. OUR 2002 EXPLORER (91,000 MILES) HAS THE ALL TOO COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I'M VERY SURPRISED TO SEE HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE REPORTED THIS SAME PROBLEM. FROM ALL THAT I'VE READ, THIS IS A SERIOUS DEFECT THAT FORD HAS IGNORED. IF YOU DO A SEARCH ON THIS PROBLEM, YOU WILL FIND THOUSANDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. I'M REPORTING THIS TO YOU IN THE HOPE THAT SOMETHING CAN BE DONE TO FORCE FORD TO DEAL WITH IT. *TR

2002 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND UNCONTROLLABLE ACCELERATOR. THE TRANSMISSION HAD BEEN SHIFTING HARD FOR MONTHS BUT IT IS CONSIDERED BY FORD TO BE A "SEALED" UNIT AND IT IS NOT RECOMMENDED THAT THE CUSTOMER MAINTAIN THE FLUID LEVEL, SO THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. IN JAN 2010 THE ACCELERATOR STUCK WHILE ENTERING THE FREEWAY AND WE WERE OUT OF CONTROL, I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE AND HAD TO TURN OF THE CAR ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO SHOULDER AFTER BRUSHING THE GUARD RAIL AND WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REAR ENDED. THE O/D OFF LIGHT BEGAN BLINKING THAT DAY AND IT WAS TOUGH TO REACH 60MPH. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I SHOPPED AROUND FOR DIAGNOSTIC. INDEPENDENT TRANS. GUY SAID IT NEEDS COMPLETE REBUILD, FORD DLR AGREES BUT FOR TWICE THE COST. NEW PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE. IT MAKES NO SENSE WHY THIS CAR JUST STARTED TO FAIL...

WHILE IN TRAFFIC TODAY, MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER SUDDENLY LOST DRIVE POWER. FORTUNATELY, THE DRIVER BEHIND ME WAS NOT TAILGATING AND NOTICED MY VEHICLE SLOW DOWN RAPIDLY. I NOW FIND THIS TRANSMISSION FAILURE IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH FORD 2002 EXPLORER. IN FACT ON ONE WEB SITE ALONE, WWW.AUTOBEEF.COM I SEE OVER 861 COMPLAINTS ON THIS ISSUE ALONE ALL WITH 2002 EXPLORERS. TRANSMISSION FAILURES IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND AT HIGHER SPEED COULD CERTAINLY BE A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. ALSO LAST YEAR REPLACED BOTH REAR SPRINGS THAT HAD FAILED AND BROKE COMPLETELY AFFECTING BRAKING. *TR

2002 EXPLORER SHIFTED FUNNY FROM THE DAY I PURCHASED IT NEW. I FIGURED NATURE OF THE BEAST AS A 4X4. LITTLE DID I KNOW, THESE TRANSMISSIONS WERE JUNK FROM THE BEGINNING, AND NOW THEY ARE ALL FALLING APART. MINE SELF DESTRUCTED AT 61,000 MILES. AFTER THE REPAIR, IT STILL SHIFTED AS CRAPPY AS IT DID THE DAY I PURCHASED IT. NOW ONLY 10,000 MILES LATER, IT IS SHOWING SIGNS THAT FAILURE IS NEAR AGAIN. IF THESE TRANSMISSIONS ARE NOT RECALLED, I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER FORD. *TR

MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT O/D OFF LIGHT STARTED BLINKING WHILE I WAS DRIVING A COUPLE OF DAYS AGO;THEN THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO STICK WHEN ACCELERATING. AFTER I DRIVE FOR A FEW MINUTES, THE TRUCK SEEMS TO JERK AGAIN BEFORE GETTING IN GEAR. I WILL TAKE TO AUTO SHOP AGAIN THIS WEEK. *TR