2008 Ford Explorer — Known Issues & Recalls

Your car's wiring harness that connects to the throttle position sensor has a sharp 180-degree bend placed very close to hot cooling system hoses, causing the wires to crack from heat damage. This cracking created electrical shorts that made your car's idle surge and caused the vehicle to accelerate on its own to 20-25 mph without pressing the gas pedal, resulting in a crash. The fix will involve inspecting and replacing the damaged wiring harness and repositioning it away from heat sources.

Your Explorer has suddenly accelerated on its own while you were stopped, even with your foot firmly on the brake. This happened at least twice in May 2019. You took it to a Ford dealership, but they couldn't reproduce the problem to diagnose it, leaving the issue unresolved. The fix will likely require the dealership to either identify a fault in the throttle control system, brake system sensors, or engine control computer when the problem can be reproduced.

Your Explorer sometimes fails to start, then starts normally. While driving at highway speeds, your car suddenly lost all electrical power, causing the steering to become stiff and difficult to control, and the gas pedal became unresponsive—nearly causing a crash. After pulling over and restarting, the car worked fine again, but this happens multiple times daily. Your friend checked the charging system and cleaned battery cables, and the alternator is producing adequate voltage, yet the problem persists. The diagnostic code indicates a control module failure or corruption.

Your ignition switch is malfunctioning and causing your driver's seat to move forward and backward on its own while you're driving, making it impossible to reach the gas pedal, steering wheel, or brakes. This happens without warning on both streets and highways, creating a serious safety hazard. The ignition switch will need to be replaced to stop the seat from moving unexpectedly.

Your car loses power when you try to accelerate from a stop—the engine revs but the car doesn't move forward, and both the check engine light and transmission warning light come on. This happens repeatedly even after restarting the car, creating a safety hazard as other vehicles nearly hit you. Your mechanic mentioned this is a known Ford issue, but the exact cause is unclear and could involve transmission wiring or require a full transmission replacement.

Your transmission is failing at 100,000 miles, and you're experiencing coolant problems. These are separate but serious issues that will likely require professional repair.

Your engine seized and stopped working two months after you got the car from your landlord. The mechanic found the engine had no coolant and was overfilled by 2 quarts of oil, which caused the seizure. Repairing the seized engine will cost $3,800 and likely involves rebuilding or replacing the entire engine.

An orange wrench warning light appears on your dashboard and your truck won't accelerate properly. Multiple mechanics have been unable to identify the cause, and many other owners report the same issue online. This loss of power while driving is a serious safety concern that could cause accidents on highways or roads with traffic.

While driving 60 mph in heavy traffic, your engine light, traction control light, and wrench light all came on simultaneously, and your engine dropped to idle speed and wouldn't accelerate—leaving you vulnerable to being rear-ended. This is a serious drivability issue that occurred while driving, suggesting a potential engine control or sensor malfunction. The fix will likely involve diagnostic scanning to identify which sensor or engine control component triggered the warning lights and caused the loss of power.

Your vehicle has been altered by someone and is malfunctioning unpredictably. The car has experienced smoking and stalling issues, particularly after arguments or disputes. A qualified mechanic should inspect the electrical system and engine to identify any unsafe modifications and restore the vehicle to safe working condition.

While driving, your car suddenly stops accelerating even though the engine is still running and the wrench warning light appears. Pressing the gas pedal has no effect, but turning the car off and back on temporarily fixes the problem. This issue happens unpredictably in traffic or during turns, creating a serious safety hazard. The throttle body and throttle position sensor have already been replaced, but the problem persists, suggesting a possible software issue rather than a hardware failure.

While driving, your ignition switch can unexpectedly trigger the memory seat function, causing the interior lights to turn on and your driver's seat to move backward. This leaves you unable to reach the pedals or steering wheel while the vehicle is moving, and it happens on both city streets and highways without any obvious trigger. The issue appears to be a faulty ignition switch or memory seat module that needs diagnosis and replacement.

Your Explorer may experience engine stalling and loss of acceleration due to throttle body wiring that deteriorates from heat exposure near cooling hoses, causing the wires to crack or snap. Additionally, you might notice coolant leaks from plastic thermostat housings, and the right rear turn signal may fail due to faulty wiring harnesses. These issues may require replacement of the throttle body wiring harness, thermostat housing, and turn signal wiring components.

Your transmission isn't shifting into the highest gear, and you may feel a slight jerking sensation when coming to a complete stop. Additionally, your front wheel bearings are making a humming noise. The transmission issue will likely require internal transmission service or replacement, while the wheel bearing noise indicates the bearings need to be inspected and possibly replaced.

When you drive through puddles on the passenger side of your car in rainy conditions, your power steering may suddenly stop working for anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. This has occurred multiple times over the life of your vehicle. The power steering system likely needs inspection to identify water intrusion points or electrical connections that are being affected by moisture.

At 100,233 miles, your check engine and wrench warning lights came on while driving. When you parked and turned off the engine, the transmission wouldn't engage any gear—it would move through gears but wouldn't lock into any of them. After the vehicle cooled down, the transmission worked again, but the problem repeated once it got hot. This pattern happened multiple times, with diagnostic code P0775 indicating a transmission solenoid failure that occurs when the transmission overheats. The fix will likely involve replacing the transmission solenoid and possibly servicing the transmission fluid and cooling system.

Your transmission is failing and shifts hard, which wasn't disclosed when you bought the vehicle. Your front driver seat won't adjust anymore, though it previously moved on its own and triggered the interior lights to come on. The previous owner had already reported the transmission problem to a dealer, but no repairs were completed before you purchased the car. Fixing this will likely require transmission service or replacement, and repair of the power seat mechanism.

Your interior dome lights turn on by themselves while you're driving, and this happens unpredictably at any speed or even when parked. When it occurs at night, the sudden interior lighting makes it harder to see the road and your surroundings clearly. The problem may be caused by a faulty dome light switch or wiring issue that needs to be diagnosed and repaired.

Your steering wheel feels stiff or hard to turn, especially when you're slowing down to make a turn. There are no unusual noises from the power steering system or belt, but the steering requires more effort than normal.

The warning or instructional stickers on your vehicle are not adhered properly. You discovered this during a child safety seat inspection with a certified technician. While this didn't create an immediate safety issue, the stickers may eventually peel off completely, making important safety information unreadable.