2002 Ford Explorer Sport
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
Vehicles › Ford › Explorer Sport › 2002
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
These records cover every 2002 Ford Explorer Sport. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
5 recalls name the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport. Newest first.
On certain pickup trucks, passenger vehicles, sport utility vehicles, and motor homes chassis, the speed control deactivation switch may, under certain conditions, leak internally and then overheat, smoke, or burn.
This could result in an underhood fire.
Dealers will install a fused wiring harness. owners of the passenger cars included in this campaign will be instructed to return their vehicles to their dealers to have the speed control deactivation switch disconnected as an interim repair. as soon as repair parts are available (expected october 2007), owners will be instructed to return to the dealers for installation of a fused wiring harness. the recall began on august 13, 2007, and mailing completed by september 19, 2007. owners may contact ford at 1-888-222-2751.
On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with high back seats, the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, could fracture. if the bolt fractures, the seat back may recline until it makes contact with an object behind the seat, such as the second row seat cushion.
The driver could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the driver seat upper bolt with a metal spacer and bolt. in addition, seats with tubular back frames will have the fully threaded lower recliner bolt replaced with a partially threaded bolt. the recall began on april 10, 2006. owners may contact ford at 1-800-392-3673. this IS a supplement to a previous recall campaign (03v281).
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 equipped with high back seats, the upper bolt on the driver's side high back seat, that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame, could fracture. if the bolt fractures and does not jam in the seat back frame, the seat back may recline until it makes contact with an object behind the seat, such as the…
The driver could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the driver seat upper bolt with a metal spacer and bolt. in addition, seats with tubular back frames will have the fully threaded lower recliner bolt replaced with a partially threaded bolt. owner notification began on august 29, 2003. owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
This IS not a safety recall in accordance with the safety act. however, it IS deemed a safety improvement campaign by the agency. equipment description: ford IS replacing all firestone wilderness at 15, 16, and 17 inch tires mounted on ford trucks and suvs. ford reports tread separation can occur due to a combination of the sensitivity of the tire…
Should the tread separate at highway speeds, a vehicle crash could occur, possibly resulting in personal injury or death.
The replacement/reimbursement program for this campaign expired on march 31, 2002. however, customers can contact ford at 1-877-917-3673 or go on-line to www.ford.com for possible assistance.
Suspenion and or traction was and the electrical system didnt work good
Rear window hinges failed on one side of the vehicle requiring both hinges that holds the rear window glass in place to be replaced. Dealer was able to repair hinges but the rear window IS now unable to be opened due to latch being damaged by hinges and dealer informed me that they could not fix the latch that was attached to the rear window. They referred me to a glass repair shop to do the repair.
I went to open my back window and it broke I have had many other problems with my SUV I was parked in a parking lot
Rear window exploded overnight while parked in driveway. we live in southern ca and it was a rare cold night with lows in the 30'S. Security camera's verified no one or no object damaged the window. it just exploded while parked the glass was strewn across a 3 car driveway.
Body mounts have deteriorated , mechanics I have had look at this said , should never happen , IS unsafe and they see it all the time on this year and model also have learned that this problem cause windshield to crack when I applied hard breaking.
Ford explorer cracked read panel
I noticed the rear window lift gate was slightly ajar, so I closed it, and suddenly the hinge bracket on the right side, connecting the window at the roof, popped loose, extending the window lift support, making it now impossible to close the back lift gate glass. I checked into the issue, and found a recall, campaign # 04v442000. This hinge has never been replaced. I want to have this fixed under recall.
After adjusting steering wheal up and down the harness was broken due to short harness under dash I didn't notice it until the electrical sys failed
The transmission of our 2002 explorer started slipping, jumping, jerking' surging, refusing to shift, shifting slowly and other associated things approximately 4 years ago. there IS no consistency, it does it whenever it wants, regardless of the speed, outside temperature, driving distance. I feel ford owes me a new, redesigned transmission with installation. I would like to know what ford IS doing about the problem with the transmission which was installed in this model and year explorers.
TL* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer sport. the contact stated that both rear interior child locks failed in the locked position. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer stated this was a normal occurrence. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Dispatched for car fire inside garage. 1213 arrived and reported the car was outside, next to the house, and the siding on the house was melting. 1281 arrived and assumed command at [xxx]. Fire was now extending up the exterior of the north side of the structure. a 2ND alarm was requested and consumers electric was requested to the scene. The hydrant was directly behind 1213. 1213 crew stretched a 1.75" hand line and extinguished the fire on the exterior of the house and then the fire inside the vehicle. 1211 crew assisted 1213 and also made contact with all occupants and verified that no one was injured or missing. 1212 crew was assigned interior. Ventilation was requested for the interior. Fm henson arrived on scene and was assigned investigation. Comstock 911 crew was assigned to assist 1213 with exterior overhaul. 1212 conducted interior overhaul and reported minor charring at peak of roof on the interior but no further extension. exterior overhaul was completed. fm henson determined that the fire started in the engine compartment near the firewall and more towards the driver side. this vehicle has an open recall for a speed control deactivation switch fire hazard. *tr
Started my vehicle it made a clunking noise then died. The timing chain broke and broke all the valves off the motor. *js
This IS the second time this has happened. My rear tailgate window exploded. The car had been on for about ten minutes, warming up. I loaded my items into the car through the tailgate window. When I was done, I closed the window. Before it was even closed, the window exploded into thousands of pieces. There was glass all over. the window was recently replaced at the ford dealership. *tr
TL* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that the rear glass hinges were not attached to the tailgate properly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 215,260.
Brake lights and turn signals stopped working. Problem traced to tilt steering and multi-function switch wiring harness. Broken retainer clip allows wires to be pulled from connector breaking connection for brake light and turn signal. Once tilt steering IS engaged connection IS broken and wires do not stay connected and loss of brake lights and turn signal IS the result. This could lead to accident, injury and or loss of life due to poor design. the brake light problem had eluded me until I did a google search on the internet which resulted in hundreds, if not thousands, of people all experiencing the same problem. calling the ford dealer and providing the part number (e6db14489da) on the connector proved futile in having them even identify the part yet I was able to find the part on the internet just be a google search. At this point, I am unable to locate a replacement part so I am forced to hot glue the wires into the broken connector in order to drive my vehicle. *tr
Rear door glass hatch hinges came off.this was my wifes vehicle driven very little until she passed away 2009.then it was driven even less. Back hatch glass was never used as far as I know. She always used the metal door. I drove it to grocery store,put groceries in back using large door. When I got home I just grabbed glass hatch handle by mistake,it came off in my hand.both hinges were broken. I don't know for how long,the latch was all that kept it in place.when the latch opened it exploded outward ,resulting in badly damaged paint and both rear defroster wires to be torn off glass.luckily it was me and not my wife,could have been a lot worse.lift cylinders were so strong I could not put it back in place,had to yell for neighbors for help!had it repaired local ford dealer.told me about recall for models except sport.no recall for it.$150.50(not including paint) for repairs & 10 days @ dealer.it now has 71,800 miles glass hatch never used,it has broken drivers side hinge again.07/28/2014.have not contacted dealer again as of this time. But I plan to express my concerns for such inadequate replacement parts. Any help would be appreciated.this vehicle was purchased new, never abused and well maintained. *js
While opening my rear hatch window to load groceries I noticed the top right hinge had detached from the car, leaving the glass hatch hanging by a single hinge. When I got home I googled the problem and discovered recall #04s20 and mentioned it to my dealer when I took my car in for servicing. They said my car was not included, so I called ford and they agreed. Even though the recall specifies "all ford explorer models" they say mine IS the 2-door "sport" edition and so isn't included even though the hatch IS identical (i've owned both). this IS an expensive repair and this IS the 2ND time I've had this problem (the other hinge broke 2 years ago). I'D appreciate it if you could determine if the 2-door models are sufficiently different that they can be exempted from this recall, and if they should be included tell me how to proceed. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6). *tr
The ford explorer sport has a rear hatch that includes a glass section that has the ability to be opened to load items into the trunk area of the vehicle. Three separate times the rear windshield has blown out as it has been opened / closed. The rear windshield IS made of tempered glass and when it breaks it explodes into the person operating the window. There has not been any injuries besides a few small cuts, but having glass explode into a person IS dangerous. After the first failure the glass was simply replaced. The first failure occurred as the rear glass was opened. After the second failure, the car was brought to a ford dealership to fix the issue. The second failure occurred as the glass was closed. The third failure occurred 12/1/2013, it has yet to be fixed. This most recent failure occurred as the glass was closed. *tr
When I open the back glass window, one hinge broke off. I try to set the window, the other hinge broke. I have to tie a rope to keep the glass from falling off. *tr I find on line there IS a recall for 2002 - 2003 ford explorer liftgate glass hinge and strut brackets, nhtsa campaign ID number: 04v442000. When I contacted ford dealer and ford company, they say my vehicle vin IS not covered by the recall. If other ford expolorers are covered, why my vin IS not covered? IS it because there are fewer ford explorer sport built, and less people complain about the problem? I think the recall should expand to cover all explorer build in 2002 - 2003.
While unloading items from back I had the half glass open, as I walked away the back glass just slammed down and shattered everywhere. *tr
Lift gate window hinge broke scratching the paint and hurting my hand catching it so it would not break the other hinge. Called ford the first time this happen and they say its not part of the recall which I cant figure out since this IS the third time this has happen to me since I'm the owner of my 02 explorer sport and found out this happen to the original owner once.something has to be done! I research this on line and see many other explorer owners with the same problems and the same story come on lets do something about this!!!! *tr
When trying to shift car from drive into park, the gear shift lever broke off inside the steering column and fell of in my hand. the car was still in drive and I turned off the ignition. the key could not be removed and the car was towed to the dealership. to repair this linkage part, the entire steering column had to be replaced, at a cost of over $1800. I called ford to report the incident and was told that they have no record of something like this ever happening before. they said they would add the incident to their database. I told them that I felt this was a serious safety issue and that this needs to be referred to engineering or quality assurance for investigation before someone gets injured or killed. I got the impression that ford was not going to do anything with this information. *tr
Part# 2l2z-98420a68-aa hinge and attachments for liftgate broke 08/04-2008. Recall campaign#pe04045-purchased another hinge from ford parts dept. Invoice# 216039 on 08/04/2008-they did not tell me there was a recall on this part item- bought part and replaced it myself. 08/26-2012 the other hinge broke and called 1-888-327-4226 and was told recall was over- the ford store never told me this part was recalled and charged me $43.95. Now the other side of the hatchback hinge has broken and have been told I have to pay to get it repaired myself again. Never received any postcard for recall notice. This part IS defective-both hinges have broken- I have paid for one hinge and replaced it myself and do not think I should have to replace the other one also and should be paid the $43.95 I paid not even counting my time and labor and ford should pay for the other side since this hinge IS clearly defective. *Tr
TL* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer sport. The contact stated that the vehicle body mount bushings were corroded. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the body mount bushings needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 70,000 and the current mileage was 78,000.
Body mount bushings complete failure. All mounts fail. Mounts fall completely apart and nothing left except for washers and bolts.this can causes body to move on frame..have made ford motor aware but no action taken. *js
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
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.
On july 7, 2005, the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to investigate alleged stuck throttle complaints in certain model year (my) 2002 ford explorer and mercury mountaineer vehicles equipped with the standard available 4.0L SOHC V6 engine.at that time, odi was aware of 15 complaints that alleged stuck engine throttle causing unwanted vehicle acceleration and 1 alleged crash as a result.six complainants reported that throttle control cable replacement remedied the alleged stuck throttle condition.additionally, odi was aware of a technical service bulletin issued by the manufacturer that referred to an accelerator cable design change.odi sent a letter to the manufacturer on july 18, 2005 requesting certain information about these vehicles. According to ford, approximately 234,092 subject vehicles built from august 14, 2000 (?job 1?) through october 31, 2001 used a particular accelerator cable known as a 16 lay wire design.this design IS comprised of the throttle cable surrounded by a conduit made of several concentric layers including a teflon liner, a nylon tube extruded over the teflon liner, 16 lay wires wrapped around the nylon tube, and finally a nylon jacket extruded over and around the lay wires. Ford reports that throttle control concerns related to the accelerator cable are likely caused by a migration of the inner teflon liner out of the conduit at the dash panel fitting.should the teflon liner migrate outward sufficiently to contact the accelerator pedal arm it could interfere with the pedal?s ability to return to idle.in november 2001, ford began using a new 12 lay wire design accelerator cable.this change was implemented to allow for installation of optionally available power-adjustable pedals. Field data suggests that the condition with the subject cable IS more prevalent in cold (winter) climates.of the 396 warranty claims related to the alleged defect, nearly 68% occurred in winter months and most warranty claims are associated with vehicles sold in the northeastern, northern interior (midwest), and rocky mountain regions of the united states.this seasonal trend appears to be in decline with fewer warranty claims paid in winter 2005 than in previous winters.there are no known crashes related to the alleged defect on the subject vehicles, the complaint rate IS low after approximately four years in service (3.0 incidents per 100,000 vehicles) and the failure trend IS declining.there have been no new complaints since january 2005.a safety-related defect trend has not been identified at this time and further use of agency resources does not appear to be warranted.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.odi will continue to monitor its complaint database and will receive updated complaint and warranty data from ford in spring 2006 to verify the trend analysis.the agency will take further action if warranted by the circumstances.
Complaints report failure of the rear liftgate glass support while the operator IS opening or closing the glass.the falling glass can strike the operator or bystander.the injuries reported are bruises to the head, neck or back, cuts to the face, arm or hand.on september 9, 2004, ford notified the agency that it will recall approximately 955,732 my 2002 and 2003 ford explorer and mercury mountaineer vehicles to replace the liftgate glass strut brackets and/or hinges.see nhtsa recall 04v442 for details. This investigation IS closed.
By letter dated august 4, 2003, ford notified the agency that it IS conducting a voluntary safety recall (nhtsa recall no. 03V281) involving certain model year (my) 1998-2001 ford explorer / mercury mountaineer 4-door, my 1998-2000 ford explorer 2-door and my 2001-2002 ford explorer sport and sport trac vehicles equipped with high back seats.complaints allege that the driver's seat back reclined without warning.a bolt between the upper seat recliner attachment and the seat back frame may fracture.ford will replace the bolt that attaches the seat recliner mechanism to the seat back frame on the driver side seat.based on ford's safety recall action, this investigation IS closed.
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.