2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Electrical System Problems

I was driving and the lights on the vehicle went out I thought it was the bulbs but no lights were working I adjusted steering wheel to look to see fuse box and all lights came back on there is an electrical short somewhere then I went to start the truck and it made a funny sound and then I lost all power and truck wouldn't start then the alarm kept going off and I could turn off even with the remote or the chipped key. And the truck won't start. Also when you change gears the indicator to show what gear you are in dosent move . This truck has electrical issues and is not safe for drivers to lose all power like this and basically its something ford should be responsible for fixing because it's a defect in the electrical system also the AC compressor dosent work

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY FAILED TO START UPON TURNING THE KEY NUMEROUS TIMES. THE DEALER (PEGUES-HURST FORD, 200 TX-63 SPUR, LONGVIEW, TX 75601, (903) 758-6211) WAS CONTACTED AND INDICATED THAT THEY WOULD NEED TO DETERMINE IF THEY COULD REPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER ISSUED 12 TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS (TSBS) FOR THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, 52 TSBS FOR THE ENGINE, AND 3 TSBS FOR THE FUEL SYSTEM GASOLINE, BUT THE CONTACT WAS UNCERTAIN AS TO WHICH PART CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 170,000.

EVER SINCE I GOT THE TRUCK ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE REAR BRAKES LOCKING UP. IT HAPPENS AFTER THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING UP FOR A FEW HOURS AND IT'S RAINING OR THERE'S A GOOD BUT OF MOISTURE IN THE AIR. WHEN YOU FIRST GET IN THE TRUCK THE REAR BRAKES WILL LOCK UP ON YOU ONLY GOING FORWARD FOR SOME REASON. IF YOU APPLY VERY LITTLE PRESSURE IT DOES IT. AFTER ABOUT 10 TIMES LOCKING IT UP IT DRIVES FINE AS LONG AS ITS NOT PARKED FOR A WHILE. ON A GOOD HOT SUMMER DAY WITH NO MOISTURE OR RAIN IT DOES DO IT AT ALL. A FEW WEEKS AGO I BACKED OUT MY DRIVE WAY IT WAS RAINING AND IT DID IT. SO I DECIDED TO PULL BACK INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND TAKE MY FIANCE'S CAR TO TOWN. WHEN I WAS PULLING UP IT LOCKED UP WHEN I TRYING TO STOP AND SLID INTO THE CORNER OF MY HOME. NO MAJOR DAMAGE WAS DONE JUST CRACKED THE FRONT BUMPER. I HAVE TAKING IT TO 3 LOCAL MECHANICS. NONE KNOW HOW TO FIX. THEY LOOKED AT THE BREAKS, ROTORS AND HUBS. ALL WAS FINE. ONE MECHANIC TOLD ME THIS WAS THE 3 TIME HE HAS SEEN THIS ON THE SAME EXACT KIND OF TRUCK. I DO LIKE THE TRUCK. BUT I'M TERRIFIED TO DRIVE IT. I THOUGHT ABOUT SELLING IT, BUT NOW I'M IN A SITUATION WHERE IF SOMEONE GETS HURT IN IT I WOULD FEEL HORRIBLE. I SURE HOPE SOMEONE ON HERE CAN HELP ME OUT WITH THIS PROBLEM. *TR

ON SUNDAY THE NIGHT BEFORE THE INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS USED THAT DAY. IN THE AFTERNOON AROUND 3 PM IT WAS TAKEN TO GET GASSED UP FOR THE WORK WEEK. THE NEXT MORNING WAS CHILLY AND IT WAS STARTED TO WARM THE VEHICLE UP. HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE DIDN'T START AT ALL. THE DASH LIGHTS, INTERIOR-EXTERIOR LIGHTS ALL HAVE POWER TO INCLUDE POWER LOCKS AND WINDOWS. THE BATTERY TESTED GOOD, THE STARTER AND SOLENOID TESTED GOOD. THE WIRE TO THE SOLENOID FROM THE BATTERY HAS POWER. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT SHOWN SIGNS OF FAULTY STARTING. TWO TO 3 TIMES BEFORE THIS INCIDENT NONE OF THE LIGHTS WOULD WORK BUT THEN MIRACULOUSLY WORK AGAIN. WHEN THE LIGHTS WOULD WORK I'M MEAN THE HEADLIGHTS, LEFT AND RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, ETC. IT SEEMED THE ONE WAY TO GET THEM TO WORK AGAIN WOULD BE TO ADJUST THE STEERING WHEEL BUT THAT DIDN'T ALWAYS WORK. WHY IS THIS VEHICLE NOT STARTING WHEN THE DAY BEFORE IS WAS WORKING JUST FINE AND HAD NOT GIVEN ANY SIGNS OF FAILURE? *TR

01 FORD EXP SPORT TRAC 4X4 WITH REAR RADIO/AC CONTROLS AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT DOES NOT GO OUT AND KEEPS POPPING FUSE (LOCATION FOR FAN BLOWER) AND BLOWER INOP EVEN WITH HIGHER AMP FUSES. HAPPENS CHANGE WEATHER COLD/HOT AND ROUGH ROADS. JIGGLE WIRE HARNESS UNDER DASH/CENTER CONSOLE AREA CORRECTS (TEMP). CAN NOT TROUBLE SHOOT AIRBAG MOD WHEN FUSE BLOWN. AC INOP WHEN FUSE BLOWN. *TR

WE BECAME THE OWNERS A 2001 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC THROUGH A FAMILY MEMBER, AND FOUND THAT THE SIGNAL BLINKERS DO NOT WORK WHEN THE STEERING COLUMN IS ADJUSTED. THE FAMILY MEMBER NEVER KNEW SHE COULD ADJUST THE STEERING COLUMN (SHE IS 74 YEARS OLD). I CONTACTED FORD AND THEY DECLINED THIS WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE BLINKERS WORK FINE AS LONG AS THE STEERING COLUMN REMAINS IN THE TOP UPRIGHT UNADJUSTED POSITION. I RESEARCHED THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND SEVERAL OWNERS HAVE COMPLAINED WITH THE SAME PROBLEM IN OTHER FORD TRUCKS AS WELL SUCH AS THE FORD 150 PICKUP TRUCK. YET, FORD CLAIMS THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE. OUR FORD DEALER HAS CLOSED LOCALLY. I AM INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT IF THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NO REAL EVENT LEADS TO THIS FAILURE. PROBLEM IS THE "DOOR AJAR" LIGHT ON THE DASH. IT DETECTS WHETHER A DOOR IS PARTIALLY OPEN. THE SWITCH IN ONE OF THE DOORS FAILS FOR NO REASON. WHEN IT SENSES THIS FALSELY, THE DASH WARNING LIGHT COMES ON & BEEPS A TONE & QUITE OFTEN THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHTS TURN ON. THE DEALER SAYS TO LUBRICATE THE DOOR LATCHES & WORK THEM SEVERAL TIMES. I'VE DONE THAT MANY TIMES & IT DOES NOT HELP. WHEN THE SWITCH FAILS & THE LIGHT COMES ON, IT MAY BE BRIEF BUT OTHER TIMES, I'LL PARK THE TRUCK & WALK AWAY & THE LIGHT REMAINS ON FOR QUITE A LONG TIME. I'M SURE I'LL COME OUT TO A DEAD BATTERY ONE DAY. PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT. I HAVE SEEN HUNDREDS OF OTHER REPORTS LIKE THIS ON THE INTERNET - FOR VARIOUS FORD MODEL CARS & TRUCKS. THE LIGHT COMING ON IS VERY DISTRACTING AND COULD BE DANGEROUS. *TR

I NOTICED MY DASH TURN SIGNAL BLINKED FAST WHEN I SIGNALING TO TURN RIGHT, BUT NOT LEFT. I CHECKED THE BULB AND IT WAS WORKING. IF THE STEERING COLUMN WAS IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION, IT BLINKED AT A NORMAL PACE, WHEN I LOWERED THE COLUMN IT BLINKED FAST. I REMOVED THE PLASTIC COVER AROUND THE STEERING COLUMN AND FOUND THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE TURN SIGNALS AND WIPERS WAS MELTED ALONG WITH THE INSULATION AROUND THE WIRES. IT APPEARS THAT THE CONNECTOR OVER HEATED AND RUINED THE REST OF THE WIRES. SINCE I DISCOVERED THIS IN TIME, THANKFULLY, THERE HAVE BEEN NO CONSEQUENCES, I BELIEVE I SAVED MY VEHICLE FROM BURNING DOWN. MY STEERING COLUMN IS APART AS I AM AWAITING FOR GUIDANCE ON HOW TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN, SINCE FORD IS AWARE THE INSULATION ON THE WIRES ARE CRACKING, I HOPE THERE IS A RESOLUTION SOON. *NM

(1)BRAKE LIGHTS OUT. (2) HAD FUSE AND BULBS REPLACED AND THE BRAKE SWITCH CHECKED. *AK

CRUISE CONTROL INDICATOR LIGHT SWITCH DOES NOT COME ON - STEERING WHEEL IS VERY HOT TO THE TOUCH - AND THERE IS THE SMELL OF BURNING PLASTIC. SINCE DECEMBER 2003 ALL INDICATOR LIGHTS ARE OUT ON STEERING COLUMN (I TOOK MY TRUCK TO THE FORD SERVICE CENTER AND WAS TOLD IT PROBABLY NEED A FUSE - I CHECKED THE FUSE IT SEEMS TO BE O.K. IS THERE A RECALL ON CRUISE CONTROL ON THE 2001 - FORD SPORT TRAC? *JB

AFTER MAKING AN EMERGENCY STOP AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINED ON WHILE DRIVING. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE PROBLEM COULD BE AN ELECTRICAL SHORT.*AK

LOSS OF TURN SIGNALS, BRAKE LIGHTS, AND HEADLIGHTS WHEN TILT WHEEL IS ADJUSTED. DEALER HAS TRIED THREE TIMES TO REPAIR THIS. HAS REPLACED WIRING AND PARTS TWICE. IT IS NOW FAILING AGAIN WHICH WILL REQUIRE A FOURTH VISIT. *NLM

FORD EXPLORER 2001 RADIO OVERHEATS MAY CAUSE DASHBOARD FIRES. TAKEN TO FORD SEVEN TIMES COULD NOT FIX. COMPANY ADMITTED PUTTING FANS IN SOME DASHBOARDS TO COOL.*AK