2002 Ford Explorer Sport Trac Electrical System Problems

NO LEFT TURN SINGLE OR BRAKE LIGHTS, WHEN THE STEERING WHEEL IS TILITED DOWN WE FOUND THE TURN SINGLES DO NOT WORK OR BRAKE LIGHTS. *TR

PART # E6DB-14489-DA. THIS IS A WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR LOCATED IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT BECOMES UNPLUGGED WHEN YOU TILT STEERING DOWNWARD. RESULT IS BRAKES LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS NO LONGER FUNCTION. ** MY SISTER-IN-LAW WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED WHILE WAITING TO MAKE A TURN. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. MANY OTHER PEOPLE WITH SAME ISSUE. ALSO, HAVE SEEN SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR OTHER FORD VEHICLES (TAURUS). SERIOUS ACCIDENTS WILL HAPPEN IF PUBLIC IS NOT NOTIFIED. DEALERS CHARGING $200+ TO FIX. *TR

PART # E6DB-14489-DA. I'VE GOOGLED THE ISSUE AND FOUND NUMEROUS OTHER PEOPLE WITH SAME ISSUE. FAULTY CONNECTOR CAUSING THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS NOT TO WORK. THE WIRING COMES OUT OF THE CONNECTOR (IT'S IN THE STEERING COLUMN). *TR

LEFT REAR BLINKER AND BRAKE LIGHT QUIT WORKING. BULBS AND FUSES WERE CHANGED BUT DID NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM WAS FOUND IN TILT STEERING COLUMN. A WIRE PULLED ITSELF FREE OF THE WIRE CONNECTION HARNESS DUE TO USAGE OF THE TILT STEERING FEATURE. THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE LED TO A VERY SERIOUS TRAFFIC ACCIDENT SINCE DRIVERS BEHIND THE VEHICLE HAD NO IDEA THE VEHICLE WAS PREPARING TO MAKE AN LEFT HAND TURN AND IT COMPOUNDED THE PROBLEM BECAUSE ONLY ONE BRAKE LIGHT WORKED. MY HUSBAND TOOK THE STEERING COLUMN OFF AND REINSERTED THE WIRE INTO THE HARNESS AND APPLIED EPOXY TO SECURE IT. *TR

THE RADIO IN MY TRUCK BEGAN TO CHANGE STATIONS WITHOUT THE BUTTON BEING PRESSED. NEXT IT WOULD NOT RELEASE CD'S AND WOULD SWITCH FROM AM TO FM TO CD AND NOT ALLOW ME TO POWER IT OFF. NOW THE DISPLAY IS COMPLETELY GONE, TWO CD'S ARE STUCK INSIDE, AND THE RADIO DOESN'T WORK MORE THAN 5 MINUTES WITHOUT GOING CRAZY. MY PASSENGER SIDE LIGHTS IN THE REAR DON'T WORK MOST OF THE TIME BUT THE BULB HAS BEEN CHANGED. WHEN YOU MOVE THE WIRE A LITTLE IT WORKS BUT THEN STOPS AGAIN. I BELIEVE THE WIRING IS ALSO RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RADIO PROBLEMS. I CAN'T REMEMBER HOWEVER, IF THIS HAS STARTED BEFORE OR AFTER THE TRUCK WAS TAKEN IN FOR A RECALL FOR SOMETHING ELSE. *TR

FORD RECALL#05S28 (SPEED CONTROL DEACTIVATION SWITCH). POSSIBLE UNDERHOOD FIRE IF NOT REPAIRED. NOTIFIED IN AUG. 2007 IT IS NOW JAN. 2008 AND THE CONDITION HAS NOT BEEN CORRECTED. *CN

RATTLE OR THUMMING SOUND FROM REAR OF INSTRUMENT PANEL SOUNDS LIKE SPEDOMETER CABLE NOT LUBRICATED. SOUND CHANGES IN FREQUENCY AND VOLUME WITH SPEED OF VEHICLE. *AK

VEHICLE IS A 2002 FORD SPORT TRAC WITH APPROX 42K MILES. BEGAN WITH RAPID FLASHING OF LEFT TURN SIGNAL. REAR TURN AND BRAKE LAMP WERE INOPERABLE. REPLACING BULB HAD NO EFFECT. FOUND POSITIONING STEERING COLUMN TO A HIGHER TILT POSITION CORRECTED MALFUNCTION. REMOVED STEERING COLUMN COVER AND FOUND 4 WIRES PULLED OUT OF CONNECTOR ON MULTI-FUNCTION (TURN SIGNAL SWITCH). WIRES MOVE IN AND OUT AS COLUMN IS MOVED THROUGH TILT RANGE. WIRES OUT AT BOTTOM OF TILT AND IN AT TOP OF TILT RANGE. REMOVED CONNECTOR PART # E6DB-14489-DA. 3 CONNECTOR PIN RETAINERS FELL OUT AND WERE RECOVERED. A FOURTH WAS FOUND TO BE IN THE CONNECTOR BUT NOT RETAINING IT'S PIN. CONNECTOR MUST BE REPLACED TO CORRECT PROBLEM. ALSO THE WIRING HARNESS IS SECURED ABOVE THE TILT PIVOT POINT OF THE STEERING COLUMN. I BELIEVE THE HARNESS IS SECURED WITH INSUFFICIENT SLACK TO PREVENT EXCESSIVE STRESS ON THE CONNECTOR AT THE LOWER POSITIONS OF THE STEERING COLUMN TILT RANGE. I BASE THIS ON THE FACT THAT THE 3 PINS WITH BROKEN RETAINERS ARE ON THE TOP ROW OF THE CONNECTOR AND WOULD BE THE MOST STRESSED IN A LOWER POSITION OF THE STEERING WHEEL. ALSO I HAVE OVER 20 YEARS OF AIRCRAFT ELECTRONICS EXPERIENCE AS AN AVIONICS TECHNICIAN AND FULLY UNDERSTAND PROPER WIRE ROUTING PROCEDURES. DIGITAL PICTURES OF THE CONNECTOR ARE AVAILABLE. *JB

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER DISPLAYS 10 MPH, EVEN IF THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING AT HIGHER SPEEDS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE COMPONENTS WERE OPERATING NORMALLY AND THEY MAY BE ABLE TO PLACE A SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER ON THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED FROM A PRIVATE PARTY. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 99,679 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THERE IS A SHORT IN THE WIRING SYSTEM CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUALLY BLOW FUSES. THIS CAUSES THE VEHICLE TAILLIGHTS AND DASHBOARD LIGHTS TO BE INOPERABLE. THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. UPDATED 03/03/06. *JB

THERE IS A PROBLEM IN THE STEERING COLUMN WIRING THAT AFTER A WHILE CAUSES NOT ONLY YOUR TURN SIGNAL AND BRAKE LIGHT TO STOP WORKING BUT IN SOME CASES CAUSES PROBLEM WITH AIR BAG AS WELL. A LOT OF CASES CAN BE SEEN BY GOING TO HTTP://WWW.MYSPORTTRAC.COM/MYSPORTTRAC/ AND DOING A SEARCH OF TURN SIGNALS. ON MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE. MY TURN SIGNAL OR BRAKE LIGHT ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WILL NOT WORK WHEN THE TILT STEERING IS ENGAGED. IF I LEAVE THE STEERING WHEEL ALL THE WAY UP EVERYTHING WORKS. I ATTRIBUTE MY AIR BAG INDICATOR LIGHT COMING ON TO THIS SAME ISSUE. MOST PEOPLE ARE SAYING THE WIRES ARE TOO SHORT AND SOME COME UNPLUGGED AND OTHERS BREAK THEIR PINS OFF. *NM

WHILE BEING PARKED VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CAUSE OF THIS WAS STILL UNDETERMINED.*AK

FORD EXPLORER SPORT TRAC, 2002. AT 4,122 MI BATTERY LIGHT FLASHED THREE TIMES, AND TRUCK NEARLY STALLED. *JB

CONSUMER CALLED COMPLAINING ABOUT STALLING PROBLEMS. VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES WHILE DRIVING AT MORE THAN 40 MPH. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM. DEALER WAS CONTACTED, AND VEHICLE HAD BEEN AT THE DEALER FOUR DIFFERENT TIMES, AND THEY STILL COULDN'T FIND WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. *AK