2008 Ford Explorer

4/1- A COUPLE DAYS BEFORE 4/1, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. ON 4/1, I WAS DRIVING THE CAR ON A SIDE STREET AND IT SHUT OFF ON ME, WITHOUT WARNING. I GOT IT TOWED TO A DEALER NEAR BY AND WAS TOLD IT WAS A FAULTY ALTERNATOR. DEALER CHANGED IT... 4/10 - THE WRENCH AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE IT CHECKED. THE DEALER WAS VERY PASSIVE OF THE SITUATION - BUT ULTIMATELY, HE SAID THEY WERE OLD CODES THAT NEEDED TO BE CLEARED FROM THE COMPUTER. HE CLEARED THEM AND ALL WAS SUPPOSE TO BE WELL. 4/17 - MY HUSBAND AND I WERE OUT RUNNING ERRANDS, WHEN AGAIN THE WRENCH AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT THE SAME TIME. MOMENTS LATER, THE CAR SHUT OFF ON US WHILE WE WERE DRIVING IN THE MIDDLE ON THE STREET. LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. WE CALLED THE DEALER AND ARRANGED TO HAVE THEM CHECK IT OUT. WE MANAGED TO GET THE CAR STARTED AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER. 4/24 - THE DEALER TOLD US THAT THE PCM WAS BUSTED - AND THAT ALOT OF 2008 EXPLORERS WERE HAVING THIS ISSUE. UNFORTUNATELY, FORD DID NOT HAVE THE PART AVAILABLE ANYWHERE AND WE WOULD HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL AUGUST 2014 IN ORDER TO GET THE PART FIXED. RIGHT NOW, OUR CAR IS SITTING AT THE DEALER - NOT WORKING. FORD HAS DONE NOTHING TO COMPENSATE OR TO ALLEVIATE THE MENTAL AND FINANCIAL STRESS OF NOT HAVING CAR HAS DONE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE A WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER, WHO NOTICED A SMALL AMOUNT OF TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKING. IN ADDITION, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING OR UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND THEN RESUMED NORMALLY. THE DEALER INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE STEERING MALFUNCTION WAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE RECALL ASSOCIATED WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 07V453000 (POWER TRAIN). THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,500.PDATED 06/10/14 *BF UPDATED 06/17/2014 *JS

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN, A WRENCH ICON APPEARED IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, AND THE ENGINE IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL POWER, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. I THEN PUT THE VEHICLE INTO PARK AND STARTED IT WITHOUT A PROBLEM, AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE WITHOUT A PROBLEM NO WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON. THIS HAPPENED AGAIN ABOUT 3 WEEKS LATER, WAS DRIVING ABOUT 45MPH THIS TIME A WRENCH DID NOT APPEAR WHEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER, I AGAIN WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, THIS TIME THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I AM BRINGING THE VEHICLE TO THE FORD SERVICE CENTER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. *TR

TRANSMISSION SHIFTS INTO NEUTRAL AS 40 MPH AND WILL NOT ACCELERATE FURTHER. RPM WILL MAX OUT UNTIL VEHICLE IS SLOWED TO LOWER GEAR. UNACCEPTABLE ON FREEWAYS AT HIGH SPEEDS. DEALER CLAIMS TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REBUILT AT 44,000 MILES AT MY OWN EXPENSE. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM ACCORDING TO SERVICE REPS AT THE DEALER BUT NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 82,649.

MY 2008 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION STARTED LURCHING WHEN SHIFTING GEARS WHILE DRIVING. ALSO WHEN I WOULD PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE IT WOULD HESITATE AND ROLL BACK A FEW SECONDS AND THEN "SLAM" INTO REVERSE. I EXPECTED TO SEE MY TRANSMISSION LAYING ON THE GROUND. I HAVE ALSO HAD A 2005 FORD EXPLORER AND IT DID THE SAME THING. THIS IS MY ONLY CAR AND I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH FORD. MY LAST EXPLORER ALSO HAD TO HAVE ALL FOUR WHEEL BEARINGS REPLACED UNDER 75,000 MILES AND MY 2008 HAD TO HAVE TWO REPLACED BEFORE IT WAS 2 YRS OLD. THIS IS CRAZY! TOO EXPENSIVE TO HAVE THESE THINGS HAPPEN SO FREQUENTLY!! WILL NOT BE BUYING ANOTHER FORD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE 4X4 SYSTEM ACTIVATED WITHOUT WARNING AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO LOSE ACCELERATION POWER. THE FAILURE WAS EXPERIENCED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC PERFORMED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 63,283. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

MY VEHICLE, A 2008 FORD EXPLORER WITH A 4.6L 3V V8 ENGINE, WENT INTO VEHICLE SAFE MODE WHILE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE (I-83). THE VEHICLE WAS EXPERIENCING PERIODIC MISFIRE, WHICH TRIGGERED A LOSS OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE TRANSMISSION COMPUTER MODULE (TCM). THE VEHICLE ENGINE BEGAN SHUDDERING, ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS LIT UP WITH A WARNING TO SERVICE VEHICLE IMMEDIATELY AND VEHICLE SPEED WOULD NOT EXCEED 20MPH. I WAS IN HEAVY STOP & GO TRAFFIC IN THE PASSING LANE AT TIME OF INCIDENT. I SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE & ATTEMPTED TO TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM WITH A CODE READER. I RECEIVED TWO CODES, MISFIRE ON CYL 8 AND LOSS OF COMM WITH TCM. I PULLED THE TCM FUSE TO RESET THE TCM AND CONTINUED ON MY WAY WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. I IMMEDIATELY REPLACED ALL THE COP'S & THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A FORD DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THE SPARKPLUGS REPLACED. I WAS AWARE OF THE ISSUE WITH THIS PARTICULAR MODEL FORD ENGINE AND THE 2-PIECE SPARKPLUG/CYLINDER HEAD ISSUE AND SUSPECTED THE PLUGS TO BE THE CULPRIT. I PAID THE FORD DEALERSHIP $420 TO REPLACE THE EIGHT SPARKPLUGS IN MY VEHICLE. ONLY TWO PLUGS BROKE DURING THE EXTRACTION AND THE CYLINDER HEAD DID NOT HAVE TO BE REMOVED. FORD IS WELL AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS THEY REPLACED THE POORLY DESIGNED 3V ENGINE MIDYEAR. THEY ALSO PRODUCED A 13-PAGE TSB, SPECIAL EXTRACTION TOOL TO REPLACE SPARKPLUGS. FORD REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE A DESIGN FLAW & INSTEAD BLAMES MECHANIC ERROR FOR BROKEN PLUGS. FORD MECHANICS BROKE TWO OF MY PLUGS, YET I STILL HAD TO PAY FOR THEIR ERROR! THE VEHICLE RUNS LIKE NEW AGAIN BUT WILL BE PUT UP FOR SALE SHORTLY. THIS WAS MY FIRST AND LAST FORD AS I'M VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH FORD'S RESPONSE TO THIS OBVIOUSLY POOR DESIGN FLAW. MOST IMPORTANTLY, CONTRARY TO FORD'S LAME RESPONSE, IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE WHEN YOUR VEHICLE SUDDENLY GOES INTO EMERGENCE SAFE MODE ON A 65MPH INTERSTATE! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND SHUT OFF IN A RESIDENTIAL GARAGE. THE VEHICLE ROLLED AWAY AND THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 33,333.