2022 Explorer Hybrid - Fogging /Frost interior

[Mariette]

Hi All- Purchased a new 2022 Explorer Hybrid in December. I live in Montreal and with the cold weather (avg. -10 C) I’m finding it impossible to stay fog and frost free.

I keep front and rear fan heat ON at minimum 2 front and 3 fan speed rear and interior fog & frost have become normal. I’ve put the A/C on … doesn’t help.

With the cold weather the interior quickly frost over after parking overnight. When the windshield and windows thaws … so much frost accumulation water drips down. See pictures of sunroof.

Pictures 1 & 2 - Sunroof after thawed inside garage.

Pictures 3&4 - Pictures of windows after a 10 minute drive - fogs up fast!

Explorer has been at the dealership for 3 days now … they say maybe its a leak.

Nothing reassuring coming from the Ford Dealership

This happen to anyone else?

Thanks

 

[hbalek]

Hi All- Purchased a new 2022 Explorer Hybrid in December. I live in Montreal and with the cold weather (avg. -10 C) I’m finding it impossible to stay fog and frost free.

I keep front and rear fan heat ON at minimum 2 front and 3 fan speed rear and interior fog & frost have become normal. I’ve put the A/C on … doesn’t help.

With the cold weather the interior quickly frost over after parking overnight. When the windshield and windows thaws … so much frost accumulation water drips down. See pictures of sunroof.

Pictures 1 & 2 - Sunroof after thawed inside garage.

Pictures 3&4 - Pictures of windows after a 10 minute drive - fogs up fast!

Explorer has been at the dealership for 3 days now … they say maybe its a leak.

Nothing reassuring coming from the Ford Dealership

This happen to anyone else?

Thanks

View attachment 438864 View attachment 438865 View attachment 438866 View attachment 438867

Definitely not normal for any vehicle anywhere!

 

[Fix4Dirt]

never gets -10 here, but im not sure thats normal. maybe during these months try using something like the rainX interior anti fog stuff, a little goes a long way. if you use too much then sometimes it can look streaky or like theres a film on the glass (like with cigar, new dash, etc) i wouldnt be surprised if its a leak though so moisture is getting in and condensation on the window, unless it really is just that cold!!!

 

[Dale5403]

Temperature isn't the problem. We have had a number of sub zero Fahrenheit days this winter and I've had no issue with the windows frosting up. The first thing I'm thinking of is you might have water by the spare tire. There has been a number of people with the moon-roof leaking water in there.

 

[Mariette]

Temperature isn't the problem. We have had a number of sub zero Fahrenheit days this winter and I've had no issue with the windows frosting up. The first thing I'm thinking of is you might have water by the spare tire. There has been a number of people with the moon-roof leaking water in there.

Thanks - will keep that in mind as a suggestion. Called dealer this AM - no updates.

 

[peterk9]

never gets -10 here, but im not sure thats normal. maybe during these months try using something like the rainX interior anti fog stuff, a little goes a long way. if you use too much then sometimes it can look streaky or like theres a film on the glass (like with cigar, new dash, etc) i wouldnt be surprised if its a leak though so moisture is getting in and condensation on the window, unless it really is just that cold!!!

-10 C = 14 F.

 

[peterk9]

Hi All- Purchased a new 2022 Explorer Hybrid in December. I live in Montreal and with the cold weather (avg. -10 C) I’m finding it impossible to stay fog and frost free.

I keep front and rear fan heat ON at minimum 2 front and 3 fan speed rear and interior fog & frost have become normal. I’ve put the A/C on … doesn’t help.

With the cold weather the interior quickly frost over after parking overnight. When the windshield and windows thaws … so much frost accumulation water drips down. See pictures of sunroof.

Pictures 1 & 2 - Sunroof after thawed inside garage.

Pictures 3&4 - Pictures of windows after a 10 minute drive - fogs up fast!

Explorer has been at the dealership for 3 days now … they say maybe its a leak.

Nothing reassuring coming from the Ford Dealership

This happen to anyone else?

Thanks

Welcome to the Forum.
Do you park in the garage or outside? You showed a picture that said in the garage but I doubt the windshield etc would frost up like that in the garage. I usually park inside but a few days ago left my vehicle outside as I was going to use it later in the day. Several hours later the windshield was all frosted over on the inside and it took the better part of 10 minutes on Hi defrost to clear it up. It was -21 C (-5.8 F )at the time. Your other windows are likely fogging up due to the high humidity in the cabin. If possible, I'd park in the garage if possible. If the defrost is ON then the A/C is automatically ON as well.
Good luck.

Peter

 

[Fix4Dirt]

-10 C = 14 F.

ok nevermind then lol i was thinking -10F 14f yes shouldnt ever do that haha

 

[MNgopher]

Definitely not normal and you definitely have a water source leaking water into the cabin. It doesn't take a lot in those temps to create this type of issue. I can't tell you where to start looking, but the sunroof and its drains is often a good first stop.

(For reference, family of four with a hockey player, and we can fog the windows up quick after games and practice when entering a cold car, but never have issues when parked or after the car has run for long enough to warm up.)

 

[hbalek]

Definitely not normal and you definitely have a water source leaking water into the cabin. It doesn't take a lot in those temps to create this type of issue. I can't tell you where to start looking, but the sunroof and its drains is often a good first stop.

(For reference, family of four with a hockey player, and we can fog the windows up quick after games and practice when entering a cold car, but never have issues when parked or after the car has run for long enough to warm up.)

C & D pillar area and spare tire compartment are known leak areas on this vehicle. I routinely check mine for 3 years now and so far no leaks for me.

 

[Mariette]

Welcome to the Forum.
Do you park in the garage or outside? You showed a picture that said in the garage but I doubt the windshield etc would frost up like that in the garage. I usually park inside but a few days ago left my vehicle outside as I was going to use it later in the day. Several hours later the windshield was all frosted over on the inside and it took the better part of 10 minutes on Hi defrost to clear it up. It was -21 C (-5.8 F )at the time. Your other windows are likely fogging up due to the high humidity in the cabin. If possible, I'd park in the garage if possible. If the defrost is ON then the A/C is automatically ON as well.
Good luck.

Peter

Thanks for the reply - don’t have access to park in a garage on a dad to dad basis. The picture that I mentioned the garage was an indoor parking garage for dinner … until then I never truly realized how much frost had built up.

I have the same issue as you do - windshield all frosted up … its a combination of that and all the other windows… mainly rear.

 

[hbalek]

Thanks for the reply - don’t have access to park in a garage on a dad to dad basis. The picture that I mentioned the garage was an indoor parking garage for dinner … until then I never truly realized how much frost had built up.

I have the same issue as you do - windshield all frosted up … its a combination of that and all the other windows… mainly rear.

There must be wet carpet or puddle somewhere in the cabin causing that amount of moisture buildup.

 

[Dale5403]

Thanks for the reply - don’t have access to park in a garage on a dad to dad basis. The picture that I mentioned the garage was an indoor parking garage for dinner … until then I never truly realized how much frost had built up.

I have the same issue as you do - windshield all frosted up … its a combination of that and all the other windows… mainly rear.

There must be wet carpet or puddle somewhere in the cabin causing that amount of moisture buildup.

Parking outside should not cause frost on the inside of the glass. Excess moisture interior wise is most likely the cause.

 

[Sea_Ray]

Post 1 mentioned fan speed .....moist air will condensate on cold surfaces whether it's moving or not. Blowing air if not hot enough will make it worse. Try running heat on high it you haven't . Some people find the high heat uncomfortable, I run it full blast with a window cracked to vent out the moisture. I open my moon roof cover to allow sunlight in and prevent trapping moisture on cold days. It may be a Leak as others of said, But it may also be trapped moisture which needs to vented out from normal breathing.

In my former life as a lineman we would find sealed equipment full of water, the problem was caused by the expansion of hot air, it would purge thru the gaskets and would create a vacuum, then sucking in damp cool air at night, which would condense inside.

On the 2021 Hybrid the engine doesn't shut off until cabin temperature is reached

 

[peterk9]

Parking outside should not cause frost on the inside of the glass. Excess moisture interior wise is most likely the cause.

As I mentioned in post #7, there was heavy frost on the inside of my windshield after sitting outside for about 4-5 hours and there is nothing wet in the interior other than perhaps the driver's side floor liner. That is the only time it happened but then that was the coldest it has been here.

Peter

 

[Dale5403]

As I mentioned in post #7, there was heavy frost on the inside of my windshield after sitting outside for about 4-5 hours and there is nothing wet in the interior other than perhaps the driver's side floor liner. That is the only time it happened but then that was the coldest it has been here.

Peter

I've never seen that here in Wi. Maybe the weather conditions are different here.

 

[J_C]

You might have a leak somewhere as others have mentioned, but this happens to my '98 every now and then in winter, due to moisture getting in from snow and slush on my boots. I try to knock it of before getting in but there is only so much I'm willing to do.

Once it starts frosting up, I realize I haven't been switching out the floor mat with a dry one often enough, so I pull the floor mat, put a dehumidifier in it overnight or up to a day. I shut the doors except a cracked window for the extension cord to it, and it creates several hundred watts of heat while running so that helps too.

I mean the plug in compressor based type, not just a bag of silica gel dessicant, though if you had a really big cloth sack of the silica, you could leave it in the vehicle then once it's done its job, heat it in an oven to drive moisture off and reuse it.

At the same time, if you have leather upholstery then you don't want the humidity too low, so I wouldn't leave silica gel in when there is no water getting in.

I'm NOT suggesting you should have to do any of this on a '22, have the dealer make sure there are no leaks, but if it is moisture coming from your footwear as it is in my case, that's not covered.

 

[Mariette]

C & D pillar area and spare tire compartment are known leak areas on this vehicle. I routinely check mine for 3 years now and so far no leaks for me.

Stupid question… what/where are C & D pillars area? Thanks

C & D pillar area and spare tire compartment are known leak areas on this vehicle. I routinely check mine for 3 years now and so far no leaks for me

Post 1 mentioned fan speed .....moist air will condensate on cold surfaces whether it's moving or not. Blowing air if not hot enough will make it worse. Try running heat on high it you haven't . Some people find the high heat uncomfortable, I run it full blast with a window cracked to vent out the moisture. I open my moon roof cover to allow sunlight in and prevent trapping moisture on cold days. It may be a Leak as others of said, But it may also be trapped moisture which needs to vented out from normal breathing.

In my former life as a lineman we would find sealed equipment full of water, the problem was caused by the expansion of hot air, it would purge thru the gaskets and would create a vacuum, then sucking in damp cool air at night, which would condense inside.

On the 2021 Hybrid the engine doesn't shut off until cabin temperature is reached

Cool - great explanation- I will definitely sporadically do the max high heat windows crack open strategy now n then …YES I’m not a fan of high heat - high fan speed.

One of your comments is confusing… what do you mean by “On the 2021 Hybrid the engine doesn’t shut off until cabin temperature is reached “?

 

[Mariette]

You might have a leak somewhere as others have mentioned, but this happens to my '98 every now and then in winter, due to moisture getting in from snow and slush on my boots. I try to knock it of before getting in but there is only so much I'm willing to do.

Once it starts frosting up, I realize I haven't been switching out the floor mat with a dry one often enough, so I pull the floor mat, put a dehumidifier in it overnight or up to a day. I shut the doors except a cracked window for the extension cord to it, and it creates several hundred watts of heat while running so that helps too.

I mean the plug in compressor based type, not just a bag of silica gel dessicant, though if you had a really big cloth sack of the silica, you could leave it in the vehicle then once it's done its job, heat it in an oven to drive moisture off and reuse it.

At the same time, if you have leather upholstery then you don't want the humidity too low, so I wouldn't leave silica gel in when there is no water getting in.

I'm NOT suggesting you should have to do any of this on a '22, have the dealer make sure there are no leaks, but if it is moisture coming from your footwear as it is in my case, that's not covered.

Thanks for taking the time to write. Agree with all your comments

As for the footwear… when I saw I was having the issue … I did my best to keep paper towels in the Explorer and wipe soak up water from the winter plastic mats (personally these mats are getting more expensive and don’t look very “winter/water trapping).

 

[Mariette]

Update: I should have final news tomorrow. They/Ford dealer suspect a leak but haven’t been able to find it.

Explorer has now been atbthe dealership since last Thursday morning 8am… 4 full business days. Yes, they gave me a loaner (Escape).

Stay tuned….