1998 Ford Explorer Powertrain & Transmission Problems

MY VEHICLE WILL NOT RUN ON REVERSE. I CAN SHIFT PERFECTLY FINE TO ALL MY GEARS WITHOUT ANY FUSSING OR CLUNKING NOISES COMING FROM THE GEAR SHIFTS/TRANSMISSION. BUT AS SOON AS I TRY TO PUT IT ON REVERSE MY VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S IN NEUTRAL INSTEAD OF REVERSE. AT THE MOMENT OF DISCOVERING MY VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE IN REVERSE IT WAS STATIONARY IN PARK. I TRIED TURNING THE VEHICLE ON AND OFF AND TRIED MESSING WITH ALL THE GEARS BUT TO NO AVAIL.

REAR END ROARS AND SPEEDOMETER QUIT WORKING

MY 1998 EDDIE BAUER FORD EXPLORER DOES NOT MOVE AND WHEN I TRY TO PUT IT IN ANY GEAR IT SQUEALS. *TR

THE TIMING CHAIN TENSIONER BROKE ALLOWING THE CHAIN TO SLIP. IT WAS A RECALL PROBLEM BUT I WAS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THE PROBLEM MUST NOT HAVE BEEN ADDRESSED, OR ELSE THE RECALL DIDN'T GET DONE PROPERLY. AFTER THE REPAIR IT HASN'T HAD GOOD OIL PRESSURE AT IDLE. IT IS TOO BAD THAT FORD PUT THIS MOTOR IN SO MANY VEHICLES AND DOESN'T STAND BEHIND THEY. IT IS POOR DESIGN IN MY OPINION TO HAVE FOUR TIMING CHAINS ON A 4.0 LITER MOTOR IS CRAZY. I WISH THAT FORD WOULD HAVE PUT MORE EFFORT INTO SEEING THAT MY VEHICLE WERE RECALLED AND NOT ALLOWED TO DEPRECIATE BECAUSE IT WAS HAPPENING TO SO MANY OTHER EXPLORER. *TR

VEHICLE ACCELERATES FROM STOPPED AND BRAKE POSITION FOR 3 SECONDS AND THEN RETURNS TO NORMAL. *TR

1998 FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION OVERDRIVE LIGHT STARTED FLASHING AND TRANS STARTED SLIPPING BADLY ALL AT ONCE. CAN NOT DRIVE NOW. I DON'T YET KNOW HOW MUCH A NEW TRANS WILL COST, BUT VEHICLE HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED AND SERVICED REGULARLY. I BELIEVE THIS TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

98 FORD EXPLORER IS THERE A RECALL ON TRANSMISSION 2 WHEEL DRIVE

WE WERE DRIVING ALONG IN OUR 1998 FORD EXPLORER AND THE OVERDRIVE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND THEN IT WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO 3RD GEAR. IT OCCURS EVERYTIME WE DRIVE THE CAR NOW. WE TOOK IT TO A FORD DEALER, THEY SAID IT WAS A TORQUE CONVERTER AND THAT IT WAS 2000 DOLLARS. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER IT WOULD NOT COME OUT OF THIRD GEAR. FORD DEALER SAID IT WAS NOT THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED REPLACED FOR 4000 DOLLARS. WE DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FROM 98-04 EXPLORERS, AS THEY SHARE THE SAME TRANSMISSION. LINK: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/EXPLORER/2002/TRANSMISSION/TRANSMISSION_FAILURE.SHTML FEEL FREE TO CALL ME ANYTIME. *TR

REVERSE SOMETIMES IT WORKS SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. *TR

TRANSMISSION SLIPS WHEN SHIFTING INTO GEAR AND CLUNKS. TRANSMISSION DISENGAGING OUT OF DRIVE GEAR; WILL NOT STAY IN GEAR WHEN MOVING IN THE FORWARD (DRIVE) DIRECTION. ALMOST WAS IN WRECK DUE TO TRANSMISSION/DRIVE FAILURE. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE IN TO TRANSMISSION SPECIALTY SERVICE STATION TO HAVE LOOKED AT. FAULTY SOLENOID AND STUCK MECHANISM DUE TO FAILURE. TOTAL COST OF REPAIR $1700.00. *TR

THE 1998 FORD EXPLORER ACCELERATOR PEDAL FELL OFF. I WAS DRIVING AT 60 MPH IN A STRAIGHT LINE AND ACCELERATING TO 65 MPH WHEN I FELT A POP. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL STOPPED WORKING. DESPITE THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS, I WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED BY A CAR THAT DIDN'T NOTICE I WAS SLOWING DOWN ON THE FREEWAY. LUCKILY, I PULLED OVER AND STOPPED SAFELY. LOOKING AT THE BREAK, I THINK THE SHEET METAL HOLDING THE RIVETS WAS TOO WEAK.*AK ON 5/23/07 I CALLED THE FORD CUSTOMER RELATIONS HOT LINE. THEY REFUSED TO HELP STATING ONLY THERE ARE NO RECALLS ON MY CAR. I BELIEVE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND CAN VERY EASILY RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT AND DEATHS. FORD SHOULD INVESTIGATE THIS AND PAY FOR REPAIRS OF DEFECTIVE MATERIALS USED OR IMPROPER INSTALLATION. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HEARD OF AN ACCELERATOR PEDDLE FALLING OFF?

FORD EXPLORER TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS ~ HAVEN'T HAD MY VEHICLE IN ABOUT A MONTH DUE TO CONTINUINING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION

FAULTY TRANSMISSION IN 1998 FORD EXPLORER. VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT FROM FORD DEALERSHIP, APPROXIMATELY 4 YRS. OLD WHEN PURCHASED. TRANS. NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY AFTER FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP OR APPROX. 65,000 MILES. WOULD NOT GO INTO REVERSE AT ALL SHORTLY AFTERWARD. HARD AND LATE SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD, AND TRANSMISSION WILL FREQUENTLY TOTALLY DISENGAGE WHILE DRIVING AT 55 TO 60 MPH, ENGINE WILL REV., BUT CAR WILL START SLOWING DOWN. ENGINE SOUNDS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BLOW UP WHILE WAITING FOR TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT. HAD TRANSMISSION REBUILT BY PRIVATE MECHANIC AND PROBLEM IS STILL THE SAME. *TR

DT: WHILE DRIVING IN JULY THE OWNER NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFT MECHANISM. THE GEAR POSITION INDICATOR WAS NOT CORRECT. THE VEHICLE HAD A NORMAL POSITION INDICATOR FOR ABOUT 7 YEARS. THEN ONE DAY IT WENT OUT OF WACK. THE REVERSE WAS WHERE NEUTRAL SHOULD BE, NEUTRAL WAS WHERE DRIVE SHOULD BE, AND DRIVE WAS WHERE SECOND GEAR SHOULD BE. THE OWNER HAS NOT TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP OR CONTACTED THEM YET. THE OWNER HAS NOT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER. THERE WAS NO PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION'S PERFORMANCE, THE OWNER IS JUST CONCERNED BECAUSE HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT GEAR THE CAR WAS IN. THE OWNER ADDED THAT THE GAS PEDAL GOT STUCK YESTERDAY. THE OWNER WAS BACKING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY. THE OWNER WAS GOING SLOWLY AND AND WENT TO PUSH THE ACCELERATOR AND IT WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. THE GAS PEDAL WAS JAMMED. THE OWNER THINKS THE PEDAL WAS DOWN A LITTLE BIT AND THERE WAS NO REACTION. THE OWNER STOPPED THE VEHICLE AND SHOUTED FOR HUSBAND TO COME OVER AND LOOK. THEN SHE TRIED AGAIN. THIS TIME THE ACCELERATOR WORKED. THIS WAS THE FIRST AND LAST TIME THE VEHICLE HAS EVER THIS PROBLEM.*AK *NM

DRIVE TRAIN FAILURE, DIFFERENTIAL, WITHIN 12 MONTHS AFTER HAVING 60,000 MILE DIFFERENTIAL FLUID REPLACED WITH SYNTHETIC ,TO FORD SPECS. DIFFERENTIAL GEARS AND CLUTCH ASSEMBLY DISENTIGRATED. RESULTING IN REPLACEMENT OF ENTIRE DIFFERENTIAL. COULD HAVE CAUSED GEARS TO LOCK-UP WHILE DRIVING.*AK

RE:FORD EXPLORER WHEEL LOCKUP AND UNCONTROLLED SKID AT HIGHWAY SPEED. *BF THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BE REPAIRED. THE TECHNICIAN FOUND SIGNIFICANT METAL FRAGMENTS IN THE TRANSFER CASE INDICATING SEVERE GEAR STRESS WHEN THE VEHICLE SELF SHIFTED INTO 4X4 LOW ENGAGEMENT. *NM

VEHICLE LOST POWER (TO ACCELERATE) YESTERDAY AFTER GRINDING NOISE FROM TRANSMISSION. COASTED INTO A PARKING LOT, BUT WAS UNABLE TO MOVE IT FROM THERE. CONTINUED TO GRIND MOVING SHIFT LEVER FROM ANY GEAR INTO PARK. VEHICLE HAS LESS THAN 60,000 MILES ON IT. CURRENT TRANSMISSION IS A REPLACEMENT. PREVIOUS (ORIGINAL) TRANSMISSION DROPPED INTO NEUTRAL AND ENGINE REVVED (W/ LOSS OF POWER) AT INOPPORTUNE MOMENTS- WHILE ACCELERATING OR TRYING TO ACCELERATE, WHILE COASTING OR WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP. BEGAN COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ABOUT A MONTH AFTER PURCHASE, BUT TRANSMISSION WAS NOT REPLACED UNTIL JAN. 2002. I WAS GIVEN A 12-MONTH WARRANTY ON IT THEN, ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED WITH THE EXTENDED WARRANTY, WHICH WAS SUPPOSED TO COVER EVERYTHING (BUMPER TO BUMPER) TO 50,000 MILES.

CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO BACK UP. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE BECAUSE THE REVERSE GEAR FAILED. *AK *SC *JB

HAVE FORD EXEPLORER 1998 TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN ACTING UP FOR A YEAR AND A HALF. JERKING WHEN YOU PUT IT IN REVERSE AND CLUNKING WHEN YOU PUT IT IN TO DRIVE. MY EXEPLORER JUST TURNED 60.000 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION IS NO LONGER WORKING,I CAN NOT BELIEVE THE PROBLEMS I HAVE HAD WITH THIS CAR,FROM HAVING A WRECK AND AIRBAG NOT DEPLOYING TO ALL OF THE RECALLS,HAD THE BAD TIRES AND WINDSHEILD WIPERS NOT WORKING.THEY SHOULD REALLY HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE EXEPLORER FROM THAT YEAR.IBOUGHT MY EXEPLORER IN OCT,98 OF THAT YEAR NEW. WHEN MY EXEPLORER WAS HIT HEAD ON ,THE POLICE ASKED IF I TURNED OFF MY AIRBAGS.THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED.*AK

WHEN DRIVING AT 40 MPH TRANSMISSION TRANSFER CASE WOULD MAKE A LOUD NOISE AND IT WOULD BE HARD FOR THE DRIVER TO ACCELERATE FORWARD. *AK