Freaking me out!

[zed512]

All,

I am close to trading in my 08 VW Touareg 2 for a pre-owned FWD Explorer Limited (manufactured in March'11). But, as I read through these forum posts it seems like I am going to have a laundry list of issues to fix and many trips back and forth to the dealership.

I really like the look of the EX, 3rd row seating, fuel efficiency will be better than the TREG, hopefully cheap to service and I like gadgets. With that said this will be my wife's car so it will go to the shops, school and on occasional weekends pull a 17' 2500 lbs boat (if it can get up the ramp).

I'm starting to wonder should I stick with what I have or take the risk. Is there any body out there who owns one of the early 2011 versions with minimal issues?

Thanks in advance

 

[Rick]

I'm starting to wonder should I stick with what I have or take the risk. Is there any body out there who owns one of the early 2011 versions with minimal issues?

This forum's moderator Jdraper has an early 2011 and has had very few issues with the vehicle. I don't think he has had any issues with the MFT.

 

[182RG]

I'm starting to wonder should I stick with what I have or take the risk. Is there any body out there who owns one of the early 2011 versions with minimal issues?

Thanks in advance

I have an '11 XLT, 4WD with no issues. I upgraded to MFT 2.11, and it has worked well enough until an upgrade is available. I'm at 10K and have had no issues with the fan, A pillar, rain noise, squeaky brakes, etc. Even if you have them, they are minor issues and fixable.

As a fellow VW owner ('10 TDI Jetta), coming from your T'reg, at least you are leaving their crappy dealer service network, esoteric engineering, and problems behind. The Ex's issues will seem minor (and cheaper) by comparison.

 

[peterk9]

All,

I am close to trading in my 08 VW Touareg 2 for a pre-owned FWD Explorer Limited (manufactured in March'11). But, as I read through these forum posts it seems like I am going to have a laundry list of issues to fix and many trips back and forth to the dealership.

I really like the look of the EX, 3rd row seating, fuel efficiency will be better than the TREG, hopefully cheap to service and I like gadgets. With that said this will be my wife's car so it will go to the shops, school and on occasional weekends pull a 17' 2500 lbs boat (if it can get up the ramp).

I'm starting to wonder should I stick with what I have or take the risk. Is there any body out there who owns one of the early 2011 versions with minimal issues?

Thanks in advance

Welcome to the Forum, zed512.:wavey:

I have an AWD Limited built in February 2011. I have had minor MFT glitches that resolved themselves and I'm still on the version (V2.4) that came with the vehicle. I had the Rain Sensing random wipe issue addressed under the TSB. I also had the front right sensor replaced under warranty. It was giving an error when I tried the Active Park Assist feature. That was just a sensor failure and not a common item of complaint on the forum. I would not hesitate to do it all over again.

Peter

 

[cnsheets]

I have a 2011 FWD XLT manufactured 5/2011. I did have the a-pillar TSB fix completed about a week ago, other than that and a few hiccups with MFT, I have not experienced any real problems. I have over 11K miles on it. I traded an 04 Expedition because I wanted to slightly downsize for the fuel economy but at the same time, I needed the ability to seat 7, everything about the new EX fit perfectly for what I wanted and needed and with the new styling and gadgets, I love it. The little quirks of the new redesign that some people experience are often quirks that you may not even notice or care about. Some people are just more **** about certain things than others.

Read through the forums here and look at some of the quirks people have experienced, then do a good testdrive of the unit you are interested in and look for any of those quirks, especially any TSB concerns. Have the dealer address the TSB concerns BEFORE delivery, this should minimize any dealer returns other than scheduled maintenance.

 

[jrmexplorer]

Welcome to the Forum, zed512.:wavey:

I have an AWD Limited built in February 2011. I have had minor MFT glitches that resolved themselves and I'm still on the version (V2.4) that came with the vehicle. I had the Rain Sensing random wipe issue addressed under the TSB. I also had the front right sensor replaced under warranty. It was giving an error when I tried the Active Park Assist feature. That was just a sensor failure and not a common item of complaint on the forum. I would not hesitate to do it all over again.

Peter

Same here. Very minor problems for me. No significant A-pillar noise, no significant rain noise, normally no significant My Ford Touch glitches. I love it.

 

[cnsheets]

oh, and check under the hood for any mice.

 

[new to ford]

We bought a FWD 2011 Explorer back in March 2011 and have minimal issues, no A-pillars, no big MFT issues. The one complaint I have it terrible bluetooth sound quality.

I also came from a vw (passat wagon). The passat treated us well, I just hope the explorer turns out good in the long run.

 

[JDraper]

As Rick said, I have an early '11 that has been pretty good. The only major issue I had was the cooling fan problem.

I had minor MFT issues at first, but after the upgrade to 2.11 it's behaved quite well.

Things I have had fixed under warranty (and haven't had problems since)
Rear defroster (scratched line in the element broke continuity)
replaced cooling fans
A-Pillars (rattle)
window streaking
water in the mirror turn signal
cubby hole door sticking in cold weather


I'd buy it again.

 

[JDraper]

oh, and check under the hood for any mice.

:mattmoon:

That was an aftermarket option on my X...

 

[gpzrider]

If you intend on using car seats, make sure to test fit them first! Many new rear facing models will not fit in the EX without the driver or passenger seat in the extreme forward position. Also, you cannot put 3 car seats across the second row if it has inflatable seat belts. You also cannot fit 3 people in the middle row on models with inflatable seat belts.

 

[FordService]

...Is there any body out there who owns one of the early 2011 versions with minimal issues?

Thanks in advance

This forum's moderator Jdraper has an early 2011 and has had very few issues with the vehicle. I don't think he has had any issues with the MFT.

Welcome to the boards, zed512! As you can see from the responses already, many of the members here love their Explorer. A test drive will be a great way get to know it.

A big thanks to everyone that took time to offer your recommendation.

oh, and check under the hood for any mice.

...That was an aftermarket option on my X...

If only that option came with cheese.

Cory

 

[hosedagain]

All,

I am close to trading in my 08 VW Touareg 2 for a pre-owned FWD Explorer Limited (manufactured in March'11). But, as I read through these forum posts it seems like I am going to have a laundry list of issues to fix and many trips back and forth to the dealership.

I really like the look of the EX, 3rd row seating, fuel efficiency will be better than the TREG, hopefully cheap to service and I like gadgets. With that said this will be my wife's car so it will go to the shops, school and on occasional weekends pull a 17' 2500 lbs boat (if it can get up the ramp).

I'm starting to wonder should I stick with what I have or take the risk. Is there any body out there who owns one of the early 2011 versions with minimal issues?

Thanks in advance

why would a pre owned 2011 be for sale already? the previous owner had too many issues and wanted to get rid of it? financial issues? does the dealer have service records?

 

[zed512]

First of all thanks for all your advice and comments. Already had a test drive and I didn't notice anything major apart from the tinny roof sound when it was raining.

Seems to be a lot of 2011 popping up on Autotrader... maybe ex-rentals or something else who know.

Will let you all know

 

[Rocketfan]

Plenty of posts already but I like everything about the Explorer except the buggy MFT. Sometimes bluetooth audio works (mostly does not), sometimes USB audio works (many times does not but fixable by unplugging and replugging cable into phone), radio mostly works (5-6 times since I bought mine in May 2011, it has not), sometimes significant button lag (mostly ok), bluetooth phone works most of the time (5 or 6 times since I have owned it, it has not), Nav works often (but has not worked enough that I no longer rely on it if I am going someplace new), etc.

Basically, MFT has been very buggy for me but has often worked (having a system work often is not acceptable for a consumer product). The frustrating thing is that something will not be working one day, but the next day will work perfectly. Don't discount the buggy MFT out of hand as the issues have been written up in the mainstream, tech and automotive press and is why Ford, to its credit, is sending us all a free update to hopefully fix these issues (you have to wonder about cars that have tech issues during professional reviewing).

If you are willing to take the risk now knowing that there MAY be MFT issues, pull the trigger. The vehicle otherwise is great. If it was me, I would wait for the big MFT update (which should come in March/ fingers crossed) and see if this fixes the problems. As you note, plenty of used 2011s showing up on the market now.

 

[cnsheets]

I think the 2011's showing up used in the market are from those people who do not understand that first year model redesigns can have some quirks to be worked out and were too impatient and expected a perfect unit. I'm completely happy with my 2011 and everything will be perfect once the new MFT is released.

 

[zed512]

Again thanks for the great support.

One last question... Has anyone towed a small boat around 3000lbs behind a FWD explorer with aftermarket hitch? I know the boat slip will be the most challenging but this boat isn't huge - Wellcraft 175 (17"). Spec says 5000 lbs towing capacity but I'm more concerned that the car doesn't move and the front wheels keep on spinning.

 

[vurb]

First of all thanks for all your advice and comments. Already had a test drive and I didn't notice anything major apart from the tinny roof sound when it was raining.

Seems to be a lot of 2011 popping up on Autotrader... maybe ex-rentals or something else who know.

Will let you all know

I too had the same hesitation after looking into the new Explorer and coming to this board to research. After glancing at just a few threads I was quickly to the point where I had completely crossed the Explorer off my shopping list. I moved on to looking at other vehicles and had it narrowed down to the Pathfinder. I just couldn't get the Explorer off my mind though over the weeks that followed. Kept thinking about the better gas mileage, how it was a new model (vs the Pathfinder being virtually unchanged for what seems like 10 years now), better in-car technology (Pathfinder still has no ipod integration), better safety ratings, etc.

I wound up taking the plunge and would do it again. Just a couple minor annoyances that I hope will be fixed with the new MFT update and a couple small warranty items (condensation in mirror blinker, sunglass holder crooked). When I heard that Ford was going to continually update MFT, that's what ultimately put me over the edge into buying one.

Regarding 2011's being for sale already- They're almost all prior rental units and most that I saw came from Enterprise. These typically have 15 to 30K miles. Since the Ex has little to no break-in period (the major concern when buying a rental in my eyes - that it wasn't broken in properly), I would actually prefer to buy a prior rental than a normally owned unit. You know that all the maintenance was done and that it was properly cared for.

Coming from an Infiniti M the worry was high that a first model year Ford would leave me wishing I hadn't, however that hasn't been the case at all. Coming from a VW though basically anything is going to be an upgrade in terms of reliability.

 

[sgparnes]

No real problems for me, Oct 2011 now 12k miles. Recently calendar shows Oct 2031 and I can't get it to reset. Ford Sync tech and dealer said to wait for new update. Almost 22mpg on hwy at about 78-79 mph...not too bad.

 

[VinceL]

The calender is just telling you when the update is really going to come out! lol