I just received two letters regarding the lemon law. The first was a letter from the Attorney General stating that they ACCEPTED the case and i should be receiving another letter from the Dipute Resolution Agency regarding where to send the $250.00 administrative fee.

Well i received both of them and decided to have a chat with my Ford dealer. They expressed interest in reacquiring the vehicle so Ford would not have a vehicle with "LEMON" stamped on the title. We will see what comes of this, however, something needs to happen fast because I have only 30 days from the date of the dispute letter to send in the filing fee.

My advice to you Rollout, FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK FOR THE LEMON LAW. It is not up to Ford whether or not the vehicle is a LEMON. Keep all your paperwork from Ford and place all your trips to Ford on a timetable.

 

I have filed all the necessary paperwork for the Lemon Law process. My hearing in Mar 19.

 

I would continue to pursue the Lemon Law approach, but I also wouldn't abandon the reacquired vehicle option if they offer it. I still can't believe they went that route in my case so quickly. There must be something with certain Explorers that they don't want to be general knowledge. A former co-worker's son works for Ford on their Dealer Service Hotline. He asked the kid about the vibration issue and other problems with the Explorers. The son wouldn't elaborate on the causes, but did say that Ford should replace the vehicle.
After approx. 500 miles on the 2004 I received, I haven't noticed anything bad. In fact it is nothing like the 2003; it's quieter, doesn't vibrate/drone at 60MPH, no loud bangs from the rear end when shifting into reverse. It is almost pleasant to drive. We'll be traveling to Florida and Georgia in a few weeks, so we will get a chance to see what is like after a few thousand miles

 

I took my EX Sport 03 to the dealership to have this vibration problem fixed. They first replaced the drive line and that only made the vibration start at a different speed. To make a long story short, they are replacing the whole rear end and they state that will fix it. I get it back tomorrow, lets see if it does!!

 

This question is for gm1233 and anyone else who may have a 2002-2003 Explorer Limited....

I just purchased a 2003 Limited, V8, AWD and I pick it up on Saturday. When I test drove it, I didn't feel any vibration, but it was just a test drive. The vehicle seemed to perform flawlessly. This was also before reading all of the issues about drive shafts on this web address.

What type of Limited did you have? Was the 2003 an AWD or 4x4? By reading all of the posts, the vibration seems to affect alot of the 4x4's, and maybe not the AWD version.

I just spent ALOT of money on this vehicle and I need to know as much about this problem before I sign off on all of the paperwork and pick it up this weekend.

Thanks to anyone who can help me out.

 

This is also to GM1233.

Was wondering how the new vehicle is driving? Any vibrations, complaints?

Thanks

 

OK everyone. I need some help for my Father-in-Law....

He has a '02 Eddie Bauer, V6, 4x4 and is getting a very bad "whine" from the rear end at highway speeds (just like a lot of people, it seems). He has 35,500 miles on it and wants it fixed before the warranty runs out.

He took it to Dube Ford in NH and they told him that they do not have a repair procedure from Ford to replace the driveshaft on a 4x4. Is that true? From what I've read here, it seems that other people have had driveshafts replaced on 4x4's.

He's getting very upset and asked me to look into it.

As for me, I have a '03 Explorer Limited AWD. Love it. Had a '96 XLT 4x4 with 140K when I got rid of it (ran great; just wanted something newer). I do get some "rotational" noise on the highway (no vibration), but it is only over 75 mph and I associate that with the 17" tires. My '96 made a lot more noise than that. Plus, I only hear it when the kids are watching a movie.

Please get back to me and let me know if anyone has had a drive shaft replaced on a '02 or '03 Explorer due to the whining noise of driveline components.

Thanks.

 

I just had my '03 (with 3.73 LS rear) at the dealer for the rear end whine, they told me that there is a TSB on the issue and they need to replace the rear axle.

 

Well, I had the lemon law hearing a few weeks ago and just received notice that I will get a full refund for the vehicle. I have an appt. set up in a few days to drop off the lemon and pick up my check. I was even awarded the lemon law filing fee that was paid to have the hearing.

If enough people win their lemon law hearings, Ford WILL find a fix for the problem.

 

I'm reading these old posts, see where you believe the maximum pressure molded into the tire supercedes the vehicle recommendation.
That is totally false. It's been false for decades! I'm not gonna argue it. I'm just gonna recommend you research it.

 

Sorry for the delay is responding to the questions - I have been out of touch for awhile.

Firstly, regarding the type of 2003 Limited I had, it was a V8 4X4 with the Class III Towing package and I believe the 3.73 non-limited slip differential.

Secondly, regarding the 2004 Limited, after 5500 miles and 1 major road trip all seems to be going well (knock on wood). No strange noises, vibrations, etc. Only issue causing some concern is the load "clunking" heard/felt when placing the vehicle in reverse after starting. Will probably bring it in at some point to it loked at. Not really looking forward to that after having been there about once a week over a three month period. Just an added note, I opted not to get the Towing package on this one. We only have the standard receiver.