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SUVs Ford Explorer Ford Explorer Mercury Mountaineer 2005 and earlier
3320 messages, Last post on Oct 26, 2009 at 5:13 PM
You are in the Ford Explorer Forum. Your Hosts are steve_ & tidester
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Three? Out of how many thousands of parts, and thousands of connections? In addition to component complexity ... radios with more computer power than Apollo space ships. And trying to test each combination in each of thousands of modes of operation in the field. I wish my personal failure rate was that low. |
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You are missing the point. The point is that the Japanese, by and large, have (near) ZERO. And INITIAL quality isn't really the big issue under discussion here. Three defects, five defects, zero defects...it doesn't matter really because they get fixed under warranty. The REAL issue is what happens AFTER the warranty period. In other words, will Explorer have good LONG TERM DURABILITY without unreasonable repairs? And how does that LONG TERM DURABILITY stack up to the Japanese competition? |
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YOU madeTHE point VERY easy TO miss WITH your STATEMENT: "My 2002 Mountaineer came from the factory with three defects - a pinched fuel tank vent hose, a mark in the paint, and a rear differential which had been improperly assembled (it was singing loundly after just a few thousand miles). It's really amazing what we as owners settle for. We all know about the rear differential. I don't think the other two items should have ever gotten past the"QC" at the point of assembly! Just my..." Do YOU have ANSWERS to THE questions YOU raised?
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Replying to: lateralg (Jun 17, 2005 1:33 pm) 96 Contour 96 Mercury Mystique '98 Contours (2) 95 Mercury Sable 94(?) Tempo '02 Explorer (Currently) '05 Taurus (Not "owned" but company provided vehicle) Take the Contours and Mystique listed above. The Duratec V6 in these vehicles that was an option (I heard co-developed by Porsche) was nothing short of a remarkable piece of technology. However, to save on weight they used a water pump with a plastic impeller. It would break at 50K like clockwork. This is also inexcusable! Let's call it like it is and not make excuses for all the automakers!! |
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My mom had a '98 Mystique...she eventually dubbed it "Mercury Mistake". It was recalled about 10 times in the 25,000 miles over 4 years or so that she had it. Mom was a 65 year old "I'll never buy a foreign car" person. Until that "Mystake"...after years and years of Ford and Chrysler products. Finally she broke down and "went foreign". Since 2002 she's had a 4 cylinder Camry and swears she'll never drive anything but Toyota again. Not one defect, no hassle, no fuss, no muss. Ford lost a life customer. I see the new Ford Fusion is supposed to be the wondercar of the future. Seems to me that the Contour/Mystique was supposed to be that 10 years ago and the Tempo/Topaz before that. In other words, you can fool me once, shame on me.... |
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Unless the rear end is singing from the factory, how are they to know it is bad? It took several thousand miles for the problem to show up, and it was probably an assembly defect. It was fixed promptly, so it certainly did not bother me. If anything, all of the evidence above suggests that Ford has improved dramatically. I just do not buy the Toyota reliability myth. Why do they and others sell so many parts for Toyotas if they never fail? Why have they had their share of recalls? I just discovered an outright design defect in my new Sienna. My back (shoulders / neck) have really been bothering me since I got it 4,500 miles and 45 days ago. It is definitely the car, not me. I thought the seat was junk, but thanks to another Edmunds user, I just discovered that the steering column is slanted to one side (closer to the front of the car on the left). It is a big enough angle that it amounts to several inches at the seat. I was planning to have the seat re-stuffed and the hot to sit on solid leather replaced with perforated leather (as on the Mountaineer) or cloth, but now I may sell the thing. It has the smoothness the 2002 Mountaineer lacks (and which the 2006 Mountaineer apparently will have), and is quiet and very handy for my needs, but I may not be able to keep it. It also gets only slightly better mileage than teh Mountaineer, even though it is rated much higher. If I sell it, I will certainly re-consider the 2006 Mountaineer, 2007 Explorer SportTrac, and other Ford products.
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Replying to: fsmmcsi (Jun 17, 2005 7:59 pm) Because they wear out? Was that a trick question?  tidester, host |
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Replying to: fsmmcsi (Jun 17, 2005 7:59 pm) |
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If you expect to have any credibility here, try to be more factual. 10 times as many?? In God we trust; all others bring data. |
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is OVERWHELMING going AWAY from Ford and GM and toward Toyota, Honda and now Hyundai. OK, so maybe it's not 10 to 1 (although it's possible that the bleeding IS that bad), you get my point but are nitpicking because you don't like it. In the end, the marketplace has clearly recognized that those imports are doing a much better job delivering quality, durability, design and economy.
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