2002 Ford Explorer Equipment Problems
Owners have filed 58 complaints with NHTSA about equipment problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer, 2% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 64,460 miles. The words owners use most often: “wheel bearings” (10% of reports).
- 58equipment complaints
- 64,460median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 53%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Wheel bearings: mentioned in 6 of 58 complaints (10%)
- Air conditioner: mentioned in 5 of 58 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do equipment problems happen?
Based on 35 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 58 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Ford Explorer equipment complaints by model year
| Model year | Equipment complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 42,000 |
| 2020 Explorer | 3 | 0% | 31,000 |
| 2018 Explorer | 4 | 1% | 35,500 |
| 2017 Explorer | 3 | 0% | — |
| 2016 Explorer | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2015 Explorer | 1 | 0% | 10,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 1 | 0% | 44,300 |
| 2013 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 17,000 |
| 2012 Explorer | 5 | 1% | 1,450 |
| 2011 Explorer | 6 | 1% | 75 |
| 2009 Explorer | 1 | 3% | 42,000 |
| 2008 Explorer | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2007 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 12,000 |
| 2006 Explorer | 11 | 2% | 50,000 |
| 2005 Explorer | 5 | 1% | 68,500 |
| 2004 Explorer | 14 | 1% | 56,000 |
| 2003 Explorer | 14 | 1% | 51,590 |
| 2002 Explorer | 58 | 2% | 64,460 |
| 2001 Explorer | 10 | 3% | 14,491 |
| 2000 Explorer | 14 | 1% | 78,136 |
| 1999 Explorer | 27 | 2% | 65,000 |
| 1998 Explorer | 37 | 2% | 82,000 |
| 1997 Explorer | 38 | 2% | 86,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 16 | 1% | 158,000 |
| 1995 Explorer | 7 | 1% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists equipment for the 2002 Ford Explorer. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The consumer stated the home fire hazard created by faulty design of non ul approved personal snow plow use for suv manufactured by western products. Snow plow electric motor was unfused and overheated not responding to the comman controller shorting out and causing a serious expensive fire. *js
My name is[xxx] and i own a 2002 ford explorer xlt (v6). I have owned it for almost a year now (will be in jan 2012) and loved every minute of it until recently. About 4 months ago, i heard a strange loud whining noise. I immediately took it to my mechanic and found that rear wheel bearing was…
O/d light flashes for a few days then at around 25 mph the gear switches into neutral and runs very rough then the car is thrown forward. Had a rebuilt transmission (we were told we were getting a brand new transmission and paid extra for it!) at 83k miles on oct 15, 2010 then feb 5, 2011 the same…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Ford Explorers have equipment problems?
No. NHTSA has 58 owner complaints about equipment for the 2002 Ford Explorer (2% of the 3,295 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Ford Explorer equipment?
No recall currently lists equipment for this vehicle.
At what mileage do equipment problems start?
The median reported mileage is 64,460 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about equipment problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “wheel bearings”, in 6 of 58 complaints, followed by “air conditioner” (5).
Other 2002 Ford Explorer problems
- Power Train problems (1,502)
- Structure problems (486)
- Suspension problems (422)
- Engine and Engine Cooling problems (163)
- Air Bags problems (162)
- Steering problems (155)
- Vehicle Speed Control problems (152)
- Electrical System problems (148)
See all 2002 Ford Explorer problems or equipment problems across all Explorer years.