2002 Ford Explorer Service Brakes, Hydraulic Problems
Owners have filed 89 complaints with NHTSA about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer, 3% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 40,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “brake pads” (8% of reports).
- 89service brakes, hydraulic complaints
- 40,000median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 38%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.
- Brake pads: mentioned in 7 of 89 complaints (8%)
- ABS sensor: mentioned in 6 of 89 complaints (7%)
- Anti lock: mentioned in 6 of 89 complaints (7%)
- Applied brakes pedal: mentioned in 5 of 89 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems happen?
Based on 50 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 89 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 1 an injury.
Ford Explorer service brakes, hydraulic complaints by model year
| Model year | Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Explorer | 1 | 1% | 20,000 |
| 2022 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 39,793 |
| 2021 Explorer | 3 | 1% | 69,615 |
| 2020 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 74,000 |
| 2019 Explorer | 2 | 1% | 36,033 |
| 2018 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 982 |
| 2015 Explorer | 4 | 0% | 115,000 |
| 2014 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 111,315 |
| 2013 Explorer | 7 | 0% | 52,000 |
| 2012 Explorer | 2 | 0% | 56,285 |
| 2011 Explorer | 7 | 1% | 9,250 |
| 2010 Explorer | 6 | 5% | 6,900 |
| 2008 Explorer | 3 | 2% | 10,800 |
| 2007 Explorer | 8 | 4% | 38,000 |
| 2006 Explorer | 23 | 4% | 52,872 |
| 2005 Explorer | 8 | 2% | 48,684 |
| 2004 Explorer | 31 | 2% | 36,000 |
| 2003 Explorer | 31 | 3% | 50,000 |
| 2002 Explorer | 89 | 3% | 40,000 |
| 2001 Explorer | 31 | 8% | 28,500 |
| 2000 Explorer | 56 | 6% | 56,000 |
| 1999 Explorer | 64 | 5% | 66,000 |
| 1998 Explorer | 86 | 4% | 70,598 |
| 1997 Explorer | 83 | 5% | 90,000 |
| 1996 Explorer | 120 | 8% | 101,700 |
| 1995 Explorer | 75 | 9% | 110,014 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists service brakes, hydraulic 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.
I was on the highway doing 65 as posted, i started to feel shaking from the tires and it got to the point i couldn't control the vehicle, lucky i was able to get off the side of the highway and call aaa for a tow, a state police officer pulled behind me and said let me guess hub bearing. The police…
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford explorer. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle, she noticed smoke and flames coming from under the hood. The fire department was called to extinguish the fire and the origin of the fire was unknown. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was…
I have a 2002 ford explorer i bought about a year ago. Everything was working fine..i have my abs light on..when i try to stop the car my brake engage but when it come to the final stop it gives and the pressure on the truck is no longer there.. I feel like i am going to crash in to the car in…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Ford Explorers have service brakes, hydraulic problems?
No. NHTSA has 89 owner complaints about service brakes, hydraulic for the 2002 Ford Explorer (3% 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 service brakes, hydraulic?
No recall currently lists service brakes, hydraulic for this vehicle.
At what mileage do service brakes, hydraulic problems start?
The median reported mileage is 40,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about service brakes, hydraulic problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer?
The most frequent phrase is “brake pads”, in 7 of 89 complaints, followed by “abs sensor” (6).
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 service brakes, hydraulic problems across all Explorer years.