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Ford Explorer Door and Body Questions

ghauserghauser Member Posts: 6
edited April 2014 in Ford
The location of the '06 interior door grab handles is an abomination. I added grab pockets to the armrests of mine, cutting a hole and adding a pocket from a farm tractor cab door. It looks factory. If you want to know more, e-mail me and I'll send you photos and a discussion of what problems you could encounter. annagary@netins.net
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Comments

  • lcarbenlcarben Member Posts: 2
    For a few days now, my 2002 Ford Explorer has been experiencing some electrical problems.
    1. The door ajar light stays on continuously.
    2. The power door locks do not engage when driving.
    3. The overhead light stays on continuously.(I had to remove it because it got so hot)

    I had checked the fuses and they are all tight and look ok (I do not know what a blown fuse looks like)

    Can someone offer any advice?

    Thank you
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Give Ford Explorer: Problems & Solutions a try.

    tidester, host
  • lcarbenlcarben Member Posts: 2
    Thank you. ;) I did look in that area and found a solution.

    [QUOTE] I have this problem with my 96 XLT sometimes. I have discovered that it is the glass hatch and it has something to do with the latch. I sprayed the glass window hatch mechanism with a good amount of WD-40 and it hasn't happened since. I think this is a Ford issue because I have a co-worker who's Expedition did the exact same thing. [QUOTE]

    I sprayed all the latches on my explorer and problem solved! :)
  • wendyjhwendyjh Member Posts: 1
    Hello, I just bought a 96 Explorer Sport.
    They gave me only one key.
    The one key works fine on both front doors and ignition.
    However, I am unable to use it to turn the lock on the rear door/ tail gate/hatch/window, which ever, whatever it's called.
    Unable to open the rear door or window.
    It is locked.
    Did this model and year require two keys?
    One separate key for the back entry door?
    Is there an inside button or lever to release the back?
    Please HELP ME!

    WendyJH
  • jamiloujamilou Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 Explorer that has child safety locks on the rear doors. The problem is the child safety locks won't unlock even when it is switched to the off position. Any suggestions on fixes?
  • ronnielronniel Member Posts: 1
    I am unable to unlock the drivers side door with the key. I have removed the door panel, and it am able to unlock if I slightly lift the shaft that is connected to the door handle. This shaft has a bright yellow plastic bolt on the end of it. Is there a way to adjust this shaft? Is there another way to correct the problem?
  • dlackmonddlackmond Member Posts: 1
    The same exact problem hit my explorer last friday . please someone come up wit5h a fix.
  • ahoronahoron Member Posts: 30
    Try spraying wd-40 in the lock cylinder use the red tube that comes with the can and insert in the cylinder. Had the same problem on a 98 that fixed it and if not you only wasted a few minutes. also place a rag over the tube so as not to get it on the paint
  • daleosdaleos Member Posts: 1
    I own a 99 Explorer. It is 6 degrees here in Billings, MT and my battery is dead. I cannot open the hood to jump start or replace the battery. The hood latch in the interior below the dash has a lot of slack in the cable, so no matter how much I pull the latch, the hood will not pop open. Is there a way to open the hood from the outside? Please help!
  • bonnettvbonnettv Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem with my 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac that I just purchased the end of 2006. I didn't know at the time when I bought it because I didn't sit in the back seat and shut the door. It wasn't until I took my kids to school that next monday that we found that out. Has anybody found a fix to this problem?
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Why not just park the info on your CarSpace page or make a Guide there; be easier than trying to track you down all the time. ;)

    There's a good place to upload your photos at CarSpace too.
  • ghauserghauser Member Posts: 6
    Steve -- I'd like to do that, and have created my page. But I don't see how or where to put the information. Help?

    Gary
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The first thing I'd do is upload your photos to an Album on your CarSpace page. It's easy - the add photo stuff browses your local computer drive and it's just point and click from there. [Edit - oh shoot, you've done that - you're way ahead of me. :shades: ]

    Then look at the Guides tab at the top of the site there - that link will open to some text boxes that will let you enter your mod information. Then follow the Submit a Guide link on the left side to open the editing section for a new guide.

    When you get down to the Guide Details section, there's a button you can use to insert images along with your modification text if you wish. That button will ask for the URL link for the image, and you can find the URLs easily by viewing the photos you previously uploaded to your CarSpace Album (the links are set out in boxes beneath each photo for easy copying and pasting).

    Let me know if you get stuck (you can email me too; click on my name in the post title to get my contact info).
  • ghauserghauser Member Posts: 6
    Modification information and photos are now posted in "Guides"
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I read your guide with complete "do it yourself" instructions....excellent, and thank you!!

    Howard
  • ghauserghauser Member Posts: 6
    Thanks for the kind words, nvbanker. I now hate my Explorer much less than I did at first. Another fix I did was much less elegant than the armrest pockets: I taped a piece of lightly-fogged film over the exceedingly-bright high beam indicator. Ugly, but it serves the purpose until I can think of something else. Incidentally, with a light meter I measured the high beam lights' light reflected from a white target at 120 yards, both with my '02 Explorer which has projector beams, which are the high beams, integrated into the low beam housings, and with the '06. I found 13% less light from the '06. But of course. They have done away with the projector beams and replaced them with the turn signal bulb. Now they are faced with the problem of placing both the low beam filament and the high beam filament at the focal point of the quasi-parabolic reflector, which they really can't do. (That's the reason companies went to the quad headlight system back in 1968 or whenever it was.)
    Cheers!
  • rmncoknmermncoknme Member Posts: 18
    I also have a 99 Explorer, and this happened to me. On mine, the hinge on the primary hood release was rusted. If you have a flashlight, shine it into the hood release mechanism just below the hood. You will see the hook. Take a long screwdriver, about 1/2" wide, and put it into the hook. Turn it to disengage (pushing the hook upward). Probably best to hit it with some lubricant if you can before trying; in the best of luck this might just pop it loose and you can skip the screwdriver. When I finally got mine open, I took the hook assembly out and gave it a thorough lubrication with a lube that leaves a dry wax behind (bicycle chain lube of all things), and opened/closed several times to verify all was smooth.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    Hadn't noticed any distress from the High-Beam indicator in mine, but now that you bring it up, I'll check it out tonight and see if it can irritate me. I find it interesting the changes made over the years, most of them great, some of them just moronic, and you wonder who designs some of these things. This is my 6th Explorer/Mountaineer, so I've been through all the iterations. My 98 was kind of the high water mark in some ways, as it had the 5.0L motor which was a powerhouse of torque and reliability, and the 4AOD transmission - also a hallmark of durability. They were nimble, if not tippy.
    The 02 had the genius of the 3rd seat, and a better ride from the IRS, but the fabulous seats were gone, and cheap seats were in, and the second seat became unremarkable. The 4.6L was good, but the gear ratios with the 5 speed were goofy - you had some hesitation out of the hole, and yet it ran out of steam at high speed rather quickly, and wasn't that great for towing. The 06 with the 6 speed and increased HP seems to have corrected all of that. Now that it shifts well, it runs much more like my 97 and 98 did. If it weren't for that damn door panel, it would be about perfect, as the seats are better also!
  • ghauserghauser Member Posts: 6
    Good observations. My 06 seems a bit more willing to shift down -- as at the slightest provocation -- than I'd like, which I wonder if is responsible for the poorer mileage I'm seeing compared with the 02. But to try to be fair, it is winter and it isn't broken in yet so I'm willing to give it a chance.
    Incidentally, as an addendum to the door pocket guide I should make formal recognition of what should be obvious: if you do it you now have a hole in the top of your armrest. If you have pointy elbows and find that you rest them there, you may not want to do the mod, or else find a smaller cup to use. It isn't an issue for me because in my driving position (I sit way back), my elbow misses it, but my wife's distance from the steering wheel lets hers come in the wrong place. Fortunately, she drives it but seldom, so we're still friends.
    I agree the seats are very good, the car is very quiet and the ride is great.
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    I'm getting the best mileage ever from the 06 - and I credit the transmission, since the motor is the largest output yet. It is my wife's car mainly, so I have not yet modified the armrest as I am afraid of her complaint about her elbow plus, she doesn't mind the ridiculous pull handle like I do. She also loves the open handle, which I also think is sort of offbeat. Personally, the door panel in the 04 we still have is about perfect for me. Hope they go back to it.
  • pimpjuicepimpjuice Member Posts: 3
    hey i have a 1995 explorer controltrack 4x4 i have the same problem it came with one key it will fit in the back door lock but will not turn it let me know what you find out please
  • rappwizardrappwizard Member Posts: 3
    Thanks, I am going to try this. I have a '98 EB and the same thing happened, but to the front passenger side door. By lock cylinder, I am assuming you mean where the key goes in, the cylinder on the outside.

    My husband is using the car today, so I am going to try it when he gets home.
  • rossi6998rossi6998 Member Posts: 2
    I also have the same problem with my 2006 Ford Explorer. Is this normal???
  • coach8coach8 Member Posts: 3
    I need to remove the trim on the back hatch door. How difficult is it to get the trim off? Does it pry off ? Is it easy to break ?
  • coach8coach8 Member Posts: 3
    Any help on trim removal would be a help...as I never did it before.....
  • allyballyb Member Posts: 1
    My hatchback wouldn't open a couple of times before and now won't open at all,although the window still will. When I squeeze the handle, nothing....Any suggestions on how I could fix it myself or find a schematic of the interior workings so I could figure it out? Anyone else have this problem?
  • nvbankernvbanker Member Posts: 7,239
    This happened to us once on our 04 Mountaineer - turned out to be something that had spilled in the back, and stuck the door to the seal so tightly, they had to kick it open from the inside. The dealer paid to clean it out, very nice of them, since it wasn't their fault.
  • pddws5pddws5 Member Posts: 1
    Unfortunately that piece is glued onto the glass. If it cracked like mine just did, contact your dealer because they have been aware of the problem since '04. There is a safety bulletin out about it so they should fix it.
  • kknippingkknipping Member Posts: 1
    I am having the same problem. I have brought it in 4 times and they still cannot fix it.
  • dutchshotdutchshot Member Posts: 5
    I have a 92 Explorer with a moonroof. The moonroof is stuck in the open position and the switch is gone(bought it this way). Is there anyway to manually close this? the wiring that is hanging down from the roof where the switch was has no hot wires. I would like to get it working, but closing it is top priority for now.
    thanks for any help.
  • airforceairforce Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD with 120K miles. I'm hearing air in the front of my vehicle when I hit 45 miles and up. It sounds like the window is partially down. I put in a new windshield and I still hear the air. Seals around the doors look good. But it appears to be coming from the driver side. Any suggestions?
  • airforceairforce Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 Ford Explorer XLT 4 WD. When I reach 65-70 MPH there is a slight humming sound and vibration when I coast or accellerate. I have rotated tires and even bought new front tires. It appears to be coming from the front right side of the vehicle. It vibrates the whole truck. Not that bad but it is noticeable. I don't know if its the wheel bearing, rotors needing to be turned or what? If someone has experienced this pls tell me the resolution! It doesn't need an alignment.
  • michael2002michael2002 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 2002 early model explorer. V8, 4x4;
    My drivers door, door lock switch, will not activate the locks only if then key isn't in and turned on. When the key is turned the door lock works in the drivers door. The passenger and lift gate swith works all the time. The key pad doesn't work when I press 7/8, 9/0 to lock the doors. When I use the remote everything works. When I press the lock twice the horn sounds twice. At different times the alarm will sound after unlocking with the remote or the keypad and opening the door.
  • dennisb1918dennisb1918 Member Posts: 1
    I have a problem with my fan It will go into high mode when I am driving but the auto switch is not engaged. I have noticed when I hit bumps in the road it sometimes goes on to high setting, also if I close the passenger door it will also go to high.
    The message center sometimes flashes on and off, the direction now is showing SW most of the time.
    I have recently had a new alternator and battery changed, at that time my remote key door opener stopped working and the door open switch to the driver side does not work.( I had it put on the passenger side to check the swith and it does work on that side.)
    I also get a lot of static on my radio more times than not.
    Can anyone offer any suggestions?
  • lltrasklltrask Member Posts: 1
    I have a 98 Explorer and the drivers door latch broke last night and the lock is stuck in the open position. I can't get the latch unstuck and the door won't shut. Please help.
  • fordnut586fordnut586 Member Posts: 1
    I had the same problem. new rotor come with racer already installed, push out the racer and install the the racer that came with the new bearing.... and dont forget to torque the center nut that hold the rotor onto the spindle.
  • wildbennywildbenny Member Posts: 5
    can someone send me how to enter new numbers in my key pad
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Your manual should tell you how to change the keypad numbers. If you don't have a manual, you can download one from Ford.

    Ford Owner Manuals

    The factory code is on a card in your owner's manual. If you don't know your factory code (needed to enter a new code), sometimes you can find the code on a sticker on the computer module somewhere under the dash or behind the radio/cd. The dealer can find the code with their scan tool, but that'll cost you.
  • wildbennywildbenny Member Posts: 5
    thanks guys yea i dont have a manual
  • fordo4fordo4 Member Posts: 1
    Hi- I am having the same exact problem with my '02 XLT- did anyone ever solve the problem. I just had it in to the dealer and they think it is a wiring short, but I don't think that is the case, especially when I read someone with the exact same problem as mine.
  • 97fordexplorer97fordexplorer Member Posts: 5
    Can you tell me where the door sensors located?
    Our Explorer is getting a "door ajar" light on . It is sporadic. Of course no door is actually open.

    Thanks for your help!!M
  • msmith455msmith455 Member Posts: 1
    Good luck getting this fixed. I have read some forums that say to spray WD-40 on the door latch and close the door about 20 times. Some say bad door sensor (located inside the door). Some people say they have spent over $300 at the dealership trying to get this fixed. I mentioned it to my ford dealership and they acted like they never heard of it before. I met a guy in the waiting room who had the same problem on his 1993 ford truck.

    I had the same problem. Well, it started out the same. Then it got worse. When I am driving the locks will intermittently cycle and the door ajar buzzer will beep like 50 times in a row. Now the car won't lock because it thinks a door is open, so if I lock it the alarm will go off about 15 seconds later (even though the car was never alarmed).

    It seems like a lot of fords have this problem. I will never buy another ford.
  • michael2002michael2002 Member Posts: 2
    Yes i was able to fix the problem. I removed the door panel on the drivers door. When testing ground and hot, I noticed my ground was hot (12v). I found a broken 12v wire in the wires that go to the door lock cluster. It was a larger black wire. I removed the door,(have help doing this please), and sttretched out the complete wiring harness. If one was broke, there was a good chance more was. There was only one, I spliced, soldered, and covered the splice. All the problem was fixed. I wish you the best, remember to recheck your door alignment the next day, you might have to realign it.
  • 97fordexplorer97fordexplorer Member Posts: 5
    NOT what I wanted to hear!

    We have someone looking into it. We are experiencing exactly what you stated.

    We have someone looking into it, if it gets resolved, even temporarily, I'll update the thread.

    Thanks for the reply! M
  • luckysgirlluckysgirl Member Posts: 1
    I did the WD-40 solution, and it seems to have worked for now. Sensors are located in the latches in the door.
    Good luck!
  • 97fordexplorer97fordexplorer Member Posts: 5
    We did the same thing, WD-40, so far so good as well!
  • kerchevalkercheval Member Posts: 2
    We experienced the same door ajar problem. HOWEVER, it has now escalated to being on all the time AND now the alarm will come on for no reason. I have been searching the web and found lots of other people with the same prob, but no solution yet. If anyone can tell me how to disconnect the door and anti-theft alarms i would really appreciate it.
    Thanks
    les
  • kerchevalkercheval Member Posts: 2
    I fixed the problem by simply disconnecting the door sensors. To do this:
    1. remove door panel
    Remove the screws holding door panel.
    Front panel has 2 screws at bottom, Rear door panel only 1.
    Then genttly pry off the door handle panel. start at the front-bottom and pull toward the front.
    Then remove the elec window button panel.
    Then unsrew the 1 small screw you can see after these panels are removed.
    Note: these screws are hex heads 1/4 ".
    Unplug the power window socket.
    Now pull up and the door panel will simply lift out.

    2.disconnect the door sensors
    There are 2 sensors, 1 is your power door locks and the other is the door sensor.
    The door sensor is on the outside and is the smaller two wires.
    Cut these two wires,peel back the insulation and twist them togather.

    3. Tape and reassemble.

    Good Luck. Tell me how you did. If need any more help email me .
    Les
  • leon706leon706 Member Posts: 1
    The passenger doors will not open from the inside. The child locks are off and I have replaced the inside door handle. For some reason only the inside bar is not raising the door mechanisms to open the door. Anybody got a fix for this or can tell me how much it cost to have repaired? The problem is not with the handle itself.
  • 2birdz2birdz Member Posts: 1
    I bought a 2006 Explorer from Carmax a few days ago. The car came from up north. I took it to my mechanic today to check it out. He came back shaking his head. He said that the car ran fine but it had a LOT of rust all over the bottom where ever there was exposed metal, especially on the drive shaft. He said the drive shaft rust wasn't just small starter rust, there were big flakes. He said he always avoids cars from the north. He said "I can't tell you what to do, I'm just telling you I don't buy cars from the north." All the bolts around tires wells, frame cage, etc have rust. What do I do? My mechanic was unhappy, he said if the car was 5 or 6 he wouldn't worry but this is only a 2 year old car.
    Carmax says that there is no problem with the car having the rust. It passed their inspections so it would be ok. WILL IT? Can anyone tell me what kind of problems this can cause?
    Thank you in advance for your help.
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