Problems · NHTSA complaints

2002 Ford Explorer problems

Owners filed 3,613 complaints about the 2002 Ford Explorer with NHTSA between Apr 2001 and Sep 2026. The most-cited component is power train (1,576).

Complaints
3,613
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
163
Reported by owners
Fires
71
Reported by owners
Injuries
213
People reported injured
Deaths
6
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Power train1,576
  2. Structure532
  3. Suspension444
  4. Engine and engine cooling194
  5. Vehicle speed control181
  6. Electrical system179
  7. Air bags171
  8. Steering162
  9. Visibility148
  10. Service brakes, hydraulic112
  11. Equipment87
  12. Wheels79
  13. Latches/locks/linkages68
  14. Fuel system, gasoline56

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 7, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
200139
2002143
2003203
2004269
2005379
2006290
2007349
2008530
2009342
2010404
2011194
2012111
201375
201487
201564
201656
201729
201813
201912
202010
20213
20224
20232
20241
20252
20262

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Power train

1,576 reports25 crashes3 fires
“Overdrive light flashes after driving a little bit hard shifting doesn't shift into overdrive 4x4 lights indicate that it's working when the buttons are pushed but doesn't go into 4x4”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 14, 2022Power trainODI 11469181

Structure

532 reports6 crashes3 fires2 related recalls
“September 2, 2023 at about 6 pm I pulled over to grab a couple water bottles from the rear of my 2002 Ford Explorer Sport cause my engine was overheating. I got out walked to the rear of my vehicle pushed my unlatch button on the tailgate and I lifted the glass part of the rear hatch. Both air hinges were not working correctly to keep it up so I gently rested the glass on my hair that was put up in a bun and just a little bit of the glass was resting on the very top of my head where my hair was slicked back for my bun so my hands were free to grab the bottles of water. (My hair was the softest of resting place's). As I reached in the back to grab the water bottles I heard the loudest bang and hundreds of little pieces of glass fell everywhere around me. I was in so much distrot that I actually thought someone had shot at me with a fire arm but missed me and hit the rear glass instead. The top of my head was stinging and it felt like I had just been smacked with a tree branch and the glass had went all over me causing a few minor cuts and scrapes as I fell to my knees in shock my heart racing faster than I had even imagined a heart could beat while histaraclly…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 9, 2025Structure, Unknown or otherODI 11672158

Suspension

444 reports3 crashes2 fires
“The rear toe arms came unhinged or disconnected from their placement and sank down to continuously rub a groove in the inner rim. The suspension was affected, the steering was effecting especially when turning, it made the brakes stick, and made loud crunching and rolling noises. It is quite frankly dangerous. It was through no fault of mine that this happened, just weak design. I took it to a shop and they charged me all my money, but nothing was fixed.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2026Suspension, Wheels, Service brakesODI 11763182

Engine and engine cooling

194 reports2 crashes12 fires
“HEARD A KNOCKING NOISE WENT TO MECHANIC. WAS TOLD I BLEW A TWO HOLES THROUGH TIMING CHAIN COVER. WENT ONLINE FOUND THAT IT IS A RECURRING PROBLEM FOR THAT YEAR OF FORD. VERY UPSET THERE IS NO RECALL. WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST AT LEAST 2000 TO FIX. FORD NEEDS TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS. I WANT TO GO TO MEDIA TO LET EVERYONE THAT HAS THIS PROBLEM KNOW THAT FORD KNOWS ABOUT IT AND WILL NOT DO ANYTHING. APPARENTLY EVERYONE HAS TO PAY OUT THE [XXX] TO HAVE THIS FIXED. I'M NOT ONE OF THEM. I WANT MY CAR FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 4, 2013Engine and engine cooling, Power trainODI 10546818

Vehicle speed control

181 reports36 crashes12 fires1 related recall
“The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac. The contact stated that after parking the vehicle, the following day it was discovered that the cruise control switch located on the steering wheel had overheated and melted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V399000 (Vehicle Speed Control). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 120,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 31, 2023Vehicle speed controlODI 11535514

Electrical system

179 reports5 crashes24 fires
“THE ISSUES THAT I'M HAVING IS THE EXHILARATION (PICKING UP SPEED) ON A PUBLIC STREET AS WELL AS IN THE EXPRESSWAY IT HESITATES TO DO SO. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PARKED AND I GO TO SWITCH GEARS IT DOES NOT WANT TO SWITCH. THE GAUGE INDICATOR COMES ON AND THE GAS IDLE BE STUCK ON EMPTY WHEN IT HAS A FULL TANK OF GAS. WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION THE RADIO VOLUME GOES UP AND DOWN ON ITS OWN. AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT WANT TO START FOR ME ONE DAY THE VERY NEXT DAY IT STARTED RIGHT ON UP (LIKE IT WANT TO START BUT DIDN'T CATCH). ALL OF THIS STARTED HAPPENING AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER 2020”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 27, 2020Power train, Electrical system, Vehicle speed controlODI 11376670
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 7, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.