Bad or Burnt Exhaust smell in cabin during hard acceleration.

[n0sql]

What are you actually smelling?
Exhaust fumes or rotten eggs?

It’s an odd strong smell. It’s definitely exhaust fumes but I could see why some would say rotten eggs. It’s mostly noticeable about 30 seconds after accelerating hard.

 

[613GT500]

It’s an odd strong smell. It’s definitely exhaust fumes but I could see why some would say rotten eggs. It’s mostly noticeable about 30 seconds after accelerating hard.

Yeah, that's not acceptable and frustrating.

 

[wilkersm]

I'm going to tell everyone here what finally eradicated the Wide Open Throttle response/carbon monoxide, "Smell" in the cabin... The problem exists because the stock engine/tune runs too damned rich! For those that don't know what that means do some research on what: "Running Rich" in an internal combustion engine means... I got an "SSI" Performance 93 Tune Computer Tuner Kit; installed it... and no more stink. It leaned out the mixture to say it simple! The "Tune" leaned out the mixture of fuel to air ratio and I literally have zero cabin smell under wide open throttle. I gained probably 75+ horses and even more torque... all the while gaining 1.1 miles per gallon as well; and the Explorer Sport runs like it should have from the factory... FAST! I smell no more of the toxic crap anymore and I'm enjoying the Sport Truck the way she should be now.

Hi. Can you tell me exactly which SSI tune kit you got? And do you now have to use higher octane fuel?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Hi. Can you tell me exactly which SSI tune kit you got? And do you now have to use higher octane fuel?

A tune is good for performance reasons, but will NOT fix this issue.

 

[thefranchise713]

So, lately my Explorer's had more issues with exhaust smells.

Last week during the frigid weather, I cold started it in 0F and it stayed at high idle for a good amount of time during the remote start cycle. When entering the cabin it smelled like burning brakes--but when the car was switched ON fully and the HVAC strategy changed a bit, it went away quite quickly. For those keeping score, it couldn't have been brakes, the car hadn't moved for 12+ hours during the start cycle.

I'm also getting a little smell like this on hard accels again, but not enough to have posted about alone. Thoughts?

 

[ExPlat]

So, lately my Explorer's had more issues with exhaust smells.
Last week during the frigid weather, I cold started it in 0F and it stayed at high idle for a good amount of time during the remote start cycle. When entering the cabin it smelled like burning brakes--but when the car was switched ON fully and the HVAC strategy changed a bit, it went away quite quickly. For those keeping score, it couldn't have been brakes, the car hadn't moved for 12+ hours during the start cycle.
I'm also getting a little smell like this on hard accels again, but not enough to have posted about alone. Thoughts?

Our weather is mild compared to yours but since the PTU was replaced last month I've done a few WOT's and each time I get the exhaust smell within a few seconds. This car usually has the HVAC set at a certain temp and is rarely in the Off setting.
It's had the CO/exhaust fix done at the Dealer.
I wonder if the 2020's will have this problem.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Our weather is mild compared to yours but since the PTU was replaced last month I've done a few WOT's and each time I get the exhaust smell within a few seconds. This car usually has the HVAC set at a certain temp and is rarely in the Off setting.
It's had the CO/exhaust fix done at the Dealer.
I wonder if the 2020's will have this problem.

I don't think so. I believe this is a design flaw that Ford just can't fix permanently on the 5th gen. I believe it comes down to aerodynamics mostly. I'd bet just about anything that Ford focused on this greatly when redesigning for the 6th gen.

 

[stillmarried]

I don't think so. I believe this is a design flaw that Ford just can't fix permanently on the 5th gen. I believe it comes down to aerodynamics mostly. I'd bet just about anything that Ford focused on this greatly when redesigning for the 6th gen.

How would Ford focus on exhaust odor in the cabin problem when they acknowledge that it is not a problem to begin with? Ford has not issued a recall and have not fixed the problem for 9 years. I have provided information to define the problem and propose possible solutions to Ford, and received zero response/feedback from Ford; that is not a company that is focused at all. Based on these facts, I just do not see your leap of faith in Ford fixing this problem.

 

[Mbrooks420]

How would Ford focus on exhaust odor in the cabin problem when they acknowledge that it is not a problem to begin with? Ford has not issued a recall and have not fixed the problem for 9 years. I have provided information to define the problem and propose possible solutions to Ford, and received zero response/feedback from Ford; that is not a company that is focused at all. Based on these facts, I just do not see your leap of faith in Ford fixing this problem.

Just because they don’t publically acknowledge there’s an issue doesn’t mean they don’t know it exists.

There’s liability in admission. They can’t recall it because they have no definitive fix. A company like Ford would never open a dialog about a design shortcoming with an ordinary person.

I’m pretty sure they know exactly why it happens, and there just isn’t a way to fix it.

 

[blwnsmoke]

How would Ford focus on exhaust odor in the cabin problem when they acknowledge that it is not a problem to begin with? Ford has not issued a recall and have not fixed the problem for 9 years. I have provided information to define the problem and propose possible solutions to Ford, and received zero response/feedback from Ford; that is not a company that is focused at all. Based on these facts, I just do not see your leap of faith in Ford fixing this problem.

They don't acknowledge there is an issue? The fact that they have issued several TSBs on this issue (at least 3) and have designed modified exhaust systems, vents, seals shows they acknowledge it. What they are NOT acknowledging is that it is a safety issue. Recalls are issued for safety, not for design.

So yes, they attempted to fix many times BUT will not recall. So again, I do believe Ford focused on this issue and it will not happen again being this is a ground up redesign.

 

[thefranchise713]

Yeah, I've got to keep going with @blwnsmoke on this one.

I won't speculate on the engineering other than to say that the "true" fix is probably way, way too expensive to pull off. Hence, you get a solution that fixes a significant part of the problem, but not all of it.

Unfortunately, the game is "how much can you get away with," and that's not to speculate maliciousness on Ford's part as much as recognizing that life is a series of trade-offs. And every human and company will perform that analysis.

In my case the problem has been especially intermittent--I wonder if it's my fuel quality that's at the root of this, not that it gives me any comfort that "good" fuel wouldn't smell into the cabin. But I'm not an engineer, I'm not getting ill, and my CO detector thingy hasn't triggered either.

 

[suzook]

I had this issue on my 2012, I don't on my 2018. Strange.

 

[peterk9]

I had this issue on my 2012, I don't on my 2018. Strange.

For some reason, not all Explorers seem to have the issue. No issues with my 2011 or 2017.

Peter

 

[613GT500]

For some reason, not all Explorers seem to have the issue. No issues with my 2011 or 2017.

Peter

Same, my colleage who now owns my 2016 Sport, hasn't complained about excessive exhaust smell, other than the rotten egg when he goes WOT.

 

[rodzilla]

Same, my colleage who now owns my 2016 Sport, hasn't complained about excessive exhaust smell, other than the rotten egg when he goes WOT.

That is exactly how I described it at first...and noticed it initially at WOT.

 

[613GT500]

That is exactly how I described it at first...and noticed it initially at WOT.

It should dissipate very quickly and not linger around.
The rotten egg smell has been present on pretty much all of my other vehicles when going WOT.

 

[SouthernExploder]

I received a letter from Ford last week regarding this. My letter stated that I could bring my Exploder in for a free inspection and reprogramming of the climate control module. I took it to my service advisor and told him to add it to the list of things to fix. He asked if I was experiencing the problem and I told him I didn't think so but might as well have the reprogramming done if Ford thinks it ought to be...

Anyone else get a letter from Ford?

 

[613GT500]

I received a letter from Ford last week regarding this. My letter stated that I could bring my Exploder in for a free inspection and reprogramming of the climate control module. I took it to my service advisor and told him to add it to the list of things to fix. He asked if I was experiencing the problem and I told him I didn't think so but might as well have the reprogramming done if Ford thinks it ought to be...

Anyone else get a letter from Ford?

I got the letter last summer!

 

[SouthernExploder]

I'm always the last to know!

 

[613GT500]

I'm always the last to know!

At least you're not experiencing any major issues.