This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
We recently began smelling a pungent 'sulfur' or 'rotten egg' like smell that comes and goes in the interior cabin of our Explorer while driving the vehicle. Typically this seems to occur while or just after driving at freeway speeds/accelerating. We believe this is in line with other instances people have had in Explorer of possible exhaust leaks into the interior cabin space of the vehicle. We have 83,000 miles on our 2013 AWD 3.5L Explorer limited. We took our vehicle to a Ford dealer under customer service satisfaction program service # 17N03, but they stated our specific VIN does not apply to this service & thus would not cover that service fix for this issue.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, exhaust fume odor was detected inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact rolled the windows down and heard an abnormal noise emerging from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer quirk Ford (540 southern artery, quincy, MA 02169) where they determine that the exhaust manifold was fractured and needed replacement. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,239. The VIN was not available.
Three times in the last 2 weeks I've had either gasoline or exhaust fumes inside of the vehicle. I was accelerating on either a city street or highway uphill and the A/C was on.
In summer 2015 we began smelling exhaust in the vehicle when the air conditioner was on. It started out as a mild smell and continued to get worse over time. We mentioned it to our service advisor multiple times who could not duplicate the issue. After many attempts, we got the dealership to duplicate the issue and admit there was an issue but unfortunately they could not fix it. As time went on, the smell was present all the time whether or not the air conditioner was on. In early 2018, we brought the vehicle to the dealership to perform the Ford authorized fix for this known issue (sealing holes, reprogram the A/C, etc.). however, the smell never went away and we brought the vehicle back twice to have it verified. This last time the dealership stated that the exhaust manifold was cracked and that there was nothing that Ford would do and that we had to pay for a replacement. The vehicle has 95K miles on it currently.
My Explorer has an issue when stopped and in drive with the ac on the car pulls/lunges foward as if I hit the gas/ also when im parked and the air con is running at some point the engine goes down below 500 rpms then kicks up to 700 to compensate then kicks down to below 500, over and over again. If rev the engine a bit, then it goes back down to normal idle and its fine for maybe 10 minutes then does it all over again. This can be a safety issue as the car pulls itself foward with no human interaction. There is multiple websites declaring this is a known issue for this car. Google 2013 Explorer rough ac idle you will see lots of people commenting on it.
My wife and I took a trip for a baby shower, it was about a 2.5 hr drive. On the way there, the check engine light turned on. There were no other warnings or indications of an issue. We made it fine to our destination, drove around town a little bit, and stayed the night. The next day we headed home (another 2.5 hr trip). The check engine light was on the entire time, but there were no abnormal noises or odors, or any other indication that there was an issue. When we got home, we parked the car, turned it off, unloaded, then turned it on to back it into the garage and turn it off again. After sitting in the garage for 10 -15 minutes, the car exploded, shaking the house and catching the engine bay on fire. The engine bay was engulfed in flames, causing fire/smoke damage to our garage and everything in it. An independent investigator stated that the cooling fan had failed, which caused the check engine light, however that seems like not a sufficient reason to why the engine exploded. We are unsure what the root cause was, but something had to have gone very wrong for the car to explode in the garage, ignition off, and stationary and the only indication being a check engine light even if the cooling fan did fail. This all happened just over a week after an oil change at a Ford dealership. This could have been a very dangerous situation that could have very likely ended up in injury or death.
My 2013 Ford Explorer XLT has been to the repair shop twice in order to address Ford recall 17no3. To this day, January 31, 2018, my co monitor picks up high readings (in my opinion) for such an enclosed space of a vehicle cabin (12-43 ppm). I drive a lot for work and am being constantly exposed to these fumes. My wife and I also have a 1 year old that we refuse to place in this car because even low levels are more dangerous to him. The readings occur while driving and accelerating, also when the vehicle is on recirculate. I've noticed that I get high readings of carbon monoxide levels after starting the vehicle or even just checking the vehicle periodically throughout the day. After getting into my car for lunch, the car was even turned off and I had a reading of 43ppm on my monitor (which I leave in the car). This tells me that toxic fumes are leaking from the exhaust into the cabin, even when the car is off, and staying in the vehicle because things have been sealed off due to Ford's "attempts" at fixing this issue. Ford Explorer, not just me, can't afford to put our health at risk while Ford denies there's a problem. Considering that co is odorless, you don't need to be able to smell the exhaust fumes for carbon monoxide to be present in great amounts for enclosed spaces. The picture that I have attached is only 1 of at least 25 pictures and videos I have compiled to make my case that Ford's "attempt" to fix this issue is being ignored by them.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. While driving various speeds, an unknown odor was detected inside the vehicle on the driver's side. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and repairs. The contact called crossroads Ford cary (2333 walnut St, cary, nc 27518, (877) 280-8932) and the manufacturer and was informed that there was an ongoing investigation and to contact NHTSA. The failure mileage was 25,000.
When vehicle is under acceleration, there is an exhaust smell throughout the cabin. Ford has attempted to correct the issue, but the exhaust smell remains under acceleration.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. Within less than a week of owning the vehicle, carbon monoxide entered the vehicle. The dealer (skalnek Ford, 941 S lapeer rd, lake orion, mi 48362, (248) 693-6241) stated that there was a tsb that could be performed on the vehicle. An unknown part was replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, but they were unable to provide a solution. The manufacturer issued three recalls on the fuel system. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA action number: EA17002 (structure, engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
Odor noticed in vehicle cabin intermittently while driving, particularly while accelerating. Have now found out that the vehicle has a cracked exhaust manifold.
Driving at 55mph on a highway my Ford Explorer Sport 2013 completely shut off and a amber wrench came on along with 2 more warnings (terrain management system fault and service traction system light). I was able to pull over and restart the vehicle, but it did it 2-3 times the same night. Luckily I was able to get it to the dealership the same day without causing an accident. I can't imagine what would of happened on a interstate at a higher speed.
I found cracks in the door jam of the rear liftgate on the driver's side of the vehicle. Following this discovery I found floor boards soaked in water, water dripping down my 3rd row seat belt onto the floor boards and into the spare tire well. Following this my moonroof quit working. Then I received a letter regarding emissions entering the back of the vehicle and causing people to pass out and wreck their vehicles. Took the car to Ford and the Ford dealership won't cover the cracks in the non wrecked vehicle under the emissions warranty because they state they are unrelated. If water is getting into the back of the car through a crack then emissions probably are too.
Unpleasant foul odor emitted into passenger compartment whenever accelerating within mid to high RPM range such as when passing or pulling a grade. Fumes smell similar to rotten eggs or sulfur. Foul odor causes headaches during periods of extended exposure such as when driving for several hours. This condition has existed ever since the vehicle was purchased.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. While driving various speeds, there was a strong odor coming from the air conditioning vent. The failure occurred without warning. The odor caused the contact to have head pressure, dizziness, eyes sores, eye pain, and inability to sleep. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (ted britt Ford fairfax, 11165 fairfax blvd, fairfax, va 22030) where it was cleaned, but the contact did not know what was repaired. The contact felt that the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Even after the vehicle was cleaned, the contact experienced the same failure again. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 7,000.
The car has had consistent odor penetration into the passenger cabin since I bought it in October 2012. There is a sulfur-like or rotten-egg smell...almost like natural gas. More recently I am also getting a separate odor of burning oil. The smell is most present when the car's windows are all up and the A/C system is on. The oil smell is also noticeable outside the vehicle. I am concerned that this could be related to the well-publicized issue with police versions of the Ford Explorer. I am also concerned that the fumes could be toxic and I am being exposed for long periods of time to potential carcinogens.
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- Gig Harbor, WA, USA