1994 Ford Explorer Powertrain & Transmission Problems

PURCHASED VEHICLE TRANSMISSION OUT,CAME WITH REBUILT TRANSMISSION,INSTALLED,LASTED ABOUT 1 YEAR.KEPT BLOWING FRONT SEALS.ALWAYS HEATED UP GOING UPHILL.NEXT TRANSMISSION,SAME STORY.SERVICED REGULAR,WITH FILTER CHANGE.CURRENT TRANSMISSION IN TRANS. SHOP,BURNT UP,NEW CLUTCHES,BANDS,SEALS,YOU NAME IT.IT STILL WILL NOT SHIFT CORRECTY DUE TO SERVO PISTON FAILURE,THAT ALSO NEEDS FIXED.A4LD TRANSMISSION IN TOO SMALL FOR THE EXPLORER VEHICLE.I LIKE THE VEHICLE IN GENERAL,EVEN INSTALLED MANUAL LOCKOUTS TO HELP THIS SIDUATION.THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD GOOD CARE,BUT TO NO AVAIL.I BELIEVE THAT THE FORD MOTOR COMPANY SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR PRESENTING THE AMERICAN CONSUMER WITH SUCH BAD DRIVETRAIN SIDUATIION,THAT I AM SURE THAT THEY BOTH KNEW ABOUT,AND JUST DID NOT CARE.IT LEFT ME,A SERVICE CONNECTED DISABLED VETERAN,ON THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY,MANY TIMES.EVEN ON MY WAY TO THE VA HOSPITAL.REGUARDS

VEHICLE'S AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ENGAGED AT 2500 RPM DURING A CA. STATE SMOG INSPECTION . RESULTED IN TECHNICIAN BEING PINNED AND CRUSHED TO VEHICLE PARKED IN FRONT . TECH WAS AMBULANCED TO HOSPITAL WITH SEVERE LOWER LEG AND ANKLE INJURIES TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AT OTHER SHOP AFTER SAID FAILURE. *JB

WHILE VEHICLE WAS IDLING IT POPPED INTO REVERSE AND ROLLED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. TRANSMISSION SLIPPED INTO REVERSE AND CAUSED THIS MISHAP. VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY PARKED, AND CONSUMER IS AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. *AK

DOOR HANDLES ON PASSENGER SIDE INTERIOR BROKEN. TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. *AK

THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN FOR INSPECTION TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. CONSUMER NOTICED, AFTER RECEIVING THE VEHICLE THAT IT WAS NOT DRIVING RIGHT. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND PUT VEHICLE IN PARK. AFTER A FEW MINUTES, CONSUMER STARTED THE VEHICLE AND TRIED TO PUT THE VEHICLE INTO THE REVERSE. THE SHIFTER WENT PASSED ALL THE GEARS AND WOULD NOT MOVE. *AK

WHILE PARKED GEAR JUMPED FROM PARK TO DRIVE AT A VERY RAPID SPEED. HOWEVER, AN ACCIDENT DID OCCUR. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. *AK WHILE VEHICLE WAS PARKED CONSUMER REVVED ENGINE TO 3000 RPM, TRANSMISSION VIOLENTLY BANGED IN TO DRIVE, LURCHED FORWARD AND RAN INTO A ROCK WALL. *YD

TRANSMISSION OVERHEATED CAUSING MAJOR MALFUNCTIONING IN TRANSMISSION.. THIS IS SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED WITHIN A YEAR AND A HALF. TRUCK HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD TO MY KNOWLEDGE(BODY AND UNDERNEATH ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION, I.E. NO RUST). AFTER TALKING TO A FEW REPAIR SHOPS AND DEALERSHIPS I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS VERY COMMON WITH THE FORD EXPLORER. I HAVE ALWAYS HAD THE VEHICLE SERVICED REGULARLY AND TAKEN PRIDE IN IT'S APPEARANCE. IT RUNS GREAT BUT THERE HAS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH THE MANUFACTURING OF THE TRANSMISSION, OR THIS PROBLEM WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURED TWICE. I STAND BY FORD'S BUT, THIS MAKES ME LEARY OF EVER BUYING ANOTHER FORD PRODUCT THAT THE COMPANY WILL NOT STAND BY. SINCERELY, [XXX].*AK PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

THE TRANSMISSION ON THE 1994 FORD EXPLORER APPEARS TO BE DEFECTIVE. THEY FAIL AFTER ONLY BETWEEN 75,000-125,000 MILES. *JB

WHILE DRIVING 65 KM THE RPMS WILL GO UP IN RED, AND NOT GO BACK DOWN UNTIL CONSUMER SLOWS DOWN TO ABOUT 30 KM. THEN, SHE CAN FEEL TRANSMISSION KICK IN, AND RPMS GO DOWN. THIS HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES . MECHANIC STATED TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REBUILT AND UPGRADED. CONSUMER CALLED FORD, AND WAS TOLD THERE WERE A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ON EXPLORER'S TRANSMISSIONS WITH THIS PROBLEM. *AK

THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 1994 FORD EXPLORER THAT THE MANUFACTURER WILL NOT ACKNOWLEDGE. I KNOW OF 3 OTHER OWNERS PERSONALLY THAT HAVE THE SAME COINCIDENTAL PROBLEM. THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR UNLESS NURSED TO DO SO. THIS HAS NEARLY CAUSED SEVERAL POTENTIAL CRASHES. NOT TO MENTION VERY VERY POOR FUEL ECONOMY. *AK

WENT TO FORD DEALER AND THEY DIAGNOSED PROBLEM WAS FRONT HUBS NEEDED REPLACEMENT FOR $1000, TALKED TO ANOTHER MECHANIC AND HE SAID SAMETHING BUT IS NOT ABLE TO GET ANY HUBS BECAUSE HE HAS BEEN TOLD THAT FORD IS BUYING UP ALL OF THE NEW/REBUILT HUBS BECAUSE THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM. SECOND MECHANIC ASKED SOME DEALERS WHEN MORE HUBS WOULD BE AVAILABLE AND WAS TOLD NO DATES AVAILABLE DUE TO FORD BUYING SO MANY.*AK

LOW RANGE SYSTEM APPEARS TO OPPERATE BUT REGUALAR 4X4 SYSTEM DOES'T ENGAGE THE HUBS. *AK

DRIVE TRAIN LOCKED UP CAUSING THE REAR WHEELS TO LOCK UP. THE FRONT WHEELS MAY ALSO HAVE LOCKED UP, BUT UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. TOTAL LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SLIDE SIDEWAYS FROM THE LEFT HAND PASSING LANE ACROSS TRAFFIC TO THE RIGHT, HITTING SHOULDER AND ROLLING OVER ONE AND ONE HALF TIMES.

TRANSMISSION WILL NOT SHIFT PROPERLY, MECHANIC SAYS THAT IT WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL COMPLETELY, AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THIS IS NOT AN UNUSUAL OCCURANCE FOR A 1994 FORD EXPLORER. *AK

DEFECTS WITH A TRANSMISSION SHOULD NOT OCCUR THIS EARLY IN THE LIFE OF A VEHICLE THAT IS BOUGHT BRAND NEW. I HAVE CORRESPONDED WITH MANY EXPLORER OWNERS AND HAVE READ 100'S OF INSTANCES ON THE INTERNET WHERE FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSIONS HAVE FAILED EARLY IN THE LIFESPAN OF THE VEHICLE - LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. FORD OBVIOUSLY HAS INSTALLED A DEFECTIVE AND UNSAFE COMPONENT IN THIS VEHICLE AND DOES NOT WANT TO TAKE REPONSIBILITY FOR IT. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE A SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH RESULTS FROM THIS UNSAFE COMPONENT. *AK

THE FIRST TIME NOTICED THIS PROBLEM I WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH, I GLANCED AT THE SPEEDOMETER WHICH SHOWED 90MPH! MY FIRST INSTINCT WAS TO LIFT OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND HIT THE BRAKE! AS I LIFTED OFF ON THE GAS, I REALIZED THE THE TRUCK WAS NOT GOING THAT FAST. SO I CONTINUED ON MY TRIP AT A SPEED THAT "FELT RIGHT" BECAUSE THE SPEEDOMETER WAS MORE A DISTRACTION THAN A HELP. THE SPEEDOMETER KEPT DOING THIS FROM TIME TO TIME BUT ONLY AT FREEWAY SPEEDS. THEN AFTER A SHORT TIME IT WOULD ALWAYS ADD ABOUT 30MPH TO ANY SPEED OVER 35MPH. I CHECKED WITH FORD TO FIND OUT IF THIS HAD BEEN A PROBLEM OR SUBJECT TO ANY RECALLS AND WAS TOLD NO. AT THAT TIME HAD THE SPEEDOMETER REPAIRED AT AN INDEPENDENT SHOP (SAN DIEGO SPEEDO TACH INC. 619-235-0314). THEY TOLD ME IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM ON FORD EXPLORERS AND FORD RANGERS AND THAT THEY REPAIRED SEVERAL A WEEK! NLM

THIS WAS SECOND TIME FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO BE REPLACED SINCE JAN-13-1999. VEHICLE HAS BEEN SQUEALING & NOT SHIFTING. DEALER TOLD CONSUMER TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REBUILT. FORD HAS BEEN OF NO HELP TO THE OWNER. *AK

SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE JUMPS WHILE DRIVING AT ALL SPEEDS. CANNOT DETERMINE EXACT SPEED OF VEHICLE WHILE MOVING. IN MY OPINION, THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD! *AK

WHEN PUTTING CAR IN PARK IT WILL ROLL FORWARD. CONSUMER FEELS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION. THERE IS A RECALL FOR SAME PROBLEM, BUT THIS VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK

THE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE ACTIVATES UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH CAUSES THE VEHICLE NOT TO TURN TO THE RIGHT SIDE. FRONT WHEEL DRIVER MUST BE REPLACED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK *ML