Ford Explorer Maintenance and Repair

masonmi · April 2001

What if a dealership cannot duplicate the creaking or groaning sounds from the front suspension? even after the ball joints and sway bars and arms have been checked? the sounds have disappeared from my truck however could it be from something besides the suspension?

enforcer · April 2001

I have the same problem on my '97 Explorer. Most days the coolant level is fine, but occasionally it will just disappear, especially after 250 miles trips. I haven't noticed a leak so I guess that you just have to check your coolant every time you fill the tank.

Funny, my two BMWs never needed additional coolant. I guess that's just Ford's quality engine work.

mazman1 · April 2001

I'd just turn the radio up louder and try to forget about it.... it can drive you nuts otherwise...

badbug2000 · April 2001

I just bot a 01Exploere Eddie Bauer 4x2. Out of door for $31000 (8% sales tax and approx 2% registation fee) w/ Eddie Bauer standard equipment + alarm. cheap or expensive? Overall in my opion, External looking great, internal design is less than good. point of view on windshield isn't that good, rear view minor too big coz the auto lamp switch built under it. Leather seat in not that comfortable as I expected. However, internal design need to be inprove. power is strong enough. Another good thing is Interest rate only 1.9% for 4 yrs. for financing. so far my rating for this car is average+

gkl1 · April 2001

'96 ford explorer...

42k miles tranny gone
50k powersteering pump
50k squeeling noise (continues)
tires of course
These are just a few of the problems with my explorer. Now Because Ford Floods the markets with these vehicles everyone is trying to get rid of them below market value. Thus I must bite the bullet to get out of it. I guess FORD (Found on the road dead) was pretty true after all.

ace10 · April 2001

ditching your exploder on the used market. we're trying to get rid of our low miles '97. firestone and ford really screwed us nicely. a $29K explorer with 35K miles shouldn't be worth $13K +/-.

that SUCKS!!!!!

ace

tincup47 · April 2001

Doesn't set the values of used vehicles, so I find it a bit of a stretch to blame them. Factors for low values for used SUV's right now are the market is being flooded with off-lease vehicles and demand is low to due high fuel prices. The overall sales for Mid and Full size new SUVs are down 10/12% also.

ace10 · April 2001

that f.o.r.d sells inferior pieces of junk and passes them off as "quality is job one"???? give me a break. they had a much of a hand in this tire fiasco as firestone. we are the ones who are paying the price now. not ford!!! they have a new model to offer, and i can't tell everyone how happy i am to see a MAJOR FLUB in the launch of the new exploder. nothing like a shower of glass to say "WE CARE ABOUT YOUR SAFETY"!!!!!

i don't care about new vehicles sales figures. i have an exploder already. it's has been nothing but trouble and continues to be. ford placed inferior mechanicals on an inferior platform. my import suv will run circles around my exploder any day of the week, in ALL aspects. that is ford's fault, and now it is my problem.

oh, and by the way, i'm getting a "funny" feeling about with transmission again. oh well, i guess it's been 8K miles since the last one was put in at 27K miles. it's probably because i don't service it, right??? WRONG, it's because ford makes a BAD product. plain and simple. number one seeling SUV. who cares. and those of you who will talk about how many satisfied owners ther are out there.... puh-lease. there's more p.o.'ed ones at edmunds.com than ones that have anything good to say about it.

f.o.r.d., i sincerely hope that you choke on excess inventory of the new explorer.

ace

tincup47 · April 2001

That people with problems are 10 times more likely to complain than satisfied customers are likely to compliment. If Ford was truly passing off junk vehicles they would not have the highest customer loyalty of all manufacturers. Domestic vehicles have a history of lower resale and have had this problem for at least 10 years. If resale was a concern of yours, you should have taken that into account when you researched your purchase. New sales are an indicator of a soft market for a particular vehicle class, if the manufacturers are rebating new vehicles it will lower used car rates also.

masonmi · April 2001

Ace, there actually are Happy Explorer owners out there maybe you haven't seen the Happy Explorer Owners forum, i'm one of them myself I have a 97 and I haven't had any major problems just a few fixes here and there I had taken care of at the dealership, and in my opinion that goes for any make and model, you just have to find a good mechanic/dealership. as far as trade in value, is this the first time you've ever traded in a used truck? seems to me that the value starts dropping as soon as you drive them off the dealership lot, its not fair just to blame Ford Explorers, I guess it all goes back to if the Explorers were so bad why are they so popular and why are there so many of them out on the road?

ace10 · April 2001

give me the bologna line about how great the exploder is....

it sucks... and f.o.r.d. really sucks. nice roll-out of the '02 explorer. oh well, quality must be job 1001.

and yes, i have traded, in effect by leasing, suv's before, and no, the imports do not take the same hit that has been burdoned on the previous generation exploder. ford and firestone are to blame. plain and simple.

"so many out on the road" is simply due to blind fiath in domestic quality, which, by the way, AIN'T THERE! i would put ANY mid-size import suv up against any domestic, any day. no comparison.

good mechanic.... how can a good mechanic fix poor quality???? can he repair my transmission before it breaks? no, not befoe it is due for its service interval. or should i maybe get my tranny flushed every time i get my engine oil changed?? is that what i should do? what about those poor folks with the p.o.s. 4.0SOHC engines? should they have known, and gotten the OHV instead? the argument 'but there are so many explorers on the road, you must be an isolated occurance' doesn't hold any water. ford makes bad products, plain and simple. from the head gaskets blowing on the aerostar engines, to the bad trannies in the taurus/sable, to the rear windshield shattering on the new exploder, to the front end problems with the excursion, to the gas fumes problem with the escape, to the, to the, to the..... you get the picture. does toyota or honda have the same quantity of problems? NO, and they sell plenty of sophisticated vehicles. sure, they have isolated issues but not on virtually every model in their line.

the happy ford explorer owner forum is a joke. "only post here is you are happy with your explorer" bwahahahahahaha.

why aren't happy ford exploder owners posting there then. i see mostly people bitching. i personally don't know anyone who is satisfied with their '96 to '99 or later, exploder. that goes for rattles, rough transmission, firestone tires, windshield wiper oddities, etc etc etc....

oh, and thanks for the news flash that a new vehicle drops in value once it's been titled. i think that i heard that somewhere, once, but i just couldn't believe it.

and, by the way, most '97 vehicles haven't gone in for "a few fixes"! they have gone in for a few services, but only a f.o.r.d. loyalist would believe that a few problems are "normal". THEY'RE NOT. you actually sound greatful that you haven't had any "major" problems. you should e, you are one of the lucky. i personally have had a bad tranny (maybe twice), bad front driveshafts, non-recalled firestone wilderness at's, misc. electrical gremlins, underbody rust everywhere, bad gauges, a bad intake air flow sensor, and undiagnosed clunking from the front end. that's just the "major" stuff. i can, and will, [non-permissible content removed].

i've kept cars for 3 or 4 years and even bought used, and can't recall a single vehicle requiring more than one unscheduled, non wear and tear, need to be fixed.

ace

mattrichter · April 2001

Why don't we agree to day that your explorer sucks. Mine has been fine since day one, and I've had it for over seven years. I'm sorry that your experiences were bad, but not everyone is. My explorer didn't have a heater valve fail that lead to a seased engine, nor did the clutch wear out like the piece of crap in a Toyota Corrola I had (otherwise a great car). All of the manufacturers have quality problems, and I'd even agree that it appears that the domestic manufacturers have more than the rest, but to take your experiences as a justification for saying that everyone has been screwed by ford is just wrong. I haven't been screwed by them, and many other participants of this board havn't either.
I'm sorry that things havn'e gone well for you, but they have for me and my 94.

Matt

zman3 · April 2001

Ditto. Except mine is a '95.

sanandton · April 2001

While I agree with your statements and was shafted as you were with my 98 POS explorer, I might recommend a little therapy. I get mine every day as I drive my flawless 1 year old Nissan Pathfinder to and from work. Once you have experienced true quality the domestics just cause headaches. Dump your exploder get another vehicle and be happy man!

smily1 · April 2001

You said:

"why aren't happy ford exploder owners posting there then. I see mostly people bitching. I personally don't know anyone who is satisfied with their '96 to '99 or later, exploder. that goes for rattles, rough transmission, firestone tires, windshield wiper oddities, etc etc etc...."

Hi ace10. I am very happy with my 98 XLT V8 AWD with 42k. I have had no major problems with my explorer to date. No rattles. No transmission problems.....NADA! I am short of abusive with my explorer. I take it to the Pismo dunes, off road through creaks and into the snowy mountains of the Siera Nevadas. Guess what? I post in the happy ford explorer forum. You obviously didnt research. Speak for yourself and not everyone else. It is unfortunate that you are having problems. My advise to you is dump your explorer, buy a foreign SUV, and post in the appropriate forum.

ps. Anything made by human hands is bound for errors. Yours obviously more than mine.

ace10 · April 2001

this is the PERPETUAL FORD EXPLORER WOES II forum. not the saisfied/brainwashed ford explorer forum. i'll say what i want, when i want.

mattrichter- as i mentioned.. the '96 and later exploders are very problematic. yours is a '94. please pay attention to what is being said.

zman3- ditto, except that your is a '95

smily1- yours is powered by a v8 from the 60's. plenty of time to figure out how to make it works reasonably well. it also has a different tranny and awd system than the 4.0's.
also, what didn't i obviously research? i saw tons of explorers on the road and thought it would be a good vehicle. little did i know that it is a rolling piece of junk. if you have a "happy" forum, then why are you posting in here?

now back to the subject. ford and firestone have screwed those of us who are fed up with our exploders.

by the way, i also have a '98 qx4 which has had exactly one problem, and was fixed so quickly that it didn't even bother me. and to those of you who will say that the infiniti is in a different class, you're right, it works, and works well. the f.o.r.d. price was within within $3K too.

ace

masonmi · April 2001

Ace, I think we got the message that you're explorer is bad again that doesn't happen to everyone, in a previous message you kept mentioning this doesn't happen to Imports and how Imports have a better trade in, well my question is why didn't you get an Import instead of an Explorer??? Seems that you're just out to bash explorer's. if you're getting ready to sell yours why are you even bothering to post here? why not sell and buy and import.

ace10 · April 2001

if i post my opinion (post #658) and people chime in with rebuttal and additional comments, i should then not post any further?????

i made one post, stating the facts about the pathetic resale value of relatively new exploders. this began a discussion, or argument, depends on how you look at it.

why do i bother to post here? for the simple reason that i have been screwed by f.o.r.d and firestone. my asset has been impaired. i have no recourse against either company. this is my only opportunity to vent against a situation which i feel is wrong.

as i stated earlier, i already own an import suv, as stated earlier, it runs circles around my exploder. plain fact. it rides better, is better offroad and it is more reliable. i CAN form a reasonable opinion as to the relative quality of my domestic versus import suv.

so if you have a problem with exploder bashing, then may i suggest that you not follow a forum entitled "perpetual ford explorer woes 2". i have gotten some useful information from this forum in the past, ragarding some of my numerous troubles. you're in here looking for a resolution to the creaking and groaning on your exploder. my exploder creaks, groans and rattles too. sometimes it sounds like a metal ship crashing through a reef. but guess what, in my instance, the noises are pretty minor compared to trannies, driveshafts and electrical maladies.

yes the exploder is made by humans, but so are other, much more reliable import suv's. can anyone name a major make of vehicles which suffers from such constant and widespread quality issues? i named but a few of the well-known recent f.o.r.d. cases in an earlier post.

ace

njdevilsrn · April 2001

I'm surprised you even got out to drive your Explorer. Dude, get a hobby or something.

Go Explorer!

smily1 · April 2001

I bought the V8 AWD because I researched. I post here because... well I think you said it best:

"i'll say what i want, when i want."

But seriously, I enjoy reading and sharing information about the explorer whether it be good or bad.

You said:

"this is the PERPETUAL FORD EXPLORER WOES II forum. not the saisfied/brainwashed ford explorer forum.

I will make this very clear. I am not manufacture loyal. I research products not manufacturers. I am in no way standing up for ford as a company. You can read in prior posts from me that I dislike how ford operates as a company. "brain washed" is a rather rediculouse thing to say.

you said:

"I saw tons of explorers on the road and thought it would be a good vehicle." (now who sounds like they were brainwashed?)

I hope your next purchase is based on research and facts instead of the above.

Your voice has been heard and I would be as irate as you had I purchased the troubles that you did. Just responding to your own words.

masonmi · April 2001

Ace, Yes I did have creaking and groaning noises from mine though they are resolved now, thats mainly what this forum is all about posting explorer problems and getting resolutions, however if I already had an import which you say you do and you're trying to sell off you're explorer why cry sour grapes here about the lemon you have in a bashing format? its not like anyone here is going to pay for you're troubles and fixes. if you had that many problems why not look into the lemon law a long time ago. I think its time to move on and stop the bashing of explorers. I certainly hope you're import is trouble free or i feel sorry for the people in the Import forums.

flin · April 2001

Wow!
I started this topic about 2.5 years ago when I was the unfortunate owner of a 98 XLT V8 lemon. What a horrible heap it was! Mine was in the shop over 30 days in the first 3 months of ownership, and was slated for many more. My dealership (Stone Mountain Ford) was a joke, and Ford showed itself to be a company with absolutely no redeeming qualities. They tried to stick me with a dangerous, valueless headache, even going so far as to try and "fix" the "independent vehicle inspection" for the Dispute Settlement Board. From my own personal experience and talking to many others like myself, I can confidently say that Ford isn't as interested in quality control and customer service as they are in profit. Just look at Ford's history of obfuscation, denials, and coverups in cases about vehicle safety, etc.

I will never make the mistake of giving ANY of my money to Ford and its related companies (jaguar, volvo, mazda, etc.). If you are considering buying one of their products, please think harder!

That this topic is in its third year, going strong, should give you extreme pause!!

explorerchild · April 2001

I have a 99 Explorer Limited, it is the tighest car I have ever had. When I got my liscense I got a 94 Q45, I totaled it. Then I got a Blazer which is a horrible car. Last month I got my Explorer, and except for the windshield wipers which go nuts once a day it is a incredible car. Everybody should drive an Exploder.

autoreporter · April 2001

I'm a reporter working on a story about the recent 2002 Ford Explorer and mid-sized 2002 GM SUV recalls. I'm looking for an owner of one of those vehicles to interview for a story. Please send e-mail to userf@cris.com if you are interested.

Thanks

schaim · April 2001

I was rear ended 2 days ago and suffered only minor whiplash. I realized that my one piece seats gave me absolutly no protection at the back of the head as the seat height is too low.

I can't believe that they have built this supposedly macho car, for big guys like me (I'm only 6'1"), and didn't give me the protection I need and fully expected. Everyone else shorter than 6' gets protected! Is this some form of retribution against tall people? Was the designer bullied in his youth or something?

Seriously, is anyone aware of the safety issue here and if Ford is doing anything about it?

mazman1 · April 2001

I have a 2000 Explorer that had the TC tensioner recall (00M12) done about 6500 miles ago. This past weekend I noticed that the engine was again making the dieseling sound that the dealer said was caused by the TC tensioner problem (and had disappeared until Sunday).

For those of you who don't know about it, there is a warranty extension on the 1997 and newer explorer SOHC engines. The SOHC has 3 timing chains (two in the front and one in the rear) and in order to service all three, the engine must be removed from the vehicle. If the TC fails, then the engine will make a dieseling sound as it is slightly out of timing...

Has anyone else have a repeat of this dieseling since the recall upgrade?
If anyone else has this problem (again) pls let me know...

Thanks

marlin77 · April 2001

back again, at 74,900 my warr expires in 100 mi, left front wheel chirping noise, heard at low speed, forward or reverse. ususally starts after driven for a time or high speed. (would a wheel bearing be temp sensitive,,make noise when it's warmed up?)i had a that same bearing replaced 10k ago. could it be something else? it's a 96 4x4, 4.0

swschrad · April 2001

marlin, they could have tightened up that new bearing too tight when putting it in, which would have worn it to a bad one now. depending on how you drive, a munged seal could have allowed water/dirt in to the same end. if the symptoms are "whatever you had before, you got it again," congratulations, you figured it out. I have only had brake pads wear to the chirping on one car, a Buick, but I remember that was only in forward, so it's less likely.

test the bearing... jack up the questionable side so the wheel runs free, then grab the top of the tire and try to move it back and forth. if you can detect movement, the bearing is the most likely suspect... a good one should have movement in the hundredths of an inch or so when warmed up, and you shouldn't be able to see or feel that. if you can really SEE the tire move toward and away from you, things are dangerously worn (or the wheel is loose on the hub)... but a worn bearing, that you should feel as a "thunking" sort of loose.

fuzzywuzzy · April 2001

Hello, I just bought a used 2 door 94 Explorer Sport 4X4, with the 6, & manual. It has only 53K on it. Runs very good, & is very sound. I have a few questions. I do want to do a tune up, so, what plugs/wires/rotor hoses/belts, etc, are the best to use for this truck. Also, should I replace the tranny fluid with syntheic, as well as the oil? I have heard this is a good thing to do in fords. ANd since I need a sound system, I was wondering if anyone j=has used one of thos sub boxes with the amp, that uses that storage space in the hatch. I would like to know if that 1 10 is loud enough in the explorer, & is it hard to install.

Thanks

mof · April 2001

Mazman: I have a 98 EXP w/ 4.0 L SOHC engine (50K mi). I noticed the diesel noise only once when
moving the truck into my garage. The next day it was gone. Are there any other symptoms when these tensioners act up? (ie: does the engine run rough, stall?) Can you drive the truck with this noise or does it have to be towed in? I'm between a rock and a hard place with this one as I don't feel the vehicle is reliable. My dealer has the attitude that when they hear the noise, they will fix it. yeah right. Thanks for any input on this problem.

mattbart · April 2001

I have a 97 XLT with 90,000 mi. Transmission has been "hunting" in and out of overdrive for about the last 5,000 miles, only when going uphill at highway speeds. Assumed it just needed a filter and fluid flush. Tonight the "O/D OFF" light started flashing at me. Can't find the owner's manual but I'm assuming if that light is flashing it means some sort of serious problem. Anyone have any experience with this?

mookie14 · April 2001

I purchased a 2000 explorer in 7-2000 since then I had the all the front end replaced catalytic converter fixed twice. suspension problems; ball joints, control arms replaced both more than 4 times anyway. found me a lemon law lawyer. now and ford will pay I will never buy a American made car ever I have learned. classic ford in mentor Ohio sucks believe me they do do not go there. hey im one of a million but not stupid

mazman1 · April 2001

The OD light flashing indicates that a tranny sensor is not working. The dealer should be able to fix this under warranty. Is the 4x4 light functioning correctly or is that flashing as well?

mazman1 · April 2001

The diesel sound is worst when the vehicle is hot and restarted.. However., if the tensioner is gone bad, the engine will always be louder and almost choking on itself.

mattbart · April 2001

No 4x4 light flashing. It won't be fixed under warranty, the vehicle has 90k miles. It's definately something in the tranny, when I go up hills on the highway I can watch the tachometer and see the O/D slipping. At 70mph the tach ususally runs about 2 1/2. Every few seconds it will idle up to about 3, like it wants to downshift, but then goes back into O/D and goes back to 2 1/2. If I shut the O/D it doesn't slip between any other gears.

mattbart · April 2001

you seem pretty knowledeable when it comes to explorers... haven't done much of my own maintenence since my '75 dart in high school but with the money i've been putting into this thing lately i think i need to start... have you ever done the shocks? how hard are they to get at? any good recommendations? i typically have 5-600 pounds in the back and i'd like something a little beefier than the factory crap to help with the sag.

utheman · April 2001

I purchased it about a month ago. I am very pleased. The only options were auto tranny and the "sport" group. MSRP was $28595. I got it for $26800 or $648 over invoice. This was at the second dealership I went to. The first quoted me $4000 over MSRP. I laughed and walked.

One thing I don't understand is how the extra $6000 - $7000 can be justified for the EB or Limited. The XLS 4WD with the sport group has power everything, cruise, tilt wheel, CD player (the standard one that sounds great), the same 4WD system as the XLT, EB, or Limited (3 modes, computer controlled AWD, 4WD, or 4WD low range), the same 4.0 6cyl and 5 speed auto as the more expensive ones, the same standard tow package (built in hitch receiver and wiring), the same roof rack, good looking 16in. alloys, running boards, tinted windows, very comfortable standard cloth seats, and the same good looks.

Granted the EB has a certain look that I like but I could not justify the extra $7000. The XLS has everthing I need. Just my opinion.

Likes:
1. good power from the 4.0
2. good exterior appearance
3. good ride quality (for a truck)
4. it's an American made SUV
5. comfort level of the seats
6. interior room (I'm 6'3" and when I have the
driver's seat adjusted to my comfort level
and when I get in back behind the driver's seat my knees just graze the seat. Something I could not say for the 2001 or most other midsize SUV's.
7. the under floor storage compartments if you don't opt for the third seat.
8. That new car smell and feel.

Dislikes:

1. The white paint had rail dust on it. (white buyers beware. It can only be seen on very close inspection. It will look like very small dots of rust. The dealer acknowleged the exsistance of this problem on white cars and it is at the dealer right now being taken care of under warrenty. Removal of this is best left to a professional ie. labor intensive.)
2. more wind noise than I expected at highway speeds. (75mph speed limit here.)
3. a transmission that shifts sluggishly from 2-3 and 3-4 under very light acceleration. It does not have this problem under moderate to brisk acceleration. The dealer is also looking into this.
4. a rattle coming from the middle of the dash near the windshield. Also being looked into.
5. an intermitant "raspy" sound from the engine at certain loads and RPM's. Also being looked into.

I'll post again soon with the results of the dealer service.

I had a 1985 Bronco II some years ago that I bought new and I loved that truck but it was an absolute heap compared to this one. How far ford has come with their mid size SUV's.

iwasscammed · April 2001

I have a 1995 windstar now that is a very long story, however the dealership is offering to take the windstar back and let me have a 1996 XLT explorer. One owner, bought from this dealer, all service records available, but has 112,000 miles on it. I am assuming mostly highway. I have been driving the truck for a day now and have it for another. It is in immaculate condition and rides wonderful. The dealer is trying to get a two year extended warranty on it for me. The selling price is what my payoff is on the windstar $8200.00. So a equal trade as the issue with the van. How reliable are these trucks with that many miles on it? Please respond as I have to take it back on the 25th and make a decision if I want to stay in a lemon windstar or go for the high milage explorer. Thanks.
lisam1120@aol.com

utheman · April 2001

Roll the dice. You know your Wind star is a lemon. The Explorer could turn out to be a wonderful vehicle. And in the worst case scenario you will be no worse off then you are now.

mazman1 · April 2001

I swapped the Ford shocks for Bilsteins. Was easy to replace in the rear, but a lot of work for the fronts. You may need ride adjustable air shocks for the sag to be removed under heavy loads.

Good luck

mazman1 · April 2001

As for your "Made in the USA" SUV, just so you know the truth:

The engine was made in France
The tranny was made in Germany
The plastic was made in Mexico
The Tires (depends on what you have)
Michelins - Europe (France, Germany, England)
Firestones - Either Wilson, NC or Quebec, Canada
Dunlop - England
General - Canada
GoodYears - USA

Hope you enjoy your ride. See you back here when you have more problems with it.

Also, the new car smell lasts for a couple of months and comes from the glue.

cberes · April 2001

still running! After reading thru many of these posts I guess I can't complain about --

-- replacing liftgate (@46K--luckily, under Ford recall)
-- replacing brake rotors (@50K)
-- rebuilt transmission (@80K)
-- new fuel relay switch (@ 90K after 2 months of never knowing if truck would start after being parked for ANY amount of time and several lunchtime tows to the mechanic after Ford couldn't diagnose)
-- brake jobs, brake jobs, brake jobs

Other than that . . . now has 170K and seems to have "settled down." Oh, the 4WD works intermittently, but thats OK-- didn't want it anyway.

So we're hanging on for as long as possible-- hope to replace in 2002 if our luck holds. Won't be getting another Explorer or Ford product. Dealerships' service departments were worse than poor-- now use good independent. But point of this was-- I thought we had a lemon until learning of others' problems-- think we'll be checking out Saturn's 2001 offering!

bri66 · April 2001

I need advice. I have a 2000 Explorer that has had three engines in the past 15 months for coolant intruding and mixing with the oil. I now have the same problem again. What are the odd's on that? I called Ford customer service and requested they replace this Explorer with another one.......Quote " Ford does not replace vehicles, we repair them"....... I would argue that statement. The state Lemon Laws in Mass. deduct a useage fee of .25 per mile @ 40,000 miles= give Ford their lemon back and still owe them $10,000. Lawyers suck all they want is your money= more of a loss. What can I do? Any advice?

tincup47 · April 2001

Shows that the "Blind loyalty" claims that some use to explain top selling vehicles has little or no basis in fact

http://www.auto.com/industry/iwira25_20010425.htm

ace10 · April 2001

with blinders, or do you just choose to look at only some of every picture? The study was specifically, i repeat, specifically calling attention to the fact that from '99 to '00, customer loyalty declined. In case you haven't really been paying attention, the argument is about "if they're such junk, why are there so many on the road?" DUH!!! statistics change from year to year. I didn't see a trend line or historical data presented anywhere in the story. Let's compare 1993 to 1994 to 1995, and so on. From our REAL data pool at the this and the other exploder related topics, the consumers who have gotten screwed by f.o.r.d. and their exploder outnumber those who were fortunate enough to have bought one of the better vintages, say 1994.

If you're going to make a point please try to offer something beside what is basically useless data.

i think that you may have little or no basis in what the reality is regarding the p.o.s. ford exploder. read the posts. three engines, miltiple transmission, people thinking that they have a good explorer even though their wipers go beserk. puh-lease.

ace

tincup47 · April 2001

in the story (talk about blinders)"Unhappy owners usually defect to a different brand the first chance they get". You are the one who keeps repeating that consumers are so dumb they continue to buy vehicles that fall apart on them. I just don't think thats true. The people on this forum represent a very small percentage of the number of people purchasing cars or having real experiences with them. Also this being on the internet, I have a hard time believing all the stories I read here. How do I know if you even own a Ford? You may be someone who has a chevy truck with a picture of Calvin whizzing on a Ford Logo. You may never have owned a Ford for all I know. I live in the real world, work in the Auto business, and base my opinions and purchases on what I experience.

masonmi · April 2001

In my opinion people are more apt to post about their problems with their trucks or cars, just look at the titles of the topics of the conferences the majority of them are about problems, its not only Ford products.
If every car was so perfect and built without flaws why make new ones and have different makes and models

ace10 · April 2001

you've pretty much proven my original point. i am ticked off at f.o.r.d. and firestone for royally screwing the owners of the exploder. i would love to switch brands, however, as as originaly stated, the truck is pretty much worthless. this is a direct result of pathetic quality control and the covering-up of a major safety issue. your attempt to deflect my point is really weak. you will deflect, diffuse and deny. of course i own a p.o.s. exploder. i have posted about specific problems with my '97. you also chose to ignore the FACT that the article had NOTHING to do with the historical sales numbers and how people have had, repeat, have had, blind faith in the exploder due to the sheer numbers on the road. can i take your argument about this board being a small percentage of actual owners and invert it and state that the FEW people who have a later model exploder and post here at edmunds are representative of the entire group of happy owners? my gosh, your arguments are nonsensical.

i dispute that notion that a majority of the discussion are about problems with vehicles. most are labeled this versus that or a generic title. please take an actual look. reality will set you free.

f.o.r.d. sucks!

ace

tincup47 · April 2001

The Explorer is still the best selling SUV, despite the fact there are now over 50 alternatives. The fact that your 4 yr old SUV is worth 13-15,000 dollars is a problem many SUV owners are sharing. I checked the dealer ads in the Baltimore Sun last week, 97 Nissan Pathfinders, Isuzu Troopers and Toyota Forerunners were running 12-17000 dollars retail at dealerships. Face it, the gas crunch and the fact that tons of SUV's are coming off lease are the main reason prices are down. If you are updside down on a 4 year old vehicle you certainly paid too much if you bought it used, or must have financed it for way too long. You have had a bad experience, maybe you should get on with your life.I personally have had vehicles that had similar problems, I got rid of them and didn't buy another. Your blind faith comments have no facts to prove them, and common sense tells me that they just aren't true.

utheman · April 2001

That explains the happy feeling I get every time I drive my new 2002 Explorer.

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