2003 Ford Explorer
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Ford › Explorer › 2003
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2003 Ford Explorer. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
7 recalls name the 2003 Ford Explorer. Newest first.
Dope, inc. IS recalling 42,540 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. these headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain…
Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
Dope, inc. Will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. the safety recall began on july 28, 2009. owners may contact dope, inc. At 1-626-272-1798.
Sabersport IS recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. these headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain…
Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. the safety recall began on may 11, 2009. owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
Certain curved tempered replacement glass manufactured by hangzhou safety glass ltd and supplied to safelite by auto temp inc., identified as dot-430, and sold for use on certain domestic and foreign vehicles may not break into small pieces as expected of tempered glass and fails to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 205, "glazing…
In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant(s) may be seriously injured by shattered glass.
Safelite will notify its retail customers and replace the glass free of charge. Retail customers can contact safelite toll free at 1-888-843-2906. Safelite will notify its wholesale customers and reimburse wholesale customers for current inventory and at a specified rate for replacing their customer's glass. Wholesale customers can contact safelite's wholesale division, service autoglass toll free at 1-888-246-6298. The recall began on january 15, 2008.
Certain ck motorsports combination headlights, clear corner, bumper, and side marker lights sold as replacement lamps for use on the passenger vehicles listed above. some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning.
Ck motorsport will notify owners and replace the noncompliant lamps free of charge. the recall began on july 1, 2006. owners may contact ck motorsport at 1-909-610-7211.
Certain pro-a motors corner lamps, turn signals, and headlights sold as replacement lamps for use on certain passenger vehicles listed above. some combination lamps that are not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform to federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
Without the amber reflectors, the vehicle will be poorly illuminated, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash without warning.
Pro-a motors will notify owners and offer to repurchase the lamps. the recall began on april 3, 2006. owners may contact pro-a motors at 323-838-2988.
On certain sport utility vehicles, the liftgate glass strut may become disengaged or the hinge may fracture allowing the glass to fall and possibly break.
If the hinge should fracture, there IS a potential for the glass to fall and ultimately break and personal injuries could occur.
Dealers will have the liftgate glass strut brackets and glass hinges replaced. for the vehicles built from august 1, 2000 through march 3, 2002, the dealers will replace the hinges and liftgate strut bracket. on vehicles built from march 3, 2002 through june 23, 2003, the dealers will only replace the hinges. the recall began on september 30, 2004. a postcard was sent to owners on december 27, 2004, advising them that parts are now available. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
Certain pickup truck, van, and MINI van conversions equipped with southern comfort built running boards that contain certain courtesy lights manufactured by american technology components, inc. these units contain a courtesy light or lights that might overheat when the wire harness IS exposed to excessive moisture and road salt.
This overheating condition can cause the running board to melt or cause a fire.
Dealers will replace the wiring harness on these running boards. owner notification began march 7, 2003. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact southern comfort at 1-800-745-6096.
The contact rented a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed with the seat warmer activated, after arriving at a Rest Stop and exiting the vehicle, the contact became aware that a blister had formed on the back of her left thigh. The contact attributed the blister to a burn sustained while using the driver's side seat warmer. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic, but instead was returned to the rental company. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,253. The VIN was not available.
There is a crack down the middle section of the liftgate for quite some time. The liftgate has been unlocking and opening automatically by itself. On only rare occasions has the liftgate opened all the way while driving. On the morning of 7/28/2022 while the vehicle was parked in my driveway the liftgate was discovered to have again unlocked by itself and opened slightly and now with one of the two hinges holding the glass sheared leaving the liftgate glass hanging by only one hinge. With the glass now hanging without having both hinge supports functioning and the inability to close and lock the liftgate, 1) the glass could fall out while driving and 2) with the liftgate unable to now close and lock, contents of the back storage area could fall out of the vehicle while driving. On 8/1/2022 the vehicle was inspected by the foreman of the Service Dept. at Healy Ford, Goshen, N.Y. I was told to take it to a body shop for realignment repair. Apparently a recall on 9/13/2022 # 04V442000 did not include my Vin. However, In driving around I do see many 2003 explorers with the identical crack on the liftgate.
Head lights are cloudy given poor visibility. Back hatch door has a crack.
The contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 25-35 MPH around a curb, the driver thought that the tire was flat. The contact pulled off the road and noticed that three of the wheel studs on the driver’s side rear wheel had sheared off. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and it was confirmed that the studs had sheared off and that there was also a fractured wheel stud on the passenger’s side rear wheel. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 115,000.
Hello my name is [XXX] just writing you cause my neighbors have program my vehicle meaning they hack my 2003 explore pretty much they want to take over my driving they trying to dominate me in this matter when in reality is not going to be possible that's why I come to your people's corporate plus they have invade my family privacy they have a gang organization watching me every where I go had few confrontation they just want me to confront them so they could put me in jail this is not going to happen i apologize for the inconvenience I told police regards this matter they didn't do nothing about it . INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
TL* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. The contact stated that the front driver's side wheel detached due to the control arm being corroded. The contact called elder ford (777 john r rd, troy, mi 48083, (248) 825-8646) and was advised to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was later taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the metal of the upper control arm was not a good metal; therefore, the control arm was corroded through and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and was not taken to a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Shifter broken inside steering column. Stopped at a gas station when putting into park it broke. Had to keep my foot on brake paddle for 2 hours until two truck arrived
2003 ford explorer. Consumer writes in regard to defective throttle in model vehicle. *As *tr
Vehicle was in motion, moving through an intersection on a city street and involved in an accident. no air bags deployed at all.
Engine stops while driving (stalls in motion while turning on street and highway) restarts without problem, has happened twice now 30 days apart.
2003 ford explorer. Consumer writes in regard to malfunction to company's rear wheel bearing. *as *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. Within a month of owning the vehicle, an independent mechanic stated that the brake system needed servicing, including the rotors and brake pads. The vehicle was not diagnosed by a dealer. The manufacturer was notified and had not issued any brake system recalls; however, there were ten tsbs for the brake system. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was not available.
This suv's are getting hot during the texas weather, why are not including a solar fan installed to keep the air circulating in the SUV, technology IS changing why are not adding the system ???
Rear window lower panel plastic cracking up, replaced three times, still cracking due to no support and bending too much, I called ford does not care if continues cracking up, it looks ugly also panels can cause an accident to other cars getting into their windshields loose parts. They know about the problem and not fixing it.
The problem the seat belts does not have enough tension to retract consequently getting on the door lock mechanism, causing the door not to lock, to stay open unsecured also damaging the seat belt, it does no have a way to increase the tension which it should have. It damaged my door seal, my lock mechanism and the belt too.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. When attempting to close the rear window, the contact noticed that the rear liftgate window hinges were cracking and were tilted on one side. The contact, a certified master technician, stated that the window needed to be replaced. The contact called fort mill ford at (866) 680-5276 (located at 801 gold hill rd, fort mill, sc 29708) and was informed that the vin was not included in any recalls. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to nhtsa. The approximate failure mileage was 133,000.
Exhast manafold has crack in it and screws came lose and fell out wihich created fumes in car.
All side airbags deployed without accident. Deployment happend while my wife and 4 year old son was in the vehicle driving approximately 30-40 miles per hour down a straight road in long valley new jersey. This road IS smooth, level and free of pot holes etc. Unable to see because of the downed airbags and smokey dust like material from the airbags she pulled off the road as best she could.
Whenever we are driving in the car, my wife and I get dizziness and nausea. my wife and daughter say there IS an eggy smell sometimes. Mostly, no odor but an overwhelming sense of dizziness only when we are in that car to the point we avoid driving as much. This has been ongoing for years. I thought it was a seal issue creating a weird pressure inside the car until in my research for a solution I came across news stories on carbon monoxide in other ford explorers.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving 65 mph, the temperature gauge increased to high and the vehicle caught fire under the hood without warning. The air bags did not deploy. There were no injuries due to the fire. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 160,000.
Vehicle was parked when rear window exploded after door closed. Shards of glass flew outward
Broken gear shifter
Shift lever broke off inside steering column of my wife's explorer when changing from park to drive to exit from a boat launch ramp with no boat on the trailer. Vehicle was towed on a flatbed wrecker to my garage. Broken element ( see photos) was not replaceable by itself. Steering column had to be replaced. This was not normal wear and tear, but rather a faulty /weak component that represents a danger. I have noted reports of identical incidents online. Thus far, neither the dealer nor ford national "customer service" IS prepared to reimburse.
I contacted ford regarding recall with the lift gate. there was recall in 2004 for my vehicle that was taken care of in 2005. in 2016 the same thing happen where the lift gate bolts broke and the gate fell and the glass shattered all over me. I went through my insurance company and got it repaired. at the time I didn't know it was recall I bought the car used so I had no idea of the call. ford told to contact a dealer the dealer shop manager told me ford will not refund my deductible since they repaired it under the recall. all I want IS my 250 back because the same thing happen that they so called repaired. IS there any way you can assit me. I do have my bill from the repair shop that my insurance state farm took care of. the vehicle was parked I was closing the lift gate when it fell down and glass shattered.
TL* the contact owns a 2003 ford explorer. While driving approximately 10 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning and crashed into a ditch. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact and four bystanders pushed the vehicle into a residential driveway. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 108,412.
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
This investigation is being closed based on several considerations.By the most inclusive counting of all alleged rollaway incidents (i.e., counting all alleged rollaway incidents and assuming a singular failure mechanism), the incident rate is low, however during EA09-013, ODI identified a number of different failure mechanisms in 180 incidents related to the alleged defect.The highest rate for any particular failure mechanism, the failure of the Automatic Transmission Parking System, was 4.4/100K.The next-highest failure rate was for the BSI System, at 3.4/100K.For all identified failure mechanisms there has been a drastically declining trend including very few incidents occurring in recent years.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist.For additional information regarding this investigation, see the complete closing resume in the document file for EA09-013. The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed at www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification (ODI) numbers:10168454, 10279630, 10280078.
In response to an information request (ir) letter sent by the office of defects investigation (odi), ford stated consumer reports of higher than expected efforts when shifting into and out of park could be a result of a groove being worn into the swing arm ramp of the steering column. The swing arm IS a component bolted to the steering column that assists in shifting through the transmission gears.an engineering evaluation conducted by ford of returned steering columns found the groove could be created over time if consumer shift more quickly from the drive or reverse to park than the brake shift interlock (bsi) solenoid pin retracts after the brake pedal IS applied. In november of 2004, ford released a redesigned bsi solenoid with a shorter pin retracting time as a serviceable component. Ford has noted the shorter retraction time significantly lessens the likelihood of bsi solenoid pin to swing arm contact even with rapid consumer shifts.ford also issued a technical service bulletin, tsb 04-22-12, to instruct service technicians on the proper diagnosis and vehicle repair. Reviewing complaints to odi and data submitted by ford, odi has identified 200 alleged incidents of unintended vehicle movement after consumers believe they have shifted the vehicle into park, resulting in 85 alleged crashes and 32 alleged injuries.in addition to the reports of alleged incidents of unintended vehicle movement, odi has also identified 883 reports of consumers alleging difficulty or the inability to shift the vehicle into park.this preliminary evaluation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea09-013) to further assess the scope, frequency and risk to motor vehicle safety of the alleged defect in the subject vehicles.
On september 6, 2005, odi received a petition requesting that the agency investigate allegations of engine spark plug ejection in certain model year 1997 through 2004 ford vehicles with triton V-8 and V-10 engines.odi received a total of 474 non-duplicative complaints on the subject vehicles where the complainant, or the dealer repairing the vehicle, reported that a spark plug detached from the cylinder and/or ejected from the engine.as of december 8, 2005, odi IS not aware of any allegations where the alleged defect resulted in a loss of vehicle control, a crash, an injury, or a fatality in any of the 10,319,810 subject vehicles.in addition, odi IS aware of only two incidents where the vehicle stalled without restart.information contained in the odi consumer complaints and obtained from 72 telephone interviews with complainants showed the following:(1) 99% of the complaints were on my 1997 to 2002 subject vehicles.(2) most the complainants reported hearing a loud pop while driving or upon starting up the vehicle followed by a loud, repetitive clicking or popping sound.(3) many of the complainants reported that the popping sound was accompanied by some loss of vehicle power; however, in 99% of the incidents reported, the vehicle did not stall.in the very few incidents where the vehicle did stall, most vehicles could be restarted.(4) only a small percentage of the complainants cited that they smelled gas or a slight burning smell when the incident occurred.(5) in all but a very few incidents, vehicle damage was limited to the engine.in one incident, the complaint reported that the fuel rail was damaged and replaced after one of the spark plugs ejected from the engine; however, the complainant reported that the damage did not result in any type of fuel leak or fire.in another incident, the only incident where a fire was alleged, the complainant reported that no fluid leak was observed, but that a fire resulted after the spark plug had ejected from the engine and he had restarted the vehicle and driven to another location.none of the complainants reported any damage to the vehicle hood.(6) only two complainants reported that they observed what appeared to be some drops of fuel coming from the cylinder where the spark plug had failed or on the spark plug itself; however, each of these complainants reported that there was no smoke or flames as a result of his incident.as the petitioner noted, and odi?s analysis showed, it IS possible for a spark plug to detach from the engine cylinder threads in the subject vehicles.however, odi?s analysis of 474 complaints describing such incidents found only a very few alleged any safety-related consequences.none of these showed any evidence of a serious safety consequence.given the large population and relatively long exposure time of the subject vehicles, the complaint analysis indicates that the risk to motor vehicle safety from the alleged defect IS very low.in view of the foregoing, it IS unlikely that nhtsa would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize nhtsa?s limited resources to best accomplish the agency?s safety mission, the petition IS denied.
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.