2006 Ford Explorer POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
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
I OWN A 2006 FORD EXPLORER EDDIE BAUER , BOUGHT USED IN 2011/61000K. SINCE 2012 THE CAR STARTED SHOWING PROBLEMS WITH THE POWER STEERING AND /OR ENGINE. WHEN DRIVING AT 35-40 MPH ON A HIGHWAY THE CAR STARTED TO SURGE FORWARD, THEN BACK, KEEPING SURGING UNTIL THE CAR REACHED A HIGHER SPEED OF 60. IF DRIVING ON A HILL, IT WILL LOOSE ITS SPEED. I TOOK THE CAR TO FORD DEALER AND THEY COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. THE CAR NOW IS 120000K, STILL SAME PROBLEM. VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH FORD THAT WILL NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PROBLEMAS.
GOT 2006 EDDIE BAUER W/98,000, 1 PREVIOUS OWNER (MOTHER) ALL SERVICING VIA THE SAME FORD DEALER (GENE BUTMAN), EXCEPT FOR A FEW OIL CHANGES FROM UNCLE ED'S. LATE NOV 2016 TOOK IT IN DUE TO THE HEAT WAS FLUCTUATING, WAS TOLD IT NEEDED THE THERMOSTAT AND HOUSING REPLACED (EVEN THOUGH IT HAD THE RADIATOR REPLACED A FEW YEARS EARLIER), ALSO HAD BRAKES & ROTORS DONE, THE 100,000 MILE CHECKUP SAID ALL WAS GOOD. A WEEK LATER THE EXHAUST FLUTE, ETC BROKE LOSE, GOT THAT REPAIRED & $2,000 LATER, FRIDAY 2/03/17 WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON, THEN ENGINE LIGHT, VEHICLE SEEMED TO LUNGE FORWARD, DELAY, DOESN'T ENGAGE..ACCELERATE, FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS HANGING AND THEN SLAMS INTO GEAR. A THUD FEELING WAS ALSO REPORTED BY MY MOTHER SEVERAL TIMES IN PREVIOUS YEARS TO THE DEALER, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG, SO SHE HAD THEN DOCUMENT IT. TODAY I AM TOLD A TRANSMISSION IS NEEDED, WHICH IS A UNEXPECTED HUGE & SADDENING SURPRISE - IN 2012 AND 2013 THERE HAD ALREADY BEEN TRANSMISSION WORK ON THE VEHICLE. CHECKED AND SEE ALL REPORTS ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR MODEL HAS OCCURRED ON THIS ONE, COOLING SYSTEM/RADIATOR/THERMOSTAT AND HOUSING ISSUES, EXHAUST ISSUES AND NOW TRANSMISSION ISSUES -- THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF REPORTS FOR THIS EXACT MODEL AND OTHER EXPLORER AND FORD VEHICLES, ALL KNOWN ISSUES, MANY EXPLANATIONS WHY IT OCCURRED WITH THIS MODEL AND THAT FORD IS AWARE OF THEM AND HAS PROVIDED NO RECALLS FOR ANY OF THESE SERIOUS DEFECTIVE MATTERS, NONE - ESPECIALLY WHEN EACH ARE VERY DANGEROUS MATTERS. TODAY I AM TOLD, THAT A NEW TRANSMISSION WILL BE: $5,400, 3 YEAR WARRANTY AND A USED TRANSMISSION: $3,600 12 MOS OR 12,000 MILES. BOTH OPTIONS ARE VERY VERY EXPENSIVE. WHAT CAN NHTSA DO, WILL A RECALL EVER OCCUR? IT SEEMS FORD NEEDS TO STEP IN AND HELP WITH THESE REPAIRS. IT THERE ANY HELP WITH THESE MATTERS & COST? HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/FORD/EXPLORER/2006/ .
PURCHASE THIS VEHICLE IN 2011 ONCE IT WAS HOME WITHIN 3 MONTHS BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS, I ALSO PURCHASE THE FORD EXTENDED WARRANTY AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY EXPLAINED THEY COULD NOT FIND AN ISSUE WITH THE TRANSMISSION. IT JOLTS, LUNGES, AND SOMETIMES THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T ENGAGE. I FEEL EXTREMELY UNSAFE TRYING TO PULL OUT AT AN INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE CAR STARTS TO JOLT AND I HAVE TO SLAM ON THE GAS IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO GO.IT IS HORRIBLE AND I FEEL VERY UNSAFE DRIVING; ESPECIALLY WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. EVEN IF I AM DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR INTO OVERDRIVE TO STOP THE MAJORITY OF THE JOLTING, AND THAT DOES NOT EVEN GUARANTEE IT WILL STOP. IT HAS BEEN A BATTLE WITH THE DEALERSHIP. HAD IT INDEPENDENTLY CHECKED BY AAMCO AND THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED, BUT THE ISSUE STILL OCCURS. NOT SURE WHAT CAN BE DONE. THIS VEHICLE NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR
I BOUGHT MY FIRST FORD EXPLORER ALMOST 8 YEARS AGO. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE AND FELT VERY SAFE DRIVING MY NEWBORN SON. I HAD A SECOND SON AND DECIDED TO BUY A NEW FORD EXPLORER BECAUSE IT WAS SUCH A DEPENDABLE CAR. NOW I AM REGRETTING THAT DECISION. I BOUGHT A 2006 FORD EXPLORER AT ROUND 60,000 MILES. IT NOW HAS 70,000 AND I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO GET ANOTHER TRANSMISSION AND IT STILL HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. IT JOLTS, LUNGES, AND SOMETIMES THE TRANSMISSION DOESN'T ENGAGE. I FEEL EXTREMELY UNSAFE TRYING TO PULL OUT AT AN INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE CAR STARTS TO JOLT AND I HAVE TO SLAM ON THE GAS IN ORDER FOR THE CAR TO GO.IT IS HORRIBLE AND I FEEL VERY UNSAFE DRIVING; ESPECIALLY WITH MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR. EVEN IF I AM DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR INTO OVERDRIVE TO STOP THE MAJORITY OF THE JOLTING, AND THAT DOES NOT EVEN GUARANTEE IT WILL STOP. MY HUSBAND IS IN THE MILITARY AND GONE A GREAT DEAL. HE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE SAFETY OF HIS CHILDREN OR WIFE WHEN HE IS DEPLOYED OVERSEAS OR WHEN HE IS TRAINING AWAY FROM HOME. HE IS CURRENTLY AWAY FROM HOME FOR TRAINING, GETTING READY FOR DEPLOYMENT. HE IS CALLING EVERY CHANCE HE GETS TO MAKE SURE THE CAR HAS NOT BROKEN DOWN OR WE HAVE NOT BEEN IN AND ACCIDENT DUE TO THIS VERY HORRIBLE VEHICLE. IF I HAD ENOUGH MONEY I WOULD BUY ANOTHER VEHICLE AND TELL EVERYONE NOT TO EVER BUY A FORD AGAIN. I THINK I AM MORE UPSET WITH THE FACT THAT MY HUSBAND IS POSSIBLE BEING SENT OVERSEAS IN OCTOBER, AND HE CANNOT EVEN GO TO WAR WITH THE KNOWLEDGE HIS FAMILY IS SAFE. I REALLY WISH SOMEONE WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM AND MAJOR SAFETY PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP ALL OF THE FAMILIES WITH THIS DEFECT. *TR
SHIFTING OF TRANSMISSION SLAMS HARD ON A FAST TAKE OFF, THEN AT 45 OR ABOVE CYCLES GEARS AND WON'T STAY IN OVERDRIVE. *TR
I WAS DRIVING UP SMALL HILL-DRY CONDITIONS AND THE CAR SHUT DOWN. ON COMING VEHICLE SWERVED AND AVOIDED COLLISION. THIS HAS HAPPENED MANY TIMES AFTER THE TRACTION CONTROL SENSOR COMES ON. THE CAR ALSO JUMPS OUT WHEN SHIFTING GEARS AND SOMETIMES IT IS VERY HARD TO SHIFT. TRANSMISSION PROBLEM! SAFETY RECALL IMPERATIVE! *TR
I'VE HAD MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. FIRST THE CAR SHIFTS HARD APPROX BETWEEN 10 MPH AND 20 MPH, THE CAR LUNGES, STALLS, THEN SHIFTS HARD INTO GEAR. WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED, I TOOK THE CAR TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC AND THEY DID A COMPLETE TRANSMISSION FLUSH... THE CAR RAN SMOOTH FOR ABOUT 10 DAYS, THEN IT STARTED LEAKING TRANSMISSION FLUID WHICH RESULTED IN MY RADIATOR BEING RUINED. REPLACED THE RADIATOR AND A PLUG IN THE TRANSMISSION. ($1,800) THE CAR THEN RAN FINE UP THIS PAST SUNDAY. THE CAR AS ME AND MY WIFE WERE DRIVING HOME FROM A 400 MILE TRIP WITH THE AC RUNNING, THE WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR STARTED LUNGING AND SHIFTING HARD AGAIN. I EXITED OFF THE HIGHWAY AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON... THE CAR STARTED SHIFTING HARD BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEAR AND MAKING A LOUD CLUNK NOISE. TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC AND HE DID ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FLUSH ON MONDAY JUNE 16, 2014... TWO DAYS LATER AND THE CAR STILL LUNGES, STALLS, AND SHIFTS HARD. I CALLED FORD AND THEY SAID BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY, THERE'S NOTHING THEY COULD DO. I EVEN ASKED THEM BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE 2006 TRANSMISSION, THEY STILL COULDN'T HELP ME. THE SECOND PROBLEM IS THE CAR EVEN THOUGH IN PARK, IT TENDS TO ROLL DOWN THE DRIVEWAY INTO THE STREET IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT/ EARLY MORNING... THIS HAPPENED A COUPLE OF TIMES... TOLD FORD ABOUT THE PROBLEM, AND BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY THERE'S NOTHING THEY COULD DO... THE LAST PROBLEM IS EVERY ONCE AND A WHILE THE CAR DOESN'T SHIFT INTO REVERSE... TOLD FORD ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND ONCE AGAIN, BECAUSE THE CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY THERE'S NOTHING THEY COULD DO... *TR
BOTH OF THESE THINGS HAVE BEEN HAPPENING OVER THE LAST 2-3 YEARS BUT I CAN NOT REMEMBER EXACT DATES. FIRST MY CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING HOT CONTINUOUSLY OVER THIS PERIOD OF TIME WHICH CAUSES ME TO HAVE TO PUT COOLANT IN AT LEAST ONCE EVERY MONTH. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY TOLD ME THIS WAS COMMON WITH THE EXPLORERS BUT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL SO I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. THEY FIRST TOLD ME IT WAS THE LINE TO THE RADIATOR THAT WAS LEAKING SO I HAD IT REPLACED, THEN NEXT TIME IT WAS THE THERMOSTAT AND HOUSING THAT THEY SAID WAS THE PROBLEM. SO I HAD THIS REPLACED. NOW TODAY 9/19/2013 I HAD TO REPLACE THE RADIATOR. IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT I SEEM TO FIX THIS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO OCCUR. SECONDLY MY CAR JERKS INTO GEAR WHEN I TRY TO PUT IN GEAR. THEY ARE TELLING ME NOW I NEED A TRANSMISSION BUT I SEE THIS IS A RECURRING PROBLEMS WITH MANY EXPLORERS OWNERS AND IT DOESN'T FIX THE PROBLEM EITHER. I DON'T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO BECAUSE MY CAR IS JERKING WHICH CAUSES ME TO ALMOST HIT PEOPLE OR DOESN'T GO INTO GEAR FAST ENOUGH WHICH CAUSES THEM TO ALMOST HIT ME. PLEASE HELP!!! THESE PROBLEMS FIRST STARTED TO OCCUR AROUND 40000 MILES. MY PROBLEM IS RADIATOR AND TRANSMISSION. *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH CAR SPEED WENT TO 0 MPH, TRANSMISSION TOTALLY SLIPPED. SECOND TIME IT HAS HAPPENED. ONCE I SIT THERE FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES ON SIDE OF ROAD IT WILL THEY START TO WORK AS IT SHOULD. BUT IT DOES MAKE LOUD NOISES WHILE MOTOR SHIFTS GEARS. THIS IS A KNOWN TRANSMISSION PROBLEM YET NO FORD RECALL. UNACCEPTABLE!!! *TR
TRANSMISSION DISENGAGED AT RED LIGHT. IT STARTED GOING BACKWARDS INSTEAD OF FORWARD. HAD TO PUT INTO PARK AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE TO GET IT TO DRIVE. STILL GOING ON. NOW WHEN ACTUALLY ON THE ROAD IT IS GETTING OUT OF GEAR WHEN VEHICLE IS AT DRIVING SPEED. ENGINE REVS UP TO 5000RPMS, THEN DOWN TO 1000RPM. VEHICLE LUNGING. WILL GET HURT I'M SURE. *TR
MY SON WAS DRIVING HOME AND THE TRUCK STARTED JERKING UNCONTROLLABLY AND HE COULDN'T BACK UP SO HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK. ALL OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID HAD LEAKED OUT DUE TO RADIATOR FAILURE. THE TRUCK WAS OFF WARRANTY SO HAD TO BUY A NEW RADIATOR. IN ORDER FOR THE RADIATOR TO HAVE A WARRANTY HAD TO BUY ANOTHER PART FROM THE FORD PLACE FOR 200.00. GOT THE PART AND RADIATOR. WITHIN SIX MONTHS TO A YEAR, SAME THING HAPPENED, HAD TO HAVE ANOTHER RADIATOR. HAVE HAD THREE RADIATORS AND NOW THIS YEAR 2013 LEAKING AGAIN AND THE RADIATOR THAT I PAID $600.00 FOR THE RADIATOR PLACE HAS WENT OUT OF BUSINESS SO I HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER RADIATOR. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THIS 2006 FORD EXPLORER XLT AND FORD KNOWS ABOUT IT. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT HALF THE TIME, NEVER KNOW WHEN I WON'T BE ABLE TO MOVE IT IF ALL OF THE FLUID LEAKS OUT OR MAY STOP IN TRAFFIC SUDDENLY. PLEASE HELP US TO GET FORD TO RECALL THESE TRUCKS. *TR
JUST LIKE MANY OTHERS WHO HAVE REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR 2006 FORD EXPLORER, WHEN BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, I PUT THE VEHICLE IN REVERSE. THERE WAS A JERK AS THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO FINALLY ENGAGE. I THOUGHT THE TRANS BROKE AT THE TIME? THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THEN ONCE. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE AS OTHERS WITH THE DELAYED SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. MY EXPLORER HAS JUST 88K MILES ON IT. *TR
DURING A LEFT TURN ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC OUR EXPLORER WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. IT LURCHED TO START AND WOULD NOT GO ABOVE 10-15 MPH, NEARLY STALLING. WE WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR HOME BUT COULD NOT GET IT TO GO ABOVE 20 MPH. AT SPEEDS 10 - 20 MPH IT JERKED VIOLENTLY. THIS WAS A COMMON OCCURRENCE AT SPEEDS 45 - 60. MODERATELY ACCELERATING BETWEEN 45 - 60 MPH HAS CAUSED HARD JERKS FOR YEARS WITH THIS CAR PRIOR TO IT BEING OFF WARRANTY. WE'VE TAKEN IT TO TED BRITT FORD SEVERAL TIMES AND EACH TIME THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. WE ALSO NOTED THEY ONLY PUT IT ON THE TICKET ONCE, THE OTHER TIMES TELLING US THEY TOOK IT OFF SINCE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE ISSUE AND WOULDN'T CHARGE US FOR IT. THE TIME MENTIONED IN THIS INCIDENT THE DEALER OFFERED TO SPLIT THE COST WITH US DUE TO OUR PREVIOUS ISSUES AND THEIR INABILITY TO FIX IT. THEY ALSO DID NOT FIX THE ISSUE AS WE STILL CANNOT ACCELERATE AT SPEEDS 45 - 60 WITHOUT HARD JERKING FROM THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION. WE NO LONGER USE THIS CAR ON THE HIGHWAY BECAUSE IT IS DANGEROUS TRYING TO SWITCH LANES OR MERGE ON TO A HIGHWAY WHEN THE CAR VIOLENTLY SHAKES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND OFTEN LEFT US RUNNING OUT OF MERGE LANE SPACE WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO GET INTO TRAFFIC. I HAVE READ SEVERAL SUCH PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR AND I AM SURPRISED NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE ABOUT IT. WE HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS HAVING THIS CAR LOOKED AT AND IN FAILED ATTEMPTS TO FIX IT. *TR
RANGE SHIFTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, TRUCK IS JERKING WITH ACCELERATION AND CHANGING GOING BETWEEN 1ST TO 5TH GEAR JOLTING THE VEHICLE. VERY BIG SAFETY ISSUE AS I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR-ENDED MULTIPLE TIMES. FORD SAYS NO RECALL ON TRANSMISSION ISSUES. MINE IS A 6R60 TRANSMISSION IN THE 2006 EDDIE BAUER EXPLORER WHICH HAS THE RANGE SHIFTER LOCATED INSIDE TRANSMISSION. WILL COST $2300 TO FIX! *TR
FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED IN EARLY APRIL 2012: MY CAR WAS EMITTING A FOUL SMELL AND OVERHEATING. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT MY RADIATOR WAS LEAKING. I TURNED MY VEHICLE INTO FORD AND IT WAS REPLACED. SECOND INCIDENT OCCURRED EARLY-MID OCT 2012: MY CAR WAS JERKING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IT WAS TAKEN TO HAVE THE CODES CHECKED AND IT WAS INDICATED THAT I HAD 2-3 RANDOM "MISS-FIRES" TO MY SPARK PLUGS. AS THIS IS NORMALLY AN EASY AT-HOME FIX, WE WERE ABLE TO REPLACE ALL THE SPARK PLUGS. THE ISSUE WITH THIS INCIDENT WAS THAT IN THE PROCESS OF REMOVING THE SPARK PLUGS, ALL BUT ONE BROKE IN HALF. THIS IS SUCH A COMMON PROBLEM THAT FORD HAS DESIGNED AND SELLS A SPECIFIC TOOL TO REMOVE BROKEN SPARK PLUGS. ONCE THE TOOL WAS PURCHASED, I WAS ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND MY CAR NO LONGER JERKED AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. THIRD INCIDENT OCCURRED LATE NOV 2012: VEHICLE STARTED JOLTING AND JERKING EXCESSIVELY AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. FEELS LIKE TRANSMISSION IS NOT ENGAGING GEARS PROPERLY. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH, I FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON AND MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE REGARDING THIS VEHICLE. A SAFETY RECALL NEEDS TO BE DONE IMMINENTLY. ANOTHER ISSUE, STARTED IN THE END OF 2011: WHEN GOING FROM PARK TO REVERSE OR DRIVE, STICK SHIFT WILL STICK AND I WILL HAVE WIGGLE AND PULL HARD TO MAKE IT MOVE. *TR
WHEN I MOVED FROM PARK TO DRIVE THE TRANSMISSION JOLTED AND SLAMMED INTO GEAR... TODAY WHILE DRIVING THE TRUCK WENT FROM 40 TO ABOUT 10 MPH AND WILL NOT GO ABOVE THIS SPEED. *TR
WHILE TRYING TO STOP MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND I HAD TO PUT IT IN NEUTRAL TO COME TO A STOP. I PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT AND SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND THEN STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND MY ENGINE REVVED AT AROUND 4000 RPM. THE ONLY WAY I COULD DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME WAS TO KEEP CONSTANT HEAVY PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES. IT ALWAYS WANTED TO ACCELERATE. *TR
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Quick Summary
The 2006 Ford Explorer has 17 POWER TRAIN,ENGINE complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.