COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT

Ford Explorer transmission problems

2,441 distinct owner reports with a transmission-specific component in this snapshot.

General power-train reports are not automatically counted as transmission problems. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.

89 crash reports24 fire reports36 injury reports

Reports by model year

Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

242

0–25K

245

25–50K

392

50–75K

339

75–100K

321

100–150K

150K+

1,608 reports with mileage · 833 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What owners actually said

2,441 reports

2002 model year · 132,000 miles · Jul 24, 2009

Power Train

Read full complaint

BEING DOING SOME RESEARCH ONLINE ABOUT THE "O/D" LIGHT BLINKING ON MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER. FROM WHAT I FOUND, THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN ASTOUNDING. EVERY ISSUE I FOUND ON BLINKING O/D IN MY RESEARCH LED TO HAVING TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION; AVG. COSTS BEING AROUND $2600. EVEN AFTER THE REPAIRS, THEY STATE THAT THE ISSUES STILL CONTINUE AND SPEND OVER $1000 ON SOMETHING ELSE THE DEALERS SAY IS WRONG. ONE SITE, AUTOBEEF.COM, HAD APPROXIMATELY 740 COMPLAINTS (I STOPPED READING AFTER 150) ON THIS ISSUE. BEFORE I PAY OUT OVER $3000, I JUST WANT TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS ISSUE PLAGUING THE 2002 FORD EXPLORER LINE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10278202

2006 model year · 50,000 miles · Jul 22, 2009

Power Train

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BOUGHT A 2006 EXPLORER IN DEC. 06 AND HAVE SINCE NOTICED SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH IT. THE MOST CONCERNING IS WHEN THE CAR LUNGES/JERKS FORWARD WHEN SHIFTING FROM PARK/REVERSE TO DRIVE. IT IS NOW ALSO STARTING TO SHOW A LOSS OF POWER WHEN SHIFTING THROUGH GEARS AS THE ENGINE REVS BUT GOES NO WHERE. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER FOR THE LUNGIN/JERKING AND THEY TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FEEL IT. IT HAPPENS SPORADICALLY SO THIS DOES NOT SURPRISE ME. I HAVE RECENTLY BEEN NOTICING THIS REVVING AND LOSS OF POWER WHEN SHIFTING GEARS (IT'S AN AUTOMATIC). I HAVE TAKEN IT TO TWO MECHANICS BOTH OF WITH AGREED THAT THE REVVING NOISE IS COMING FROM THE FAN CLUTCH, NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS, BUT COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE LOSS OF POWER. I'M SURE THAT THIS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, AFTER READING THE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ON WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. IT APPEARS AT THIS TIME THAT THE ONLY THING THAT HAS BEEN OFFERED TO THE CUSTOMER LIKE ME, IS REPROGRAM THE COMPUTER WHICH RUNS $150. THIS REPROGRAM SEEMS TO HELP ONLY SOMETIMES. THE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION WHICH IS VERY COSTLY AND FUNDING IS NOT EASY TO COME BY THESE DAYS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10277912

2002 model year · 105,000 miles · Jul 14, 2009

Power Train

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2002 FORD EXPLORER HAS SHIFTING ISSUE AS A RESULT OF TRANSMISSION NOT WORKING PROPERLY. OCCURS RANDOM WHEN ACCELERATING FROM STOP AT LIGHTS OR PULLING INTO INTERSECTION. HAVE BEEN TO 2 DIFFERENT MECHANICS AND REPAIRED ONCE AND HAS STARTED TO OCCUR AGAIN ALTHOUGH MECHANICS STATE DO NOT NEED REPAIRED AND SHOWS NO CODES. ALSO, THE FLUID CANNOT BE CHECKED FROM UNDER THE HOOD AS IT IS LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. EACH OIL CHANGE I HAVE THEM CHECK AND THE LEVEL IS OK. SINCE HAPPENS RANDOMLY DOES NOT ALWAYS HAPPEN WHEN THE MECHANICS LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. HAS BEEN FRUSTRATING SINCE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT NEW AND TAKEN CARE OF WITH ROUTINE MAINTENANCE. ALL MECHANICS ARE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AND JUST STATE TO DRIVE IT UNTIL IT FAILS COMPLETELY AND NEEDS A REBUILD OR SELL IT BEFORE THE REBUILD IS NEEDED. EACH TIME IT OCCURS USUALLY THERE IS NOT AN ISSUE JUST A HESITATION WITH A SLOW ACCELERATION. ALTHOUGH, SEVERAL TIMES THIS HAS OCCURRED RECENTLY WHEN PULLING OR MERGING INTO TRAFFIC NEARLY CAUSING ACCIDENTS WITH THE WIFE AND KIDS IN THE CAR. FROM ALL INFO I HAVE SEEN AND BASED ON EXPERIENCED MECHANICS THEY FEEL THERE WERE DESIGN FLAWS IN THESE 2002 VEHICLE TRANSMISSIONS. THEY ALL RECOMMEND EITHER TO SELL THE VEHICLE OR BE PREPARED TO DRIVE UNTIL THEY COMPLETELY FAIL AND NEED REBUILT. SOME STATE THEY HAVE WORKED ON THESE VEHICLES AND THAT I AM ACTUALLY LUCKY THAT I HAVE ONLY HAD THESE PROBLEMS AS MANY OF THEIR CUSTOMERS HAVE HAD ACCIDENTS AND ISSUES THROUGH OUT THEIR ENTIRE OWNERSHIP OF THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE ONLY HAD THIS ISSUE FOR APPROX THE LAST 2-3 YEARS SINCE PURCHASED NEW IN 2002. ALTHOUGH, A NEAR COLLISION WITH MY FAMILY AND ANOTHER VEHICLE FROM THIS ISSUE IS A SERIOUS CONCERN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10276791

2006 model year · 56,600 miles · Jul 13, 2009

Power Train

MY 2006 FORD EXPLORER FEELS LIKE ITS BEING REAR ENDED. I DIDN'T START FEELING THIS UNTIL I DROVE OFF THE DEALERSHIP LOT WITH MY NEWLY PURCHASED VEHICLE. I'VE TAKEN IT BACK TWO TIMES TO DEALERSHIP TO BE FIXED . *TR

NHTSA ODI #10276512

2002 model year · 100,000 miles · Jul 4, 2009

Power Train

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I HAVE A 2002 FORD EXPLORER XLT 4.0L V6 AND WOULD LIKE TO REQUEST THAT AN INVESTIGATION LAUNCHED INTO THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION. THE OTHER DAY, AS I WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, THE O/D OFF INDICATOR BEGAN BLINKING AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER THE CHECK ENGINE SOON INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON. IN DOING MY RESEARCH, AFTER READING NUMEROUS ONLINE COMPLAINTS RELATED TO THIS ISSUE, I HAVE CHOSEN TO SEEK YOUR ASSISTANCE AS A MEANS TO HELP OFFSET THE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS WIDE-SPREAD, VERY WELL KNOWN AND DOCUMENTED PROBLEM. BASICALLY, THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REBUILT OR REPLACED, AT COSTS THAT RANGE FROM $2,000 TO $4,000. *TR THANK YOU!

NHTSA ODI #10275752

2006 model year · 82,000 miles · Jul 1, 2009

Power Train

CAR SHIFTS HARD FROM 2ND TO 1ST GEAR, A HARD JOLT LIKE SOMEBODY HAS HIT YOU IN THE REAR END. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10275504

2003 model year · 48,000 miles · Jun 30, 2009

Power Train

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I BOUGHT MY 2003 EXPLORER IN 2002 AT 110 MILES. WITHIN THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY THE AIR CONDITIONING HAD A URINE SMELL AND KNOCKING NOISE IN THE REAR BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO FIX IT. AS A RESULT I HAVE A SLOW LEAK WHICH MEANS IT HAS TO BE CHARGED EVERY YEAR. IN FEB 2007 A CRACK FORMED IN THE REAR PANEL THEY DIDN'T WANT TO FIX. OCTOBER 2007 AT 45000 MILES I NEEDED WHEEL BEARINGS FOR INSPECTION. AT 48000 MILES WHEN I PAID MY TRUCK OFF MAY 2008, WITHIN A FEW DAYS THE 0/D LIGHT & SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT CAME ON RESULTING IN MY GEARS SLIPPING. I FOUND OUT THROUGH SEVERAL SHOPS THAT MY 2ND AND FIFTH GEARS WERE BURNED OUT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE SOLENOID BODY, THEN HAS TO GO IN TO CHECK FOR MORE. I FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL BECAUSE I HAD NO EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH WAS A WASTE OF TIME BECAUSE FORD WASN'T COOPERATING. SO NOW IT'S JUNE 2009 AND I'M STILL DRIVING IT A WHOLE YEAR LATER BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD TO GET IT FIXED. I LEARNED HOW TO DRIVE THE TRUCK BUT I'M REMINDED EVERYDAY ABOUT THE PROBLEMS. PARK TO REVERSE IS A STRUGGLE, IT DOESN'T START EASILY SOMETIMES, IT HAS NO POWER WHILE DRIVING, ABS AND DOOR AJAR LIGHTS STAY ON, AND REVERSE ALARM WHEN TO CLOSE DOESN'T WORK, AND INSTEAD OF BEING HAPPY I PAID IT OFF IT'S NOTHING BUT A FEELING OF FRUSTRATION, ANGER, AND REGRET FOR BUYING FROM FORD. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10275298

2002 model year · 95,000 miles · Jun 29, 2009

Power Train

THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 2002 FORD EXPLORER STOPPED WORKING AT APROX. 95000 MILES ,JUST LIKE THE HUNDREDS OF OTHER EXPLORERS IN 2002 HAVE AND FORD REFUSES TO RECALL THE VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10275277

2003 model year · 45,000 miles · Jun 24, 2009

Power Train

MY 2003 FORD EXPLORER SOMETIMES WILL LOCK THE SHIFTER AT REVERSE AS I MOVE IT TO PARK. IT FEELS LIKE IT WENT ALL THE WAY TO PARK, BUT IT REALLY STOPS (AND WON'T MOVE) AT REVERSE. LETTING OFF THE BRAKE, ASSUMING IT IS IN PARK, CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO ROLL BACKWARDS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10274814

2006 model year · 75,000 miles · Jun 24, 2009

Power Train

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TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHENEVER THE VEHICLE WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, IT WOULD JOLT BACK EXTREMELY HARD. THE FAILURE ALMOST CAUSED THE CONTACT TO SUSTAIN A WHIPLASH. THE FAILURE OCCURRED NEARLY EVERY TIME SHE SHIFTED INTO REVERSE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED. SHE PLANNED TO THE VEHICLE REPAIRED IN THE LATTER PART OF JUNE 2009. THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED HER TO CALL NHTSA AND FILE A COMPLAINT. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,244 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.

NHTSA ODI #10274811

Related Official recalls

26V402000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Jun 24, 2026

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Navigator, Expedition, 2020-2021 Explorer, Lincoln Aviator, and 2021 F-150 vehicles. The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Park system damage may result in a vehicle rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary, free of charge. Interim letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 10, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the remedy is available, anticipated in April 2027. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 26S48. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on June 26, 2026.

23V199000 · Parking Brake:electrical; Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Mar 24, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L RWD, 3.3L GAS, 3.3L FHEV, or 3.0L ST powertrain. The previous powertrain control module (PCM) update completed under recall 22V-255 did not include the automatic electronic parking brake feature when the vehicle is shifted to park, as intended. In addition, the rear axle horizontal mounting bolt may fracture and cause the driveshaft to disconnect.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Without the electronic parking brake applied, the vehicle could rollaway if the driveshaft disconnects. A disconnected driveshaft can also result in a loss of drive power. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the PCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S16.

Additional source detail variants (2)

Parking Brake:electrical

Consequence: Without the electronic parking brake applied, the vehicle could rollaway if the driveshaft disconnects. A disconnected driveshaft can also result in a loss of drive power. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the PCM software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on May 31, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S16.

Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

23V069000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Feb 10, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Explorer vehicles equipped with a 2.3L engine and 10R60 automatic transmission. An unintentional powertrain control module (PCM) reset may occur while the vehicle is in motion and result in park system damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A park system that is damaged may not shift into "PARK," resulting in a vehicle rollaway and increasing the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the park system for damage and repair as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S05.

23V070000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Feb 10, 2023

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2022-2023 F-150, Mustang, Explorer, Bronco, and 2023 Lincoln Aviator vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions. The transmission may contain a loose bolt which could prevent the transmission from engaging the park gear, although the gear shifter position may indicate that the vehicle has been shifted to "PARK."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The inability to secure the vehicle in the park position can result in a rollaway, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transmissions, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 25, 2023. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 23S06.

19V575000 · Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel; Parking Brake; Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

Aug 5, 2019

Ford Motor Company (Ford) is recalling certain 2020 Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles. The Manual Park Release (MPR) cover may not be installed. In addition, the vehicles may be in Factory Mode, which disables warning alerts and does not display the transmission gear selected. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) numbers 114, "Theft Prevention" and 102, "Trans Shift Lever Seq/Starter Interlock/Trans Braking Effect."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Without the cover, the MPR lever may be unintentionally moved, allowing the vehicle to roll away. Being in Factory Mode, the vehicle will not display warnings and/or gear selection on the instrument cluster. Both conditions increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, install a MPR cover. Dealers will verify the instrument cluster is not in Factory Mode and clear any fault codes, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C06.

Additional source detail variants (3)

Parking Brake

Consequence: Without the cover, the MPR lever may be unintentionally moved, allowing the vehicle to roll away. Being in Factory Mode, the vehicle will not display warnings and/or gear selection on the instrument cluster. Both conditions increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Ford will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, install a MPR cover. Dealers will verify the instrument cluster is not in Factory Mode and clear any fault codes, free of charge. The recall began August 23, 2019. Owners may contact Ford customer service at 1-866-436-7332. Ford's number for this recall is 19C06.

Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/panel

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

07V453000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:cooling Unit And Lines

Sep 26, 2007

ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 4.6L ENGINE AND 6R TRANSMISSION, THE BOLT SECURING THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINE FITTINGS AT THE TRANSMISSION MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TORQUED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY. AS A RESULT, THE BOLT MAY LOOSEN AND THE TRANSMISSION OIL COOLER LINES MAY DISENGAGE FROM THE TRANSMISSION, CAUSING A TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: IF LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID CONTACTS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, IT MAY POSE A RISK OF FIRE.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND HAVE THE TRANSMISSION COOLER LINE ATTACHMENT BOLT TIGHTENED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 30, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

00V395000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission:control Module (tcm/pcm/tecm)

Nov 28, 2000

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH THE 3.27 OR 3.55 AXLE RATION. THE SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE A POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE THAT COULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO EXCEED THE DESIGN INTENT TOP SPEED. AT THESE EXTREME SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE COULD BE CAPABLE OF EXCEEDING THE SPEED RATING OF THE TIRE.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: OPERATING THE VEHICLE ABOVE THE MAXIMUM SPEED RATING COULD LEAD TO A TIRE FAILURE WHICH AT THESE SPEEDS COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE POWERTRAIN CONTROL MODULE.

91V189000 · Power Train:automatic Transmission

Nov 4, 1991

WHEN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, THE PARK PAWL DOES NOT ALWAYS ABUT OR ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: DRIVER MAY BELIEVE THE VEHICLE IS SAFELY ENGAGED IN PARKWHEN THE GEAR IS NOT TRULY ENGAGED. THIS CAN LEAD TO THE VEHICLE JUMPING OUT OFGEAR UNINTENTIONALLY, VEHICLE ROLLAWAY WHEN PARKED ON A SLOPED SURFACE, ANDINADVERTENT MOTION WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. ALL OF THESE CONDITIONS CANRESULT IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.

Remedy: REPAIR THE TRANSMISSION WITH A NEW PARK PAWL.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

Related NHTSA investigations

EA09013 · Vehicle Rollaway Allegations

Opened Aug 18, 2009 · Closed Feb 12, 2013

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl); Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift; Steering; Steering:column; Steering:column LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT Device

This investigation is being closed based on several considerations.By the most inclusive counting of all alleged rollaway incidents (i.e., counting all alleged rollaway incidents and assuming a singular failure mechanism), the incident rate is low, however during EA09-013, ODI identified a number of different failure mechanisms in 180 incidents related to the alleged defect.The highest rate for any particular failure mechanism, the failure of the Automatic Transmission Parking System, was 4.4/100K.The next-highest failure rate was for the BSI System, at 3.4/100K.For all identified failure mechanisms there has been a drastically declining trend including very few incidents occurring in recent years.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.For additional information regarding this investigation, see the complete closing resume in the document file for EA09-013. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers:10168454, 10279630, 10280078.

Additional source detail variants (5)

Power Train:automatic Transmission:gear Position Indication (prndl)

Power Train:automatic Transmission:lever And Linkage:column Shift

Steering:column

Steering:column LOCKING:ANTI-THEFT Device

Steering

RQ97015 · Parking Pawl

Opened Oct 29, 1997 · Closed Apr 1, 1999

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:automatic Transmission

WHEN THE AUTOMATIC SHIFT LEVER IS PLACED IN THE PARK POSITION, THE PARKING PAWL DOES NOT ALWAYS ENGAGE THE PARK GEAR.THIS CAN LEAD TO THE VEHICLE JUMPING OUT OF GEAR UNINTENTIONALLY AND CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO START ROLLING INADVERTENTLY

PE91127 · Park Pawl Bending

Opened Sep 16, 1991 · Closed Nov 8, 1991

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Power Train:automatic Transmission

There is no summary currently available

Additional source detail variants (2)

Power Train:automatic Transmission

There is no summary currently available

Power Train:automatic Transmission

There is no summary currently available