I think I have found the one! But I have ?'s.

[Sarah1194]

Our family got a little bigger a little over 6 weeks ago and needless to say we have outgrown our Honda Civic in a major way. I started looking around and the various option as far as the SUV's go and found the Ford Explorer XLT to be exactly what my family needs. I found a 2005 2WD V6 with 140k miles. It has only had one owner and the dealership has all the service records. The car fax doesn't state there was ever a transmission replacement and I had a friend run the VIN at the local Ford dealership and he told me that while it was under warranty there was nothing major done to it and it seemed like it would be a pretty nice ride. So I got to looking around on the internet and noticed there were a lot of complaints on the transmission and it got me a bit worried. I don't want to and can't afford to spend this kind of money on a vehicle for it to leave me and my babies stranded. I have also checked out the 05 Chevy Trailblazer and some other SUV's with the 3rd row seat and I keep coming back to the Explorer. I just need my mind put as ease. What are my chances of this Explorer leaving me stranded? Thanks for any and all input. Sarah.

 

[swetrid]

There is always a chance of major problems but 2005 has most of the bugs worked compared to earlier years.

 

[SeanEXP]

Yes Im going to co-sign with swetrid. You shouldn't worry about much problems going wrong especially with a 2005. You can always check carcomplaints.com and enter in the year and model and see what others have to say.

Always take what you read on that site with a gain of salt. Because every case is different. It depends on how well the person before you took care of the vehicle.

If all the service records are there and you ran a carfax and also had "YOUR" own mechanic check it out than it should be fine. From the sound of it seems like this person took care of the maintenance work. Just make sure you keep on maintaining it.

Also I believe the 2005 comes standard with RSC which is pretty good.

 

[Sarah1194]

Thank you.
I am looking at carcomplaints.com now and it is making me feel much better! Thanks so much for your help.

 

[2002GreyHD150]

the transmission issues were mainly '02-03, the first yeaar & 1/2 of a complete redesign of the SUV, the engines, the transmissions, & everything.

don't fret. If the failures many encountered didn't happen before 100K, the original owner was at least marginally diligent about care.

My wife's Mountaineer has 168+K on it & only minor traans issues early in life (under 40K). It has been, hands down the most reliable, dependable, & solid vehicle we have owned.

I travel out of state weekly. I never get on a plane worrying if the Wife & kids will be stranded because the Mountaineer let me down.

Proud Papa!

Rob

 

[Sarah1194]

Going to test drive it tomorrow. Hopefully it will be sleeping in my garage tomorrow night. I am getting excited.
I want to say Thank you to swetrid, SeanEXP, and 2002GreyHD150 for helping me.

 

[jrford]

Remember that they made over 1.5 million of these things and compared to other boards this one is not too busy considering the number they made.

When i first got my heep, ZJ, i'd post a question (on another board not to be mentioned here) in the morning then check back at night to find 0 replies, 164 views and its on page 3. .in comparison a lot more 'minor' issues with those

don't forget to post pics if you get it.

 

[carcomplaints.co]

@Sarah: like the trends on CarComplaints.com show for the 2005 model, the main problem is the rear panel cracking ... not bad considering the 2002-2004 history where transmission failure is off the charts, like you mentioned.

I hate to say it but honestly personally I think the bad Explorer transmissions go from 2002 through 2007... you probably saw transmission issues are still the #2 reported problem for the 2005 model & trans issues are back at #1 for the 2006 Explorer. So I'd just pay very close attention to how it shifts into gear when test driving it...

Make sure it shifts cleanly from park into reverse with no delay, & also that it shifts normally between 2nd & 3rd gear. If it hesitates shifting into reverse, or slips between 2nd & 3rd gear, those are the typical signs for these Explorers that the transmission is failing.

Good luck!
-Wick