Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (door latches, locks, hood and tailgate latches).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Ford Explorer owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the hood latch independently released, causing the hood to strike the windshield. The contact was able to get to the side of the roadway and closed the hood. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 137,000.
This requested recall involves a 2002 Ford Explorer having an automatic transmission. During normal use, the shift lever breaks off at a cast rotating cylinder that transmits the torque from the gear shifter to push and pull the cable that puts the vehicle in park, drive, neutral, and reverse. The vehicle also had a tendency to jump out of park even before the part broke which caused the vehicle to roll back and almost pinned me between another vehicle when the vehicle rolled back and crashed into a vehicle parked downhill. This was a near miss accident. Ford wants to charge $1500 to replace the entire steering column. We elected to junk the vehicle at this time until another solution can be found. Vehicle still drives if you reach your hand and push/pull the transmission cable to shift the automatic transmission into gear. …
Subject: cracked panel below the rear window (tailgate applique) where: 9 degrees temperature in shiloh, illinois (15 miles east of st. Louis). Vehicle type: 2002 Ford Explorer xls 4 door wagon 6 cyl 4.0 sohc 51,101 miles. What: the plastic applique panel below the glass on the liftgate has developed one vertical crack, approx 1/8th" in diameter running the length of the panel (approx 4.5 inches) to the right of the "Ford" emblem. Background information: after doing some research on the internet I found over 75 owners with the same problems, most in the last 3 months (cold weather). This repair is not covered by Ford extended warranty (ESP). Please visit the website listed below for other customers comments. …
O/d light flashes for a few days then at around 25 MPH the gear switches into neutral and runs very rough then the car is thrown forward. Had a rebuilt transmission (we were told we were getting a brand new transmission and paid extra for it!) at 83K miles on oct 15, 2010 then feb 5, 2011 the same exact thing happens. The dealer cannot take the truck for another 5 days and refused to give me a loner car because it is not under the warranty. Please note: below I put in the first incident date, feb 2011 is the second incident date. In May of 2009 I was told my engine failed at about 76,000 miles. We did buy the extended warranty and we were covered. The Ford dealership told us we were not covered. They had our truck for 3 weeks until the warranty people called the dealership and let them know it should be fixed. We also had a rental car or a loner car under the warranty. …
For the last couple of years during the coldest part of the winter, the doors on my vehicle refuse to latch. I have tried warming the car up longer, spraying the insides of the door with solution that is supposed to unfrozen windshields and locks (even though there never is ice or water seen) & nothing works. Last year, it even refused to latch after letting my daughter off at school, even though it had latched when we left the house a mile earlier. When I turned the corner out of the school parking lot, the door flew open & almost took out a mailbox. I have called Ford regarding this concern, & they say there is nothing they will do since it has 119,000 miles on it & the warranty is over, even though I believe it is a huge safety concern! As it is getting colder here, I am very worried about driving this vehicle, as my daughter and young grandson are using this vehicle at this time. …
Crack in liftgate that occurred spontaneously when weather became winter--rear wipers were used and crack occurred. Recall was done at this area dealer summer 2005 prior to correct liftgate recall.....we inquired about possible over tightening during recall service and it was denied. We have had this car since the summer of 2002 and have had it in cold weather before and up until the recall fix it never cracked. Concerned about glass falling out since the tailgate is cracked from top to bottom. The dealer asserted that it was a known problem with cracks in liftgate... Since we are not under warranty we had to pay $600 to get this fixed. Mileage on the car is only 23000!!!!! It is the safety issue of glass falling out while driving or falling into the car upon my children that concerns me. …
I bought a 2002 Ford Explorer with 19,000 miles on it also thinking what a great deal I have had the truck for 3 years it now has 76,000 miles on it. The check engine light has been coming on and the o/d light will start blinking I tow a boat so I took it to a transmission shop they said it was very common for this to happen with the year of truck that I have. They said the cause was servo piston bore what ever that means they also said that if I don't repair it for $2,400.00 that the lights will continue to come on and the truck will continue to slip. The other weird thing is I'll be driving and I hear a ding you know the sound you have when you leave your keys in the truck but I'm driving my truck when this happens and the door lock will go off like I'm locking the doors. …
The side curtain airbag spontaneously deployed upon side door closure of a Ford Explorer. The vehicle was sitting after re-fueling. Concurrent with and immediately prior to the deployment of the airbag, the door alarm system was chiming that a door was ajar, and after inspection by a mechanic it was determined that the security/door warning system module has failed. Ford was sent the airbag module for inspection, and has yet to provide the results of the module inspection - after a period of more than 5 months. Further problems persist with the electronic system. The door ajar alarm continues to sound at random intervals, the interior lights flicker on and off at random intervals, and the door locks repeatedly lock and unlock, all of which cause a distracting potential safety hazard while driving.
Severe cracks in back window housing. Crack is so severe, consideration of window falling out is possible. Information panel registers door ajar which consequently flashes internal lights, re-locks doors, sets warning bells to go off. Often, door ajar does not register, but electric locks lock re-lock and lock many times with warning bells going off, interior lights flickering,many times in one instance. All activities happen intermittently, without cause or reason causing severe distraction to driver. Theft alarm goes off after vehicle has been locked several hours; for no apparent reason. When unlocked and re-locked, continues to go off intermittently. I believe the rear window housing break is the root of all this activity.
Excessive problems with transmission jerking, and shifting problems, purchased vehicle as brand new after 4 months contacted dealer where care was purchased regarding problem. Brought vehicle in at least twice before problem was found.the transmission was replaced has since had the same problem along with other problems, vehicle stalling while driving, cd player power shuts off. Rattling when hitting brakes. Filed a complaint dealer refuses to buy car back ask me to trade car in with more money down. The dealer repair persons confirmed that they have had replaced at least 10 transmissions on the same style vehicle prior to my visit and recognized a pattern. But nothing has been done!!
Door Lock & Latch complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are door lock & latch problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 50 complaints about the locks & latches of the 2002 Ford Explorer, 2% of the model year's 3,295 complaints. The component named most often is doors › latch (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Explorer door lock & latch problems?
No. NHTSA lists no locks & latches recall for the 2002 Ford Explorer, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Explorer door lock & latch problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 71,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 2 injuries to locks & latches problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.