About to buy a 2013 Sport Explorer and these forums scare me!

[Checkit20]

Hey Guys,

I was about to pull the trigger on a new 2013 Sport Explorer and was doing some searches on headrest DVD systems and found this forum. Now I'm a little leary about making the purchase!

I've heard that the electronics can be difficult to learn, etc. I didn't have a problem with the panel or the NAV system. I can find areas of improvement but it was nice and useable. I think I recall seeing the reliability index was rated at 3 stars out of 5, or average. It's #15 on USNews. The Durango is #10 and was my other option.

Reading this forum I'm seeing all sorts of issues with this car. I'm a little spooked since I'm coming from a Acura MDX which reliability has been superb. I'm upgrading from the '07 MDX to the Ford for the third row seating and available room behind the 3rd row.

I really like the looks of the EX and I thought the drive in the Sport and the Limited V6 was good. Are these issues due to Ford selling more than anyone else? Problem car owners find forums for help and the happy ones don't?

What do you guys think? I would rather be worrying about the DVD entertainment system than all that I'm reading here!

Thanks.

Dave

 

[HughCares]

My 2012 Limited with 24k now on the odometer has been awesome and virtually flawless (only exception was the A pillar rattle which was fixed correctly the first time). You'll find the forums for any vehicle full of negative comments and concerns due to the fact that people go on them specifically looking for answers to their issues and concerns or just a palce to vent their frustrations. Some members are over the top and complain about the most minor issues and go on and on about how poor the vehicle is built or how poor their dealer is or how poor their whole experience with the vehicle has been. In my personal opinion, there are a lot more out there who love their EX versus those that don't. I absolutely recommend the EX and if I had to do it all over again.....I would buy another one without any hesitation.

Don't be fooled by all of the negativity on this forum.

 

[Joeymustang]

if you never go on forums then its common to be worried.

My '11 XLT just reached 38,000 miles and I'm loving it. I've thought about trading it in but only because I miss having a mustang. Other than that, even with the hiccups its been great.

Its a car for tech savvy people, so idealistic people with this type of cars will go on the web and comment and gripe because they are used to technology

 

[blichy]

Granted we have only had our Sport for about 4 months, but I have not experienced any issues yet with the electronics, and actually like how the MFT works. Is the car perfect, no, but I don't regret the decision on the car we chose.

For the record, I was close to getting a '12 MDX Tech (would have been a little less than the Sport), but the interior on the Ex feels much nicer and more modern.

 

[JDraper]

My '11 has had a few issues, but all were resolved and I'm pretty happy with it now. My MFT system has performed very well with the last 2 updates. No hiccups (knock on wood) and it's been plenty quick.

 

[gpzrider]

Well, I've been coming to this forum for over a year now. My unscientific poll is that 30% of the folks that come here have had multiple problems with their Explorers. Just look at the TSB sticky page. Of that 30% I'd say 10% qualify under Lemon Law statutes. So ask yourself, are you a betting man?

 

[langla4]

My 2013 Sport is excellent. One problem with the navigation that was resolved in under an hour at my local dealer (upgraded software). Yes, i would buy it again.

 

[NEWPORTNJ]

I have a 2011 explorer ltd 302a minor issue all have been solved, be aware of fake explorer owners on this site to spooke buyers. I love my explorer and will be ordering my next one once the 2014 goes into production sometime in june or aug...!

 

[hdking]

I have been mostly a lurker here on these boards for a little over a year and a half. I have watched the problems with the Explorer discussed, griped about and resolved for that entire time. With all of the issues I have read about, I was still willing and did order a 2013 Limited which is due to be built next week.

I think most of the previous comments are correct in that people find forum boards to discuss problems they are experiencing. Some have had great reliability with their Explorers and others not so much. I would imagine that the Acura or Dodge boards have similar threads discussing how much they love or hate their vehicles.

Purchase the vehicle that your gut tells you to go with. You are the only one that needs to be happy with your decision. Good luck with your choice.

For me, I can't wait for my Explorer to arrive.

 

[Carnivore]

I have an 13 sport and I love it. I also owned a 11 limited and while there were a few problems wi the mft, they were quick and went away with a reboot. The periodic software pgrades get better each time. The sport is especially awesome. The power is just phenomenal in my opinion and the voice commands on mft can't be beat by any manufacturer

 

[sciond]

I have 3500 miles on mine..love the Sport..dislike MFT but the reason is all the quirks..todays latest is the volume knob would not work until I restarted it....however every other aspect of the Sport is great
I read all the bad and still bought

 

[The Cheat]

I love my Sport. Just got it yesterday! So far everything has been wonderful.

 

[jrzurel]

Got my 2013 Explorer Limited with all the bells and whistles about a week ago and I love the dang thing. The only major problem I have with mine is that my wife gets to drive it more than I do, LOL. I am a very technical guy and can figure out most electronic things. The MFT and all the other features is a bit overwhelming I will admit. The first thing I did when I got mine home was sit in the garage and figure everything out. I now know everything about this car... technical wise that is (way more than the salesman who sold it to us).

I never thought I would enjoy the adaptive cruise control, park, assist, lane assist, or collision warning, and I only got them just because it was on the car I fell in love with. I now must say all those features are totally worth the price. So far the car runs extremely quiet and rides very smooth.

When we went shopping for a car I wanted to get the right one. We test drove the Pathfinder, Durango, Arcadia Denali, 4Runner, and Enclave (all fully loaded). When we test drove the Explorer my wife and I both knew that it was the one. If has every feature on it that we wanted and then some. The only other car I would have purchased was the Durango, but the wife said it drove too much like a truck. Gotta make the wife happy. If I had another 42K to drop I'd buy one just for me!!

 

[77rednecktruck]

I read these and other forums about MFT before buying my Sport last week. After spending some time with it, i really don't know what people are upset about. It is not hard to learn and is very intuitive IMO. My 11 and 10 year old both figured out how to change radio settings and heater settings with no input from me or my wife. I guess if you are coming from a 1986 Ford it would be a big change.

My 2011 Grand Cherokee was in the shop 15 or so times over the 2 years I had it, mostly for electronic issues. I don't think the Ford will be worse than that.

 

[sportexplore]

I wish I could tell you more about the quality of our 2013 Explorer Sport but it won't be here for another week.

I can tell you this is the 8th Ford vehicle I've owned and I have always been very happy with the quality and dependability of the Ford products. All of my vehicles have been personal, daily drivers and about half were used for towing through the mountains here in Arizona.

We have had a few BMW vehicles over the past decade and have had relatively minor quality problems with all of them; the issue for us is they are so very expensive to fix. That is the reason we are trading in the Z4 for the new Explorer Sport.

I know this may be a little OT, but it is the main reason we looked primarily at the products Ford had to offer when we were shopping for a new vehicle. I will certainly keep this forum updated with our latest Ford experience when it arrives. I hope you find your way to buying a Ford Explorer (Sport), I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Scott

Ford's I've owned, or still do:
'77 LTDII,'74 Ranchero,'70 Mach 1 Mustang,'90 Bronco, '94 Bronco, '97 F350,'08 F350, 2013 Explorer Sport (rolling off the assembly line).

 

[plumbago]

I would not buy one again, ever, period. Our 2013 XLT EcoBoost has been nothing but a pain......terrible quality control, terrible driveability and even worse mileage, if that's possible....there are about 175 pages on this forum, and they are mostly all about Explorer complaints. That should tell you something.......

 

[Joe Dirt]

Dave- As you look through the other threads, there are a fair amount of one-and-done posters, who have an issue, then it gets fixed, and they disappear. You will also find the perennials, who are posting in every thread they can to share an experience that they had, good or bad, so that other owners can validate their dissatisfaction. You will even find that some posters are not even actual owners- and Ford has people on other manufacturer boards that do the same thing- it's business. They want your money.

People don't usually seek out forums, in general, to rave about a new car- they're too busy living life every day. Some do, but it isn't common. On the other hand, if someone has a problem, they will be speaking about it. In our case here, often. Some of them post over and over and over about their experiences with a hated vehicle, especially in nearly every "should I choose <vehicle x> or a new Explorer" thread.

So, you have to take forums with a grain of salt. There are some crap cars, some cars that have bad build days once in a while. It doesn't mean that every single one is a s**tbox. You can find forum posts on every vehicle in the market that would shine them in the same light. Are there issues? Sure. Will another vehicle have issues? Sure.
Here is a fair comparison: http://editorial.autos.msn.com/comparo-dodge-durango-vs-ford-explorer?page=2

I had a long term rental of an Ex Limited through work in mid-2012 through early 2013, and I can also support their editorial on the Durango from before that, btw...

Me- I wouldn't be scared of either one if I was going to buy one, and I have to say- surprisingly for a Ford guy- I rather liked the Durango. I have not had experience with the Sport, but have had for periods from one week to 3-4 months 2011+ Explorer XLT's and Limiteds over the last couple of years- with no issues on any of them (probably 8-9 different Ex's), and for about 3-1/2 months with the Durango. I think either vehicle would serve your purpose just fine.

Good luck with your decision!

 

[Bill #5 Explorer]

Booooooooo!





























See, I think you are just too easy to scare.

 

[Bill #5 Explorer]

I was about to pull the trigger on a new 2013 Sport Explorer and was doing some searches on headrest DVD systems and found this forum. Now I'm a little leary about making the purchase!

Dave, skip the DVD system. You have kids? Buy 'em an iPad instead. Save $$$ and more uses.

 

[Sgt1411]

As someone who purchased a 2011 and then used Lemon Laws to get it replaced with a 2013 I have to say from first hand experience most, if not all of the issues that the 2011 had have been fixed.

There are two things you need to be aware of.

My Ford Touch has significant reliability issues if you are a heavy user. If your a guy who turns AM radio on and touches the HVAC once a week then it will provide you appropriate reliability.

If your a guy who is constantly adjusting HVAC controls, switching between AM/FM, Sirius, BlueTooth Audio, and then a USB connected iPod/iPhone then reliability is very poor. If you own an iPhone you do not get 100% integration with MFT. The complaints of the MFT system rebooting and being unstable are accurate and Im speaking from being the owner of a 2013 built August 18 2012.

Regarding your DVD request, the OEM solution providing Invision LT Series headrest DVD players is no longer. According to Ford CS there is new solution coming but not here yet. FYI, the Ford OEM headrest DVD system is NOT integrated with MFT at all.

I agree with the others here, buy iPads or iPad Mini's, way better option.

Other then MFT I love the vehicle, just wish MFT worked as advertised.