Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier

fleetwoodsimca

I suspect you are right on the money, swschrad. Being victimized by yet another corporate scheme leaves me uncomfortable. What was Goodyear thinking? Do you suppose they determined in advance that people with 265/15 (big) truck tires should be given second grade product because Goodyear would not want those people in the future for customers? I'll admit that I quit buying Goodyear tires many years ago. My attitude softened with time, and when Ford offered me free tires-- what can I say?

swschrad

and that is, the logo may be the same on the firewall, but what you pay $125 a tire for at retail in the Firestone Service Center and what Ford pays maybe $55 for FOB factory are not the same thing. GM has different TPC specs, and their Wilderness tires are way different inside from what was going on the Fords... assuming you could make a distinction, because there were five different levels of construction, depending on the plant and the week, being dropped off at the factory in St. Louis.

there needs to be a "one way" law, if you put the same model name on an OEM tire that you do at retail, build 'em the same. if that means we are offered a base choice of YoDude tires on a car order and the upgrades are to Firestones, BFGs, and Michelins, we need to be able to know what each of the four tires is all about.

aka bait and switch. in some endeavors, it's illegal. why it wasn't here, I don't know.

fleetwoodsimca

You've said what needs saying.
CAVEAT EMPTOR!

swschrad

we gotta KNOW that the Gasleaker XTH-360 Stumpjumpers' Choice tire is five body and two sidewall plies, grade A-A-B TW-210 at Tires 'r' Pus, and three plies body and two sidewall on an Escape with half the load rating and it's a C-C-C tire when it comes from the automaker.

we don't until a thousand blow out and roll the customers over.

that's what's gotta change. if the OEM tire is a paperweight, it should be labelled as a Gasleaker Gutless-Wonder brand tire. and I would really like to see the construction details on the window sticker myself. they have the room.

edhkmco84

My problem occurred the minute I drove it off the lot. Every time I turn the wheel 2 inches I feel a pulsation - or knocking in the steering. Please! Someone help me! Ford doesn't seem to want to... My problems seem similar to cameleyes. I also hear a ton of road noise out of the back (sounds like the right rear door but its shut and so is the window). On top of all of this my steering wheel has a large gash in it from when the tarts sliced off the plastic on it instead of tearing it by hand. So now I'm waiting for a whole new steering wheel... GRRRRRR. I would never, ever buy another Ford Product... nor would I EVER RECOMMEND IT. STAY AWAY! HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! Once they get your 32k they can care less what your problems are.

alman08

mind if I ask which dealer you bought your car from?

alman08

does anyone know the Ford headquarter customer relations phone number?

fleetwoodsimca

Is there any possibility that you might be a little too picky on this one? If you can hardly notice it, and others don't walk up and ask you what is the matter with your plastic, maybe it's okay. Then, again, why not let them fill it, and refinish the area if you really find it noticeable?

alman08

when and where did I say I can hardly notice it?? Let me ask you this... if you just ordered a BRAND NEW windshield and found a scratch on it in a corner, would you just say "oh, maybe I'm just too picky" or would you have returned it? How about if you just bought a $1500 suit and found a hole inside one of the pockets, would you just say "oh well, no one will know anyway but me, so forget it" or would you take it back and have them give you a new one? Secondly, do you understand what it meant by "depressed"? it means the panel looked like someone kicked it from the inside. It's not a matter of filling it. Third and most important, is it my fault that the panel cracked due to faulty material?
am I too picky, perhaps so. but when I have the car sent to the dealer for warranty work like such, I think it's only fair if I would get it back with new parts in condition just like when I first purchased the vehicle. If other Explorers show the same thing on the back panel, then I have no claim. But case in matter, others don't.
hmmmm... come to think about it, you must be a proud employee of Ford Motor?
Don't get me wrong... I think the Explorer is fine so far (knock on wood), it's just that if anything like that goes wrong, fix it right. Order me the right part that's flawless.

alman08

I wasn't posting so that people should feel sorry for my situation... I have already known what my right is as a consumer and I have already known how I will handle this problem, and I am not doing anything to abuse the warranty.
Orignal post was just to share with others on here so to see if this is a common problem. Second post on this issue was an update, and I praised how greatly that bodyshop manager handled the issue. Third post was to share the result after I had the car fixed, along with my opinion about Ford's "quality is #1"...

swschrad

however, if you have a different serial number, your mileage may vary...

my 2000 exploder limited has had a couple minor issues, nothing to get worked up over, and has been the best vehicle I ever had, for what it's worth.

fleetwoodsimca

Not being there to see your plastic panel, and going with the generally accepted definition for "depressed" as relates to sheetmetal panelling, I got the idea that you had a couple of shallow depressions that could only be visualized at a very oblique angle to the surface-- as in the detection technique employed by experienced bodyshop folks. Apparently your surface is upraised badly, and obvious to anyone.
No, I'm not a proud employee of Ford. I'm a motor vehicle enthusiast with an eye for bodywork surfaces that leads ME to be overly critical of factory sheetmetal and yes, plastic, imperfections. I thought maybe you were overreacting to the "standard" all-to-common surface imperfections. Windshields and suits aside, it sounds like you've got a real problem.

alman08

fleetwood... not trying to be overly critical about that piece of panel, all I wanted was factory standard from Ford "genuine" parts. And I apologize for sounding somewhat like an [non-permissible content removed] last night on my reply to yours.

swschrad... don't get me wrong, although I only have 1600 young miles on my Explorer thus far, I am happy with the car except for this issue and a few other minor ones that are not worth mentioning. And I will have to say this, this Explorer of mine is definitely not the best vehicle I have ever owned, but I still like it.

fleetwoodsimca

No problem. You have a reason to be VERY unhappy with the so called repair. The dealership will give you the district manager's name and phone number. They have to! Call the person and explain. Now, when you ask for the number, that is likely to precipitate a satisfactory cure, because the dealers don't like being confronted by district representatives.

phkck

Wondering if the 4 door Explorer will fit a 4foot by 8 foot sheet of plywood? Assuming that some of the 8 foot will be hanging out.
Is there enough width between the wheels inside?
Thanks. And if not, what is the maximum width that will fit in the back of an 03 Explorer? Thanks, Paul

jv312

You guys were right on with the swaybar bushings. Ford fixed it yesterday, now no more creak. Thanks for the tip.

heintz1

Glad to hear you got the swaybar bushing problem resolved. However, don't be surprised if the noise eventually returns. Since my bushings were replaced almost a year ago, they've had to be re-lubricated periodically, and in fact, I just had mine re-lubed today, because the noise recently returned once again.

taboky

The rear wiper doesn't hit the glass until it is apporox. 1/2 across the window. Is there an adjustment for this?

Thanks,
Steve

fleetwoodsimca

The warranty probably will take care of that, if you can't find a way to adjust it yourself.

jrc346

I had the same problem on Both of my 2000 Explorers. All I did was, I took the wiper arm and bent it in towards the glass. Thats all it took to get the wiper working properly again.

edhkmco84

Reedmans Automobiles in Langhorne, PA

heintz1

Speaking of wipers... Thus far, the best replacement wiper blades I've found for my 2002 XLT are (in case you're interested) Anco winter blades for the front windshield, and Bosch for the rear window. I tried Trico and Bosch for the front window, but returned them both. (Anco's rear window blade did not conform to the rear window properly, but the Bosch is a solid performer in the rear).

pcmjuliano

Posted similar message on the Mountaineer board, but this one looks more active. Bought a '02 Mountaineer, V-6 on October 30. Fuel gauge stopped working before I got home from the showroom. Fixed under warranty--fuel tank had to be removed. Noted strong vibration and returned it to the dealer. Shop said front wheels were not balanced. Balanced the wheels. Still noticed a vibration at 30-40 mph either going up or down. Shop said it was probably the PCM and reflashed it. Helped with the 40-50 mph shifts, but the 30-40 mph vibration still prevelant. Drove another new '02 Mountaineer on the lot, and it too had the same 30-40 mph vibration, only worse! Shop concluded that it is the overdrive kicking in. They say there is no TSB to cover this yet, but it is really aggrevating to drive especially in some of our small towns where the speed limit is 35 mph. Don't want to click out the over drive and click it in again manually. Didn't pay that much money for the SUV to do the job the transmission should be doing but isn't. Anyone else get a fix to the problem? How widespread is it? If you have had it, did you have to contact Ford? If so, did you get any satisfaction. Thanks for your posts. Appreciate hearing how you handled it.

swschrad

I have seen posts that say that AWD/FWD vehicles need to have the pot joints on the drive axles phased to each other... if the top of the yoke is straight up on the rear drive, the front yoke should also be straight up. that way, supposedly, any road irregularities that would set up vibration will have the yokes pushing the vibration the same direction, instead of any old golliwog whichaway, which could cause a rotating phased vibration in the frame and nasty noises at the drivers seat.

I have some doubts considering that a part-time system in which the switchable-drive yokes might not spin all the time would never be in phase to start with by the law of averages. but if you're AWD fulltime, and supposedly that's the base mode in the 2002 and later explorer/mountaineer, it might be interesting to check.

but you can see if the OD makes a difference by just locking it out around town when the predominant speed you drive is around the shift point. if the issue disappears, and you are of course maintaining the same speeds, it's a tranny issue concerning the OD. if not, it's a chassis/suspension/drive issue of some sort, and it's based on the RPMs. at that point, having had bad yoke bearings replaced on a drive shaft before, I would definitely consider a driveline excitement.

tjf2000

I have posted before about my vibration problem at speeds of 55 and up. I had my driveshaft replace the day after I picked up my Mountaineer in August 02. It solved some but not all of the problem. I did find an article for the 2002 Mountaineer AWD only not the 4 wheel drive on the Explorer, it was posted in the Ford book (not sure what it's really called) on April 10,2002 Article No. 02-1-3. There is a hand written number on it, not sure if it is a Ford TSB number...SB629999. This talks about a "growl" noise at speeds from 40-70mph. It also talks about what swschrad noted which is the alignment of the driveshafts and to replace the transfer case drive chain. Mine (02,Mountaineer, V8, tow package build date 12/01) will be going back in on Monday 11/25 and I am going to bring this notice with me. It also mentions something about a Powertrian Netralization Procedure number 100-04 in the workshop manual...not sure what it is, but I am going to talk to my service department about it. I like pcmjuliano drove other mountaineers, but did not get that vibration in the seat that I am getting. I spent most of my time on the highway with my Mountaineer and I can tell you the vibration is really getting annoying.

swschrad

seriously, it probably only involved a couple incisions in the privates, and a few stitches, and the truck can jump stumps again in a couple days

jb7227

Picking up new 03 Mountaineer luxury tomorrow for my wife. Was considering volvo xc90 (4 month waitlist, no discounts $$) & Navigator. She has a 2000 Lincoln LS - no problems in 3 years. Nav was just too big - but it is nice!!! Was going to wait for the Aviator, but saw a report in BlueOvalNews about the delays in shipments (twice) due to recalls (specific to the Aviator model, not explorer or moutaineer) - plus it is going to list out for around 48K with the normal options. Also have a question - are all Mountaineers built in Louisville now? I thought they were building them in St. Louis too - if anyone knows the VIN code letter for the plants, i'd appreciate it!!

joeadp

I have had the car for 12,000 miles and 11 months
so far no service issues.

This truck has exceeded my expectations. I at the time was looking at the MDX and ML but the discounts on the Mountaineer were too good to pass up.

This is my first american vehicle in 15 years and I have been impressed.

Good luck with your purchase.

jb7227

Glad to hear it - although i never considered the mdx, we did look at the ML. That ML shape is starting to look a little old, plus i was bent on buying American. I picked the MM up yesterday, just in time for 5 inches of white stuff overnight! It is beautiful inside & out - we got black with black/gray leather. The Mercury certainly looks richer than the explorer - i wasnt sure about the aluminum style trim inside, but it looks great. One thing I was very impressed with was the V8 - you can barely feel or hear it at idle, and it has real pickup. Did you get the 6 or the V8?

alman08

do parking brakes freeze? 15 degree this morning (rain and snow last night), released my parking brake (it made that popping sound like it was released), trying to drive off and car only moved a tad. got out, no ice was near the tires so the car wasn't stuck on anything... got back inside car, put in reverse and it again only moved a tad and no more. pressed the parking brake and released again, and tried moving forward and backward and again it only moved a tad and that was it (this time i pressed on the accelerator lightly). Oh, then while i was in reverse and had my foot on the accelerator, i heard a pop or like the wheels moved but the car couldn't??. and finally, i went to drive and was able to drive off.
and if parking brakes do freeze, what can i do next time besides not using them? (i always use my parking brakes)
thanks

swschrad

if the linkages and the rare areas where the cables are guided along the frame are well-greased, they generally don't freeze.

it is also possible for the drum/disk actuator to freeze where the cable connects.

one solution is to let it sit a few days if you can... the ice will eventually sublimate away. another is a heated garage. you could use alcohol-type brake cleaner on the linkage and that should dissolve out the ice.

one thing I have done for years after going through weather of excitement to help prevent freeze-up is to set and release the brakes a couple times when I park. this should flip out the mush before it sets hard.

alman08

i will try that set and release a few times when i park.
good thing is i don't think anything is broken after hearing that pop. tested the brakes and parking brake and all working fine

navigator3740

What you drove before you got this car? And did you like it?

alman08

don't mind at all...
I have a
mercedes 300ce (still have it and like it)
bmw 750il (gave to my dad, and like it until i got the mercedes)
honda CRV (for a very short time, and trouble free, and gave it up due to personal issue)
toyota mr2 turbo (loved it... and missed it, very much trouble free)
toyota 4runner (really missed this one, true trouble free)
mercury topaz (no comment... lol, it was ok)
dodge colt (ok car, no trouble really)
pontiac sunbird (piece of crap)
datsun 280z (was ok... toy car? lol)
fiat 131 (my very first car, also one that lasted me 2 months... lol)

oh, I'm only 31, so you can do the math... many of those cars I bought used.
and the reason why I picked the Explorer this time around...
1) the look of it (very important to me)
2) moved from S.F., CA to Ohio and needed a car for the winter. Also, been wanting to get a SUV for a long long time since I traded in the 4runner for the mr2 turbo.
3) 0% down, 0% financing, basically, free money

and I guess I asked that question about frozen parking brake was because I haven't at all experienced this kind of weather (lived in the san francisco most of my life). Only time I saw this kind of coldness was back in Feb (not even this cold) and when I went to tahoe (I don't ski so I didn't stay in the mountain for overnight).

and so far, i still like my explorer a lot except that little thing i'm still having to deal with the dealer about the back panel and a few minor stuff.

joeadp

I went with the V8. I felt for the extra dollars the extra HP was a good value.

In addition the folding third row seat was a great feature. I too have gotten use to the siler interior finish.

Best of luck with your new Mountaineer.

joeadp

I have the 16 inch on a 2002.

Later production vehicles were switched to 17 inch
tire.

clpurnell

can those who recently purchased list MSRP amd actual price paid. Thx.

alman08

I bought in late July and paid MSRP for a V8 XLT 4wd with leather, tow III, sunroof, an no other options. (cd player was standard)
got 0 down 0% financing on it, so I didn't drill on the price too much, plus these explorers have been selling like hot cakes, guess the dealer really didn't need to worry about not cutting below MSRP (or that I didn't try harder...)

peaches5

I bought a 6cyl EB 4WD, 3rd row seat, canopy AB, sunroof, reverse sensor and tow package in August with an MSRP of $38210 (with options) and I paid $34469 before taxes. Got the 0/60 financing.

alman08

you're going to make me cry ...

alman08

I paid $35k out the door with the extended warranty 5yr/60k, still, I think peaches got a better deal.

kuridge2

Although Sunflower Lincoln Mercury is a terrible dealer they had a $9600 off MSRP on every 2002 Mountaineer in stock. I also traded in a Villager and got an additional $1000 off rebate ( the dealer didn't tell me about that one I had to find out myself)for a total of $10,600 off a $37,000 v8 awd and Luxury and Conv -6cd and sub-etc. I wish I had the 17" wheels but i'm sure the replacement tires are pricy. If you have good credit you can get 4.99% at peoplefirst.com for 60 months. They were great. Just fill out the e-mail infor and they send you a check Fed Ex the next morning. Does anyone know how the roof rack works? Can one of the side bars be replaced with any major hassles??

navigator3740

Thanks for sharing. You trade cars about as fast as I do - or have in the past anyway. I'm 49 though, so you may actually have me beat. I'm hoping your long term (that would be about 6 months for you....lol) experience with your Explorer is good. Mine have been very good. I see you're a bit impatient, and I also see you regret letting go of some of your cars, as do I.
Try to remember they're machines..and it's a miracle they even work at all. That helps me when little things happen... Good luck.

alman08

yep, I hope and want to keep the explorer for a while myself (more than 6 months?? hehehhehee, hey might go 5 years, who knows?!).

losteaglescout

Has anyone out there attempted to install an overhead moniter in the headliner of their 2002 Explorer with rear heat controls? The headliner is such an odd shape, I'm afaid to cut into it. If this topic has already been covered, my apologies...

clpurnell

I actually am leaning toward moving up to the expedition. Here the difference is only about 1400 between the expedition and explorer. And I could use the extra room. Thanks again at least I have an Idea of what to shoot for .

dcd

Bought a 2003 EB 4x4 V8 w/ tow, moonroof, and off-road 2 weeks ago for invoice (I think about $34,100. MSRP is about $37,700 or so). If I hadn't done a dealer trade I could have gotten any Explorer on the lot for 600 under invoice. Actually I was going to buy an XLT V8 4x4 w/ many options for 600 under invoice before I found this EB at another dealer I liked better for less money.

I too thought about an Expedition, but did not need the room and thought it would probably be slower and use more fuel.

heintz1

I plan to keep my 2002, V8, 4WD, Explorer XLT for a few years, but that hasn't stopped me from test driving the new Expedition. In my opinion, Ford really missed the boat (no pun intended) by not offering their new Expy (and pickups) with a new Ford V8 engine that's more powerful and more sophisticated than the 5.4L Triton engine, which has grown very long-in-the-tooth. (It's my understanding that Ford has, thus far, chosen not to offer a larger gasoline V8 engine than the 5.4L Triton, due to their purported commitment to environmental and fuel economy issues). At any rate, I find this lack of engine power to be an ongoing, major turn-off with the Expedition, as well as being potentially dangerous, since it relegates this otherwise nice-looking truck to being an overpriced yet underpowered dog sled.

In addition, I found the interior of even the EB version of the new Expy to be quite plain, and hardly luxurious. (And what's with those silly looking, brushed-metal collars around the front cabin's air vents? Did someone from the new Thunderbird's design team fill-in one day for someone else on the Expedition's design team? It almost looks as though these stupid looking metal collars were an afterthought attempt to jazz-up the Expy's otherwise uninspired and bland interior).

Similarly, I found the new EB Expy's leather captains seats and rear seats to be woefully uncomfortable from the first time I sat in them, and I could not find the sweet spot for the driver's seat no matter how much I diddled with the adjustments, because THERE IS NO SWEET SPOT!! In particular, I found that the seat cushion of the driver's chair did not adequately and comfortably support my lower thighs; in fact, even with the driver's seat tilted fully downward, it still felt like my lower thighs were being impinged upon (and hung over) by a padded "shelf edge", rather like the edge of an uncomfortable lawn chair. Furthermore, I found these leather seats to be too firm, as in "hard", and the back seats were simply terrible. Why is it that GM seems to be the only manufacturer that knows how to design and make seats for the typical American rump (as well as offering engines with more than enough power for such massive vehicles?) If I'm going to spend $40,000.00+ for a mid-size or full-size SUV, it must at least offer comfy seats and a luxurious, well-appointed cabin interior, as well as plenty of power and muscle. Unfortunately, with the new Expy, Ford has once again missed the boat, in my opinion. What a shame.

navigator3740

I have to take issue with some of what you said, though I agree with the dash comments. What WERE they thinking?

The Triton engine is long in the tooth, huh? This is the same coil-on-plug, overhead cam engine I have in my Navigator? The one that can pull a load up Baker grade in 124 degree heat with the a/c on in 3rd gear, at 70mph, and not even bump the heat guage? Personally, I've never needed more grunt than my triton delivers. I may be mistaken, but I believe the GM modular engines are still pushrod design (talk about long in the tooth!)and they may finally have coil on plug, but Ford brought that out in 98, and GM just got on board, as they do with everything.

Now on the seats, this is a butt subjective topic, but the biggest knock I have had on Chevy's forever is the hole you sit in, so that sweet spot you like is exactly what I can't tolerate. It's what you get used to I guess.

And finally, overpriced, underpowered dog sled? Look if you hate the Expedition, get off the board and go over the Chevy board belong, and enjoy their complaints about piston slap in their new "short in the tooth" pushrod old fashioned engines.

fleetwoodsimca

May I suggest that there is nothing wrong with the concept of pushrod OHV technology? It may be "old" in the sense of long standing, but not in the sense of out of date. I'd far rather have a heavily torque laden pushrod engine than an over head cam engine run by a rubber band. Chain is something else. I am glad to see the trend among the major manufacturers to go to chain drive for cams. Yet it is hard to fault a "bullet proof" heavy duty engine running pushrods!
Brushed metallic eyesores? You guys are getting pretty tough to please. (:o]