2002 Ford Ford Truck

Typical pattern

6.4% of complaints about the 2002 Ford Ford Truck came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2002 vehicle — around the middle of the 230 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 3.9 yr in service. The most-reported system is power train (15 complaints), typically at 3.9 yr or about 59,000 miles.

Complaints: 47
Median age at failure: 3.9 yr
Median mileage: 59,000 n=36
Crash / fire / tow: 10.6% of reports
Safety recalls: 0

In owners’ own words

Power train 65,000 mi 3.8 yr in service

PURCHASED A 2002 FORD EXPLORER NEW. WITH LESS THAN 45,000 MILES THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REBUILT. CAR NOW HAS LESS THAN 65000 MILES AND THE ENGINE HAS TO BE REPLACE. FORD WILL NOT OFFER ANY FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE. RAPHAEL

Power train 40,000 mi 1.8 yr in service

RIGHT AFTER 2002 EXPLORER SPORT 4X4 WAS OUT OF WARRANTY A WHINE FROM THE DIFFERENTIAL IN THE RANGE OF 40 - 80 MILE PER HOUR HAPPENS. FORD STATES TO LIVE WITH IT AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILTY FOR DEFECTIVE PARTS AND MANUFACTURING OF DIFFERENTIAL.

Power train 52,000 mi 3.9 yr in service

REF 2002 FORD EXPLORER, TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. THIRD GEAR WENT OUT AT 57,000 MILES. BEACH FORD REPLACED. HAVE NEVER GOTTEN THE GEARS SYNCRONIZED. HAVE TO TOUCH GEAR SHIFT SOMETIMES TO PUT IN GEAR. TONIGHT CAR IS BACK AT BEACH FORD WITH A TRANSMISSION PUMP LEAK. REPORTED THIS CAR LAST WEEK FOR ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. *NM

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2002 Ford Ford Truck

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

In owners’ own words

How to read this