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Ownership of out 13 XLT continues on. I'll NOT be buying Ford again...
 



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Ownership of out 13 XLT continues on. I'll NOT be buying Ford again...
My lease is up March 2015, if the 2015 looks like the pictures of the concept vehicle, I may be dusting off my Toyota cap.
Not a fan of the pictured interior.

Peter
 






Ouch. My explorer got hit today, piece of wood that a car ran over flew up in the air and smashed the top of my windshield and dented the roof and the hood. Couple inches lower and it probably would have came through the windshield. I guess in the end its just a car, right?

I'm glad the piece of wood didn't take a seat in the car with you! I've had two close calls with road debris. One was a huge piece of separated tire tread that smacked the Gray Ghost on our big vacation - it hit just at the top of the windshield and made such a noise we were sure the top of the car was dented - fortunately there was no damage at all :) The other was a section of tree branch I would guess was around 3-4" in diameter break off an oak tree over the road and plopped right onto the center of my windshield in my old Protege. That thing just about scared the poop right out of me. Not a mark on the car. I was very proud of that little car that day, lol.
 






I'm glad the piece of wood didn't take a seat in the car with you! I've had two close calls with road debris. One was a huge piece of separated tire tread that smacked the Gray Ghost on our big vacation - it hit just at the top of the windshield and made such a noise we were sure the top of the car was dented - fortunately there was no damage at all :) The other was a section of tree branch I would guess was around 3-4" in diameter break off an oak tree over the road and plopped right onto the center of my windshield in my old Protege. That thing just about scared the poop right out of me. Not a mark on the car. I was very proud of that little car that day, lol.

Thanks, me too! Guy at the body shop said a few inches lower and it would have came through right at my head. It must have hit hard the way it dented the roof right where it meets the windshield, it was like slow motion watching it fly up in the air and come right toward me. Kinda funny, first person I called was my mom (because moms fix everything, right?) her response was "get on the highway and find a big truck, then get the truck info and blame it on them so you don't have to pay deductible." Gotta love her.
 






Ha! Moms are awesome :D
 






Dropped off the Explorer today at Sam Pack's Five Star Ford. Here is the list for this round of repairs:

1. The paint has fallen off the passenger side front bumper parking sensor (the driver side paint was fixed last time)

2. The A/C is smelly again

3. The exhaust smell still happens inside the car (original TSB performed, we assume, but not sure if done properly)

4. Front edge of lower cushion on front passenger seat keeps coming loose again

5. Transmission whine is louder and occurs much more often – have had two instances where engine made a very loud noise while accelerating (loud enough I became concerned and took my foot off of the gas pedal at which point the noise stopped)

6. Experienced rough idle at stop light where A/C stopped blowing cold, RPM’s would drop until engine would stumble, RPM’s would come back up and then drop again (did this cycle about 10 times while waiting at the light)

7. Recall Notice #: 13S04 - FUEL DELIVERY MODULE REPLACEMENT

They will probably have to order the fuel module for the recall, but I wasn't too worried about that as we don't have any of the symptoms listed in the recall. If they can't get the part for this visit, they'll order it and we'll swing by to have it done some other day. With Crystal's help, the regional customer service manager okay'd a loaner for a couple of days, which is a huge help. I got a good vibe from Keith, the Service Manager, and Mike, the Service Advisor that is assisting me directly. I hope they can get everything straightened out so we can start enjoying our car again.
 






So here is the skinny on the state of our vehicle after the service dept called today:

1. The paint has fallen off the passenger side front bumper parking sensor (the driver side paint was fixed last time)
They got approval from Ford, but haven't fixed it yet

2. The A/C is smelly again
Treated it AGAIN, so we will see, maybe 3rd time is the charm

3. The exhaust smell still happens inside the car (original TSB performed, we assume, but not sure if done properly)
They could not replicate it

4. Front edge of lower cushion on front passenger seat keeps coming loose again
Fixed, they have some secondary clips put on to keep it on forever now, lol

5. Transmission whine is louder and occurs much more often – have had two instances where engine made a very loud noise while accelerating (loud enough I became concerned and took my foot off of the gas pedal at which point the noise stopped)
They could not replicate - I am still worried about this one as I am sure something is wrong with the drive line of this car

6. Experienced rough idle at stop light where A/C stopped blowing cold, RPM’s would drop until engine would stumble, RPM’s would come back up and then drop again (did this cycle about 10 times while waiting at the light)
They could not replicate it and found no codes in the system - this was something new, so maybe a one time affair

7. Recall Notice #: 13S04 - FUEL DELIVERY MODULE REPLACEMENT
Completed - they were able to find a part toot-sweet and get it installed

So it looks like that will be what we are stuck with. I can't really blame them on not finding/experiencing some of the things, as they can only drive it a couple of times over a couple of days. We drive it day in and day out so when even sporadic things happen, we have the fun of experiencing them. Looks like we will be purchasing an extended warranty as I have little to no faith in the long term reliability of this vehicle. My wife said she wanted to drive this car until the wheels fell off for what we paid for it. I don't think she expected them to start falling off so soon! ;)

Wish us luck and I will keep you all posted on the life and times of the Gray Ghost.
 






Good Luck Vince. Perhaps its time to think about an import? :D
 






Hey cnsheets. That is what has been running through my mind. The four import (Japanese) cars I've owned have treated me much better than this Explorer. We tried to do the whole buy American thing, but it just isn't working out for us. It has been an expensive and frustrating lesson. No one can predict how reliable a vehicle will be, but our decision to buy next time will be based on past experiences and playing the odds, which means Japanese for me and the wifey can pick whatever she wants :)
 






...So it looks like that will be what we are stuck with. I can't really blame them on not finding/experiencing some of the things, as they can only drive it a couple of times over a couple of days...

Hi VinceL,

Thanks for the update. I'll be here if you need my help in the future; don't hesitate to contact me. :)

Crystal
 






Thanks Crystal.
 






On a side note, the loaner I was provided was a 2013 Taurus Limited. It too has the exhaust/sulfur smell in the cabin issue (albeit not to the extent of our Explorer) and the front of the driver's seat cover had popped off. Looks like these issues may be representative of system wide engineering deficiencies, with the severity depending on the individual build quality of each sample. I suppose it comes down to luck of the draw, and one's sensitivity to certain things. Unfortunately, we expect a lot out of our vehicles and drew the short straw on this one.

But..... with any luck, the stink won't return (A/C or exhaust), the idle will stay smooth, and the tranny will hold up... and we can enjoy our Explorer again :)
 






Just got back from picking up the Explorer. We were able to replicate the exhaust smell in the cabin and the transmission made the noise off and on coming home. It does take longer for the exhaust smell to make it into the car, and the smell isn't as heavy, but it is still there. An improvement? Yes. Fixed like it should be? Nope. As for the tranny sound, it is there, then it is not. I can't blame them for not being able to hear it as it didn't make the noise until after we stopped to shop at Target. After getting back into the car, it was making the noise. They just can't drive it enough to ensure that they are going to hear it. Then again, maybe Ford transmissions whine sometimes and that is considered normal operation?

Overall, I am disappointed that the car is not completely fixed. I am glad they provided a loaner and the dealer reps were very nice and kept me up on what was going on. We will have to go back and get the front sensor painted as their body shop was booked solid. That's a hassle, but we'll live with it.

We just can't wait 'til this is all done and over with, whether that means everything getting fixed eventually or we simply trade in the vehicle for something more reliable from a company that is more customer service oriented.
 






...Overall, I am disappointed that the car is not completely fixed. I am glad they provided a loaner and the dealer reps were very nice and kept me up on what was going on. We will have to go back and get the front sensor painted as their body shop was booked solid...

Let me know when you'll be returning to the dealership, VinceL, and I'll alert your CSM. Just send me a heads up PM with your current mileage when you schedule the appointment.

Crystal
 






Will do buckaroo :)
 






Troubling and sad to hear all the probs Vince, been following your posts. Good that you can keep a good attitude all this time.
 






Troubling and sad to hear all the probs Vince, been following your posts. Good that you can keep a good attitude all this time.

While we are disappointed in our whole ownership experience so far, we have pretty much surrendered to the fact that this vehicle is going to be a continual disappointment to us. I decided not to let it eat at me, and I don't want this to take over my life as some sort of crusade. It is just a car. It is an expensive lesson for us to have learned, but learned we have. What can ya do? :dunno:

Well anyway... The car goes into the shop to have the paint fixed tomorrow morning. Looks like that is the last problem that will be corrected before the factory warranty runs out.
 






We have finally crested 36,000 miles thus ending our bumper to bumper warranty. The last item to be fixed was the paint falling off the passenger side parking sensor in the front button. Sam Pack's Ford in Lewisville did a nice job repainting it and all is well there.

The ESP has been purchased so we will keep the car for at least 6 years and 125,000 miles. After that ends, not sure how long before we dump the Ghost, as only time will tell.
 






Quick update!

The fender repair was completed successfully and as of yet haven't found an angle in the light where you can see the touched up paint. They did a great job and I am impressed with how seamless the paint is.

On a more humorous note, my wife and I have been experiencing our first icy weather here in Frisco. Being the creatures of warm weather that we are, we decided that it might be wise to drive around a bit and practice icy maneuvers. Well, we drove around in my Legacy for about 45 minutes looking for hills and icy patches to tackle and taking turns at the wheel. It handled everything flawlessly, the AWD really is cool.

So then it came time to switch and take the Gray Ghost out for its test. Jennifer climbed into the Explorer and backed it out of the garage and within 10 seconds, this is what it looked like:

91ea2cae-f838-47fe-9c4d-1a7fcf7c1d77.jpg


The alley way was nothing but a sheet of super smooth ice, and when she backed straight out of the garage, she went over the edge of the concrete. Unfortunately, there is a slight incline as it transitions dirt to concrete, so she couldn't climb over that hump, and if she backed up any further, it would go down another little bump and be completely stuck. So, I jumped in the Legacy and ran to the store to get some kitty litter and with me pushing the back bumper we were able to liberate the Ghost from the colds icy clutches, lol. This is going to be a fun winter, and I see Jennifer driving my car alot!

P.S. - Please pardon the less than expert drawing! :D
 



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Did the litter actually help or just turn to slick clay mess? I'm not sure litter would be a good thing if clay based.

Good luck with the Ghost. I'm up to 27k on my ride. :)
 






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