[Mrfixit]

Also, if considering towing with an '02 thru '05 Explorer with the 5R55W transmission, these are notorious for losing 2nd or 3rd gear at around 80k to 120k miles. Just try finding one in a junkyard - they've all been used to replace bad ones. A defective solenoid in the valve body will fail and cause the tranny to go into 2nd and 3rd simultaneously. Whichever gear loses will burn the bands and $1500 will magically fly out of your wallet! (Ford knows this is a defective part but won't issue a recall since they don't see it as a safety issue). I found a shop that was familiar with the problem and used a good aftermarket part instead of the Ford part, which the shop owner said would fail again.

Ford discontinued using this tranny after just 4 years!