I like my Ford.

 

Given the abuse I dish out to my Z on track it has been one of most reliable vehicles I've owned. Sure it has some weak points (transmission, hubs) but based on my current Nissan experience I got an Infiniti for the wife. Her previous Volvo spent way too much time in the shop despite the interwebs telling you Volvos can do 3 millions miles no problem... or was that before Ford got involved with them

 

As owner of several pre-Ford and a couple of Ford era Bricks (Volvos), I can tell you that earlier Volvos were indeed built like tanks. Not a lot to go wrong with them even the FI/FI engines and transmission combinations.

In the latter part of the Ford era, Volvos began a bit of decline when they moved to FWD for their bread n' butter cars (850, S/V70) but were, for the most part, reliably OK. Only gripe I had with my S60R was the turning radius.

Now (post-2008 Geely acquisition from FoMoCo), the cars are very nice, and reliably on par with most other Euro makes. But honestly, a tad boring. Yeah, they got high powered V8s, turbos and all that; but they're about on par with our Toyota Highlander in "excitement".... pleasing to drive but leaving me anxious to climb into my Benz or a Z on the weekend.

 

Nothing wrong with a Ford, they are my favorite american manufacturer. I worked for Ford for awhile, their customer service is incredible. They will do just about anything for a client.

 

I have a 2004 Explorer 160k miles from new.
AC broken, Airbag malfunction, abs malfunction, power mirrors broken but Engine and Tranny flawless. I have a 24ft boat that this Explorer still pulls with ease.

 

My wife had a 2004 Ford Explorer XLT v6. The interior was built like a Fisher Price play set from the early 90s. Eventually the transmission gave up and it would've cost more than the vehicle was worth to fix. The mileage was a bit higher than what you're at now kham. The early 2000s were not a great time for Ford, many of their consumer vehicles suffered from poor quality (both electronics and mechanical) in my opinion.

Since about 2012-2014 Ford has really stepped up their game. The new Fusions, Explorers, Mustangs, Focus all look and feel amazing in and out. I'm sure their trucks are also really sweet. But I had such a bad experience fixing/maintaining that 04 Explorer, I still have a sour taste in my mouth with Ford.
-Icer

 

Ive been lucky with this 04 for now I guess.
Waterpump, wheel bearings and throttle body only major items so far.The electronics on this car is complete garbage...
100% agree with you there.

 

Yep, engine is quite strong. All I had to replace was the serpentine belt, alternator, and battery (besides oil/filter changes). I did have one of the rear wheel bearings go and the struts/springs needed to be replaced along with brakes, but otherwise the drivetrain was pretty solid. I suspect the transmission gave-out because my Wife (girlfriend at the time) skipped some service intervals on it. When I dropped the transmission oil pan, things were looking real bad.

If you have the 5R55S transmission in your explorer and you start experiencing a delayed or "flared" shifting issue from 1st to 2nd or 2nd to 3rd. You most likely have a common "servo" issue where the shaft bore gets worn out of spec allowing for fluid leakage. Anyway, there's a cheap kit you can purchase to fix the issue. I tried this and unfortunately the problem was a planetary gear set or overly worn bands. Basically the damage was done to the internals and a rebuilt transmission was in order.

Here's a link to the kit:
https://www.fordservoboretransmissionfixsolution.com/

Hope your luck holds with your Explorer!

 

Thank-you for that link. i'll definitely keep that in mind incase I have future issues.

 

 

haha that doesn't surprise me at all, ford has done a good job with their engines. They just have issues with everything that supports the engine. Did you hear they are discontinuing the fiesta, taurus, and fusion in the states?

 

I heard that, pretty ballsy move.
Higher profit margin plus how can they compete with Hyundai who offers a 200k powertrain warranty to original owner? Isn't Ford still at 70k?

 

I was half asleep when I heard that on the news. "Zzzzzz, wait, what? Ehhhh, just a dream, goin' back to sleep.... zzzzzzzz....."

But yeah, even all the car rental agencies don't rent out Tauruses or Focuses anymore seemingly. They're all Hyundai, Kia, and yes, Nissan Altima sedans parked next to their Mustang and Camaro convertibles.

 

So basically your Altima is crap therefore all Nissans are crap...

Post hoc ergo propter hoc.

 

Damn I didn't hear that. Hopefully it turns out to be a good financial decision on Fords part..

 

It's like the 1950s, 1970s and 1990s all over again. Ford and GM are dropping sedans and compacts and they're bringing in more SUVs and Trucks. Of course, that'll all change again when oil prices go through the roof. It's like every 20 years, car companies run these cycles of building them big to building them small.

 

7 years, 100k if i remember correctly, but not that big of a diffence from 70k haha. Yea higher profit margins ,and dropping dead weight. Supposedly they weren't really selling.

 

You are correct. Still says a lot when the new kids double your warranty.