Hey Guys,

i need some help quick...ever since i purchased this truck new (in 2001) my wife has been telling me that when the hot weather rolls around (ie: anything above 94 f), it has been hesitating on take-off. i never really believed her, as i had a hard time duplicating what she was talking about...well i finally felt what she was talking about last week.
the best way i can describe it: it's as if it's fuel lines are vapor locking...it feels like when you're trying to take off in 5th gear in a vehicle w/ a manual transmission. it doesn't feel like it wants to turn off, but it takes about 2-3 seconds before it'll "catch" and take off. this has become a very dangerous situation, as we now live in a bigger city where you need to merge into traffic, or get the hell out of the way!! i've had it in the dealership since yesterday, and they tried to get me to go pick it up today because the could not duplicate the symptom i was describing. i asked them to drive it for a while first and then turn it off and try again after about 10 minutes...they said they hadn't done that, and that they'd try it. before they call me tomorrow, have any of y'all had any of these symptoms with the '02? please hurry before i have to argue with them!!!

robert

 

Hi, was wondering if you found out what was wrong with your 2002?
we purchased a 2002 explorer near the end of 2001, here is the problem we are having:
This is a response I had to another forum. (I also have had it feel like the tranny is slipping then suddenly kick in after a few seconds.)
Its an automatic, most that I have driven before do not roll freely 6-8 feet on inclines by the time you take your foot off the brake and place it on the gas. I have to put my left foot on the break and my right foot on the gas at the same time to keep it from rolling.
When the rpms were going up the vehicle was coasting and slowing down, we could of floored it and nothing would of happened, its done this as slower speeds as well. If it were on a hill it would roll backwards if we did not apply the breaks.
We have had it back to the Dealer 4 times with the same problem, they said it is not the transmission and have left messages on our voice mail (which we kept) that they have no idea what is wrong with it and that their computers are showing nothing wrong with it, even tho they have driven it and said it seems to be "doing something"
The transmission fluid can not be checked by us, where the trans. fluid goes is sealed in the 2002, only the dealer can get to it. They said it appeared to be mixing with another fluid the first time we took it in and said they fixed it but its been back in for the same problem 3 more times.
I can't tell you what they did the next 3 times "fixing it", just that whatever they did didn't work. They have told us to go ahead and try it every time even tho we told them we weren't comfortable driving it, we tried it only because they have been saying it is fixed. It's at the dealers now only because we refuse to take it off the lot again.
There was one incident were I was sitting on a hill in an apartment complex parking lot which was about 15 feet away from the apartment wall with grass in between, there were kids playing in the grass, I put it in reverse took my foot off the break to apply the gas and it rolled forward very fast about 4 -5 ft., I had to quickly re-apply the break then use both feet on both pedals to back it up. Luckily the kids were further away than 5 ft!
I have seen that kind of free wheeling on a hill before but I had a CLUTCH to use to hold the motor!
I'm sure the problem obviously has something to do with the gears and the 4 wheel drive, but they can't seem to fix it! They have downloaded update after update from Ford but its still not fixed the problem or told them what the specific problem is, they haven't had any problems like this one with any other 2002 just this one.
We told them we'd take another 2002 but even after 1 year of trying they think they can fix this one, But we don't want to keep paying on a lease that continues to have problems with no guarantee that they'll find the problem before the lease is up.
Also when we slow to a stop it feels like we have been bumped from behind, have you experienced any of this with yours?

 

it is your transmission have them flush the transmission you may also be low or high on fluid in there and make sure they use the right fluid this has happened to me being 94+ degreese the fluid expands to the point where it will cause these prolblems. see if you can get them to do a complete flush of the transmission

 

We ONLY take it to a FORD Dealer (always the same dealer), their the ones who told us that it is not the transmission and they are the only ones who can check the trans. fluid, as it is sealed. We can ask about a complete flush, tho I'm sure they did that it at the first visit back to them.

 

well, they weren't able to find anything wrong with it...so they want us to come pick it up. i don't know what else to tell them.
i also told them about the cold weather transmission howling and they said they couldn't fix that, unless they were able to "verify the concern." so that means they won't fix it...even though there's a TSB on that very problem!! i guess when the warranty runs out this winter, when it's cold again, i'll have to pay for the transmission howling fix. tough **** for a guy who has purchased 8 brand new Ford products in 12 years, huh?


robert

 

Ford doesn't seem to back their products all to well do they?

What we didn't know was that the lemon law was only good for the first 12 months, which we past about 6 months ago. I'm sure the dealer knew this tho everytime they said "just try it and see, I'm sure we've fixed it this time"

 

well i complained to the "brass" at the dealership and at least they were willing to install a vehicle "black box." what it is; it's a computer that takes up to 4 "photos" of the truck's computer, 30 seconds before the "event" (hesitation), and 30 seconds afterward. so as soon as my wife has the truck duplicate the hesitation, she's supposed to push a button on a joystick and the recording begins.

they seem to think that this will help them isolate what the problem is, or whether or not it's the computer that is malfunctioning.

if they figure it out Carol, i'll let you know.

robert

 

Hello,
I also bought a 2002 ford explorer last year and now we are having the same problem. I rolled back at a stoplight and tapped someone. When I try to turn or just when I put it in drive and step on the gas it waits and then lurches forward.I have been to the dealer, had my transmission checked and then I was told it was the fuel pump. Now they say I need to clean the fuel injectors. I have had this car for less than a year. I wonder how many of us are experiencing this, is there a defect in the 2002 explorer? If you find any solutions to the problem let me know, I keep hitting dead ends and I do not feel comfortable driving it with my kids in it.
thanks
melissa

 

i hope someone in here steps forward and comes up with a solution to this...so we can tell "our" dealers how to fix the problem...i have noticed that it only happens on the hottest days.

robert

 

Yeah
We did not start having problems until it got hot in July. The car was fine all winter and spring. For as much as my car costs me it is shame. I will post after the fuel injectors are cleaned if there is any change.
thanks
melissa

 

hey Melissa,

by any chance, is your Expy a 4x4?

robert

 

I've never noticed it being just hot days, infact we had it in the shop last sometime around Oct. 2002. We have gone to the dealer about the LEMON it is and to FORD direct about wanting it replaced. The dealer (the OWNER) not the salesman, doesn't not want it back (he specifically stated after we told him in detail what it was doing). Ford declined any help with the issue, says it is still under lease and warranty so they won't do anything. So we get to drive it for the last year of our lease then give it back, in the mean time we loose yet ANOTHER year of payments on something we do not want. Good luck getting anything done. Its been longer than a year and the mile are over so they won't even consider the lemon law.
This is what were doing next: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

 

Our Explorer is a 4x4 2002 XLT

 

Yeah, my explorere is also a 2002 4x4. We bought it with 26,000

miles on it and thought we had an extended warrenty, alas we do not so this is getting very expensive now my back passenger window is constantly off the track. What are the rules for the lemon law? Getting frustrated in va.
melissa

 

Oregon Lemon Law is 12,000 miles or 1 year which ever is first.

Here is a link for US Lemon Law information:

http://www.lemonlawamerica.com/