2005 FORD EXPLORER Electrical System Problems

SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS ALL THE ELECTRICAL TURNS OFF LIKE THE KEY IS TURNED OFF. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER AS THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. IT ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AS THE CAR SLOWED QUICKLY. I AM CONCERNED AS THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED SEVERAL TIMES AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. EITHER FORD SHOULD FIX THE ISSUE OR PULL THIS CAR OUT OF SERVICE BEFORE SOMEBODY IS KILLED.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHORTLY AFTER REFUELING, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE WITH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE THEN ABRUPTLY ACCELERATED AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. ALSO, THE LOW OIL PRESSURE WARNING LIGHT AND CHECK TRANSMISSION WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THEY WERE CLOSE TO HOME SO THEY PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY TO CHECK THE OIL LEVEL, WHICH WAS LOW. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE BEARING NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED DUE TO DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DEFECTIVE OIL SENSOR NOT PROPERLY INFORMING THE CONTACT WHEN THE OIL LEVEL WAS LOW. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CONTACTED THE DEALER CAPITAL CITY FORD LOCATED AT 8623 E. WASHINGTON ST, INDIANAPOLIS, IN 46219) WHO INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THERE...

ABS LIGHT AND ADVANCE TRACKING LIGHT AND 4X4 LIGHT AND CAR WITH TRACKING LIGHT ALL COMES ON AND THE BRAKING JERK WHEN STOPPING. ALSO LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT COMES ON EVEN AFTER OIL CHANGE

MY EXPLORER TRANSMISSION JUST STOPPED WORKING GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, ALMOST GOT HIT BY A TRUCK. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM KEPT GOING IN AND OUT. CHECKED WITH A FORD DEALERSHIP THEY SAID IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH EXPLORERS AND THERE WAS NO RECALL. I CHECKED ONLINE AND THERE WAS OVER 10,000 COMPLAINTS MADE. I AM IN THE MILITARY HAVE 14 COMBAT TOURS, AND COME HOME TO HAVE MY LIFE PUT IN DANGER AGAIN ON SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO STEP IN?

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT MY VEHICLES DASHBOARD BEGAN TO ACT ERRATIC. THEN THE BATTERY GAUGE RAPIDLY DROPPED INTO THE RED ZONE. WITHIN ABOUT 3 MILES I LOST MY INTERIOR POWER, HEADLIGHTS, TAILLIGHTS, AND SIGNALS INCLUDING MY HAZARD LIGHTS. WHEN LIMPING OFF THE INTERSTATE MY TRUCK HAD LOST ENOUGH POWER TO WHERE IT DIED OUT. ONCE AT THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS FOUND THAT THE ALTERNATOR FRIED OUT CAUSING A SURGE THAT WIPED OUT THE PCM AND UTILITY CLUSTER ALL WITHOUT WARNING.

MY GAUGES GO HAYWIRE THE NEEDLES SHAKE WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN CAR IS OFF NO KEY IN IGNITION. THE LIGHTS FLASH AS WELL. CAR WILL STALL IN TRAFFIC AT A STOP, THE RPM WON'T GO ABOVE 2 EVEN WHEN HWY GOING 60 MPH. MECHANIC SAID IT'S ELECTRICAL, THE DEALER TOOK OUT TOP COUNSEL AS A WORK AROUND FOR THIS ELECTRICAL ISSUE CLAIMING IT WAS NOT A RECALL.

WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, WE FOUND THAT THE BACK WINDOW OF THE HATCH WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN AND THE BODY IN THE BACK WAS LIFTED OFF THE CAR. IT LOOKS AS IF THE HYDRAULIC ARM MALFUNCTIONED OVERNIGHT.

CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. BRAKES AND STEERING BECAME IMPAIRED. LUCKY, I WAS IN THE RIGHTMOST LANE AND WAS ABLE TO NARROWLY AVOID COLLISION. INCIDENT OCCURRED AFTER A ~3HR DRIVE AS I WAS EXITING THE HIGHWAY (I.E. SLOWING DOWN). UPON RESTART, ENGINE TURNED OVER, BUT WAS UNDRIVEABLE DUE TO ITERATIVE SURGE/STALL CYCLES.

DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLIES AND SENSORS. RANDOMLY ENGINE GOES INTO FAIL SAFE MODE AND HAS STALLED WHILE DRIVING, AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS, AND DURING TURNS. INSTRUMENT PANEL IS NOW GOING HAYWIRE. MESSAGE CENTER REPORTS LOW OIL PRESSURE, CHECK CHARGING SYSTEMS, TIRE SENSOR FAILURE FAULT, CHANGE OIL SOON, AND OIL IS FINE. BATTERY HAS BEEN CHECKED. TIRE SENSORS, ALTERNATOR...ALL FINE. IT'S ALL I HAVE AND I MUST DRIVE IT TO WORK EACH DAY! BOUGHT USED IN NOVEMBER 2013. HAD 69K MILES AT PURCHASE. NOW HAS 103K MILES. IT DOESN'T FEEL SAFE :O( PLEASE HELP!

THE VEHICLE SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING, POWER BRAKES WITH A COMPLETE LOSS OF POWER. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND HAS HAPPEND DURING HIGHWAY HIGH SPEED DRIVING. IT HAPPENS ON CARS BUILT 11/24/04 AND PRIOR. THE CODES ARE P2106 AND P2135. IT'S CAUSED BY A FAULTY THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR AND REQUIRES A POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE RESET B36.11, B37.2 OR HIGHER. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING PROBLEM THAR FORD READILY ACKOWLEDGES. THEY HAVE UGRADED THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR TWICE WITHOUT SOLVING THE PROBLEM.

MISFIRES, COILS KEEP FAILING. *TR

ELECTRIC WINDOWS WON'T WORK. ALL FUSES ARE WORKING. SOME WIRES THAT GO FROM THE VEHICLE FRAME TO THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR ARE SEVERED AND MELTED. THE WIRES ARE IN A PROTECTIVE RUBBER BOOT THAT IS BETWEEN VEHICLE FRAME AND DOOR. *TR

BODY ISSUES: I HAVE A 2005 FORD EXPLORER AND HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT. MY TAILGATE SOMEHOW DEVELOP A CRACK THAT GOES THROUGH WHERE THE FORD LOGO IS. NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE SUV TO CAUSE THE CRACK. IT JUST SOMEHOW HAPPENED ON IT'S OWN. I BELIEVE THE VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE OR AT LEAST THE MATERIALS USED TO MAKE THE VEHICLE. ELECTRICAL ISSUES: ANOTHER ISSUE I HAVE IS WITH THE ELECTRICAL. MY TURN SIGNALS (MOST TIMES) DO NOT WORK. I HAVE TO MANUALLY MOVE IT UP AND DOWN WHEN TURNING. WHEN IT DOES WORK, IT GOES REALLY FAST. MY REVERSE NOTIFICATION NO LONGER WORKS FOR SOME STRANGE REASON. ALSO, MY RADIO GOES LOUDER WHEN I TURN IT DOWN. I HAVE TO TURN IT OFF FOR A LITTLE WHILE, TURN IT BACK ON THEN TRY TO LOWER THE VOLUME. *TR

BECAUSE OF THE RECENT GM RECALL IGNITION ISSUE, I THOUGHT I SHOULD LET SOMEONE KNOW ABOUT THE SERIOUS SIMILAR ISSUE I HAD 3 TIMES BEFORE I TRADED MY CAR IN. THE CAR WOULD JUST SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. AND ALL 3 TIMES, I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND CONTINUED ON MY WAY. I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE A PLACE TO PULL OVER SAFELY. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC TWICE, FOUND NOTHING WRONG. TOOK IT TO FORD AND THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. I TRADED THE 2005 FOR A 2011. I ALSO TOLD THE DEALER THAT I TRADED IT INTO ABOUT THE ENGINE JUST SHUTTING OFF FOR NO REASON AND TO CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM BEFORE THEY SOLD IT AGAIN. *TR

HAD FUELED (FULL) 2 HOURS BEFORE. GAS GAUGE DROPPED TO EMPTY. MILES TO EMPTY SHOWS DASHES. SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT IS ON. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE EVENTUALLY DIED WITHOUT BEING EXTINGUISHED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT YET DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.

TRAVELING ON 459 NORTH, AROUND THE GRANTS MILL ROAD EXIT, I ENCOUNTERED THE POORLY PAVED ROAD/POT HOLES AND MY STEREO/CD SYSTEM NO LONGER WORKS. THIS PROBLEM HAD NEVER OCCURRED UNTIL DRIVING ON THE POORLY MAINTAINED ROADS IN THIS STATE. PLEASE CONTACT ME AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IN REGARDS TO HANDLING THIS PROBLEM. *TR

WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT I SWITCHED ON MY TURN SIGNAL TO INDICATE A RIGHT TURN AND NOTICED THE NORMAL CLICK OF THE TURN SIGNAL WAS NOT OCCURRING. I LOOKED DOWN AT MY INSTRUMENT PANEL AND SAW THE RIGHT TURN LIGHT WAS LIT BUT NOT FLASHING. THE REST OF THE TRIP I HAD TO CONTINUALLY TURN ON AND TURN OFF THE TURN SIGNAL TO LET OTHERS NOW MY INTENTIONS SINCE THE SIGNALS WOULD NO LONGER FLASH. FINALLY I RAPIDLY WORKED THE SWITCH UP AND DOWN AND WAS ABLE TO GET THE TURN SIGNALS TO OPERATE CORRECTLY AGAIN. ALSO ON OTHER OCCASIONS THE SIGNAL WOULD CLICK VERY FAST WHICH AND THE ACTUAL SIGNAL LIGHT WOULD NOT FLASH OR LIGHT BUT WOULD EVENTUALLY START WORKING AGAIN. I ASSUMED IT WAS A BURNED-OUT BULB BUT WHEN IT CAME BACK ON AGAIN I KNEW THAT WAS NOT THE CASE. I SAW A RECALL...

DASHBOARD - WARNING LIGHT FOR OIL CHANGE REQUIRED WILL NOT GO OFF - HAD OIL CHANGE 500 MILES AGO - NOT DUE FOR 2 MORE MONTHS - WILL NOT RESET. DEALER SAID IT WAS A BAD OIL GAUGE SENSOR. *TR

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM , BODY STRUCTURE , GAS PEDAL. *TR

JUST DRIVING ALONG TAKING A MILD CORNER AND MY 2005 FORD EXPLORER JUST DIED AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. TOOK TO THE LOCAL AUTO REPAIR AND THEY GOT TWO CODES P2104 AND P2112. WHICH HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE THROTTLE ACTUATOR. AFTER SPEAKING WITH FORD LOCALLY THE PART(S) FOR THIS PROBLEM HAVE BEEN ON BACK ORDER SINCE AT LEAST AUGUST AND THEY ARE SAYING THEY MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL JAN. 2010 OR LATER. *TR

2005 FORD EXPLORER FUEL GAUGE MALFUNCTION: STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO. WAS INTERMITTENT AT FIRST, BUT IS NOW CONSTANT. FUEL GAUGE REGISTERS EMPTY UNTIL TANK IS ABOUT HALF FULL, AFTER WHICH THE GAUGE WORKS PROPERLY. SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON. A SCAN OF THE INTERNET INDICATES THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND FORD HAS NO PROGRAM IN PLACE TO FIX IT. SINCE THE GAUGE IS CAUSING THE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT TO STAY ON, THAT LIGHT CANNOT ALERT ME TO OTHER POTENTIAL FAILURES. COST TO REPAIR IS APPROXIMATELY $500+. *TR

ON THREE OCCASIONS WITHIN THE PAST THREE WEEKS, MY CAR HAS LOST ALL POWER. ON TWO OF THESE OCCASIONS, I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN IN THE ROAD AND ON THE THIRD TIME, I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT-AWAY. EACH TIME I WAS DOING LESS THAN 40 MPH. ONLY ONE TIME WAS ANYONE ELSE IN THE VEHICLE BUT IT WAS STILL VERY SCARY AND VERY UPSETTING, CONSIDERING I HAVE ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 8 MONTHS. I AM JUST AFRAID THAT THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN WHEN I AM GOING FASTER OR IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. SO FAR, I HAVE BEEN LUCKY AND HAVE NOT BEEN IN ANY TRAFFIC WHEN THIS HAS OCCURRED. *TR

05 FORD EXPLORER HAS REPEATED (ENGINE THROTTLE CONTROL) LIGHT WARNINGS. THE VEHICLE, WHILE MOVING, LOSES POWER AND THEN STALLS. I SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF, THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO RESET AND THE VEHICLE THEN RUNS FINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON (2) OCCASIONS AND NOW FEEL THE VEHICLE MAY NOT BE SAFE. *TR

AFTER HAVING THIS VEHICLE FOR ONLY 2 YEARS, THE HEATER/ DEFROSTER DOES NOT WORK. IT SEEMS TO BE THE SWITCH THAT SELECTS HEAT AND COLD IS BROKEN AND ONLY MAKES A CLICKING SOUND, AND WILL NOT PULL IN HEAT TO DEFROST THE WINDOWS AND WARM UP THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THIS REPAIR COSTS QUITE A BIT OF MONEY. THIS IS ALSO A SEVERE SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS AND THE NEED TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL OTHERS COMPLAIN OF THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS (ABOUT 6 TIMES TOTAL) AND WITHOUT ANY WARNING, MY 2005 FORD EXPLORER HAS LOST ALL POWER. ALL INCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED WITHIN THE PAST 6 MONTHS WITH THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE ON NOVEMBER 26, 2008. EACH INCIDENT HAS OCCURRED AT SPEEDS BELOW 45 MPH AND WHILE COASTING ON A SLIGHT DOWNGRADE. MY CONCERN IS THAT I WILL LOSE POWER IN A CRUCIAL SITUATION AND NOT BE ABLE TO STEER OR STOP EFFECTIVELY SINCE THESE FEATURES FUNCTION MOST EFFECTIVELY WITH FULL POWER. IN ALL INSTANCES I MOVED THE GEAR TO NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE WITHOUT ANY TROUBLE. I DID CATCH IT ONE TIME BEFORE IT LOST POWER, AGAIN WHILE COASTING I NOTICED THE TACHOMETER DROP TO ALMOST 0. AT SEEING THIS I TAPPED THE ACCELERATOR, THE RPM WENT BACK TO A NORMAL RANGE AND I DROVE ON AS NORMAL. *TR

VEHICLE HAD A DEAD BATTERY ROUGHLY 6 MONTHS AGO. DEALER REPLACED BATTERY UNDER WARRANTY, BUT DID NO OTHER DIAGNOSTICS ON THE VEHICLE. IF THE VEHICLE IS NOT DRIVEN EVERY DAY, THE BATTERY DRAINS DOWN, AND NOW THE BATTERY WILL NOT CHARGE AT ALL. NOW MY VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY COVERAGE, AND THE DEALER WILL NOT DIAGNOSE THE CHARGING SYSTEM PROBLEM. THIS VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY UNRELIABLE, AND THE CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURE IS JUST ONE OF MY MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS VEHICLE. *TR

I BOUGHT ONE OF THE SHARPEST SUV'S I EVER SAW - A 2005 FORD EXPLORER XLT 4X4 6 CYLINDER. IT STARTED RANDOMLY DYING ON ME LIKE THE OTHERS I HAVE READ ABOUT (70+ ON THE INTERSTATE WAS THE MOST INTERESTING!) THIS VEHICLE DOESN'T HAVE A CABLE FROM THE GAS PEDAL TO THE THROTTLE; THE COMPUTER TAKES THE REQUEST FROM THE PEDAL AND THEN THE COMPUTER OPENS THE THROTTLE. SO, IF THE COMPUTER CAN'T "SEE" WHAT THE THROTTLE IS ACTUALLY DOING, THAT COULD BE A BAD THING, AND FOR SAFETY REASONS, SHUTS EVERYTHING DOWN (FORD'S SO CALLED FMEM "LIMP HOME MODE"). WELL, I REPLACED THE TPS, AND IT STARTED AGAIN. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER, AND IN RETURN FOR 90 DOLLARS, THEY PLUGGED A BOX INTO MY SUV, PUSHED A BUTTON AND THEN TOLD ME THE PCM WAS BAD. THE PCM (POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE) IS THE MAIN BRAIN FOR THE...

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE CHECK ENGINE, CHANGE OIL IMMEDIATELY AND CHECK TIRE PRESSURE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON A REOCCURRING BASIS WITHOUT CAUSE. THE ONBOARD COMPUTER WAS RESET BY THE SERVICE DEALER EACH TIME. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED.

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS MY 2005 FORD EXPLORER XLT HAS COMPLETELY DIED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. BOTH INSTANCES HAPPENED AT SPEEDS OF LESS THAN 45 MPH. THE VEHICLE GOES DEAD, AS IF THE KEY HAS BEEN TURNED FROM "RUN" TO THE NEXT POSITION BACK. THERE ARE NO SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO THE VEHICLE SHUTTING OFF. THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCES A TOTAL LOSS OF POWER, ALL GAUGES GO DEAD AND ALL DASH WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATE, SO I KNOW THAT THE VEHICLE STILL HAS ELECTRICAL POWER. SOMETHING IS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO TURN OFF WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON THE 13TH OF MAY AND AGAIN ON THE 2ND OF JUNE. ON BOTH OCCASIONS I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO GARRY SMITH FORD, IN FT WALTON BEACH FL FOR SERVICE, AND ON BOTH OCCASIONS I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAULT AND THAT THERE WAS NO...

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT NO SPECIFIC SPEED ALL THE WINDOWS WENT UP AND DOWN, THE DRIVER SEAT MOVED FORWARD AND BACKWARD, THE RADIO CAME ON AND WENT OFF, AND THE AIR CONDITIONER CAME ON AND WENT OFF. ALSO, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO APPLY BRAKE PRESSURE THE BRAKES VIBRATED AND A CLUNKING NOISE WAS HEARD FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND UNKNOWN REPAIRS WERE MADE; HOWEVER THE REPAIRS DID NOT REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN ALERTED.

DT: 2005 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATES THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE REPAIR SHOP FOUR TIMES WITH NINE REPAIRS SINCE PURCHASE, APPROXIMATELY A MONTH AGO. THE REAR AXLE ASSEMBLY/WHEEL BEARINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED. ALSO, THE REAR WINDOW ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE/THE PULLEY IN THE MOTOR, HAD TO BE REPLACED, AND THE COMPUTER CHIP HAD TO BE RESET. THE KEY WAS GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION; THE DEALERSHIP COULD FIND WHAT WAS WRONG WITH IGNITION. THERE WERE OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE, BUT THE CONTACT DID NOT HAVE THAT INFORMATION . THE CONTACT WAS ASKING FORD TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK AT THIS TIME. A SERVICE ADVISOR WAS SUPPOSE TO SPEAK WITH THE CONTACT.*AK