Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (wheels, lug nuts, original-equipment tires, TPMS).
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 rear toe arms came unhinged or disconnected from their placement and sank down to continuously rub a groove in the inner rim. The suspension was affected, the steering was effecting especially when turning, it made the brakes stick, and made loud crunching and rolling noises. It is quite frankly dangerous. It was through no fault of mine that this happened, just weak design. I took it to a shop and they charged me all my money, but nothing was fixed.
Purchased a 2002 Ford Explorer for my 17 yr old daughter. A few weeks later she drove home from college and said she thought it needed an alignment because car vibrating. She had scheduled an appointment to have this done. A couple days later she was driving at 70 MPH on the interstate when her and the passenger heard a loud noise in the back passenger side of the car. The car than began to shake very hard and loose control. She could not keep on the road and rolled across the interstate and into the median. The rear passenger side tire had broken off the car. Thankfully there was no traffic and the two survived the crash with non life threatening injuries. I can only hope the next person this happens to is as lucky. Upon researching this problem on the internet I realized this seems to be a common cause of accidents with this type of vehicle. …
Tl contact owns a 2002 Ford Explorer. The vehicle has Firestone destination, size lep23570r16 xl107t tires (na). While changing lanes at 60 MPH, the tires would swerve and shake. He returned the tires from where they were purchased and was informed that the failure could have been due to the alignment. The tire shop mechanic inspected the vehicle and found nothing wrong, however, he rotated the tires. Two days later, the contact's wife was driving the vehicle at approximately 60 MPH. She switched lanes and the vehicle began to swerve, causing her to lose control. As a result, the vehicle rolled over twice and landed on its tires. She was not injured and the vehicle was towed. The current and failure mileages were 58,200. Missouri police report. Updated 10/18/07
I had had this 2018 Jeep renegade not even 2.5 months and it needed an oil change and the tires were completely worn out they were every one slick as could get and dangerous. I called the dealer because the tires went bad and I hadn't had the first 50K miles on it yet and they did nothing. Called the tire company they did nothing. So I replaced them and another almost 3 months go by and the tires are completely worn out and slick again. This has repeatedly happened every 2-3 months to where they are so dangerous you either drive 30 MPH or get them changed. 3 times I've replaced the tires and and the oil goes so fast. And now I am stuck with this vehicle I don't feel safe in. I shouldn't have to pay these prices for a 30K vehicle that's not worth 10K.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH in the rain, the rear passenger side tire blew out and caused the vehicle to flip over three times. The contact suffered injuries to the back and neck, but did require medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 01V171000 (tires: sidewall). The failure mileage and tire information were unknown. Ma 08/11/15
Wheel studs breaking off & causing danger for my family,therefore making it unsafe for the family.many reports have been made about these particular vehicles.when im able I will get rid of both my Ford vehicles for my families safety & wellbeing.
In feb of 2006 with 65,995 miles on my car I heard a whirring/grinding noise from the passenger side while driving. I made an appointment with my mechanic for later in the week (~4 days) to have the noise looked into. 1 day prior to taking my car to the mechanic the noise got much worse and I took it in immediately. I was told that the right rear wheel bearing exploded and damaged the brake and emergency braking system. I had this repaired and chalked it up to bad michigan roads. In May of 2006 the left rear wheel bearing also eroded/wore out and needed to be replaced (only 68,368 miles at the time). The warehouse/retail outlet where my mechanics purchased the replacement wheel bearings told me the person working the counter commented on how many requests Ford has had for wheel bearings as of recent. …
I heard like a airplane right over the head of my truck and it ended up being my hub bearings, the Ford dealer said we have alot of these problems with the 2002 Ford xlt Explorer. He told me as many as these that he gets in it should be a recall. He proceeds to tell me your tire can fall off and there can be serious accident someone can get killed or hurt really bad. Now I had to shell out 1,0000. At a local dealer to get this problem fix. I finally got done paying for the [redacted] car and now I have to throw money in constantly first it was my rear end 10 days after warranty expired now its hub bearing what's next maybe Ford would be # 1 if they made a better truck. That is why the American consumer are buying foreign cars and trucks because at least they do recalls and the cars and trucks last. …
My first occurrence was approximately sept 2008 when I pulled into a driveway and felt an odd bump upon leaving the vehicle was wobbling when I stopped and took the cap off of the lug nuts I noticed the studs where broken on the drivers side rear. Thought we had it fixed by having the studs replaced. Wrong about 2 months later it happened again. Was told the hub and bearing needed replaced so we replaced them. Upon inspection the passenger side rear had started doing the same thing. So we replaced that side as well. That lasted about 4 months and we went to have new tires put on the vehicle the mechanic said that our bearings were bad again and needed replaced. So we did replace them. About 4 months later it started all over again with the studs breaking off. In one incident I lost all lug nuts but one on the drivers side at once with my kids in the vehicle. …
1. I noticed a humming type sound that would increase as I sped up. I thought I had a wheel out of alignment, or tire off balance. I was due for my 36,000 mile maintenance check, so I took it to the dealership to have everything checked out. They performed a $400.00 maintenance package to my vehicle on May 4, 2004, of which I thought included inspecting tires, wheels, etc. They returned my vehicle to me and as I drove home, noticed the humming sound was still occurring, but I just had everything checked, and thought it was just a noise that was normal. 2. The noise continued on, getting worse (louder) and was bothersome, so I took it to a local mechanic for a second opinion. Upon review of my vehicle, he suggested replacing the right rear wheel hub assembly and bearings. 3. On July 3, 2004 the rr hub assembly and bearings were replaced at a cost of $360.52. The problem was solved. …
Related recalls
Tires › Sidewall
Vehicle description: sport utility vehicles. The right side tires May have horizontal cuts on the edge of the tread that could have occurred during vehicle assembly.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the tires and, if any slices are found, the cut tires will be replaced. Owner notification began June 7, 2001.
Wheel & Tire complaints in other Explorer years
Frequently asked questions
How common are wheel & tire problems on the 2002 Ford Explorer?
NHTSA has 115 complaints about the wheels & tires of the 2002 Ford Explorer, 3% of the model year's 3,295 complaints. The component named most often is lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (10 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Ford Explorer wheel & tire problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 01V-171 (sidewall, May 24, 2001). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Ford Explorer wheel & tire problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 5 crashes, 1 fire and 5 injuries and 1 death to wheels & tires 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.