Who is disappointed with their EX?

[The Chief]

I'm on my 3rd Explorer. I love 'em. Easy to work on and fun to use for the $$$. I've had vehicles of all types and I love my Fords. Better than Government Motors!! tee hee

 

[Slicer]

This isn't even my truck, it's my grandmothers. After reading countless threads on ****ty rear ends, transmissions being gone through like underwear, blend door actuators, wheel bearings, ball joints, you name it, I can't believe Ford let a car built this cheap off the line... My grandmothers EX, with only 66k miles is having a possible transmission problem (not detrimental yet), I can hear the blend door act up at times when changing the temperature, the rear end howls over 60, and she has a never ending rough idle issue when cold (replaced just about everything), can start to see the deterioration of the ball joints happening, and just the cheap feel of the interior, pieces that squeak and so on. I don't know, but I would never buy a Ford product, knowing that with trying to cut costs now a days, they could be letting products like this off the line daily. I understand many car companies do this, but wow. My grandmother deals with it, because frankly she can't afford another vehicle, so I try to fix everything I can for her. Let me tell you, once this transmission starts to act up for good, Ford will be getting a rather nice email from me. For a $35k SUV when new, you don't expect such big issues like what is seen on the 2002-2005 Explorers. Could be me, but I would be fed up to hell if I owned one of these. Hell I am fed up and it's not even mine.
I just wanted to go ahead and see if I was the only one in this boat, or if many other members out there are too.

P.S. Before you say she must've not taken care of the car, it was meticulously maintained from day one. This was her first "New" Car.

Your not alone, I have 04, its a piece of ****. Everything you mentioned has gone wrong. Last Ford I will ever purchase. I not impressed at all. My dad has an 04, my brother in law an 03. All have the same issues, give or take.
Most Ford hacks love them because they buy new every 5 years, they don't know how a good vehicle is suppose to be. **** falls off the Fords and they think it's normal. LOL

 

[Slicer]

Well how could you honestly be disappointed in something you don't even own. Is like not owning stock in apple but asking how disappointed are you in apple stock prices dropping.

Because he's the one that has to fix it? DUH

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

Because he's the one that has to fix it? DUH

Anyone who works on their "own" vehicle has to fix it. **** goes wrong on any and every vehicle.

My pathfinders a/c pulley froze the other night, damn Nissan's Pathfinders all suck and have problems!

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

Your not alone, I have 04, its a piece of ****. Everything you mentioned has gone wrong. Last Ford I will ever purchase. I not impressed at all. My dad has an 04, my brother in law an 03. All have the same issues, give or take.
Most Ford hacks love them because they buy new every 5 years, they don't know how a good vehicle is suppose to be. **** falls off the Fords and they think it's normal. LOL

Did you all buy them at the same time? Did they all have the same problems at the same time?

You know that when girls become friends and hang out together, they start to get their periods together. I guess chalk it up to that.

 

[Flingueur]

Did you all buy them at the same time? Did they all have the same problems at the same time?

You know that when girls become friends and hang out together, they start to get their periods together. I guess chalk it up to that.

Best...Explanation.....Ever LOL

 

[D Hook]

Just took mine on a 700 mile round trip to pick up some computer stuff. Didn't have a lick of trouble and managed 19 MPG. Not bad for 165,000 miles on the clock.

I'll probably keep mine until my wife decides to get a new vehicle; then take her Expedition. It has 147,000 and no problems. Guess us "ford hacks" really are getting screwed, compared to her Tahoe that was in the shop more than on the road.

 

[01STrunner]

There has been several explorers and RBVs in my family. 2nd and 3rd gens and none have had any problem. Then again we had an 02 GMC 3/4 ton Yukon XL and that truck gave us absolutely no problems either unlike the Tahoe right above. It really all depends on how well a vehicle is kept and where it's from.

 

[01STrunner]

Did you all buy them at the same time? Did they all have the same problems at the same time?

You know that when girls become friends and hang out together, they start to get their periods together. I guess chalk it up to that.

This is hilarious!

 

[Slicer]

Did you all buy them at the same time? Did they all have the same problems at the same time?

You know that when girls become friends and hang out together, they start to get their periods together. I guess chalk it up to that.

Damn you may have a point, this one is worthless when it comes to getting real work done. And like your ol lady you mentioned, it must have came from the same **** Ford factory and the other many examples on this forum.

Thanks for making sense of the **** known as Explorers.

Hilarious!!!!

 

[Slicer]

Just took mine on a 700 mile round trip to pick up some computer stuff. Didn't have a lick of trouble and managed 19 MPG. Not bad for 165,000 miles on the clock.

I'll probably keep mine until my wife decides to get a new vehicle; then take her Expedition. It has 147,000 and no problems. Guess us "ford hacks" really are getting screwed, compared to her Tahoe that was in the shop more than on the road.

Great argument, you completely made a point and changed my mind.

Let me get this straight, you actually went 700 REAL miles without a breakdown?

Wow dude u r kicking ass, GO FORD!

Cheers fellows

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

Damn you may have a point, this one is worthless when it comes to getting real work done. And like your ol lady you mentioned, it must have came from the same **** Ford factory and the other many examples on this forum.

Thanks for making sense of the **** known as Explorers.

Hilarious!!!!

can you translate this into english?

 

[DAT05EXPLODER]

Great argument, you completely made a point and changed my mind.

Let me get this straight, you actually went 700 REAL miles without a breakdown?

Wow dude u r kicking ass, GO FORD!

Cheers fellows

are you telling me all the fords you've previously mentioned have less than 700 miles since they all breakdown before going 700 actual miles?

 

[D Hook]

Great argument, you completely made a point and changed my mind.

Let me get this straight, you actually went 700 REAL miles without a breakdown?

Wow dude u r kicking ass, GO FORD!

Cheers fellows

Jus sayin' I would trust driving THIS Explorer on any trip before I'd take a Tahoe out on a trip.

 

[Cubanlorenzo]

03 xlt flex. Love my explorer. Just got back from a 3,000 mile road trip last month. I'd do it again without hesitation. I also had a 91 as my first vehicle. Everything inside broke (Window cranks, drivers seat, door handles) mechanically it ran great until 230,000 miles when I sold it for more than I bought it for 4 years and 115,000 miles earlier for.

 

[Cubanlorenzo]

03 xlt flex. Love my explorer. Just got back from a 3,000 mile road trip last month. I'd do it again without hesitation. I also had a 91 as my first vehicle. Everything inside broke (Window cranks, drivers seat, door handles) mechanically it ran great until 230,000 miles when I sold it for more than I bought it for 4 years and 115,000 miles earlier for.

 

[Exproblems]

I'd do it again without hesitation.

.

You did do it again, 8 minutes later! Double posting of the same message.

 

[2Trux]

I am also in the camp of Explorer lovers. We have an 05 limited with the 4.6 and have had very few problems with it. Mechanically it has been a great truck. It has 135K+ miles and I would not worry about taking it anywhere. We take it to Phoenix 3 times a year (900mi RT) and will be taking it to Springfield MO this year. (1700mi RT).

I have seen trucks that get consistant maintenance and fall apart, and ones that get poor maintenance and seem to last forever. Sometimes you just get a bad one.

I knew a guy that swore off buying car brands if he ever had problems with one. I sometimes wonder if he ran out of brands to buy as he seemed to have problems with every car he ever bought.

Does your problems mean that all Explorer stink? No
Does my lack of problems mean all Explorers are the best? No
Would I buy another one? Yes

 

[blueoval9erlifer]

I have to agree with the majority of people here it all depends on the luck of the draw, sometimes you get a bad one. however in all my experience of vehicles FORD has been the best and most dependable by far out of everything my family has owned ranging from ford, chevy,gmc,toyota, dodge all trucks and cars ford gm pontiac toyota nissan,chrysler ; buicks have been great though and so was my late 70's chrysler.
Why did all the Oil field workers Drive Fords to work and chevy for personal around here?? My thought is that they think the chevy is more of a status vehicle but know that the FORD will stand up to the punishment of the everyday work and abuse it is going to get!!
Two thoughts to leave you with, my dads old boss always said you could by a new ford and chevy at the same time put the chevy on a trailer and pull it with the ford and the chevy would wear out first and if you were real quite you could hear the chevy rusting. he he

2nd on the back of a late 90's blazer was this saying
Cracked
Heads
Every
Valve
Rattles
Oil
Leaks
Engine
Ticks!!

Always thought that was a good on since the vehicle was only about 3 or 4 years old when i saw it.

 

[RKelly2233]

I have a 2003 Ford Explorer XLT Sport. It has been the 2nd best/most reliable vehicle I have owned. My 2001 Taurus I gave to my younger brother when it turned 200k and he totaled it at 278k a year and a half later- no major repairs. ever. I had bought 7 other vehicles since I purchased this and won't part with it. I can get 19/20 mpg if I make the effort (I have 4wd). I have 199,560 miles. All orig main parts. I just recently did all 4 springs, 2 wheel bearings and just did the exhaust last week, which is pretty good given the amt of salt the bottom of the truch has endured over the past 10 years.. Only 1 small spot of rust hidden when the pass side rear door is closed. I did regular flushes and fluid changes and didn't abuse her- except the first year I had it. I took it off road everwhere that wasn't pavement. Floored it all the time until I started to care about it... My finace at the time loved mine and bought an 04 XLT Sport, but silver (mine is white). She has 140K on it and except for the tranny its been an awesome truck for her. Since the day we got it I knew the tranny was wrong. Just wrong. It was replaced 2X under extended warranty. A friend @ stealership said that he is sure someone bought it to tow with and after lease was up they just tossed it back to the dealer, and ended up leasing another V8 to tow their boat. Her shifting gears without stopping first also will ruin a tranny too.