Bad or Burnt Exhaust smell in cabin during hard acceleration.

[gpzrider]

I find it interesting that ERN3 was told by his service manager that Ford Tech advised them that the smell being drawn into the cabin is NON TOXIC. I did not know that a combustion engine was capable of producing NON TOXIC gases. They have no idea what is causing it, no idea how to fix it, but sure as hell know it's NON TOXIC? Funny! Oh, I have some beach front property for sale in Las Vegas if anyone is interested?

 

[FordService]

...Why I appreciate all that Cory does for us to ensure we get top notch service from our local dealers...

Thank you for the kind words, FlyBoy789; escalating cases allows for the scope of an issue to be clearer. Please send me a follow-up PM with your current mileage so I can send the details up the line.

...I ran some tests and the rear A/C ON or OFF does not make any difference with the smell in our car. It is most directly affected by whether or not the recirc is ON or OFF...

I have your VIN from previous messages, so please send me a PM with your contact information, approximate mileage, and dealer details so I can escalate this to the Customer Service Manager for your region.

Just to add my experience. I also have a 2013 EcoBoost now with 4900 miles and have not experienced this problem. Selecton of open or recirculate does not matter...

I appreciate you taking the time to post, Gatortailale; I’m glad you’re odor free.

Cory

 

[ern3]

I find it interesting that ERN3 was told by his service manager that Ford Tech advised them that the smell being drawn into the cabin is NON TOXIC. I did not know that a combustion engine was capable of producing NON TOXIC gases. They have no idea what is causing it, no idea how to fix it, but sure as hell know it's NON TOXIC? Funny! Oh, I have some beach front property for sale in Las Vegas if anyone is interested?

I agree with you 100%. But I have it documented, the Customer service manager I spoke with had told me that the Ford Tech Service said the smell is an "Annoyance" only, and is in no way "Carbon Monoxide" or any form of "toxic fume".

So well see what comes of this.

-ern

-ern

 

[gpzrider]

So I take it they did some testing of the toxic gas to come to that conclusion? Mine smells like sulphur, but the organic no GMO kind you find at whole foods. Some initial comments from service advisor who read Ford bulletin point to some recirculation vent located in the rear that may be sucking in gases to passenger compartment. We'll see what Ford tech say when he views my vehicle.

 

[FordService]

...the Customer service manager I spoke with had told me that the Ford Tech Service said the smell is an "Annoyance" only, and is in no way "Carbon Monoxide" or any form of "toxic fume"...

I’ll keep an eye out on this, ern3.

...We'll see what Ford tech say when he views my vehicle.

I confirmed Mark has a follow-up call scheduled, gpzrider; please don’t hesitate to drop me a line via PM with updates before then.

Cory

 

[Akmechanic]

Hi everyone! Long time, no post. Lol. Alaska's summers are short enough that I don't get alot of time in front of the ol 'puter.

The smells maybe annoying and trigger a reaction to sensitive folks, but I'm sure that the PPM of anything toxic is way low. My Ex is doing it and I don't find any trouble breathing, and trust me, I know me some toxic fumes. Lol.

I like the K&N fix! It makes sense to me that it would be pulling more fumes from the engine bay. I think I just may have to do that.

My forward pinion seal leak (that leaks directly onto the exhaust) hasn't been fixed yet because I wrecked my Mustang and I've been waiting to take the Ex in. Soon though. The stang is finally outta the body shop.

-Kevin

 

[zerodevil]

FYI, i have not read all 14+ pages of this. But, i know from experience that steel exhaust pipes are coated with an oil that burns off, and you wont get all of it untill the vehicle has been driven for a long time, or has been run hot a few times. My dads 08 v8 does this, my moms acura MDX does this, and my 2003 with a new y-pipe does it. Also only after hard acceleration. Id guess its just burning off oil further down the exhaust pipe due to the increased exhaust temps reaching further into the exhaust tube. Hope this helped.

 

[peterk9]

FYI, i have not read all 14+ pages of this. But, i know from experience that steel exhaust pipes are coated with an oil that burns off, and you wont get all of it untill the vehicle has been driven for a long time, or has been run hot a few times. My dads 08 v8 does this, my moms acura MDX does this, and my 2003 with a new y-pipe does it. Also only after hard acceleration. Id guess its just burning off oil further down the exhaust pipe due to the increased exhaust temps reaching further into the exhaust tube. Hope this helped.

There is a post that makes mention of this. I picked mine up with 12 kms (7 miles) on it and never did experience any kind of smell/odour. There are also many others that were 'odour free'.

Peter

 

[Dwr4door]

Another update:

Well, Ford replaced the pcv valve and some hose and just like the last "fix", there was no smell for the first few days. Then, slowly, it started coming back and now, a week and a half later, it is back in full force!

I was really hoping that this time it would be fixed.

70,800 miles now.

HELP!

 

[FlyBoy789]

I took my EX to my dealer today. I have a good relationship with the service manager. This was the 2nd trip to the dealer for the smell - he CONFIRMED that ford has posted a bulletin and they are aware of the problem and expect a fix by the end of qtr 3. It only applies to the 3.5l V6 EX - not the ecoboost.

So - Good to know that they have acknowledged a problem... and are working on a fix.

 

[pietropavan]

Very interesting. I've been following this thread for some time now and I too have had my EX in to the dealer multiple times for this "smell"

At this point I had given up on my dealer fixing the problem, and honestly... it's not any dealers responsibility to figure out a solution. Why I appreciate all that Cory does for us to ensure we get top notch service from our local dealers it's time to stop escalating this problem to local service managers... escalate this problem to Ford engineers and issue a TSB, stop asking our dealers to fix an obvious design flaw that they don't have the ability to fix!

My wife is pregnant with my first child, due next month. I purchased my EX to be our primary baby-transport and I really don't want to cart around my newborn in a vehicle with these fumes...

I'm going to purchase the K&N intake to see if this fixes my problem... If it does ill send the bill to Ford...

Will you void the warranty if you change the air filter ?

I purchased an additional 3years / 60.000Km warranty here in the UAE, and I was told by my dealer that if I replace any spare parts, like new exaust and stuff like that I will void the warranty, is that true ?

I also have this famous problem, anytime above 5000RPM, if I put the A/C to MAX AUTO, the smell is a lot less.

Regards,
Pete.

 

[VinceL]

I took my EX to my dealer today. I have a good relationship with the service manager. This was the 2nd trip to the dealer for the smell - he CONFIRMED that ford has posted a bulletin and they are aware of the problem and expect a fix by the end of qtr 3. It only applies to the 3.5l V6 EX - not the ecoboost.

So - Good to know that they have acknowledged a problem... and are working on a fix.

That is good news, let's hope they figure out something quickly

 

[peterk9]

Will you void the warranty if you change the air filter ?

I purchased an additional 3years / 60.000Km warranty here in the UAE, and I was told by my dealer that if I replace any spare parts, like new exaust and stuff like that I will void the warranty, is that true ?

I also have this famous problem, anytime above 5000RPM, if I put the A/C to MAX AUTO, the smell is a lot less.

Regards,
Pete.

Pete, I don't think it will void the warranty on the entire vehicle, just the warranty that would have covered the parts you replace.

I'm curious about the additional 3 year warranty. I assume it is the Ford ESP you are talking about. In that case did you take out a 6 year ESP? The ESP warranty starts on the day you take possession of the Explorer.
I took out a 4 year, 80,000 km Leasecare ESP but because it goes back to the day I picked up the Ex, it effectively only extends my coverage for 1 year and 20,000 km.

Peter

 

[peterk9]

Very interesting. I've been following this thread for some time now and I too have had my EX in to the dealer multiple times for this "smell"

At this point I had given up on my dealer fixing the problem, and honestly... it's not any dealers responsibility to figure out a solution. Why I appreciate all that Cory does for us to ensure we get top notch service from our local dealers it's time to stop escalating this problem to local service managers... escalate this problem to Ford engineers and issue a TSB, stop asking our dealers to fix an obvious design flaw that they don't have the ability to fix!................

...

If it was an 'obvious design flaw', wouldn't everyone have this problem? There is no denying that there is a problem with some vehicles but I would guess that the majority of owners do not have this issue. Keep in mind that the members of this Forum, represent only a very small percentage of owners of the new Explorer. For those with the problem, I hope that Ford can resolve this issue quickly.

Peter

 

[pietropavan]

warranty

Pete, I don't think it will void the warranty on the entire vehicle, just the warranty that would have covered the parts you replace.

I'm curious about the additional 3 year warranty. I assume it is the Ford ESP you are talking about. In that case did you take out a 6 year ESP? The ESP warranty starts on the day you take possession of the Explorer.
I took out a 4 year, 80,000 km Leasecare ESP but because it goes back to the day I picked up the Ex, it effectively only extends my coverage for 1 year and 20,000 km.

Peter

Hi Peter,

I actually don't know the name of the warranty. I only know it is a 3 year package that ends with 60.000Km. They will cover for basically everything including the spare parts needed for regular servicing.
I had to pay an additional fee for this package.
So far they replaced the power steering rack, and they did the A pillar modification even if I never had the weird A pillar noise in my car.
I purchased the car in the UAE and that's what they offered, because I think normal warranty would have been only one year...
I think that every Country has it's own regulations on warranties and down here is pretty bad, we don't have any customer associations or stuff like that... unlike in the US...
I am standing by for the fix on the burnt smell during hard acceleration and I heard an interesting news for the navigation system.
The 2013 model is coming here in the UAE without navigation, but they are planning to receive an upgrade from Ford and they say they will retrofit of all models back to 2011, so I think there is still hope...

Regards,
Pete.

 

[VinceL]

If it was an 'obvious design flaw', wouldn't everyone have this problem? There is no denying that there is a problem with some vehicles but I would guess that the majority of owners do not have this issue. Keep in mind that the members of this Forum, represent only a very small percentage of owners of the new Explorer. For those with the problem, I hope that Ford can resolve this issue quickly.

Peter

Also keep in mind Peter, every persons sniffer is different. I ran a little test since no one else (or is that ekse?) seemed to comment on the smell. My friend and wife never noticed it on their own until I made a comment one day, and then they started saying that they could smell something. The descriptions varied from an ozoney type of smell to a bit sulfury. So it seems noses have different sensitivities to the smell, and also different interpretations.

 

[FordService]

Hi everyone! Long time, no post. Lol...My Ex is doing it and I don't find any trouble breathing...

Welcome back, Kevin! Have you visited your dealer about this yet? Please drop me a line via PM with your contact info, VIN, dealer details, and mileage and I’ll forward the details up to your regional Customer Service Manager.

There is a post that makes mention of this. I picked mine up with 12 kms (7 miles) on it and never did experience any kind of smell/odour. There are also many others that were 'odour free'. ...

Thanks for all your ongoing help on the forum, Peter.

...Well, Ford replaced the pcv valve and some hose and just like the last "fix", there was no smell for the first few days. Then, slowly, it started coming back and now, a week and a half later, it is back in full force!...

I want to see this resolved for you once and for all, Dwr4door. Please send me a PM so I can set up a follow-up call from Robert.

I took my EX to my dealer today. I have a good relationship with the service manager. This was the 2nd trip to the dealer for the smell...

FlyBoy789,

I have your details from previous messages, so please PM me with your current mileage and I’ll send the info to Jean.

...I also have this famous problem, anytime above 5000RPM, if I put the A/C to MAX AUTO, the smell is a lot less...

It’s good you’re working with the dealer, Pete. Because you live in the UAE, I recommend calling the Middle East Customer Relationship Center @ +971 (0) 4 3326084 for further assistance.

...The descriptions varied from an ozoney type of smell to a bit sulfury. So it seems noses have different sensitivities to the smell, and also different interpretations.

I recommend going to the dealer so they can check it out, VinceL. I have your VIN from before, so shoot me a PM with how many miles you have and I’ll send it up the line.

Cory

 

[VinceL]

Thanks for the offer Cory. I'll be taking it in for an oil change before the big road trip and I will mention it then, to at least get it documented.

A new issue we have is that after our friend (who has absolutely the worst luck with cars) pushed the "Privacy" button on the phone page. Now, the phones will connect to BT, but do not have any sound (outgoing or incoming) on voice calls. Texts still work. Then the SD card for the Nav got "lost", it finally found it again after a couple of pulls/reinsterts, and the Travel Link buttons all grayed out. Slowly but surely things are coming back, but we told him he is no longer allowed to touch our MFT, it was doing fine! He claims he didn't break it, but I am suspicious considering his record. I'm gonna stop by and grab the 'reboot' file for usb and run that to see if it gets everything ironed out.

 

[peterk9]

.....The descriptions varied from an ozoney type of smell to a bit sulfury......

Are those even real words?? I think you're just making them up as you go along so I can't use spell check on them.
Usually a sulphur type smell is associated with the catalytic converter. It is not unusual to smell it at times after hard acceleration.

NOTE: Keep your friend in the back seat!

Peter

 

[gpzrider]

The smell is exhaust being pulled into the passenger cabin by the rear air conditioning system. Apparently the rear recirculation vent is pulling in exhaust from the rear of the vehicle. My Ex just spent 3 weeks at the dealer, a Ford Tech was called out and the result is....we'll figure out how to fix the design flaw by the end of the year.