2008 Ford Explorer

KEY CYLINDER HAS LOOSENED INSIDE IGNITION HOUSING. THIS CONDITION WHILE DRIVING IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN FOR SHORTER INDIVIDUALS AS WHEN A BUMP OR CERTAIN MOTIONS CAUSE THE AUTOMATIC SEATS TO RETRACT TO "OFF POSITION" CREATING A 4-6" GAP BETWEEN FOOT AND PEDAL FOR MY WIFE IS SHE WERE WILLING TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS BECOME MORE FREQUENT AND DEALER SERVICING KNOWS OF THE PROBLEM AS WELL AS A LOCAL LOCKSMITH I HAD CONTACTED FOR POSSIBLE REPAIR OPTIONS. IT HAS BECOME MORE EVIDENT IN THE PAST 2 YEARS FROM THEIR KNOWLEDGE. NO CURRENT RECALL EXISTS AS NO MAJOR INJURY HAS RESULTED. THIS OCCURS IN STATIONARY POSITION OR IN MOTION OF THE VEHICLE ADDING TO CONCERNS. I WILL HAVE THIS REPAIRED AT LOCAL FORD IN THE NEXT WEEK. SEAT RETRACTS ON ITS OWN AND IF ANY BUMPS ARE HIT MAY ENGAGE OR DISENGAGE AT WILL. AND HAS BEEN OCCURRING OVER THE PAST 3 YEARS. I AM THE ONLY OWNER FOR THE VEHICLE AND LESS THAN 70K MILES CURRENTLY

WHILE I AM DRIVING THE DRIVERS SEAT AUTOMATICALLY SLIDES AS FAR BACK AS IT CAN, AND THE OVERHEAD LIGHTS COME ON. THIS IS AN ACTION THAT WOULD ONLY HAPPEN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNED OFF AND THE KEY IS PULLED FROM THE IGNITION. HOWEVER THIS IS HAPPEN WHILE I AM DRIVING PULLING ME AWAY FROM THE GAS, BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL. THE ONLY IMMEDIATE FIX I CAN DO IS JIGGLE THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION TO GET THE SEAT TO COME BACK. I FEEL THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS, AS TURNING INTERIOR LIGHTS ON WHILE DARK CAN BE DISTRACTING AND MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO SEE OUTSIDE, NOT TO MENTION BEING PULLED AWAY FROM THE STEERING WHEEL AND BRAKES CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE GO OUT OF CONTROL. I HAVE REACHED OUT TO FORD AND THEY SAID IT WOULD BE AN OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE AND NOT CONSIDERED ANYTHING ELSE SUCH AS A RECALL. *TR

IF I HIT A BUMP WHILE DRIVING OR THE KEYS JIGGLE IN THE IGNITION THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT WILL MOVE FORWARD OR BACKWARD AND THE DOME LIGHTS COME ON. I HAD THIS PROBLEM THREE MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED MY 2008 FORD EXPLORER EDDIE BAUER EDITION IN 2010 AND WAS ABLE TO GET IT REPAIRED AT NO COST. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM IS BACK ONLY THIS TIME I'M TOLD THAT IT WOULD BE AN OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE WHICH I PERSONALLY DON'T THINK SO BECAUSE IT'S NOT A WEAR AND TEAR ISSUE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER'S SEAT MOVED OUT OF POSITION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. THE ELECTRONIC FUNCTION WORKED TO MOVE THE SEAT FORWARD AND BACKWARD, BUT THE SEAT FAILED TO REMAIN STATIONARY WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000. ....UPDATED 08/29/16 *BF UPDATED 08/30/16.*JB

IN MY 2008 FORD EXPLORER EDDIE BAUER, WHILE DRIVING, STOPPED OR BACKING AT ANY TIME IF THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION GET JIGGLED, IF BY BUMP IN ROAD OR BY KNEE, THE POWER DRIVER SEAT MOVES BACKWARDS. THERE IS A FEATURE CALLED EASY ENTRY WHERE THE SEAT MOVES COMPLETELY BACK TO ALLOW YOU TO EXIT THE VEHICLE EASIER, THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE IGNITION AREA THE AREA WHERE THE KEY IS INSERTED TO START THE VEHICLE IT BECOMES LOOSE OVER TIME AND AS A RESULT THE SENSOR IN THERE FOR THE EASY ENTRY IS COMPROMISED. WHEN THE KEYS GET JIGGLED, ON ACCIDENT OR ON PURPOSE THE SEATS MOVE, IT IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR IT TO HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING. THE SEAT MOVES BACK SO FAR THAT NO ONE CAN REACH THE PETALS TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE. THIS SHOULD BE ON RECALL IT IS VERY DANGEROUS FOR SHORT OR TALL PEOPLE. IT COULD CAUSE MANY MANY ACCIDENTS AND MANY MANY INJURIES. IF NEEDED I CAN PROVIDE VIDEO OF THIS HAPPENING.

WHILE STATIONARY, WHEN THE KEY IS PUT IN THE IGNITION TO START THE VEHICLE, SOMETIMES THE POWER SEAT WILL GO BACKWARDS AND THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS GO ON. LAST NIGHT, WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 30 TO 50 MPH, THE SEAT MOVED BACKWARDS AND THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS CAME ON. THIS IS DANGEROUS AS I COULDN'T REACH THE PEDALS. I HAD TO MOVE THE SEAT FORWARD WITH THE SEAT ADJUSTER BUTTONS WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THIS CONTINUED ON AND OFF FOUR TIMES IN A SPAN OF 2 MILES. FINALLY, I PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF. I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT THE SEAT MOVING AGAIN, BUT I KEPT MY HAND DOWN BY THE SEAT ADJUSTMENT BUTTON THE WHOLE WAY HOME. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS A LOT WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED IN THE PAST YEAR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING. TWICE THIS VEHICLE WAS IN FOR REPAIR, BUT THE DEALERSHIP CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE REPLACED THE SEAT MOTOR ONCE.

SEVERAL TIMES, WHILE DRIVING, THE DRIVERS SEAT MOVED INDEPENDENTLY BACKWARDS AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED SAFELY. TWO DEALERSHIPS DIDN'T HAVE ANY REFERENCE TO THIS PROBLEM, WANTED TO PERFORM DIAGNOSTIC ANALYSIS AND REQUESTED THE NHTSA WEBSITE THAT WAS MENTIONED. THIS WEB SITE PROVIDED CLUES TO POSSIBLE REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLES EASY ENTRY/EXIT FEATURE MOVES THE DRIVERS SEAT BACKWARDS TO ALLOW THE DRIVER EASY ENTRY/EXIT FROM THE VEHICLE. THIS FEATURE IS THE POSSIBLE FAULT AND WAS DISABLED. TO TEST THIS DISABLING CONCEPT AND STILL DRIVE THE VEHICLE SAFELY SEVERAL PIECES OF WOOD WAS PLACED ON THE FLOOR BETWEEN THE FRONT AND MIDDLE ROW SEATS. THE WOOD LIMITS BACKWARD MOVEMENT OF THE DRIVERS SEAT TO ONE HALF INCH FROM THE NORMAL DRIVING POSITION. VEHICLE CONTROL IS STILL MAINTAINED FROM THIS SLIGHTLY BACK POSITION SHOULD THE EASY ENTRY/EXIT FEATURE NOT BE THE CAUSE OF THE UNINTENDED SEAT MOVEMENT. A YEAR OF DRIVING, WITH THE EASY ENTRY/EXIT FEATURE DISABLED, THE SEAT HAS NOT MALFUNCTIONED. FEEL CONFIDENT THAT THIS DISABLING CONCEPT SOLVED THE PROBLEM. WILL STILL DRIVE WITH WOOD IN PLACE AS INSURANCE.