New Ford Explorer Sport: Fuel-Efficient, High-Performance SUV

[donjbray]

Thanks, but I would like to know who else rents trailers. I asked Ford and they could not supply a single company.

 

[JohnBoyToo]

Why would you even THINK Ford knows where you can rent trailers in your area ?!?

do a simple google search in your area and you'll probably find some - hertz, ryder, ...
I live in a small suburb of DFW and there are 10 places by me ...

OR,
buy a small utility trailer from lowe's, home depot, sears, etc...

 

[silvrhand]

New owner

Well,

Just picked up the wife a 2013 black explorer sport, and we have the dreaded burning oil smell/exhaust and the windows make a weird sound when the roll down like they are slapping the side of the frame in the first inch.

I'm hoping we get a couple kinks worked out as I really like the vehicle. It has great passing power in Houston, suspension is nice, doesn't feel like it's going to roll over, and looks nice as well!

Wish me luck!

 

[77rednecktruck]

Why would you even THINK Ford knows where you can rent trailers in your area ?!?

do a simple google search in your area and you'll probably find some - hertz, ryder, ...
I live in a small suburb of DFW and there are 10 places by me ...

OR,
buy a small utility trailer from lowe's, home depot, sears, etc...

I bought and built a 4x8 trailer from Harbor Freight about 8 years ago for ~$200. I still have it and use it all the time. 214 lbs. empty and holds 2000 lbs. I carry dirt bikes and quads on it.

but yea, I live in Pittsburgh and there are numerous places to rent trailers from around me.

 

[silvrhand]

Well,

Just picked up the wife a 2013 black explorer sport, and we have the dreaded burning oil smell/exhaust and the windows make a weird sound when the roll down like they are slapping the side of the frame in the first inch.

I'm hoping we get a couple kinks worked out as I really like the vehicle. It has great passing power in Houston, suspension is nice, doesn't feel like it's going to roll over, and looks nice as well!

Wish me luck!

Hi, would like to say our new explorer sport is all fixed up and has no issues now. Our dealer at first stared at us with disbelief until I pointed them to the TSB, and they took a ride. They fixed it on the first repair, took a bit longer than what I would have liked but hey it's fixed, so I can't really complain can I?

I would like to thank the forum for having all the information available, I was just marking it off as a break in issue, and would have had more issues in the long term had I not visited the forum. Also great to see the ford customer reps active in the forum as well!

 

[FordService]

Hi, would like to say our new explorer sport is all fixed up and has no issues now. Our dealer at first stared at us with disbelief until I pointed them to the TSB, and they took a ride. They fixed it on the first repair, took a bit longer than what I would have liked but hey it's fixed, so I can't really complain can I?

I would like to thank the forum for having all the information available, I was just marking it off as a break in issue, and would have had more issues in the long term had I not visited the forum. Also great to see the ford customer reps active in the forum as well!

Hi silvrhand,

I want to get your regional customer service manager involved so they can assist. To get started, send a PM my way with your VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number, and full name.

Crystal

 

[donjbray]

Regarding the I Phone 5 and the Ford MyTouch (vs. the Standard Sync) is still causing problems. My Ford Service Manager told me not to use the phone with my Sync, even Bluetooth as it will cause problems. I have the latest update and still no good.

There is a class action lawsuit against Ford right now, moving through the courts, due to this issue.

 

[FordIVTteam]

Regarding the I Phone 5 and the Ford MyTouch (vs. the Standard Sync) is still causing problems. My Ford Service Manager told me not to use the phone with my Sync, even Bluetooth as it will cause problems. I have the latest update and still no good.

Did you try the steps I gave you the other day? Here's the link to that post:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=3179582&postcount=217

Rebecca

 

[silvrhand]

Hi silvrhand,

I want to get your regional customer service manager involved so they can assist. To get started, send a PM my way with your VIN, dealer, mileage, daytime phone number, and full name.

Crystal

Crystal,

it's already fixed, dealer service was good, see above post!

 

[JDookie]

Regarding the I Phone 5 and the Ford MyTouch (vs. the Standard Sync) is still causing problems. My Ford Service Manager told me not to use the phone with my Sync, even Bluetooth as it will cause problems. I have the latest update and still no good.

There is a class action lawsuit against Ford right now, moving through the courts, due to this issue.

I still don't understand what the issue is with the iPhone5. Both my wife and I have iPhone 5's, and they work just fine with My Ford Touch (Sync) in both her 13' Sport and my 13' Raptor. We use our phones for the regular phone stuff, plus stream Pandora, all via Bluetooth.

I just installed the Sync update yesterday in both vehicles, and they actually fixed the issue where you couldn't enter letters in wifi passwords, plus a lot of other things. As far as the iPhone 5's, they worked before, and they continue to work. Not saying that you can't be having a problem, just wondering why they can't get yours to work when there are others out there (like myself) that aren't having the issue.

 

[JDookie]

What is your preferred method to "launch" your Explorer Sport? I have noticed that if I just remove my foot off the brake, and "punch" the throttle that the turbos seem to spool up pretty quick, and gets the whole car moving pretty quickly. On the other hand, if I try to give it a little throttle while holding the brake in an attempt to build a little boost before launch, the car falls flat on its face and takes forever to get going. Anyone else tried this before? I'm just wondering if the computer is sensing the added boost, and applies a ton of torque management or something to reduce the possibility of wheel spin. I've also tried this with and without traction control, it does the same thing, just without traction control there's a fair bit of torque steer once I get into the powerband.

So what are your thoughts?

People with aftermarket tuners, have you guys noticed any improvement in this area??

 

[bburzycki]

As some will say - Ford and every other manufacturer have taken a bit of the fun out of driving with so many computer systems on the vehicles.. Other will say its safety and reliability concerns.

I say its both.. they are trying to give you a great longer lasting vehicle for your money and still make it sporty.

Many high end vehicles have launch control. Clearly these are not race cars.. but in watching all the new vehicles the tendency to try to brake stand the vehicle will actually cause it to fight you all the time.

Torque management I believe is only one way they are doing it.. especially since its AWD, it wants to not spin the tires..

The person to ask is in this thread:

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=390484

Seems he has it figured out.

As thats a pretty good run..

What is your preferred method to "launch" your Explorer Sport? I have noticed that if I just remove my foot off the brake, and "punch" the throttle that the turbos seem to spool up pretty quick, and gets the whole car moving pretty quickly. On the other hand, if I try to give it a little throttle while holding the brake in an attempt to build a little boost before launch, the car falls flat on its face and takes forever to get going. Anyone else tried this before? I'm just wondering if the computer is sensing the added boost, and applies a ton of torque management or something to reduce the possibility of wheel spin. I've also tried this with and without traction control, it does the same thing, just without traction control there's a fair bit of torque steer once I get into the powerband.

So what are your thoughts?

People with aftermarket tuners, have you guys noticed any improvement in this area??

 

[donjbray]

Hi, donjbray,

Do you have any emoticons or special characters in the name of your phone or any of your contacts? If so, they will need to be deleted as they have caused this issue in other vehicles. Also, try turning Auto Phonebook Download off:

http://support.ford.com/sync-technology/manage-phonebook-sync-myford-touch

Let me know how it goes!

Rebecca

 

[donjbray]

I have already turned off the Auto Phonebook Download. I don't believe I have any emoticons, as to contacts, what is your definition of special characters? Some company names have dashes, etc.

I have 3000 contacts, so going through every one is not very practical. Again, this system is not very robust and my Service Manager indicated that this would most likely not solve the problem between Apple and Windows operating systems.

Don Bray

 

[donjbray]

U-Haul Won’t Rent Trailers To Explorers, Idiot Lawyers (Not Unibody Construction) To Blame
By Edward Niedermeyer on May 26, 2011
Should you be afraid of towing in a new Ford Explorer? Though the newly-unibody Explorer is rated for up to 5,000 pounds, Jack Baruth noted in his review that
My experience pulling my race car on an open trailer with my Flex indicates that the D4 chassis is more than up to the job, but that the transmission just feels delicate. Serious towing with a sideways gearbox frightens me, and it should frighten you, too.
And though you might well share Jack’s nervousness about towing in a new Explorer, the law of the land says it’s safe pulling up to 5,000 pounds. Even so, Consumer Reports found out the hard way that not everyone believes in the Explorer as a safe, effective towing machine. Namely the equipment rental company U-Haul appears to have some kind of problem with the Explorer, as CR’s Eric Evarts explains
I called U-Haul to see about renting their largest, 6×12-foot open trailer to drag the mulch home. “Come on down! $29.95 for the day,” the friendly attendant said.
Eager to finish that day and save $18 by delivering the mulch myself, I trundled off to the local U-Haul lot. As the workers started to fill out the paperwork inside, their faces went ashen the second I said, “Explorer.”
“Sorry, we won’t let any equipment out behind an Explorer,” they said, and began putting away their pencils.
Huh?
Huh? is right. One might well worry about the long-term effects on ones “sideways transmission’s” health, but that should hardly concern U-Haul. Do they care if you need a rebuild at 50k miles? Not so much. Nor are they concerned that unibody construction makes for a less capable or safe hauler. In fact, U-Haul’s concern seems to date back to the previous body-on-frame Explorer, to which the new CUV is in no way related.
“Corporate policy, since the Firestone lawsuits,” they said. “Sorry, there’s nothing we can do for you.” (Ford was sued in a class-action lawsuit in 1998 over defective Firestone tires on early Ford Explorers, which led to several deadly rollover accidents. The lawsuit was eventually settled. But this new Explorer has zero in common with those early SUVs except the nameplate.)
When we called U-Haul corporate later to check on the policy, Joanne Fried, director of media and corporate relations confirmed the policy. “Every time we go to hire an attorney to defend a lawsuit, as soon as we say ‘Ford Explorer,’ they charge us more money.” She said the policy also applies to Jeep Wranglers, unless they have a hard-top installed.
As we waited on hold for a few minutes, the corporate recording recited: “If you need to tow, U-Haul is the only name you need to know, and the only place you need to go.” Apparently not if you drive a Ford Explorer. In that case, you need to go elsewhere.
Talk about a perfect illustration of the state of legal liability in this, our most litigious society. Because the new Explorer is called an Explorer, and because layers charge U-Haul more for doing business with any Ford Explorer owner, U-Haul and its obviously scrupulous and detail-oriented lawyers have completely failed to notice that the new Explorer has literally nothing to do with the old one. Which would be akin to arguing that the CR-Z shouldn’t be called a hybrid because it’s the “spiritual successor” to the CRX. Or buying a new Buick Regal or Scion xB because you liked the previous one. Earth to U-Haul: the new Explorer has no more to do with the Firestone recall than the Ford Edge or Flex. Time to tell those lawyers they have their heads up their… pocketbooks.

 

[Brunt182]

U-Haul Won’t Rent Trailers To Explorers, Idiot Lawyers (Not Unibody Construction) To Blame
By Edward Niedermeyer on May 26, 2011

This ban has been lifted for all 2011+ Explorers

 

[JayJ]

I'm looking at a 2014 Ex and really want the Sport, but due to a circulatory system disorder, a heated steering wheel is really important to me.

Since the Sport builds off the XLT 202A package and the only Sport package available in addition is the 401A, am I correct that there's no way to get a heated steering wheel unless you buy a Limited with the 301A?

And I'm gonna guess it can't be retrofitted because it's probably software controlled vs. hardwired?

Thanks.

 

[walterhudson]

Unfortunately, you are correct. Ford has screwed up big time by not offering most of the Limited options on the Sport. In my case , I may not buy the Sport because the HID headlights are not available. I might have to look at the Durango R/T which comes standard with the HEMI, HIDs, and LED DRLs for the same price as the basic Sport.

 

[JayJ]

Unfortunately, you are correct. Ford has screwed up big time by not offering most of the Limited options on the Sport. In my case , I may not buy the Sport because the HID headlights are not available. I might have to look at the Durango R/T which comes standard with the HEMI, HIDs, and LED DRLs for the same price as the basic Sport.

Ahhh. Good point. Another option I hadn't thought of that I am very used to having. As much as I want the twin-turbo, looks like I won't be buying a Sport.
Thx. May have to look at some others like the Porsche Cayenne.

 

[donjbray]

It is a good question, I can't say what the problem is either, but my Ford Service Manager told me there were several issues between Sync and I phone. I have had it in several times and they have not been able to fix it. He told me not to use the I phone 5 with the Sync.

And judging by many other posts and websites, there is a class action lawsuit because of these issues.