2006 Ford Explorer Power Train
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
THIS TRANSMISSION SHOULD BE RECALLED!!!! THE REVERSE BAND BREAKS AND IS A KNOWN ISSUE FOR THIS TRANSMISSION!! NO WARNING JUST WENT TO REVERSE AND NOTHING! UPON RESEARCH THIS HAS BEEN A KNOWN ISSUE SINCE DAY ONE!!
THE TRANSMISSIONS HAVE A PROBLEM AND HAVE HAD A PROBLEM FOR YEARS. THEY CAN FAIL WITHOUT NOTICE AND CAUSE A VEHICLE TO LOSE MOMENTUM WHILE GOING DOWN THE ROAD. YES THIS IS AN OLDER VEHICLE BUT IF YOU LOOK UP OLDER COMMENTS ON THIS VEHICLE ON OTHER REPORTING SITES THERE ARE MANY REPORTS OF TRANSMISSIONS CAUSING SERIOUS PROBLEMS. WHY HAS THIS NEVER BEEN DEALT WITH IN ANY MANNER? I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND MY VEHICLE BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN AND WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE VEHICLE IN GEAR AND GET IT TO THE SHOP. I PAID TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND IT DID IT AGAIN IN THE NEW TRANSMISSION. I ALMOST DID NOT MAKE IT UP THE HILL NEAR MY HOME AND HAVE BEEN FORCED TO PARK THE VEHICLE AS IT IS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE.
I WAS TURNING FROM TURNING LANE INTO WAL-MART AND WHEN I GAVE IT GAS THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED AND WOULDN'T MOVE. LUCKILY NO CARS WERE COMING AND IT FINALLY KICKED IN AND LET ME PULL INTO THE PARKING LOT. I JUST BOUGHT THIS AND WAS LOOKING UP THE ISSUE AND FOUND OUT THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH FORD EXPLORER 2002 - 2006. WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL ON THESE TRANSMISSIONS? THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS!
I PURCHASED A 2006 FORD EXPLORER, EDDIE BAUER. I NEEDED THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT AND PAID AAMCO ALMOST $4,000. NOT EVEN A YEAR LATER THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND HAD TO BE RE-BUILT AGAIN BUT IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY. BACK IN MARCH 2019, I TOOK IT BACK TO AAMCO AND WAS TOLD NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. AUGUST 2019, I WENT BACK TO AAMCO AND THEY REPLACED THE SOLENOID PACK IS WHAT I WAS TOLD. NOW, NOT EVEN A MONTH LATER THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED AGAIN. THE SUV JERKS WHEN PLACED INTO GEAR AND IT FEELS AS THOUGH SOMEONE REAR ENDED ME. THE TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY BY THE MANUFACTURER, FORD! THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE TRANSMISSION OF THIS YEAR EXPLORER WITH THE SAME ISSUES AND FORD WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY! IT'S NOT RIGHT THAT CONSUMERS HAVE TO SHELL OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ON THIS PIECE OF JUNK THEY MANUFACTURED WHICH CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS! SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE.
WHEN THE CAR IS PUT IN REVERSE AND YOU GIVE IT GAS, IT SHIFTS REALLY HARD AND JERKS AND SLIPS. I THINK THAT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. THIS HAPPENED WHILE I WAS LEAVING WORK AND PUT THE CAR INTO REVERSE TO LEAVE THE PARKING LOT.
TRANSMISSION BEEN SLIPPING ON 2ND OR 3RD GEAR I BELIEVE I NEVER TOWED OR CARRY HEAVY LOADS AT ALL IT'S BEEN DOING THIS SINCE THE FIRST MONTH I PURCHASE IT AND IT'S BEEN GETTING WORST SINCE
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE REVERSING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE MADE A LOUD ABNORMAL NOISE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHIFT INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SHOP. THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.
MY EXPLORER'S TRANSMISSION IS STARTING TO EXHIBIT HARD SHIFTS THAT RATTLE THE ENTIRE CAR. I KNOW THIS IS NOT A NEW PROBLEM AS A FAMILY MEMBER HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN THEIR 2006 EXPLORER AND CYBER COMMUNITY IS FULL OF EXAMPLES. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS THE TRANSMISSION HESITATES WHILE EXCELERATING THROUGH INTERSECTIONS AND SHIFTS HARD ENOUGH TO JOLT THE ENTIRE CAR WHILE SLOWING DOWN.
THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS BANGING INTO GEAR. IT JOLTS THE VEHICLE BACK AND FORTH AS IT SHIFTS. TRIED REPLACING TRANSMISSION FLUID BUT CONTINUES TO DO IT. FEELS LIKE I'VE BEEN REAR-ENDED AT TIMES. ITS A CONSISTENT OCCURRENCE.
THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND WILL NOT SHIFT
TRANSMISSION OCCASIONALLY LURCHES AND MAKES VERY HARD SHIFTS BETWEEN GEARS. ENGINE RACES BETWEEN HARD SHIFTS. HAVE LOSS OF POWER BETWEEN SHIFTS WHICH HAS ALMOST RESULTED IN CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. LURCHING SEEMS TO OCCUR MOSTLY AFTER DRIVING AT 20 TO 30 MILES PER HOUR FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES.
OVERDRIVE HAS A HARD JOLT " HARD SHIFT" WHEN NORMAL DRIVING. I SEE THIS IS A BIG ISSUE WITH ALL FORD EXPLORERS, TOO BAD I DIDN'T DO SOME RESEARCH BEFORE BUYING A FORD.
VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY PUT THE KEY AND THE SHIFT LEVER WON'T MOVE INTO ANY GEAR AND ALSO NOW I CAN'T REMOVE THE KEY. I WAS PARK IN FRONT OF A SHOOL
I AM A MILITARY SPOUSE AND DRIVING HOME FROM FT BRAGG AT 50 MILES AN HOUR MY TRUCK STARTED COSTING SO I HAD TO PULL OVER AND HAVE IT TOWED. I HAD A FORD DO A FULL DIAGNOSIS A MONTH BEFORE THIS AND THE TRUCK ONLY NEEDED BARONS. LAFAYETTE FORD FAY NC 28306
THE TRANSMISSION JUMPS AND ENGAGES VERY HARD, IT LUNGES FORWARD ALSO
I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED TWICE, FIRST TIME AT 57000 MILES AND SECOND TIME 127000 MILES. THIS IS THE FIRST VEHICLE I OWNED AND HAD TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. WAS THIS PROBLEM EVER ADDRESS. THANK YOU [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
WHILE DRIVING CAR STALLS WHILE SWITCHING GEARS EVENTUALLY JOLTS/JERKS HARD, WRENCH LIGHT SIGNALING A POWERTRAIN ISSUE APPEARS IN DISPLAY. AS I AM DOING RESEARCH I REALIZE THIS IS A COMMON TRANSMISSION ISSUE WITH FORDS. DEFINITELY WILL NOT PURCHASE ANOTHER FORD AND WILL DISCOURAGE EVERYONE ELSE I KNOW FROM PURCHASING. FORD TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THIS ISSUE IN ITS VEHICLES. COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE FOR A LARGE COMPANY LIKE FORD.
RECENTLY MY 2006 FORD EXPLORER XLT WAS JOLTING/JERKING WHEN I PUT IT INTO REVERSE, IT DID NOT DO IT ALL THE TIME JUST RANDOMLY, AND ABOUT TWO DAYS AGO I PUT MY EXPLORER INTO REVERSE TO LEAVE MY DRIVEWAY AND WHEN I WAS ACCELERATING IT WOULD NOT BUDGE, THE ENGINE REVED LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO REVERSE BUT NOTHING. IT ONLY DOES IT WHEN I'M IN REVERSE THOUGH. I'VE BEEN RECENTLY RESEARCHING THIS PROBLEM AND IT SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM AMONGST THIS YEAR, I'VE ACTUALLY SEEN HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ONLINE, FORD SHOULD BE REPLACING THIS AND PAYING FOR THE COST, DEFINITELY DANGEROUS AND ALSO EXPENSIVE. HAD MY VEHICLE FOR UNDER A YEAR AND HAVE APPROX. 107K MILES AND IVE HAD IT LESS THAN A YEAR AND STILL OWE ROUGHLY 7K ON IT.
TRANNY SLIPS REALLY 3 TIMES I HAD NO PPWER GOING UP THE HILL BEEN TOLD ITS THEIR BAD 2006 ALMOST REENDED 3 TIME S PL FIX THIS SO I CAN DRIVE SAFLTY YOU NEED TO FIX IT AND SOON I HAVE ASLO FOR MY KIDS AND MY SAFTY I CANNT WORRY ABOUT FORD HAS KNOWN ALL THE TIME SINCE DAY ONE PL DO RIGHT BY YOUR COMPANY CAUSE I CAN NT AFFORD IT
COMPLETE AND TOTAL CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF TRANSMISSION WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY. I WAS TRAVELING IN MY CAR WITH MY FAMILY WHEN WE HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSIVE BANG FROM UNDER OR CAR. I SHOOK MY WIFE AND SCARED MY CHILDREN. I KNEW IT DEFINITELY WAS NOT GOOD AND FELT AN IMMEDIATE LOSS OF FORWARD MOMENTUM AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WE WERE TRAVELING IN THE FAST LANE AT THE TIME AND OTHER VEHICLES WERE FOLLOWING BEHIND US. THEY WERE NOT HAPPY AND HAMMERING THEIR HORNS AT OUR SUDDEN AND UNEXPECTED DECELERATION. LUCKILY NO ONE REAR-ENDED US OR PANICKED AND SLAMMED ON THEIR OWN BRAKES WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR COLLISION ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE. I WAS ABLE TO COAST OVER TO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND COME TO A SAFE STOP WITH IN A FEW FEET OF A YELLOW EMERGENCY CALL BOX. WE SIGNALED FOR ASSISTANCE AND HELP CAME TO ME AND MY FAMILY WITHIN 10 MINUTES. (THANK YOU TO ALL BY THE WAY) WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A LOCAL MAJOR BRAND TRANSMISSION SHOP WHERE THEY FOUND THE TRANSMISSION FLUID TO BE BURNT AND BLACK, METAL PIECES IN THE PAN AND DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION TO BE A COMPLETE LOSS AND HAVE IT REPLACED WITH A CERTIFIED REBUILT TRANSMISSION. 69,000 MILE AT TIME OF FAILURE. NOT ACCEPTABLE AT LESS THAN 100,000. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN TO AN INEXPERIENCED DRIVER OR OTHER DRIVERS AROUND THESE VEHICLE WHEN IT HAPPENS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, A SERIOUS POSSIBLY LIFE THREATENING OR FATAL ACCIDENT COULD RESULT FROM THIS TYPE OF MECHANICAL FAILURE. THIS IS NOT A SLIPPING TRANSMISSION OR A CAR THAT WONT SHIFT GEARS OR AN ISSUE SIMILAR TO THOSE TYPE OF COMPLAINTS. THIS IS A TOTAL AND COMPLETE FAILURE OF A MAJOR VEHICLE COMPONENT UNDER NORMAL OPERATING CIRCUMSTANCES. I DON'T HAVE PICTURES, AS I AM REMOTE FROM THE VEHICLE UNTIL I PICK IT UP WHEN SERVICE IS FINISHED BUT I WILL BE ABLE TO PROVIDE TOWING RECEIPTS AND REPAIR BILLS FROM SERVICING TRANSMISSION SHOP. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED AND THE VEHICLE RANDOMLY JERKED, SLOWED DOWN, AND UNEXPECTEDLY SURGED FORWARD. WHILE AT A STOP SIGN, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD AND STRUCK A PEDESTRIAN. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE FAILURE CONTINUED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE NOT AVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE GEAR SHIFTER STUCK IN THE PARK POSITION. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL HAD TO BE DEPRESSED WITH FORCE OR THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE RESTARTED IN ORDER TO MOVE THE GEAR SHIFTER OUT OF PARK. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED, BUT THE DETAILS OF THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE PROVIDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE FAILED TO MOVE IN REVERSE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS, THE VEHICLE OPERATED NORMALLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 123,000.
I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE USED 7 YEARS AGO FROM CARMAX. IT HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEM FROM DAY 1. IT ALWAYS SHIFTS HARD. TODAY THE LITTLE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AS I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY..
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 FORD EXPLORER. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO JERK AND AN UNKNOWN WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE OVERHAULED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT A PART WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.
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Quick Summary
The 2006 Ford Explorer has 236 Power Train complaints on file. 3 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.