2003 Ford Explorer — Known Issues & Recalls

Your transmission won't shift into gear properly, and your 4-wheel drive is stuck in 4-wheel low and won't shift out. When you start the car, the engine revs up to 5,000 RPM but the vehicle only moves at about 2 miles per hour. The transmission will likely need professional diagnosis and possible rebuild or replacement to restore normal shifting and drivability.

While closing the back hatch, the glass window suddenly shattered and exploded. Your vehicle was parked in your yard at the time. This could happen again when operating the hatch, potentially causing injury from broken glass.

Your headlights have become cloudy, which reduces visibility at night. Additionally, your rear hatch door has developed a crack. Both issues should be addressed to maintain safe visibility and prevent water intrusion into the vehicle.

Your driver's side rear brake line developed a hole where the emergency brake cable rubbed against it, causing all your brake fluid to leak and your brakes to fail completely. This is a serious safety issue that could have caused an accident if it happened on a busy highway. The repair will likely involve replacing the damaged brake line and possibly repositioning or protecting the emergency brake cable to prevent this from happening again.

Your brake system needs servicing within a month of ownership. An independent mechanic found that your rotors and brake pads require replacement. While Ford hasn't issued any brake recalls for your vehicle, there are ten technical service bulletins related to the brake system that may be relevant. The repair involves replacing the brake pads and rotors.

During a highway accident where your vehicle flipped and rolled downhill after a tire blowout, the airbags did not deploy at all, leaving the occupants with critical injuries. There were no warning lights or messages beforehand that suggested the airbag system was defective. This failure to deploy during a serious rollover crash represents a critical safety issue that needs investigation by your insurance company and potentially by safety regulators.

Your vehicle was involved in a crash while driving through an intersection, but the airbags failed to deploy. This is a serious safety concern that should be inspected immediately by a qualified technician to determine why the airbag system did not activate during the accident.

Your front driver's side wheel detached from your vehicle because the upper control arm corroded through and failed. An independent mechanic confirmed the control arm metal was corroded and needed replacement. The fix will require replacing the corroded upper control arm.

Your rear wheel bearing has malfunctioned. This component helps your wheels spin smoothly, and when it fails, you may notice noise, vibration, or difficulty turning. A mechanic will need to inspect and likely replace the faulty bearing to restore proper wheel function.

Your engine is stalling while you're driving, particularly when turning on both streets and highways. The engine restarts without any problem after it stalls, but this has happened twice over the past month. The issue may involve fuel delivery, ignition timing, or sensor problems that cause intermittent engine shutdown.

This complaint does not describe a mechanical or technical problem with the vehicle. The filer expresses concerns about unauthorized access to their vehicle's systems, but does not report any actual engine malfunction, performance issue, or failure. Without specific information about actual engine problems, symptoms, or failures, no technical translation is possible.

While driving around a curve at 25-35 MPH, you noticed your rear tire felt flat. When you pulled over, you discovered that three wheel studs on your driver's side rear wheel had broken off, and a mechanic also found a cracked wheel stud on the passenger's side rear wheel. This could cause your wheel to become unstable or separate from the vehicle. The studs will need to be replaced, and the wheels should be inspected for additional damage.

You experienced a burn blister on the back of your thigh after using the driver's seat warmer during a drive. The seat warmer became hot enough to cause a burn injury, and no warning light alerted you to the problem. The seat warmer may need to be replaced or its heating element repaired to prevent similar burns.

Your liftgate has developed a crack down the middle and has been unlocking and opening on its own, sometimes even while you're driving. One of the two hinges holding the glass has now broken, leaving the rear window hanging by just one hinge, which creates a safety risk—the glass could fall out while driving, and cargo could spill out of the open liftgate. Fixing this will likely require replacing the liftgate hinges and glass, and possibly realigning or replacing the entire liftgate.

Your vehicle has a strong fuel smell both inside and outside the cab that's causing you headaches and making you feel sick. The engine isn't running properly and you're experiencing poor fuel economy. This issue may require inspection and repair of the fuel system components, including the fuel tank, fuel lines, or related seals.

Your gear shift lever broke inside the steering column while you were putting the vehicle into Park at a gas station. You had to keep your foot on the brake pedal for 2 hours until a tow truck arrived to move your car. The steering column shift mechanism will likely need to be disassembled and the broken shifter assembly replaced or repaired.

Your airbag warning light on the dashboard keeps blinking and makes a noise along with your seatbelt warning. After you replaced the dashboard light bulb, the airbag light now stays on constantly and doesn't seem to be working properly with your vehicle's mileage display. This may indicate an issue with your airbag system that needs professional diagnostic attention to determine if it's related to the known Takata airbag recall.

Your 2003 Ford Explorer has a defective throttle that isn't responding properly. This is a powertrain issue that affects your vehicle's speed control. The throttle may need to be inspected, cleaned, or replaced to restore normal engine response.

Your car's body mounts—the rubber and metal connectors that attach the vehicle body to the frame—have deteriorated and crumpled. This is causing the body to sag down onto the frame, which results in an uneven, bumpy ride and poor handling.

Your seat belts aren't retracting properly and are getting caught in the door lock mechanism, which prevents your doors from locking and staying closed securely. This has damaged your door seal, lock mechanism, and seat belt itself. The seat belt tension can't be adjusted to fix the problem.