Brand new 17 Explorer shakes so bad makes us sick,

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum ks9mm.
Picked up a 2017 Platinum today and absolutely no smell of any kind, so far. Mind you it had 125km on it already. Silky smooth ride except the odd time that the 'lane keeping' feature kicked in.

Peter

 

[reserved50]

the stickers on the exhaust either burn away so slowly or don't smell at all so no one bothers to remove them, but every time I see a plastic bag on the road I avoid them like potholes, they will burn away for weeks

 

[1995E]

I'm a bit appalled by the responses people gave this person who clearly came on here to get INFORMATION. That's what you do when you go to a forum. I didn't think all that people did on the Explorer forum is circle j**k and act like everything is okay with their Explorer because obviously the Explorer has been plagued by tons of issues. Don't act like your Explorer has been perfect.

A person in their right mind would think a forum is a great place to find out that kind of information, yet there are people bashing this guy for having buyer's remorse. He has every right to be upset because you don't buy a car, a NEW car, and expect issues with it. You go to a NEW car instead of an OLD car for that very reason. The current generation of the Explorer is about 6 years old and there should be no excuse on the quality of the vehicle.

If you bought an expensive phone, say an iPhone, you expect it to work and work properly. That's why people buy iPhones because they are easy to use, has nice features. You buy a product because it appeals to you and it does what? Increase your productivity. You don't buy a phone, and expect the damn device to fail on you 2 hours later. Wtf. You buy a car to go from A to B and you pay extra for comforts. When what you paid for does not work, you get mad, and that is perfectly fine. Imagine if the guy had a bunch of friends ride in the Explorer because he wanted to show them, and the car sucks at being a car. You think that's good at all?

For people that don't want to hold manufacturer's responsible for mishaps or quality issues, in the end, you're just lowering the bar for yourself.

When I first came onto the forum, I had issues with MFT when I got the 2011 in January of 2011, and some wise guys thought I didn't know anything and that I was complaining too much, and called me out, even posted my number here publicly from a youtube video of me showing the glitches with MFT. Guess what? MFT was the biggest flop of the industry.

Don't blow off someone's problems because they have buyer's remorse. When your car doesn't work properly, of course you're going to feel it. I had buyer's remorse the years I've owned the Explorer until I didn't have any issues to deal with anymore.

I was smart, I went to this forum, figured out what the hell everyone else was experiencing, and took that information, and educated my dealer because sometimes, they couldn't even figure out the issues themselves, and I was able to fix nearly all the issues with my Explorer from the A-Pillar rattle, to fixing the blend actuator door motor myself and saving money. That's why you come to this forum. I am really thankful for the people who have provided constructive criticism and constructive comments.

I understand, some people can get out of hand, over some little things like a gap and want to return the car over something dumb like that, but this is a drivability issue here...

This is supposed to be a family friendly forum if I'm not mistaken. Lets be friendlier.

 

[Sgt1411]

Well said.

I think the responses come from the over reaction that really isn't warranted. The Explorer isnt a POS, as was suggested. Plus we are all suspicious of potential trolls coming on here and slamming the product in their first post.

All new vehicles burn off stickers, oils, and various production materials, its normal.

This owners experience was negative and I would have similar anger towards Ford and the dealer had I experienced the same.

But I would turn around and drive back to the dealer immediately as apposed to coming on here and loosing my nut.

I hold the dealer accountable for letting that issue get by the Pre Delivery Inspection, you pay for the PDI they should do it right.

I learned something new, I had no idea a brand new car could develop flat spots in the tires in that short of time, I thought that only occurred with long term storage.

 

[bigdude2468]

IMO the reaction was over the top before even taking the vehicle back to the dealer. The issue with flat spots in the tires is not something we have seen repeatedly on this forum. Many of these cars are shipped by rail and sit for days, weeks and months without moving and nothing happens. My guess is the tires were just defective and not driving the vehicle pre delivery at other than low speeds it was probably not noticeable. Also, the burning smell from the bag could have happened after delivery, it was not necessarily there when he drove it off the lot.

 

[veloduffer]

I agree about maintaining civility on the forum. This forum is a place to exchange information that is constructive. If folks respond aggressively and/or start questioning the motives each post, it will drive members away and there isn't going to be a forum in the future. I have seen this happen on many a forum; the longstanding forums usually have strong moderators.

 

[1995E]

IMO the reaction was over the top before even taking the vehicle back to the dealer. The issue with flat spots in the tires is not something we have seen repeatedly on this forum. Many of these cars are shipped by rail and sit for days, weeks and months without moving and nothing happens. My guess is the tires were just defective and not driving the vehicle pre delivery at other than low speeds it was probably not noticeable. Also, the burning smell from the bag could have happened after delivery, it was not necessarily there when he drove it off the lot.

I don't think a lot of people know that. Flat spots are really common with low profile tires which have not been mainstream until now. I think that explains the spike in complaints about flat spotting. Also, you wouldn't think the rear of a car needs an alignment but with independent suspensions, you have to do an alignment in the back too.

People get upset when something happens and they don't understand it.

 

[4havnfun]

Add my new Platinum to the list. Less than 3,000 km (2,000 miles) and the ride gets very rough starting at 60 kph (35 mph). Smooths out a bit above 100 kph (65 mph) but never get smooth. Went for a drive with the service manager today and he's confirmed what I was seeing. Taking it in next Wednesday to see whether it's balance, flat spots or something else. Leaning very heavily towards ditching the Hankook's and going with Michelin Defenders. Apparently the Hankook's have been know to lose their balance over a few months. Not sure why Ford puts such poor tires on such an expensive vehicle

 

[peterk9]

As I posted in another thread, I picked up my Platinum a couple days ago. It also has the Hankooks but I had the Winter wheels put on before I took it home. The ride was smooth. I won't know about these new Hankooks until Spring but I had the previous Hankook H426 Optimo tires on the MKT and never had issues with them. The Hankooks on the 2016/17 models are different from those that came on the 2011 - 15 Explorers.

Peter

 

[CAtoFLin1994]

I'm a bit appalled by the responses people gave this person who clearly came on here to get INFORMATION. That's what you do when you go to a forum. I didn't think all that people did on the Explorer forum is circle j**k and act like everything is okay with their Explorer because obviously the Explorer has been plagued by tons of issues. Don't act like your Explorer has been perfect.

A person in their right mind would think a forum is a great place to find out that kind of information, yet there are people bashing this guy for having buyer's remorse. He has every right to be upset because you don't buy a car, a NEW car, and expect issues with it. You go to a NEW car instead of an OLD car for that very reason. The current generation of the Explorer is about 6 years old and there should be no excuse on the quality of the vehicle.

If you bought an expensive phone, say an iPhone, you expect it to work and work properly. That's why people buy iPhones because they are easy to use, has nice features. You buy a product because it appeals to you and it does what? Increase your productivity. You don't buy a phone, and expect the damn device to fail on you 2 hours later. Wtf. You buy a car to go from A to B and you pay extra for comforts. When what you paid for does not work, you get mad, and that is perfectly fine. Imagine if the guy had a bunch of friends ride in the Explorer because he wanted to show them, and the car sucks at being a car. You think that's good at all?

For people that don't want to hold manufacturer's responsible for mishaps or quality issues, in the end, you're just lowering the bar for yourself.

When I first came onto the forum, I had issues with MFT when I got the 2011 in January of 2011, and some wise guys thought I didn't know anything and that I was complaining too much, and called me out, even posted my number here publicly from a youtube video of me showing the glitches with MFT. Guess what? MFT was the biggest flop of the industry.

Don't blow off someone's problems because they have buyer's remorse. When your car doesn't work properly, of course you're going to feel it. I had buyer's remorse the years I've owned the Explorer until I didn't have any issues to deal with anymore.

I was smart, I went to this forum, figured out what the hell everyone else was experiencing, and took that information, and educated my dealer because sometimes, they couldn't even figure out the issues themselves, and I was able to fix nearly all the issues with my Explorer from the A-Pillar rattle, to fixing the blend actuator door motor myself and saving money. That's why you come to this forum. I am really thankful for the people who have provided constructive criticism and constructive comments.

I understand, some people can get out of hand, over some little things like a gap and want to return the car over something dumb like that, but this is a drivability issue here...

This is supposed to be a family friendly forum if I'm not mistaken. Lets be friendlier.

 

[TTA89]

I had the same vibration issue with our 2017 Platinum. I've been a "car guy" for a long time and knew immediately it was flat spots on the tires. It gets better once the tires warm up but I can still feel it. I took it back to the dealer and they "balanced" the tires but it didn't make much difference. The Hankooks really suck... I bought a set of XLT wheels and blizzacks for the winter that are going on the car this Thursday. Next Spring I'll order new summer tires and sell the Hankooks on CL.

I also have the wind buffeting thing, it feels like the pressure inside the car is changing. My wife hasn't said anything so I haven't brought it up, I wonder if there is a TSB for that. Glad to know that someone else noticed it...

I have a 2015 F150 that I love and we traded a 2006 RX330 Lexus on the Explorer. So far, I'm disappointed with the little stupid problems like this. Mine has a defect in the drivers seat and a ding on the fender as well... Read my thread here - http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...our-2017-explorer-platinum-few-issues.453854/

This is my 5th Ford in a row and I'm not brand loyal, they have just been building good stuff lately. The Explorer will make me rethink if the next one will be a Ford...

 

[Sgt1411]

I completely disagree with the previous post that the 2017 Hankook Ventus S1 Noble2 are cheap crappy tires.

Ford isn't about to create another catastrophic failure of tires on an Explorer to save a few bucks.

Secondly, the engineers actually test a lot of tires before making the final decision on what goes into production models.

Thirdly, read some of the Tire Rack reviews, which give them above average ratings. Sure they dont get great snow ratings but that's why you're supposed to buy a set of snow tires.

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testDisplay.jsp?ttid=173

 

[Lewisra]

I had the same vibration issue with our 2017 Platinum. I've been a "car guy" for a long time and knew immediately it was flat spots on the tires. It gets better once the tires warm up but I can still feel it. I took it back to the dealer and they "balanced" the tires but it didn't make much difference. The Hankooks really suck... I bought a set of XLT wheels and blizzacks for the winter that are going on the car this Thursday. Next Spring I'll order new summer tires and sell the Hankooks on CL.

I also have the wind buffeting thing, it feels like the pressure inside the car is changing. My wife hasn't said anything so I haven't brought it up, I wonder if there is a TSB for that. Glad to know that someone else noticed it...

I have a 2015 F150 that I love and we traded a 2006 RX330 Lexus on the Explorer. So far, I'm disappointed with the little stupid problems like this. Mine has a defect in the drivers seat and a ding on the fender as well... Read my thread here - http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...our-2017-explorer-platinum-few-issues.453854/

This is my 5th Ford in a row and I'm not brand loyal, they have just been building good stuff lately. The Explorer will make me rethink if the next one will be a Ford...

The wind buffeting thing, are you talking about when a rear window is open and not a front, you're getting the buffeting?

 

[peterk9]

I had the same vibration issue with our 2017 Platinum. I've been a "car guy" for a long time and knew immediately it was flat spots on the tires. It gets better once the tires warm up but I can still feel it. I took it back to the dealer and they "balanced" the tires but it didn't make much difference. The Hankooks really suck... I bought a set of XLT wheels and blizzacks for the winter that are going on the car this Thursday. Next Spring I'll order new summer tires and sell the Hankooks on CL.

You will probably end up buying a new set of TPMS sensors for the XLT wheels. I had to when I put the wheels previously used on the 2014 MKT on the '17 Platinum.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...-wheels-on-a-2014-tpms-s.455769/#post-3588278

Peter

 

[TTA89]

The wind buffeting thing, are you talking about when a rear window is open and not a front, you're getting the buffeting?

No, when everything is closed and going 30-40mph. My wife hasn't said anything but I notice when I'm in the car. It feels like when a rear window is open but at a lower level, enough that I notice when I'm in the car.

 

[TTA89]

You will probably end up buying a new set of TPMS sensors for the XLT wheels. I had to when I put the wheels previously used on the 2014 MKT on the '17 Platinum.
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums...-wheels-on-a-2014-tpms-s.455769/#post-3588278

Peter

I already bought a set of 315mhz sensors for the XLT wheels and I have a "programer" from a previous Mustang. I'm really hoping the flat spotting vibration goes away with the new wheels and tires. If it does, I may just sell the 20s and buy another set of 18s for the car for summer use. I'm not really a big fan of the 20s on the Explorer anyway.

 

[peterk9]

No, when everything is closed and going 30-40mph. My wife hasn't said anything but I notice when I'm in the car. It feels like when a rear window is open but at a lower level, enough that I notice when I'm in the car.

Haven't noticed that in mine. Is it possible that it's coming from the moonroof?
As for the flat spotting, I notice it on the 18" wheels after the Ex has been sitting a few days. Smooths out in about a mile or so.

Peter

 

[TTA89]

Just to follow up... I swapped out the stock 20s with Hankooks for stock 18 XLT wheels on Blizzak DMV2s and the car is very smooth now. No more vibrations.... I'm going to try and sell the Hankooks in the spring and try something else on the stock 20s...

 

[CAtoFLin1994]

Here is my story so far on our 2017 Explorer Sport with Hankook 255/50-20 Ventus S1 Noble.
Car mfg. date of 9/16 and purchased 11-23-16. I noticed the right rear wheel "hopping" on the second day. I actually found and joined this forum ( very glad I did) researching my issue.
This was to be my car, but my wife would drive it while we waited for the 2017 Mazda CX-9 she wanted. The tires actually seemed to settle down and any "hopping" wasn't real noticeable from the drivers seat. My wife drives it 90% of the time but I always asked how it drove, issues etc. She never complained. On a trip, I was the front passenger and immediately noticed the right side hopping, now this is almost 4 months and 5800 miles later. I scheduled an oil change and to have the right side tires looked at and rebalanced.
I drove it for a few days before dropping it off and found the tires to be OK , relatively quiet and most important living in Southwest Florida that they seem to handle the rain pretty well. I research the crap out of tires and have bought no less than 6 sets from Tire Rack and 1 set from Carshoez. The next tires for this car will be Michelin Premiers.
Now the issues... The dealer road force balanced and found 3 out of tolerance and replaced them under warranty. They had to replace one of the new tires as they could not get it to balance ( the right rear). I picked up the car at closing ( 3 days later) and got it home where I began my inspections, .any dents, scratches, damage to under carriage from lift etc. I then went to each tire to see how much weight was used and to write down the tire manufacturing dates. It was pretty obvious that they had issues with balancing as you could see where they installed and removed weights. I was troubled by seeing 3.5 oz of steel weights ( 3 -1oz and 2 -1/4oz) on right front but even more when I looked at the right rear as it was loaded. It has 5-1oz and 1-1/4oz in a row and another 2- 1/4oz of weights opposite the others for a total of 6 3/4 oz. I spent a few hours finding the manufacture of the weights Plombco because they only have a O stamped on them. Left rear has no weights at all, and left front has 3/4oz total. I have two other cars , one with huge 285/35-22" tires and the total weight used on those 8 tires was only 8 1/2 oz. NO tire had more than 2 oz. on them.
I think that the right rear rim may be the issue. I find it unlikely that they had another "lopsided" new tire that wouldn't balance and by what I believe is an abnormal amount of weights used. It would be like having a 7" clip on rim weight. No way! I have complete faith in the tire installer I met through tire rack and I am going to see him Monday. The dealer is decent, I have a 100k Ford factory warranty and I slipped the technician a $20 sensing this may not be the last time they see me.
The car rides good now. But trust me, when I was the passenger I got a bit nervous thinking that I dropped $50k on a car that rides like crap if the tires are not the issue. I'll update when I get more information, but am I wrong for thinking that 6 3/4oz is a bit too much?
I already looked up that Tire Rack says 1% of weights for the tire and rim weight is the maximum. I calculated a 34lb tire and an 18lb rim based on what Amazon was saying on the shipping charge for a factory replacement rim. 52lb x 16oz. = 832 so 1% = 8.3 oz. max. I'm under but don't agree at this point.
Has anybody out there had a factory rim that was out of whack? Take care all!

 

[peterk9]

Although I picked up my Explorer on Oct. 31st, the OEM wheels were put into storage at the dealership which then put on my Winter setup. Last week I had the OEM wheels put back on and got to drive on them for the first time. During the 15 mile trip home they felt a little different ( hard to explain) than what I was used to with the Blizzacks. The next day in a 54 mile round trip they felt the same, but I thought it was just that they were new and required some 'breaking in'. Then the following day the really vibrated like they were 'flat spotted' and after a mile or two it smoothed out a little but not completely during the 40 mile trip. I called the dealer the next day about the vibration and possible need for a wheel balance and they booked me in that afternoon. They ended up balancing all four wheels. One was out quite bit more than the others. I was told that after attest drive it was quite a bit better but suggested I give it some time and mileage and then call them back to see how it is going. The vehicle drove much better but there was still a very slight vibration at the higher end 60+ but overall at least a 95% improvement. There was no charge for the service.

Peter