There are 3 stored owner reports matching the powertrain & transmission leading-label group for the 2003 Ford Explorer Sport in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)2003 FORD EXPLORER XLS 4X4, FRONT AND REAR HUB BEARINGS GOING OUT ON A VEHICLE ESPECIALLY THE FRONT HUB BEARINGS. THE LEFT FRONT HUB BEARING WENT BAD AND LUCKILY WE WAS NOT GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 55 MPH OR HIGHER, WE WAS ONLY GOING ABOUT 25-30 MPH. THE LEFT FRONT HUB BEARING FROZE UP AND WE DID A "U" TURN AND NO ONE WAS HURT. I HAD IT TOWED TO A SERVICE SHOP AND THEY TOLD ME WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS,AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THIS TRUCK. I CONTACTED FORD ON THIS MATTER AND THEY TOLD ME I HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR BY MYSELF,BUT IF THE SAME PROBLEM IS ON MANY,MANY TRUCKS THIS IS BAD AND NOT SAFE. DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEAS? THE REPAIR SHOP CALLED ME AND TOLD ME WE SHOULD REPLACE THE TWO FRONT HUBS AND THE REAR AXLE BEARINGS ALSO,AND LOOKED AT THEM AFTER THE REPAIR AND THE OTHER ONES WERE WORN EXCESSIVE ALSO. THE REPAIR WORK FOR PARTS AND LABOR WAS $1488.00 WITH A LIMITED LIFE WARRANTY ON THE PARTS. *TR
VIBRATION IN FRONT END OF 2003 FORD EXPLORER SPORT DETERMINED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT WHEEL DRIVE. RESOLUTION HAS NOT OCCURRED TO DATE. BALANCED ALL DRIVE LINES BUT STILL VIBRATES. VIBRATION STOPS WHEN FRONT DRIVE LINE IS DISCONNECTED. NEXT APPROACH IS TO CONTINUE THROUGH REST OF DRIVE TRAIN. *NM
2003 FORD EXPLORER EDDIE BAUER AWD 4DR VIN [XXX] UNDER WARRANTY - 33125 MILES WHEN IN REVERSE EXPERIENCE BANGS/JERKS - DEALER STATED IT WAS TRANSMISSION SHIFT SOLENOID PACK AND REPLACED 6/05 - CONTINUED TO BANG/JERK INTO REVERSE UNTIL APPROX 1 MONTH LATER, VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE WHETHER IN DRIVE OR REVERSE, ALONG WITH LOUD WHINING NOISES - DEALER COULD NOT LOOK AT VEHICLE FOR ONE WEEK AT WHICH TIME FLAT BEDDED AT OWNERS COST AS NOW AT 37,000 MILES (OUT OF WARRANTY OF COURSE) FORD INSPECTED TRANSMISSION AND HAS DENIED REPAIR/REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY. AT 37,000 MILES ONE WOULD NOT EXPECT A TRANSMISSION TO FAIL. OWNER ESCALATING THIS ISSUE TO FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE. DEALER HAS BEEN GREAT, AFTER READING SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM THIS WEBSITE, IT APPEARS FORD CORPORATION IS IN TOTAL DENIAL OF A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FOR 03 EXPLORERS. *JB UPDATED 07/19/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 29, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.