Common problems by year...

[jhnnny]

washer arm

My washer arm would not move when I turned it on. It also sprayed water over the window, the top of the car and onto the front window, a bit much!

 

[devhawes]

1991 XLT

135,000 km - New Motor, new a/c retrofit, new exhaust, new rad, new a/c condensor
140,000 km - New rear end, new starter
142,000 km - New fuel pump
150,000 km - New brakes, rockers starting to rust
155,000 km - Auto hubs replaced
160,000 km - Parking brake cable seized, new rear brake job
169,000 km - Front rotars warped? Vibration when braking


I love my XLT but it's been it's had a lot of problems. Propbably due to the original owners lack of maintenance.

 

[Timmy]

Whats that website with all the recalls?

 

[rmwilliams]

1996 XLT
- Tie rods were squeaking loud as sh*t 2 months after I got it when truck was 3 years old. Fix by warranty
- broken sway bar at my expense. The other as a result of the recall
- Belt tensioner ... broke off when starting engine
- thermostat stuck open ... wouldn't heat well in winter
- Factory CD changer broke. Replaced with Kenwood 6 changer and customer wiring harness. Saved $200 compared to dealer to fix
- Fuel filter clogged ... but $120K on it. (Hayes says filter will last the life of the vehicle ... don't believe it!) Also replaced fuel pump relay since filter was tripping it

All else was wear/tear stuff like tires, battery (after 6 years), brakes, fluid changes

I replaced the water pump to find out later it was the IAC (that still needs to be replaced). Anyone need a set of Ford fan clutch tools???

 

[Audio_1]

97 4.0l xlt 64,440k

power steering pump at 20k(under warenty, boght new)
new power steering pump(dealer put a rebuilt in the first time)
seat recline in the 30ks
both back doors wont open from inside. went out within a week of eachother.
and most recently, clamp broke that holds the heat sheild on to the muffler causeing it to rattle and piss me off, put a new clamp on it.
looks like new, i take real good care of it. wax it every season. a few dings and scratches here and there, but thats because i dont baby it.
all minor problems so far, seems i have been lucky. knock on wood
and one more.
the rear wiper arm got tore off due to a automatic car warsh

 

[William Schumacher]

'99 sport sohc 4x4

12k
recall on secondary hood latch

20k
new wiper motor{warranty}

37k
front left hub went bad{dealer did it under warranty...even though I was over}


40k
IAC valve I paid for this ?but forgot how much,I remember how hard it was to drive it 30 minutes to the dealer with it stalling without giving it gas !

46k {current problem}
bad intake gaskets,dealer tried charging me $550. and this fell under the 00m12 program.
I am having problems with it since the fix,in fact I broke down again that same day I picked it up "Friday night",they have had it the entire weekend.

no word as of yet.

 

[TarHeel085]

how did you get the dealer to replace the IAC under warranty? i have 35K on mine and my IAC is bad but i went out of warranty by years not miles.

 

[William Schumacher]

I got confused for a minute, they replaced the hub ,and I paid for the IAC.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

Wow, guys! Reading this thread is scary! I've been looking at Explorer Sports, but haven't bought one yet. Are X's really this trouble-prone???

I don't mean to flame, I just need a vehicle that is durable and dependable......and those 2-dr Sports really look good!

 

[GR899V8]

Runnin'OnEmpty,
I think it's great that we all have this many problems and still love our X's! I haven't looked, but I'd think they'd have the same type of threads in Chevy and Jeep sites, telling just as many stories of problems. It would be great if someone here could make a "spreadsheet" of the problems so we could confirm "problem years" or particular items that constantly pop up. I'm sure if we listed all the problems with our spouses, everyone would ask "then why don't you get another?" Because there are way more GOOD things about her (my truck)!

Welcome to the site!

 

[jjue]

1997 Mercury Mountainer V8 4x2

Driver's seat recline lever broke
Rear driver's side door inside door handle broke
Dash/instrument illumination dimmer/rheostat has a loose part, causing my radio and overhead console to not dim sometimes
Idle Air Control valve
Rear 8.8" pinion seal leak
Center console still vibrates despite extra bracket from TSB
Sway-bar recall
Transmission 1-2 upshift hesitation (see the next 3 items)
Engine oil pan leak (caused by Starkville Ford)
Transmission pan leak (caused by Starkville Ford)
Rear transmission seal leak (caused by Starkville Ford)

Those above are the repairs either I did or someone else did. Notice what a bad dealership can do sometimes. Fortunately, that's what the extended warranty covered, although I do feel a little sorry that the warranty people actually have to deal with this dealership. I eventually learned to do what I can do myself--too many problems with crooked shops.

Other complaints:
Not 4x4 (I couldn't afford the insurance otherwise)
Rear springs too light (that's what air springs are for)
Not enough intake/exhaust flow (to be fixed as soon as I get a real job)
Exhaust leak due to low hanging exhaust catching on stuff
No skid plates (also to be fixed as soon as I get a real job)

I think that's it for now.

 

[Trail Monster]

As I scan through the lists of problems, I see many Explorers with over 100,000 miles -- this should prove to the world that we can take these vehicles off road and they will still endure.

I have a '92 XLT w/122,000 miles and few serious problems that are not "wear and tear" related.

(a.) shorted fuel pump inside the tank $750 @ 115K
(b.) transfer case motor gave out while on a trail $500 (mechanic said it was from "lack of use" - I agree )

(c.) tail gate crushed by the Schwann's Ice Cream man (guess who gets free ice cream for life ? )

 

[doomdrv01]

2001 XLT Problems

One problem - many fixes - still broken

I have a jerkinness or a "trailer-hitching" sensation when driving on smooth pavement, not towing, under two wheel drive position and when neither accelerating or decelerating - just keeping steady speed between 40-60 mph.

Warranty has replaced front ball joints, fuel filter, computer module, tires, wheels and cleaned and serviced everything but to no avail.

I'm frustrated because it appears my vehicle is the only one to do this and Ford has given up - sunk too much into it already.

I'd be interested to hear if anyone else has this problem

Thanks

 

[jasonb]

99 Sport SOHC 4x4

IAC replaced at about 34k under warranty. it sucks driving that way too!

rear wiper doesn't touch glass about 75% of sweep - fixed by bending the wiper.

the horrid 60-70mph vibration just started a few weeks ago (58k) - have not fixed yet but rotation,balance,alignment didn't help.

rear console vents just quit blowing air. i think they are blocked or clogged though b/c i can still hear it trying when i turn them on. will look for this later.

steering column squeaking. went away after a month.

not high enough - fixed temporarily with TT/shackle and 4dr leafs. will fix perm with susp kit in future.

 

[kkreit01]

97 Premium Sport 4x4 (leased new)

- recall for fuel gauge reporting 1/4 tank when damn near empty
-recall for creating new negative ground when "jumping"
- recall for something else dealing with fuel or oil pump?

'98 XLT 2wd (bought used)

- rear wiper intermittantly worked and didn't

'00 XLS 4x4 (bought new)

- rear wiper doesn't work until I "help it along". next time it rains it will not work.

- interior blower fan excessive noise/vibration @ higher speeds

- poor exterior fit & finish (orange-peel paint, ripples by roof welds)

(haven't taken to dealer for above problems yet)

 

[onetrickx]

common problems....

1997 Explorer XL 5 spd.
At 30,000 mi. rear brakes were shot, along with emergency brake shoes. 4 wheel disk brakes.
Loud clunk in front end when backing up into a parking stall and turning!
At 34,000 A/C clutch will not engage, but if I run 12v power source direct to a/c clutch it engages.
Truck now has 36,000 mi., new brakes all around, suspension looks fine up front, dont see where "clunk"
is coming from. Dont want to pay $200.00 or so to FORD to figure out A/C, will keep looking myself.
Other than that, having fun tricking out my X!!!

 

[Rscotts1]

2002 Problems

Here is a list of problems on my 2002 (2002 you say? yup!!):

- rear glass gas strut mounts. Kept popping out when
glass hatch was opened. Potential for glass explosion
as strut came flying out! Recall item, repaired.

- Front wheel bearings replaced. Repaired under TSB.

- Steering shaft replaced twice
(Clunky/vibrating/excessive play in steering wheel).
Repaired under TSB.

- Transmission PCM reprogrammed twice (rough
shifting). Repaired under TSB.

- Center consol latch mechanism broke. Repaired under
warranty.

Items still needing attention: Front end squeeks when going over speed bumps, etc., Hard time inserting ignition key, Film peeling off of Smoke colored plastic trims pieces that flank either side of glass hatch, Passenger's side window switch pod coming loose.

The has has 12,800 miles so far.

http://members.cardomain.com/scotts1

 

[mrorayus]

stuff

Same ol shizz id imagine:
Broken seat recline lever (welded back on)
Howling noise (plugged IAC filter)
Bad gas mileage (who cares)
Tires too small (got bigger ones)
Retarded running boards that drag on stray nickles
(taking them off)
Totally gutless (need gears)

I am pretty happy with my explorer. No big probs so far (87k) and I am REALLY suprised nothing has broken yet with all the wheeling I do. Good job ford! Built tough? No kidding. (except my clutch is going, but thats becuase i beat it really hard) Good thing I have a 5speed. I feel sorry for all the at guys. Those things suck.

 

[98BlackXSport]

Lower ball joints
shocks - replaced with Sensatracs
Sway bar bushings warn - replaced with Energy Suspension
Thermostat
Alternator - broken brush
Armrest
brakes

Not fixed yet:
clunking - need to lube slip yoke
driver's seat rocks side to side a bit - not figured out yet
rear seatbelts lock up

 

[Majisto]

2000 Explorer XLT SOHC @ 83K Miles

IAC - Cleaned out and works fine
Strange Accelerator pedal vibration while in O/D Gear
Dangerous in the rain (Damn 4.10s)

I really can't think of any major ones. This truck has been so good to us. Only wish it had a V-8 *shrugs*