Possible Quality Poll

[Jons2020XT]

I guess I owe this forum a thank you for making me aware of some of the quality problems. Until I started reading this, I had a positive view of Fords/quality based on my experience with several of them over the years. None were the first year production of a new design though. I don't plan on ordering for about 60 days. I chose the ST over competitive, but more expensive cars with the assumption the ST would be reliable. It is not a good deal if it is of poor quality.

I was thinking of creating a poll to get input on how the number of defects noticed over the first 30 days of ownership. I would use something like the Consumer Reports categories like major mechanical, electrical etc. Over time we could see if the number of reported problems is going up, down, or remains about the same.

It would be hard to do with the limitations of the poll facility here, but something might be kludged together.

The question before going forward with this is do people think this would be useful, and would they complete it?

 

[Axles of Evil]

Based on what I know now, and I still have not got mine back from the repair department which is now going on two weeks (but we did manage to drive it 3 days at least)...I have deep regrets about purchasing this car, and mine is a $60K Platinum.

Quality?....basically as consumer reports and others have stated, the materials are noticeably lacking in fit and finish for the price tag, especially regarding the interior trim areas. The doors, all of them, close like ones that can be found on a 10+ year old well used car, they sound like a cheap tinny thwack and rattle as opposed to a nice solid clunk. The main compliant is the suspension noises coupled with interior quality disappointments as already stated.

The measure by which I can compare the quality of this 2020 Explorer, is the build quality of my 2018 F-150 Platinum 3.0L turbo diesel. As stated previously, the price tag for that truck matches the quality purchased, and its very very good and I am satisfied, no actually more than satisfied. The fit and finish is perfect, and the vehicle drives like a dream with no rattles or problems. A+ on that one. However, I would cringe to think just what factors are being considered for the re-design of the 2021 F150....OMG if its anything like this Explorer redesign Ford is going to be in trouble I think.

This similar priced 'top of the line' Explorer...really and I seriously mean.... does leave a lot to be desired.

• If asked, would I recommend this vehicle to anyone else? - NO.

• Would I buy it again - Absolutely NOT.

At the present time, I have very deep regrets about purchasing this Explorer and am already forming the groundwork for a buyback. All in all, I feel duped quite honestly.

 

[peterk9]

There is already a thread on Issues at Delivery and also one on issues found.

Peter

 

[peterk9]

Based on what I know now, and I still have not got mine back from the repair department which is now going on two weeks (but we did manage to drive it 3 days at least)...I have deep regrets about purchasing this car, and mine is a $60K Platinum.

Quality?....basically as consumer reports and others have stated, the materials are noticeably lacking in fit and finish for the price tag, especially regarding the interior trim areas. The doors, all of them, close like ones that can be found on a 10+ year old well used car, they sound like a cheap tinny thwack and rattle as opposed to a nice solid clunk. The main compliant is the suspension noises coupled with interior quality disappointments as already stated.

The measure by which I can compare the quality of this 2020 Explorer, is the build quality of my 2018 F-150 Platinum 3.0L turbo diesel. As stated previously, the price tag for that truck matches the quality purchased, and its very very good and I am satisfied, no actually more than satisfied. The fit and finish is perfect, and the vehicle drives like a dream with no rattles or problems. A+ on that one. However, I would cringe to think just what factors are being considered for the re-design of the 2021 F150....OMG if its anything like this Explorer redesign Ford is going to be in trouble I think.

This similar priced 'top of the line' Explorer...really and I seriously mean.... does leave a lot to be desired.

• If asked, would I recommend this vehicle to anyone else? - NO.

• Would I buy it again - Absolutely NOT.

At the present time, I have very deep regrets about purchasing this Explorer and am already forming the groundwork for a buyback. All in all, I feel duped quite honestly.

This is no different than the posts in the 5th gen Forum. Some absolutely hated their Explorer while others loved them. You'll get the same type of comments in most Forums like this. I haven't had a chance to see an actual 2020 model in person so I have no first-hand knowledge of them but have had a 2011 Limited and a current 2017 Platinum and would not hesitate to get get a 2020/21 based on my previous experiences.

Peter

 

[Axles of Evil]

Peter, having a lot of time with the 19 as well, many of them via rental car companies....those appear to be better made, and higher quality that the latest rendition. Its just after being star-struck with the new 2020...given a bit of time when you really start to look at it....it disappoints, and I agree with the likes of Consumer Reports. There has been a decline in the assembly and quality of the parts used here for this one. I also agree there are folks who love and dislike all products...that is a denominator of the human condition. Good observation all the same. Cheers /m

 

[Jons2020XT]

There is already a thread on Issues at Delivery and also one on issues found.

Peter

Thanks for this. I read each of the posts there. There are only two pages worth and there was a recent one, but before that let last was August. Perhaps a survey is not a good idea, but there seems more wrong with these from posts than the Delivery issues post. I was 90% committed to the XT, now I am going back to look at other brands.

 

[buzzard302]

Just remember, lots of people come to these forums to complain, or to honestly look for a solution to a problem. The happy people with no problems are not necessarily here. So you can form a very negative view of the product because you read about problems every day. I have one small problem with mine, but overall it's been very nice. I really enjoy driving it. It is priced higher than it should be, but there is a choice to simply not purchase. Anyway, your question is based on concerns about quality/problems so pricing shouldn't be much focused on it this thread.

 

[Jons2020XT]

Just remember, lots of people come to these forums to complain, or to honestly look for a solution to a problem. The happy people with no problems are not necessarily here. So you can form a very negative view of the product because you read about problems every day. I have one small problem with mine, but overall it's been very nice. I really enjoy driving it. It is priced higher than it should be, but there is a choice to simply not purchase. Anyway, your question is based on concerns about quality/problems so pricing shouldn't be much focused on it this thread.

Thanks, I appreciate that the group of people in a forum like this is a small subset of the entire group of the car buying public. I do think price is relevant though. If I pay 20K for a car today, I would have on set of expectations about quality. If I pay $60K or more then I have a higher set of expectations.

Arguing in the opposite direction of who is on this type of forum, they may be brand/model enthusiasts that are more forgiving of some shortcomings. I don't know which is true.. somewhere there is probably research on that topic.

 

[Chicago ST]

Thanks, I appreciate that the group of people in a forum like this is a small subset of the entire group of the car buying public. I do think price is relevant though. If I pay 20K for a car today, I would have on set of expectations about quality. If I pay $60K or more then I have a higher set of expectations.

Arguing in the opposite direction of who is on this type of forum, they may be brand/model enthusiasts that are more forgiving of some shortcomings. I don't know which is true.. somewhere there is probably research on that topic.

I Joined this forum in early July after receiving my early-build ST (it was built on 6/29 and delivered on 7/3). In short, I really enjoy driving it and have no regrets. Although there were a handful of cosmetic imperfections, an intermittent low speed suspension knock (it is really subtle-- I can live with it), and one related to the adaptive cruise control, the dealer fixed the cruise issue and offered to replace the parts that had cosmetic imperfections (although I chose to live with most of them). The truck stickered at close to $60k, and I would agree with most critics that the interior quality is probably not quite competitive with other brands at similar price points; in my opinion, it is not that bad, though. I came out of and also own more expensive import cars (I traded an Audi RS3 for this), so I have pretty high expectations when I buy any vehicle. When all things are considered (driving characteristics, fun, utility, style, quality), I still think the ST, at least, provides good value. The ultimate test is to drive one for yourself and bring your own expectations along for the ride.

On a related note, I spent a lot of time in Mercedes, BMW, and Audi forums before buying the ST and found lot of the same type of complaints (quality issues, mechanical issues, etc.) Based on what I saw there, you probably would come away with a similar impression: all of those cars have problems, too. The moral of the story is, as was stated above, you will find a higher index of complaints to praise in these forums because they are filled with enthusiasts (folks with a critical perspective); the regular folks and those without complaints do not need a place to vent.

 

[KMB505]

I bought my XLT in early July. It is a build date of 6/13. I had a '15 XLT prior to this. I do love this vehicle and have not noticed any quality issues. I've been all over this thing, especially since seeing issue others have seen, and haven't found anything wrong with the paint, seating, interiors, trim pieces and so on. I want materials that are durable and won't give way to wear after a few years. On the'15, the arm rest split open. It was covered under warranty. If the arm rest in the '20 is a more durable material, I'd rather have that. This is just one l small example. I don't want cheap and I don't feel the '20 has been cheapened. (They did away with the auto dimming rear view mirror, to my annoyance) Other than that, I'm very happy with this vehicle.

 

[Jons2020XT]

I Joined this forum in early July after receiving my early-build ST (it was built on 6/29 and delivered on 7/3). In short, I really enjoy driving it and have no regrets. Although there were a handful of cosmetic imperfections, an intermittent low speed suspension knock (it is really subtle-- I can live with it), and one related to the adaptive cruise control, the dealer fixed the cruise issue and offered to replace the parts that had cosmetic imperfections (although I chose to live with most of them). The truck stickered at close to $60k, and I would agree with most critics that the interior quality is probably not quite competitive with other brands at similar price points; in my opinion, it is not that bad, though. I came out of and also own more expensive import cars (I traded an Audi RS3 for this), so I have pretty high expectations when I buy any vehicle. When all things are considered (driving characteristics, fun, utility, style, quality), I still think the ST, at least, provides good value. The ultimate test is to drive one for yourself and bring your own expectations along for the ride.

On a related note, I spent a lot of time in Mercedes, BMW, and Audi forums before buying the ST and found lot of the same type of complaints (quality issues, mechanical issues, etc.) Based on what I saw there, you probably would come away with a similar impression: all of those cars have problems, too. The moral of the story is, as was stated above, you will find a higher index of complaints to praise in these forums because they are filled with enthusiasts (folks with a critical perspective); the regular folks and those without complaints do not need a place to vent.

Thanks for this. I agree, at 60K there is good value in the ST, if it has a reasonable build quality. To get a similarly equipped BMW, Mercedes, or Audi, you would have a list price about 80K. Having owned new examples from each of these makers, the quality --- at least in my experience is better than this forum suggest when compared to similar websites, etc. for these other marques. The decision I have to make is to get the ST, or think about an off lease European marque. No choice is perfect. I am going to continue to learn about the ST

 

[Halwg]

I have owned 7 Explorers since 2004. And my assessment has always been the same. On the lower end of the scale, being the Base and the XLT, they are pretty good vehicles and can be a good value. When you get to the upper trims, and this dates back to when I purchased my first one in 2004, they rapidly lose value and don't compare to other vehicles at the same price point. Of the 7 I have owned, 3 have been XLTs and 4 have been whatever they called the Base model at the time. I thought they were decent vehicles, well equipped for the price point, even though I had some fit, finish and quality issues with every one of them Including the 2018 I am now driving.

If I would have spent $50,000+ and up to over $60,000 and had those same issues, I would have been sorely disappointed. If you are looking for a $60,000 vehicle, my recommendation would be to look elsewhere. Stay in the $35,000 to $45,000 to get the best value out an Explorer.

 

[Jons2020XT]

I have owned 7 Explorers since 2004. And my assessment has always been the same. On the lower end of the scale, being the Base and the XLT, they are pretty good vehicles and can be a good value. When you get to the upper trims, and this dates back to when I purchased my first one in 2004, they rapidly lose value and don't compare to other vehicles at the same price point. Of the 7 I have owned, 3 have been XLTs and 4 have been whatever they called the Base model at the time. I thought they were decent vehicles, well equipped for the price point, even though I had some fit, finish and quality issues with every one of them Including the 2018 I am now driving.

If I would have spent $50,000+ and up to over $60,000 and had those same issues, I would have been sorely disappointed. If you are looking for a $60,000 vehicle, my recommendation would be to look elsewhere. Stay in the $35,000 to $45,000 to get the best value out an Explorer.

Very interesting approach. I recently had a lease on a 2017 less than $30k Fusion. What a great car for the $$$. Around the same time I purchased a 2017 GT350 and it had several paint problems with it - other than that it was a great car but more than twice what the fusion sticker was.

I honestly don't know what alternatives there are for a vehicle that offers ST performance, space, and some off road capability at this price. If I trade some space there are things like the SQ5 and GLC 43- even those are 4 - 7 K more than the ST. For closer to ST space we start talking about X5, GLE, and Q7 models (and not the base ones). All of these are far more expensive than the ST. Perhaps the ST is it. The Grand Cherokee with a V8 gets closer in performance but not really and does not handle as well and uses much more gas.

 

[Forddealz]

I have owned 7 Explorers since 2004. And my assessment has always been the same. On the lower end of the scale, being the Base and the XLT, they are pretty good vehicles and can be a good value. When you get to the upper trims, and this dates back to when I purchased my first one in 2004, they rapidly lose value and don't compare to other vehicles at the same price point. Of the 7 I have owned, 3 have been XLTs and 4 have been whatever they called the Base model at the time. I thought they were decent vehicles, well equipped for the price point, even though I had some fit, finish and quality issues with every one of them Including the 2018 I am now driving.

If I would have spent $50,000+ and up to over $60,000 and had those same issues, I would have been sorely disappointed. If you are looking for a $60,000 vehicle, my recommendation would be to look elsewhere. Stay in the $35,000 to $45,000 to get the best value out an Explorer.

What are you taking about? I got a decent deal on my 16 sport and many other forum member's have posted good trade value when trading them in for their ST's. I used to have 16 XP Sport that I bought for 44K new - MSRP was 49K. I traded it in and got a decent value back. Not the best but I got 28K back in the trade in. 4 years have gone. 16 thousand bucks I lost in 4 years. i did only have 29K miles on it.