2002 Ford Explorer Problems, Recalls & Reliability
4,097 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2002 Ford Explorer, alongside 10 recall campaigns and 7 defect investigations. It scores 100/100 on the trouble index — one of the years to avoid for this model. Transmission & drivetrain leads the reports, typically around 80,000 miles.
Avoid this year if you can. The 2002 Ford Explorer sits at the top of this model's complaint rankings. Quieter picks in the same family: 2001, 2005–2010, 2018–2019, 2021–2022.
Avoid
Where 2002 sits among all Explorer years
What owners report
“My 2002 ford explorer eddie bauer is on its 3rd transmission. It has 78k miles on it. Help”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Explorer
“Nhtsa campaign 04v442000; ford issued a rear liftgate glass recall. This vehicle is included in the recall, but the dealer does not have the available parts in order to repair.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Explorer
“Inspection found both rear coil springs broke and driver front coil spring also broke. 3 broken springs. Never heard of spring breaking, ever. Seems to be a problem with ford exployers”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Explorer
“Engine knock in all 4.6 ford explorer engines-know by ford, due to faulty cylinder heads”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Explorer
“Right, rear electric window failed for no apparent reason after owning vehicle for 42 months and 37,000 miles. Window will not rise. Vehicle taken to mechanic for repair.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Explorer
“I was driving on a city street and got into a accident. Totaled my vehicle and my air bags did not deploy”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 Explorer
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 3,070 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 79,030 miles. Half of those reports fall between 52,800 and 108,934 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (10)
FORD IS RECALLING MODEL YEARS 1995-2003 WINDSTAR, 2000-2003 EXCURSION DIESEL, 1993-1997 AND 1999-2003 F-250 SD THROUGH F-550 SD DIESEL, 1992-2003 E-150 THROUGH E-550, 1995-2002 EXPLORER, 1997 AND 2002 MERCURY MOUNTAINEER, 1995-1997 AND 2001-2003 RANGER, AND…
Fix: FORD WILL NOTIFY OWNERS THAT DEALERS WILL INSTALL A FUSED WIRING HARNESS IN LINE WITH THE SCDS. ON 1999-2003 WINDSTAR VEHICLES WITH A LEAKING SCDS, DEALERS WILL ALSO INSPECT THE ABS CONTROL MODULE…
DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO…
Fix: CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE LIFTGATE GLASS STRUT MAY BECOME DISENGAGED OR THE HINGE MAY FRACTURE ALLOWING THE GLASS TO FALL AND POSSIBLY BREAK.
Fix: DEALERS WILL HAVE THE LIFTGATE GLASS STRUT BRACKETS AND GLASS HINGES REPLACED. FOR THE VEHICLES BUILT FROM AUGUST 1, 2000 THROUGH MARCH 3, 2002, THE DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE HINGES AND LIFTGATE…
CERTAIN PICKUP TRUCK, VAN, AND MINI VAN CONVERSIONS EQUIPPED WITH SOUTHERN COMFORT BUILT RUNNING BOARDS THAT CONTAIN CERTAIN COURTESY LIGHTS MANUFACTURED BY AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY COMPONENTS, INC. THESE UNITS CONTAIN A COURTESY LIGHT OR LIGHTS THAT MIGHT…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE WIRING HARNESS ON THESE RUNNING BOARDS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 7, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO…
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE RIGHT SIDE TIRES MAY HAVE HORIZONTAL CUTS ON THE EDGE OF THE TREAD THAT COULD HAVE OCCURRED DURING VEHICLE ASSEMBLY.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TIRES AND, IF ANY SLICES ARE FOUND, THE CUT TIRES WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 7, 2001. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN…
THIS IS NOT A SAFETY RECALL IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SAFETY ACT. HOWEVER, IT IS DEEMED A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN BY THE AGENCY. VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: 2002 FORD EXPLORER AND MERCURY MONTAINEER SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THE BRACKETS CONNECTING THE LEFT…
Fix: FORD DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR THE POSITION OF BOTH THE LEFT AND RIGHT LIFTGATGE GLASS LIFT CYLINDER BRACKETS. IF THE BRACKETS ARE IN THE PROPER POSITION, THE BRACKET RETAINERS WILL BE…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V442000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2002 Ford Explorer reliable?
The 2002 Ford Explorer drew 4,097 complaints in federal safety records — one of the years to avoid for this model. Its trouble index is 100/100, scored against the model's worst year (2002).
What are the most common 2002 Ford Explorer problems?
The top reported problems for the 2002 Ford Explorer are transmission & drivetrain (1,584 complaints), body & structure (490), and suspension (460).
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Explorer problems show up?
Owners most often report 2002 Ford Explorer problems around 79,030 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 52,800 and 108,934 miles.
Does the 2002 Ford Explorer have recalls?
10 recall campaigns apply to the 2002 Ford Explorer. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.