Plastice parts are deteriorating, desolving in front inside drive sun visor-lighted visor broke off; centerl rear a/c and heat moon roof light console falls off-plastice clips desolved and will not fasten into roof assembly, causing blocked eyesight and at time on right turn hitting head or eyes . This is unsafe and ford motor knows of complainst. Part are not availble. This is a highway safety issue. The model was the eddie bauer top of the line $40,,835 car fmv $5000 only 54000 miles pri level code 450240u74 ship wgt 4357
Electrical system
2004 Ford Explorer Electrical problems
Owners have filed 62 complaints about the 2004 Ford Explorer's electrical system with NHTSA - 4% of all its complaints, most recently on July 20, 2019. They describe 1 crash, 2 fires and 0 injuries. Dead batteries, warning lights, wiring, alternators, infotainment and electronic module failures.
- Complaints
- 62
- Recalls
- 0
- Crashes
- 1
- Fires
- 2
- Injuries
- 0
- Deaths
- 0
Electrical complaints
Instrument panel cluster gauges and odometer drop to zero at times while driving, and I don't know my speed and well as rpm's. Afraid the engine might slow down or stop creating a possible freeway accident. On line there are several complaint about this problem.
All four seals where leaking including pinion seals. Clunking noise 40 to 50mph when you let go of the gas ,holds back,heater gauge+mph gauge don't work most.Of the time.Paint chipping away all over.Replaced all seals 5 times +yoke cvhalf shaft. Replaced front differential still making the noise.Poor lighting at night.It has a miss fire gave it a tuneup and still is doing it. Radio volume won't turn down it goes louder when turning down.
Brake lights came on by themselves, both while driving and at a standstill. I could pull the on the brake peddle but when I shut the door the brake lights would come on. When driving it must have been confusing to people behind me thinking I kept applying the brakes. I took it to a shop to have the brake light switch replace and found that there wasn't a replacement switch available and a different one hd to be wired in at the cost of over $180.00.
While driving down the street I activated the cruise control feature, but when I deexcellerated using the the steering wheel cruise control buttons down to a speed below 40, the engine shut off and power steering off, while I was still in motion on the street. I had to put the vehicle into park and crank up again (which almost didn't crank back up), to get back running. This is the first time using my cruise control feature and have read other horror stories of their ford explorer shutting off mid drive due to using the decel button during cruise control. Must be recalled for highway and interstate safety hazard immediately.
The throttle would not respond after starting. Electronic throttle control and engine service warning lights lit on dash. Engine would not rev over 1000 rpm. Had to get electronic throttle body replaced at a cost of $875 plus $65 towing. Electronic throttle control failure has been common fords going back to 2002. Ford has replaced over 1.6 Million units under their consumer satisfaction program. However, there was no recall. Called ford, and was assigned a case #, however, ford would not assist with payment. Vehicle out of warranty. 31,155 Actual mileage
My suv shuts off, at full speed!!! I've been in contact with ford's corporate office, dealerships and other mechanics..... It is an issue that tens of thousands of ford explorer owners have had. There are thousands of complaints online! It is so common that mechanics know what you're talking about, before you finish a description of the problem. It's alsoi common for individuals to replace motors and continue to have their vehicles shut off on them, at full speed!!!. I am afraid for my child's safety, as well as my own.
Complete engine failure while driving. Service engine soon light appeared 2 days previous but did not yet make it to the mechanic. Computer reading suggested a sensor problem. Engine shut down, lost power steering and all systems. Engine restarted but now idles rough.
Driving down the road at 10:52 pm and with no warning the entire truck shut down/off. All lights inside and out shut off, engine shut off, no power to the entire vehicle. Coasted to a stop, put it in park and turned the key off and then back on - the truck started right up with out a problem. *Tr
Good morning, my car was parked in the driveway, not running, 11:15pm, when horn started to continuously and would not stop. Smelt wires burning. I started the car and was attempting to move it out of my neighborhood and upon driving, I tapped the horn and it stopped. Smell of wires burning. It happened again, yesterday am and today am, on the way to go, and I hit the horn and it stopped. Can this be airbag related??? I am scared to drive my car, fearing the airbag will open or a fire is going to start. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the service engine and the battery warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle jerked and made a loud noise. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who replaced the front driver side hub and wheel bearing, the rear springs, the three passenger gear calipers, four rear driver side calipers, the battery, five rear brake pads, and six rear rotors plus an oil change. Three weeks after the repairs, the vehicle stalled without warning....
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In addition, the brake pedal hesitated to respond. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,817.
The car is in parking condition at work and after a long awhile it would not start even the full battery. I have attempted to make lots of checks for all component like relays, fuses and wiring connection they are all fine, in good condition. But finding out the starter relay had no power, no current flowing through it. I belief that the faulty is ( pcm unit ) power train control module that blocked a current from the starter relay. *Tr
I was at a stoplight and when the light turned green my car would not move. The car was in drive and it would just rev. The cars behind me started honking. I put it in the lower gears and finally started moving forward and drove it to the dealership. As I was driving to the dealership in the lower gears the car shifted out of gear while in traffic, I put it in neutral and back into 3 and it started moving forward again. This is very dangerous since the car will just shift in and out of gear and stop moving forward....
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At the dealership the car would not move while in drive or reverse. They told me the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of $4,200, this is after I just had the throttle body replaced two months ago at a cost of $1,800. Ford need to do a recall in these transmissions it could lead to an accident. *Tr
My vehicle burned through another alternator, everything on the vehicle is 100% factory so I don't know what is causing that. Immediately after I replaced the alternator for the second time in 6 months, the power steering has vanished. I checked all the belts made sure everything is running properly and in the correct place. The power steering pump seems to be pumping but not working. *Tr
My gas gauge needle started going beyond full then intermittently would be on e when I just filled it. Each time I would start the truck the gas gauge would show different needle readings. After a month or so it the gas needle quit moving or reading at all. I assumed it was in the fuel tank. I took it in to shop and after taking off the fuel tank there was no problem found. I had to replace the entire cluster panel. Cost almost $1000. There are quite a few comments on the gas gauge not working correctly. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the indicator on the instrument cluster would not properly specify what gear the vehicle was engaged. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 117,000. The vin was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer sport trac. The contact stated that the ignition switch was loose. The contact took the vehicle to be diagnosed and was advised by an independent mechanic that the ignition switch would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 112,437.
On the body the tailgate panel keeps cracking this makes my truck look bad compared to the money I put into it. My engine or transmission acts as if something is wrong it is not shifting gear right. On the electrical tire pressure light keeps coming on and it also keeps leaking water from somewhere. Ford needs to go out of business for selling these pieces of junk. It makes no sense. *Tt
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start. The contact mentioned that the anti-theft alarm engaged automatically while attempting to start the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for a diagnostic. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 190,000.
MY CAR WON'T SHIFT IN TO GEAR ANY MORE. *TR
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer. The contact was driving 2 mph in reverse when the back up sensor failed and the contact crashed into another vehicle. The crash caused no injuries and the police were contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection of the failure or repairs. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure and the current mileage was 131,000.
After starting vehicle and moving shift lever from park to reverse - rotating shift handle mount broke off- required towing and $1800 repair cost. Have seen similar instances on consumer complaint boards - ford fails to recognize as being a safety manufacturing defect. *Tr
Cruise control is intermittent, sometimes accelerates unexpectedly especially when pushing the button to turn it off. So far have been able to stop car, but it is a scary situation. Also, rear warning indicator works only occasionally. Could run over or into someone if depending on it. *Tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford explorer xlt. The contact stated that the front windshield wipers, interior lights and all four windows failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that her vin was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number: 00v072000. (Electrical system: fuses and circuit breakers). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who advised that she could file a claim and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 132,000.
Hello, I have a 2004 ford explorer truck with a crack on the back of the hatch door. I don't know where this crack came from. I contacted the ford company about this issue but since my vehicle is no longer under warranty they aren't willing to help. I first notice the crack about a year ago. When I contacted ford to find out if this was a recall they said no. Recently I have been noticing that a lot of the ford explorer trucks I see all have a crack on the same portion of the truck. I spoke to another individual...
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with a ford explorer and she doesn't know where the crack on the back of her truck came from either. We think this maybe a recall issue. I just started writing down the license plate numbers of the various explorer trucks I see with the same or similar crack on the back hatch. Although I only have six tag numbers right now, I know that their are many more trucks with this problem. I seen more trucks but at the time I wasn't documenting the license plate numbers. There was also a recall on the hatch window in 2003 for the ford explorer truck. In 2007, I had the same issue as the 2003 recall on my 2004 vehicle but was told I had to pay to get it fixed myself because there wasn't a recall reported for 2004. Although it was a year later. It is obvious that the issue wasn't resolved because I had the same problem. There is also a break light switch problem. This issue has your break lights randomly coming on although the vehicle is turned off. Which drains the battery and causes you to have to get the brake switch fixed and a new battery. Please help me. I had no luck with the ford motor company in resolving these issues. *Tr
Ford Explorer electrical complaints by year
Explorer electrical problems, every yearSource: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data