2002 Ford Explorer Sport Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Explorer Sport years
- More complaints than other years 2nd of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 133 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport. That ranks 2nd out of 9 Explorer Sport model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is power train (32 complaints, 24%), typically at around 89,199 miles. Complaints mention 10 crashes, 7 fires, 14 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 5 defect investigations involving it.
- 133owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 5NHTSA investigations
- 10complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2002 Ford Explorer Sport problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 32 | 24% | 89,199 | — | — |
| Structure | 28 | 21% | 83,246 | — | — |
| Visibility | 16 | 12% | 75,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 6% | 77,500 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 8 | 6% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 8 | 6% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 8 | 6% | 47,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 7 | 5% | 5,600 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 5% | 100,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 4% | 32,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 3% | 20,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 4 | 3% | 22,426 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 3% | 92,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 4 | 3% | 15,600 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 3 | 2% | 13,864 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 3 | 2% | 117,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 2% | 43,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Engine | 1 | 1% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Other | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 1% | 280,433 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 27,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2002 Ford Explorer Sport recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Vehicle speed control
Problem: 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.
Risk: This could result in an underhood fire.
Fix: 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.
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Problem: 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.
Risk: The driver could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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).
Seats:front assembly:recliner
Problem: 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 second row seat cushion.
Risk: The driver could potentially lose contact with the steering wheel or foot pedals during such an event, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Vehicle rollaway allegations (PE09020) — opened Apr 21, 2009, closed Aug 19, 2009.
- Spark plug ejection from cylinder head (DP05005) — opened Sep 22, 2005, closed Jan 4, 2006.
- Stuck engine throttle (PE05037) — opened Jul 7, 2005, closed Nov 2, 2005.
- Rear liftgate glass assembly (PE04045) — opened Jun 2, 2004, closed Sep 28, 2004, led to recall 04V442000.
- Front seat back recliner attachment (PE03020) — opened May 21, 2003, closed Sep 5, 2003, led to recall 03V281000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
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.
Other Ford Explorer Sport years
← 2001 Explorer Sport · 2003 Explorer Sport →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Explorer Sport | 5 | 0 |
| 2004 Explorer Sport | 18 | 0 |
| 2003 Explorer Sport | 65 | 0 |
| 2002 | 133 | 3 |
| 2001 Explorer Sport | 188 | 5 |
| 2000 Explorer Sport | 71 | 1 |
| 1999 Explorer Sport | 93 | 0 |
| 1998 Explorer Sport | 121 | 0 |
| 1997 Explorer Sport | 37 | 0 |
See all Ford Explorer Sport problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport?
Owners most often report power train, structure, visibility problems. The top one, power train, accounts for 32 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2002 Ford Explorer Sport a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Explorer Sport model years, the 2002 has more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.