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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
12 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,096 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2013 Ford Explorer engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 1 of 11)

problem #215

May 302024

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering was difficult to steer. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The contact stated that when the vehicle was parked, the vehicle lost motive power and would not restart. The contact The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a failed water pump. The contact was informed that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Arvada, CO, USA

problem #214

Mar 212024

Explorer

  • 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated when his wife was driving the vehicle she became sleepy from the exhaust fumes. The contact stated his wife would feel fine when she was not in the vehicle. The were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who informed the contact's wife to drive with the windows down and not to drive passengers. The vehicle was not repaired, but the mechanic discussed replacing both exhaust manifolds. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and referred the contact to NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 119,000.

- Lake Wales, FL, USA

problem #213

Mar 072024

Explorer

  • miles
UNKNOWN. My sister had went to town in her car. She had came back home and parked the car in the driveway. After doing so her and her husband we inside, heard a rumbling sound went outside and car was on fire. The neighbors say they saw the car just catch on fire in her driveway. She had purchased the car less than 60 days ago in Manhattan, ks from CSM AUTO.

- Miltonvale , KS, USA

problem #212

Oct 062023

Explorer

  • 123,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the engine shut off inadvertently. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The power train warning light was illuminated. There was no further information provided. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 123,000.

- Nashville, IN, USA

problem #211

Oct 042023

Explorer

  • miles
Unknown what caused the issue but our vehicle erupted into flames in our driveway not 10 minutes after we pulled in. No warnings, no indication anything was wrong. We smelled smoke and went outside to find the hood completely engulfed. It took fire department to extinguish it. They-??re not certain of cause yet but said likely an electrical short

- Parma, OH, USA

problem #210

Oct 052023

Explorer

  • miles
For that pass 6 months my vehicle has had a check engine light on. Warning light will flash steering assist fault the the wheel locks up and vehicle comes to a holt. This problem has been happening on and off some days it-??s fine some days this accurs. Recall #14S06

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #209

Sep 072023

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Faulty water pump causing coolant loss and engine shutting off in traffic!

- Meridian, MS, USA

problem #208

Sep 072023

Explorer

  • miles
My water pump started leaking coolant. My reservoir leaks out from night until morning being parked. Engine has always been maintained and it seems to be a faulty part. I saw where Ford had to replace a big number of faulty water pumps by recall and lawsuits. Mine never has been took in for a recall. Please help with this or do you think I need to call my attorney?

- Meridian, MS, USA

problem #207

Jul 172023

Explorer

  • miles
I-??d first like to say whoever designed this water pump seriously needs a new job. I brought my car into the shop a year ago for an AC replacement, where it was brought to my attention that there was a small water pump leak. I couldn-??t afford to have it fixed and was told to keep coolant in it until I can have it fixed. I was quoted $3000 to fix it, WHILE at an event at a local ford dealership I was putting coolant in my car when a lady with the EXACT same car next to me said she just had to pay $3000 to have hers fixed the week before. This is apparently an issue that goes refuses to acknowledge or replace for their customers. $3000 for a family with 4 kids is very hard to save up, so again I just kept up with my coolant. Going down the interstate last week my engine locked up, with my wife and 4 kids in the car. The water/coolant mixed with the engine oil because of where it-??s placed. $5000 fix to replace the entire motor with a used engine. We are not under warranty and our lives were at stake because of a faulty water pump that is being IGNORED by ford. Not only are we now out of a car, but we have to figure out how to come up with $5000 to fix a major problem because of fords terrible placement of a faulty water pump. Avoid these cars at all costs and don-??t hold your breath to get any help from them pertaining to something that should-??ve been recalled by now!

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #206

Jul 012023

Explorer

  • miles
Driving down the street to my house at 25mph. Suddenly there was a ticking sound coming from under the hood. I pulled into my driveway shutoff the vehicle and looked under the hood. The engine had not overheated, it hadn-??t even revealed a maintenance code. I checked the oil and noticed that the color was not as dark as it should be and seemed like there was a lot of air bubbles in the oil. I allowed the vehicle to cool down an hour drained the oil and it was the consistency of chocolate milk, and coolant leaking. Took it to a Ford dealership, they say the engine is a total loss due to water pump failure even though it wasn-??t run or driven any Significant distance after the water pump failed. There are no safety recalls, there was no warning, and now I-??m left with only purchasing another engine or vehicle. Numerous other have reported similar experiences. This is the result of faulty design and Ford should be held accountable.

- Hagerstown, MD, USA

problem #205

Jun 272023

Explorer

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The power steering system has an intermittent electric connection and the steering wheel will jerk in opposite directions. There is a recall for the issue with similar year ford explorers but for has told me to contact nhtsa to see if this vehicle can be added to the list for the same issues. Also I am not able to smog it due to bad catalytic converters.

- Turlock, CA, USA

problem #204

Jun 232023

Explorer

  • miles
My explorer has 120000 miles and water pump started going bad. Bought parts to get it fixed. $80 for pump, $300 for timing chain kit due to it being a stupid internal chain driven pump. $1200 labor to break motor down just to change an $80 part. Less than 28 days, was pulling out of driveway. Went about 50 feet and Chain breaks locking motor up ruining motor due antifreeze leaking into motor from where internal water pump was going bad Originally. Now have to pay additional $3000 for a new motor due to internal pump. Please help. An internal water pump is the most stupid idea they ever came up with. Too many critical parts were tied in to this part. Would-??ve been easier for it to be external with a serpentine belt driving it. Fire whoever came up with this stupid and very expensive idea.

- Union, SC, USA

problem #203

May 192023

Explorer

  • miles
a Ford Dealership informed me my water pump was severely leaking and needed to be replaced. The water pump is located inside the engine, which is EXTREMELY costly to repair. After digging into it I realized that this is common in this type of engine but Ford has not issued a recall in the US, but Canada has a recall. Now we have to come out of pocket to fix this issue when it is well know to Ford that this water pump inside the engine is a massive design and mechanical flaw.

- Dover, DE, USA

problem #202

May 082023

Explorer

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the high engine temperature and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #201

Apr 042023

Explorer

  • miles
My car was showing oil engine replace message, it was not performing as usual, when taken for normal service at ford dealer to change oil, they identified cooling liquid leaking inside the engine as it seems in the ford explorer and other models the water pump is inside the engine which makes identifying any leakage very challenging as it is not easily visible.the faulty water pump leaks liquid inside the engine which overheats and damages the engines and lead to car failure when driving it. Since leakage is not easy to detect the faulty water pump and bad design(by putting the water pump inside the engine) may lead to engine failure when driving the car and accidents leading to life threatening situation. When seaerching on the net it seems several ford explorer 2013 owners faced same issues and were not able to identify the leakage easily and had engine damage and had to pay a lot of money to fix it. Ford should recall and change the pumps on its own cost.

- Springfield Gardens, NY, USA

problem #200

Mar 062023

Explorer

  • miles
Water is leaking out from underneath the front passenger side part of the engine. I was told it was a water pump failure and the water pump is internal to the engine.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #199

Feb 012023

Explorer

  • miles
The SUV will swerve into other lane when it switches gears. Replaced both struts. Odor in the cab. Coolant will not stay and after spending $1000 for repairs, it still cannot be fixed. Cracked head gasket.

- Jena, LA, USA

problem #198

Sep 152022

Explorer

  • miles
Water pump failure, this part has been recalled on most Ford explorers but not mine and I-??m unsure why. My water pump has failed and is causing additional damage to hoses and the engine due to overheating. My vehicle overheated on the interstate and was completely drained of water. I had to pay a $400 tow bill and walk over 10 miles home. The water pump started working again and then once again stopped working. This has caused a lot of problems to my safety and well-being, not to mention I have lost my job due to being late for work multiple times due to not having a reliable form of transportation. A quick Internet search has showed me this is a very common issue for my vehicle and I believe Ford should be held responsible for the faulty part.

- Bristol, TN, USA

problem #197

Jan 102023

Explorer

  • miles
Leaking water pump at bolt

- Asheville , NC, USA

problem #196

Dec 222022

Explorer

  • miles
I know there was a recall on exhaust fumes coming in the vehicle months ago, and it's starting again I've had really bad fumes coming in my car.

- Linden, MI, USA

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