Farewell to my Explorer

[4havnfun]

Traded the 17 Explorer Platinum for an 18 Edge Titanium. Same colour inside and out so it looks like we took the Explorer through the carwash and it shrunk.

Just too many problems with the Explorer in 20 months/25,000 miles of ownership and with all the long haul driving we do it just wasn't very comfortable. I'm hoping that the Edge won't be as plagued! Our previous 2011 Edge was more comfortable on long trips and it looks like the new Edge is improved over the previous generation. Fingers crossed

I wanted to thank everyone on here for all of their insight, tips and discussions of how to get the most out of my Explorer.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Enjoy it!!

 

[Vic57]

I really wanted to buy an Edge but I just could not find a comfortable seating position. The bottom of the seat just does not go low enough for me. I'm happy with my Limited Explorer though. But the Edge was my first choice. Good Luck with your new Edge.

 

[TeeDub]

Traded the 17 Explorer Platinum for an 18 Edge Titanium. Same colour inside and out so it looks like we took the Explorer through the carwash and it shrunk.

Just too many problems with the Explorer in 20 months/25,000 miles of ownership and with all the long haul driving we do it just wasn't very comfortable. I'm hoping that the Edge won't be as plagued! Our previous 2011 Edge was more comfortable on long trips and it looks like the new Edge is improved over the previous generation. Fingers crossed

I wanted to thank everyone on here for all of their insight, tips and discussions of how to get the most out of my Explorer.

I'm on the cusp of buying a Platinum. What sort of issues have you had in the 20 months/25k miles?

 

[peterk9]

I'm on the cusp of buying a Platinum. What sort of issues have you had in the 20 months/25k miles?

Are you looking at ordering or buying off the lot? Orders for 2018 Explorers will close very soon.

Peter

 

[TeeDub]

Are you looking at ordering or buying off the lot? Orders for 2018 Explorers will close very soon.

Peter

Off the lot. I've been working with some dealers this week trying to get as much off MSRP as possible while finding the exact model i want.

 

[thefranchise713]

Good luck with the Edge, it's been one of Ford's better vehicles.

if it didn't borrow so much (too much) from the Fusion parts bin, I probably would have gotten one of those instead. Like you, my Explorer has been a quality nightmare/regret.

 

[TeeDub]

Good luck with the Edge, it's been one of Ford's better vehicles.

if it didn't borrow so much (too much) from the Fusion parts bin, I probably would have gotten one of those instead. Like you, my Explorer has been a quality nightmare/regret.

This scares me. Mind sharing some of your issues?

 

[chazglenn3]

Sorry to hear that you two have had bad experiences with your 2017 Explorers. TeeDub, you should remember that of all of the Explorers sold last year, that those who have had no issues and are enjoying their cars don't visit these forums and sing the praises. You will usually hear only complaints on forums. Well, except for me. Our 2016 Platinum has performed flawlessly from day one. I bought it in January of 2016 and as of today it has over 75K miles on it and I have done nothing but oil changes and tires. I just bought brake pads as I'm sure they are getting close to being due.

 

[jhu8]

Sorry to hear that you two have had bad experiences with your 2017 Explorers. TeeDub, you should remember that of all of the Explorers sold last year, that those who have had no issues and are enjoying their cars don't visit these forums and sing the praises. You will usually hear only complaints on forums. Well, except for me. Our 2016 Platinum has performed flawlessly from day one. I bought it in January of 2016 and as of today it has over 75K miles on it and I have done nothing but oil changes and tires. I just bought brake pads as I'm sure they are getting close to being due.

Glad to hear a positive story lol But you're right. As in anything, people are more likely to report issues rather than positive things on forums.

 

[TeeDub]

Sorry to hear that you two have had bad experiences with your 2017 Explorers. TeeDub, you should remember that of all of the Explorers sold last year, that those who have had no issues and are enjoying their cars don't visit these forums and sing the praises. You will usually hear only complaints on forums. Well, except for me. Our 2016 Platinum has performed flawlessly from day one. I bought it in January of 2016 and as of today it has over 75K miles on it and I have done nothing but oil changes and tires. I just bought brake pads as I'm sure they are getting close to being due.

Glad to hear a positive story lol But you're right. As in anything, people are more likely to report issues rather than positive things on forums.

Yes, I completely agree. All makes and models have issues and the issues tend to be more public.

However, i'm just curious to know what the issues are that i'm hearing about in this particular thread so that I know what to look out for.

 

[thefranchise713]

I had a myriad of things. But I'm the exception rather than the rule.

Whole car had to be repainted, exhaust smell issues, noises/creaks/vibrations that had to be chased on multiple occasions in various corners of the car, foot activated liftgate has not worked correctly since day one and I finally disabled it permanently using an as-built data hack, and on Monday it's returning for its first ESP visit -- the second row bench won't tumble forward when folded, driver's side.

The issue rate on this vehicle seems to be higher than Ford's other builds... we have a Focus and Escape we're pretty happy with. The Focus has the flawed DPS6, but other than that it's been a nice car for us. New clutch has treated us 90% well.

 

[4havnfun]

I'm on the cusp of buying a Platinum. What sort of issues have you had in the 20 months/25k miles?

I have refrained from trashing the Explorer as I recognize that my experience may have been an outlier.

We got off to a rough start when the vehicle was delivered with an ABS fault that took at least half a dozen trips and 3 different dealers to resolve. There is a low speed surging issue with the 3.5 EB engine that Ford claims is a characteristic of the vehicle and won’t do anything about. The memory seat slowly crept forward each time it cycles between normal driving position and the easy-exit position. The front hood paint bubbled in half a dozen places along the leading edge. An intermittent fault with the airbag started the day before we were starting a 1500 mile trip. On top of that I found the fancy front seats in the Platinum pretty uncomfortable on long drives.

In the end I decided I didn’t want to spend the next 4 years dealing with what I feared would be a continuing string of issues. I took a pretty bad haircut on trading in a 2 year old vehicle but that was the cost of getting out of the Explorer.

 

[Sgt1411]

I find this very interesting.
I'm on my 4th Explorer since this design was introduced in 2011.

2011 Limited returned under Lemon Law
2013 Limited no issues other than MFT
2014 Sport few minor issues and of course MFT
2017 Sport, tires won't balance after 3 tries, wind noise, passenger doors are countersunk into body 1/4 inch as opposed to drivers side which are flush to the body. Had several door rubbers replaced no difference in sound. Rust is now showing through on driver and passenger doors down at the bottom near the metal fold. SYNC 3, while much improved over MFT still has issues. Glovebox alignment with passenger door is out almost 1"

My Focus and work 2018 F150 XLT have almost no issues.

It might be time for a change.......but that new Explorer ST might be worthwhile.

 

[thefranchise713]

^ I have no idea what the heck CAP is doing these days. There's a SHO on my dealer's lot. I wanted to stick quarter deck of cards in some of the panel gaps, not to mention the random dent that it had on the roof.

 

[peterk9]

Traded the 17 Explorer Platinum for an 18 Edge Titanium. Same colour inside and out so it looks like we took the Explorer through the carwash and it shrunk.

Just too many problems with the Explorer in 20 months/25,000 miles of ownership and with all the long haul driving we do it just wasn't very comfortable. I'm hoping that the Edge won't be as plagued! Our previous 2011 Edge was more comfortable on long trips and it looks like the new Edge is improved over the previous generation. Fingers crossed

I wanted to thank everyone on here for all of their insight, tips and discussions of how to get the most out of my Explorer.

Time to update your profile.

Peter

 

[4havnfun]

I find this very interesting.
I'm on my 4th Explorer since this design was introduced in 2011.

2011 Limited returned under Lemon Law
2013 Limited no issues other than MFT
2014 Sport few minor issues and of course MFT
2017 Sport, tires won't balance after 3 tries, wind noise, passenger doors are countersunk into body 1/4 inch as opposed to drivers side which are flush to the body. Had several door rubbers replaced no difference in sound. Rust is now showing through on driver and passenger doors down at the bottom near the metal fold. SYNC 3, while much improved over MFT still has issues. Glovebox alignment with passenger door is out almost 1"

My Focus and work 2018 F150 XLT have almost no issues.

It might be time for a change.......but that new Explorer ST might be worthwhile.

Your post reminded me that I also ditched the Hankooks because of ride issues. A set of Michelin Defenders and a road force balance solved the problem.

 

[Sgt1411]

Your post reminded me that I also ditched the Hankooks because of ride issues. A set of Michelin Defenders and a road force balance solved the problem.

I made the mistake of taking a 2018 Tahoe Premier for a test drive.......build quality night and day different, so quiet inside, fit and finish almost perfect. BUT........$70-$80K in Canuckastan