Ford Explorer 1990–1997 — technical service bulletin
Bulletin 971110972312 · NHTSA communication 53668 · issued Nov 10, 1997
Technical service bulletin
communication type
Power Train
component
1990–1997
model years
15
vehicle entries
Official summary
Concerns with "pinging" or "creaking" being heard from the driveline when shifting from park to drive or reverse, between drive and reverse, or when engaging the clutch. *yc
Vehicles covered
What a TSB means. Technical service bulletins are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls, and repairs are not automatically free (warranty extensions are an exception worth checking). The full document is available via NHTSA’s vehicle lookup.