2005 Ford Explorer Electrical System Problems

The dash cluster don't work cant see your rpms,speed,the fuel gauge gos up and down can't see milage or trip meter if you hit the dash it will work but go out going down the road and I researched it and its a common issue and I cant aford a new dash cluster I got a speeding ticket yesterday because I couldn't see my speed and there was no one in front of me to go off of i was going 15 over

As I was driving to work one morning suddenly my headlights and all interior lights, such as the dashboard, suddenly went out without any warning and nothing electrical would work such as the radio and the windows and all the gauges in the dash dropped to zero or the needle fell all the way to the left. This has become an ongoing problem and I never know when it's going to go out or come back on for that matter and sometimes when it's acting crazy My speedometer will just jump all over the place. I believe this is a safety issue not only for myself but for other drivers on the road as my lights may suddenly go out as I am driving to work at 4:00 a.m. when it is dark. It is also a safety issue because when this happens I have no idea what speed I am driving or how much gas I have left or if my vehicle is starting to get hot. I have not taken the vehicle to the dealer or anywhere else for fear of it costing an arm and a leg to fix the problem, as every single Ford that I have ever owned seems to have had some type of electrical issue. I do have video of my gauges going crazy as I am driving on the highway; however looking ahead in this form it looks as if I can only submit photos and not a video.

SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS ALL THE ELECTRICAL TURNS OFF LIKE THE KEY IS TURNED OFF. IT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER AS THERE IS NO POWER STEERING. IT ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT AS THE CAR SLOWED QUICKLY. I AM CONCERNED AS THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED SEVERAL TIMES AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO SOLVE THIS ISSUE. EITHER FORD SHOULD FIX THE ISSUE OR PULL THIS CAR OUT OF SERVICE BEFORE SOMEBODY IS KILLED.

ABS LIGHT AND ADVANCE TRACKING LIGHT AND 4X4 LIGHT AND CAR WITH TRACKING LIGHT ALL COMES ON AND THE BRAKING JERK WHEN STOPPING. ALSO LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT COMES ON EVEN AFTER OIL CHANGE

MY 2005 EXPLORER SPORT TRAC HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COME ON AND WHEN IT DOES, MY INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STOPS WORKING. MY TACHOMETER, SPEEDOMETER, TEMP, AND FUEL GAUGES STOP WORKING. HERE LATELY, MY RADIO AND POWER WINDOWS HAVE STOPPED WORKING. MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING AND REPORTED TO ME THAT THE VEHICLE STARTS SHAKING AND SHUTS OFF AS WELL. NOT REALLY SURE WHAT IS GOING ON WITH IT, BUT WHEN EVERYTHING STOPS WORKING, I SIT THERE AND HIT THE DASH TO GET THE LIGHTS AND WINDOWS TO START WORKING AGAIN. I USED TO BE ABLE TO HIT THE DASH WITH MY HAND AND GET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO GO OFF AND THE GAUGES START WORKING. WHEN I CALLED MY LOCAL FORD STORE AND TALKED TO THEM IN SERVICE, THEY QUOTED ME LIKE $400 FOR A PART AND JUST AS MUCH FOR LABOR, LIKE THEY HAVE BEEN HAVING THESE PROBLEMS AND THEY KNEW WHAT IT WAS TO FIX. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING, BUT WITH THE ODOMETER NOT REGISTERING MILES FOR THE PAST 6 MONTHS, I NOW HAVE A VEHICLE THAT IS CONSIDERED SALVAGE TITLE BECAUSE IT IS UNKNOWN MILES.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AT NIGHT MY VEHICLES DASHBOARD BEGAN TO ACT ERRATIC. THEN THE BATTERY GAUGE RAPIDLY DROPPED INTO THE RED ZONE. WITHIN ABOUT 3 MILES I LOST MY INTERIOR POWER, HEADLIGHTS, TAILLIGHTS, AND SIGNALS INCLUDING MY HAZARD LIGHTS. WHEN LIMPING OFF THE INTERSTATE MY TRUCK HAD LOST ENOUGH POWER TO WHERE IT DIED OUT. ONCE AT THE DEALERSHIP IT WAS FOUND THAT THE ALTERNATOR FRIED OUT CAUSING A SURGE THAT WIPED OUT THE PCM AND UTILITY CLUSTER ALL WITHOUT WARNING.

MY GAUGES GO HAYWIRE THE NEEDLES SHAKE WHILE DRIVING AND WHEN CAR IS OFF NO KEY IN IGNITION. THE LIGHTS FLASH AS WELL. CAR WILL STALL IN TRAFFIC AT A STOP, THE RPM WON'T GO ABOVE 2 EVEN WHEN HWY GOING 60 MPH. MECHANIC SAID IT'S ELECTRICAL, THE DEALER TOOK OUT TOP COUNSEL AS A WORK AROUND FOR THIS ELECTRICAL ISSUE CLAIMING IT WAS NOT A RECALL.

THE DRIVER SEAT BACK KEPT FALLING INTO THE BACK SEAT WHILE DRIVING, NOW THE SEAT BACK DOESN'T MOVE. THE PASSENGER IS DOING THE SAME JUST NOT AS BAD. THE HEATED SEATS COME ON WHENEVER THEY WANT, BUT THE HEATED DRIVER'S SEAT HAS STOPPED WORKING ALL TOGETHER. THE SEAT BELTS RANDOMLY LOCK AND BARELY RETRACT.

CLUSTER GOING BAD AND CUTTING POWER TO ENTIRE VEHICLE WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD , CITY ENVIROMENT

WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, WE FOUND THAT THE BACK WINDOW OF THE HATCH WAS COMPLETELY BROKEN AND THE BODY IN THE BACK WAS LIFTED OFF THE CAR. IT LOOKS AS IF THE HYDRAULIC ARM MALFUNCTIONED OVERNIGHT.

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER CUTS OUT AND RESARTS THEN CUTS OUT AGAIN CAUSING NO SPEEDOMETER TACH FUEL GAUGE OIL PRESSURE TEMPERATURE AND VOLTAGE GAUGE TO STOP WORKING. ELECTRIC WINDOWS WON'T WORK RADIO OUT ODOMETER BLANK HAPPENS RANDOMLY IN ANY CONDITION IDLE DRIVING EVERY WHEN NOT IN THE VEHICLE. YOU CAN HEAR THE RELAY CLICKING FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE.

INSTRUMENT CLUSTER FAILURE. CAUSED ALL MY LIGHTS (INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR) TO GO OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC IN THE DARK ON AN 8 LANE INTERSTATE. TOOK THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTO ELECTRIC SHOP FOR DIAGNOSIS. TOOK TO FORD DEALER FOR REPAIR. HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR ALMOST 2 MONTHS FOR THE REPLACEMENT PART (INSTRUMENT CLUSTER). FORD SAYS IT IS ON BACK ORDER. NOTE: THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO ACTIVATE THE HAZARD LIGHTS BECAUSE THE ENTIRE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO MERGE OVER TO THE EMERGENCY LANE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THE TECHNICIAN WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE BUT WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

ELECTRIC WINDOWS WON'T WORK. ALL FUSES ARE WORKING. SOME WIRES THAT GO FROM THE VEHICLE FRAME TO THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR ARE SEVERED AND MELTED. THE WIRES ARE IN A PROTECTIVE RUBBER BOOT THAT IS BETWEEN VEHICLE FRAME AND DOOR. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER GETS STUCK AT DIFFERENT SPEED AND THE RPM GAUGE DOES THE SAME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS, YOU COULD BE DRIVING FASTER THAN YOU THINK. THE ENGINE CHECK LIGHT ALSO COMES ON. I CAN SOMETIME RESET USING THE TRIP COUNTER RESET BUTTON. THIS PROBLEM SEEM TO BE GETTING WORST. MY SPEEDOMETER SEEM TO BE GETTING STUCK MORE OFTEN NOW AND IT SEEM TO BE GETTING HARDER TO RESET. *TR

BODY ISSUES: I HAVE A 2005 FORD EXPLORER AND HAVE NEVER BEEN IN A CAR ACCIDENT. MY TAILGATE SOMEHOW DEVELOP A CRACK THAT GOES THROUGH WHERE THE FORD LOGO IS. NOTHING HAPPENED TO THE SUV TO CAUSE THE CRACK. IT JUST SOMEHOW HAPPENED ON IT'S OWN. I BELIEVE THE VEHICLE IS DEFECTIVE OR AT LEAST THE MATERIALS USED TO MAKE THE VEHICLE. ELECTRICAL ISSUES: ANOTHER ISSUE I HAVE IS WITH THE ELECTRICAL. MY TURN SIGNALS (MOST TIMES) DO NOT WORK. I HAVE TO MANUALLY MOVE IT UP AND DOWN WHEN TURNING. WHEN IT DOES WORK, IT GOES REALLY FAST. MY REVERSE NOTIFICATION NO LONGER WORKS FOR SOME STRANGE REASON. ALSO, MY RADIO GOES LOUDER WHEN I TURN IT DOWN. I HAVE TO TURN IT OFF FOR A LITTLE WHILE, TURN IT BACK ON THEN TRY TO LOWER THE VOLUME. *TR

DEFECTIVE THROTTLE BODY ASSEMBLIES AND SENSORS. RANDOMLY ENGINE GOES INTO FAIL SAFE MODE AND HAS STALLED WHILE DRIVING, AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS, AND DURING TURNS. INSTRUMENT PANEL IS NOW GOING HAYWIRE. MESSAGE CENTER REPORTS LOW OIL PRESSURE, CHECK CHARGING SYSTEMS, TIRE SENSOR FAILURE FAULT, CHANGE OIL SOON, AND OIL IS FINE. BATTERY HAS BEEN CHECKED. TIRE SENSORS, ALTERNATOR...ALL FINE. IT'S ALL I HAVE AND I MUST DRIVE IT TO WORK EACH DAY! BOUGHT USED IN NOVEMBER 2013. HAD 69K MILES AT PURCHASE. NOW HAS 103K MILES. IT DOESN'T FEEL SAFE :O( PLEASE HELP!

HAD FUELED (FULL) 2 HOURS BEFORE. GAS GAUGE DROPPED TO EMPTY. MILES TO EMPTY SHOWS DASHES. SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT IS ON. *TR

MISFIRES, COILS KEEP FAILING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE FIRE EVENTUALLY DIED WITHOUT BEING EXTINGUISHED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT YET DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 94,000.