Reliablity of 3rd gen Explorers? (02-05) questionable?

[helmsa]

Ignore all the bad reviews, they are ignorant and probably liars and exaggerating.

I have 30k on my mountaineer, not a hitch wrong......

The REASON you hear so many Mixed reviews, is because the Explorer is the BEST SELLING SUV ever........so of course Statistically you're going to have More complaints, because theres just simply MORE of them out there than any other SUV!

If they suck so bad, why do you see them EVERYWHERE?

They are great, solid trucks you simply cant go wrong!

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Remember, your ALWAYS going to have a sour patch somewhere with ANY Manufacturer, period.

Alot of times, problems arise because the owner ISNT performing proper maintenance, or simply CANT drive correctly and doesnt shift gears according to the Owners Manual, honking down on the truck real hard...etc.

The other half of the time, its probably simply just Prejudice against the automaker......in other words....they probably just DIDNT like Ford from the beginning, got in a situation where they ended up buying a ford, then had something small go wrong, payed WAY too much to get it repaired at a dealership(because they dont know how to work on cars), then just exaggerated the WHOLE STORY....

I dont buy the whole "explorers are junk theory"
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Ive bottomed out my SUV, took it threw really deep salt water, pulled out some VERY heavy vehicles way larger than me, and pulled down very large trees........and the truck DIDNT EVER miss a beat!

I realized ive only got 30k on the clock, but remember, regardless, ive done the SAME stuff to other trucks i used to own(dodge,chevy), and sometimes it would feel like the truck just wasnt up to the job.

Yet, a friggin SUV did it, tires werent spinning like crazy, engine never hesitated, DIDNT even feel like I was pulling anything half the time....it made it look easy....

Im DEFINATELY a believer in the Explorers and Mountys........they got balls for a little 4.6L v8.

Another point to consider...Many people are drawn to sites like this for the fact that they are looking for answers to something to begin with. They may be looking for answers on how to check the transmission fluid, or because they have a whine in the rearend. Regardless of the reason, there tends to be a bias on sites like these because we are a small conglomerate of "X" or Mounty drivers, who voice what we know (sometimes extremely harshly because we are p!$$ed about something). There are millions of drivers out there that probably have great reviews (after all the "X" is the number 1 selling SUV), but never voice them because they haven't had a reason to look for this site.

Just thought I would trow that one out there.

 

[piercesean]

why would i even waste my time on lying you think dropping that much money on a car that i owe so much money on is me being ignorant and probably liars and exaggerating.

thats messed up. just voicing my opinion if i would of know about all the stuff that was going to happen i would just of gotten a project insted!

 

[jsmart2]

No car is perfect...from my experience with brand new (F-150, Kia, Saab) to a 1969 Chevelle they're all an ongoing "project."

As soon as your not doing something to keep it up you have problems...heck even when you're doing what your supposed to they sometimes kick you in the pants.

My 2002 Explorer with 89K is no different...I got it and did a total tune-up (coils, plugs, all new filters, ect.) and it ran good except for some noise in the rear...

It's been less than 1000 miles and now the tranny is acting up, and something is going bad in the rear end, but I got the vehicle at a fair price I'll put some money into it to get it up to speed and then I'll have to hope for the best.

Even the best built cars/trucks in the world require maintenance and things go wrong. The best we can do as consumers is hope for the best (that the folks were having a good day when they built our unit) and hope when an issue is discovered the manufacturer takes care of us (within reason).

In my opinion Ford over the years has done a pretty good job (far from perfect) taking care of it's customers and I would not hesitate to buy one of their vehicles over any other company based on my great experience with my F-150 (saved my life) to my miserable one with this Explorer so far. I also will shop around when it's time to replace this vehicle and see what else is available in the marketplace. It does not take too much effort (thanks to the internet) to find out everything you need to know about a vehicle (good and bad) in a relatively short period of time. If you do your homework, have a little luck, and do some simple maintenance just about every car out there today will treat you well.

Just my .02

 

[4FordFamily]

good points guys

 

[daveleeander]

I have 188k on my '02 EX. I have put rear springs in, four wheel bearings, rear end fix, and a solenoid block in the tranny. But I have also changed all my fluids over to synthetics (Amsoil), and have performed the prescribed flush on the tranny (albeit at twice the miles because of the syn), as well as oil changes, all on a regular PM type basis. For a car I use extensively in my business (Condulting engineer) I have been pleased that it has started every time I have asked it to, it has never left me sitting some where, and it has been fun to drive. If I could get 20 to 22 GPM out of a new one I would probably buy one, but at present, I am looking at F-150.:
I'll keep the Explorer, I've got a daughter that will be needing a car in a year.

Dave

 

[4FordFamily]

I have 188k on my '02 EX. I have put rear springs in, four wheel bearings, rear end fix, and a solenoid block in the tranny. But I have also changed all my fluids over to synthetics (Amsoil), and have performed the prescribed flush on the tranny (albeit at twice the miles because of the syn), as well as oil changes, all on a regular PM type basis. For a car I use extensively in my business (Condulting engineer) I have been pleased that it has started every time I have asked it to, it has never left me sitting some where, and it has been fun to drive. If I could get 20 to 22 GPM out of a new one I would probably buy one, but at present, I am looking at F-150.:
I'll keep the Explorer, I've got a daughter that will be needing a car in a year.

Dave

that's somewhat reassuring. Synthetic, just oil or everything else? (not a mechanic or not mechanically advanced, lol)

 

[94EddieBauerRock]

My grandpa replaced the explorer he gave to me with an '02. He loves the truck but has had a few problems. He had the transfer case replaced twice....a little pricey to say the least. He went out to his garage, put it in reverse and it just spun. That is the only big issue he has had. I had to replace plugs and wires (after paying way too much for a tune up at the dealership...they didn't even replace plugs or wires at 60,000 miles). Anyway the only other issue is the brake light switch stuck on. I pulled the prongs apart and it worked fine.

 

[97awdx]

My grandpa replaced the explorer he gave to me with an '02. He loves the truck but has had a few problems. He had the transfer case replaced twice....a little pricey to say the least. He went out to his garage, put it in reverse and it just spun. That is the only big issue he has had. I had to replace plugs and wires (after paying way too much for a tune up at the dealership...they didn't even replace plugs or wires at 60,000 miles). Anyway the only other issue is the brake light switch stuck on. I pulled the prongs apart and it worked fine.

Its very rare that a transfer case would go out, especially twice.

 

[94EddieBauerRock]

I know! I didn't believe that it was the transfer case when he described it to me the first time. I know that he almost never uses his 4WD either. The exact same thing happened to the second transfer case. He got ford to pay for that one. He has had this one in there for 25,000 miles without any problems.

 

[4FordFamily]

just hit 100k officially in mine!

 

[coghij1]

Passing 110k on my '02 V8. The only 2 things Ive replaced is the A/C compressor at 90k and rear shocks two weeks ago... And I definately beat the hell out of it! still runs almost new.

 

[shadowless127]

Just rolled over to 72K today on the 03 Mounty.

 

[flash041]

I bought my 04 last march.My 95 had 300k and was still running fine.My 04 has 31k now 60k runs great!I really like the way it drives , much more stable than my 95 , which i liked too .
It tows my 18.5 foor boat and snowmobile trailer with ease.Remeber the reason you hear bad things in the forum , is this is where people come for answers to problems they are having .Not may start a post with Everything in fine how is everyone doing ? So do your mantainence and enjoy your truck !

 

[RikRdkillr]

I have a 2002 and got it with 31,000 on it 4 years ago. Now has 72,000. since then i have had the rear diff rebuilt the muffler replaced the front hub bearing the air bag light which still isnt fixed the rear coil spring broke rear glass hatch the door ajar light wont go off had to modify rear glass hatch and now the 4x4 does not work. I wonder why the big 3 are in trouble!! Both of my grandfathers worked at ford and that is all I own!! but this is the bigest peace of crap I have ever owned! I work with alot of garages and I have looked at all the service bullitins from ford on alldata and I have almost every problem that comes up!!! But I almost own this truck and I will keep fixing it!!! I work on cars all the time!! The powertrain is really good. but it seems like there are alot of little things. I love Ford and will never buy anything else!! This is an 02 and it will be the last 1st yrear model I will ever buy! From now on I will wait 2-3 years after a re-design!

 

[rumpledoll]

I bought my 2002 V6 Eddie Bauer new and have had it for all of it's 63,000 miles. It used to be our "mommy car" with kid chauffeur duty, but is now relegated to our snowy/icy weather car and when we need to haul stuff.

It has us given no trouble at all in all these years. Except a couple of months ago the air bag light went on and was not fixable by changing/cleaning the infamous underseat resistor. The airbag computer needed to be replaced at a cost of $400. Not too bad for the only major repair in 6+ years of ownership.

I would buy another Ford product.

Rumple

 

[97awdx]

Their has always been talk on how the 3rd and 4th Gens aren't reliable. Here is a Honda Element forum, I especially like the guy that has a rod through the side of his block and his dealer said to take a hike.
Any SUV forum you visit all have their problems. I have owned 5 X's over the years, my 3rd gen is just as reliable and my '91. Their are over 6 million X's out there, someone has to have a problem.

http://www.elementownersclub.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=41

 

[4FordFamily]

well most of this is comforting. Thank you guys for sharing! i LOVE my 03 ex, and I have MUCH more luxury in my 2006 charger... sometimes I really would rather drive my truck. IMO, Ford did agreat job with the suspension and engine on the v6 model 3rd gens. This is an awesome truck! I just hope the problems stay at bay!

 

[OMEGA4X4]

My 2005 is the first Explorer I have ever owned. It now has 90k, and I bought her with 49k a year ago. Trans solenoid was replaced, both front hub bearings. Beyond that, I have kept her clean, regular oil changes, and just put on a new set of tires. I do a lot of driving (40k in 12 months). Highway, city, light off road, lots of driving for hours in heavy snow storms with the Auto 4x4 switching on and off. Truck has been flawless with the exception of the previous issues. I normally drive an Audi, and needed something I didnt mind getting dirty and scratched up while also racking on the miles. I must say, that I am very impressed with the truck, and I would recommend it without question.

If anyone wants to complain about vehicle issues, go spend 55K+ on and Audi, and enjoy your MONTHLY loaner from your local dealership.

 

[97awdx]

If anyone wants to complain about vehicle issues, go spend 55K+ on and Audi, and enjoy your MONTHLY loaner from your local dealership.

LOL, isn't that the truth. My friend has an '06 A6 it is constantly having major problems (turbos, clutch, head gasket), his wife wants him to dump it and run.

 

[opius]

Just bought ready to 110,000 on my 04 mounty. 40,000 are mine in less than a year. Only had to change front right wheel hub. When I got it, I changed filters, plugs, just did all the basics. I even have previous owners service records and he had no problems. This is my first ford product and it won,t be my last.