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Looking to buy a explorer, question for owners!

Lugnuts

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Joined
April 29, 2015
Messages
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Year, Model & Trim Level
15 Tux sport, 06 Duramax
Hey all, Got two kids now and looking to upsize from our Toyota Corolla.

My wife and I have looked at a lot of third row SUV's and got our hearts set on the Explorer. I was searching around all the dealers to call around and find the best deal when I came across the Carbon Monoxide/Sulfur smell problem on google, I see a few old posts about it and the TSB's not completely fixing the issue but they are all old posts. I am wondering did Ford finally fix this issue?

It's not really a big deal but my wife goes on long trips and I don't want my kids breathing carbon monoxide the whole time!

I hope you guys can talk me into buying one still, they are awesome SUV's!
 



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When i run regular gas i noticed that cat. Smell but when i started putting premium in it no smell and i got more power and better milage just my personal experience.
 






Hey all, Got two kids now and looking to upsize from our Toyota Corolla.

My wife and I have looked at a lot of third row SUV's and got our hearts set on the Explorer. I was searching around all the dealers to call around and find the best deal when I came across the Carbon Monoxide/Sulfur smell problem on google, I see a few old posts about it and the TSB's not completely fixing the issue but they are all old posts. I am wondering did Ford finally fix this issue?

It's not really a big deal but my wife goes on long trips and I don't want my kids breathing carbon monoxide the whole time!

I hope you guys can talk me into buying one still, they are awesome SUV's!

You'll probably have to end up by making up your own mind. We just bought a 2015 Sport and have had the opportunity to take two trips of about three hours each. We didn't note any exhaust smell in our Explorer. As I was doing my due diligence regarding looking at Explorer's I looked at a number of Sport specific threads here, but didn't review the "bad smell" thread until after we had the vehicle. You may want to avoid the "leak" thread also.

I do believe the folks complaining had valid complaints but there are a lot of Explorers out there and this issue may be what I heard referred to as "internet amplification". Few people register for an internet forum to post that their car doesn't have an exhaust smell.

We have owned two Lexus RX models and if you follow the Lexus forums you'd think every other one was having early transmission failure based on the forum posts. There's even people draining and refilling their transmissions every 30,000 miles to avoid problems. We never had a problem with either RX we had. One went to 160,000 miles and the other we traded on the 2015 Sport at just under 100,000 miles.

Good luck with your decision.
 






We've had ours for 13 months and 15,000 miles. We have gone on several long road trips and never noticed any exhaust smells. In fact, our Explorer has been the best and most perfect new car we have ever had! Why not test drive the one you are considering and see for yourself. People who encounter issues post those online but millions who do not have issues have no reason to post that.
 






46k into our Ex and never had the smell issue.

You may also want to check out the threads around carseat installation if your kids are still small, especially if you plan to have more kids.

Good luck.
 






No smell in my 4 year old Ex. Roof rack leak fixed with ease. Still waiting resolution (and a promised follow-up from Ford corp. CSM) on hood paint bubble issue. Hopefully that has been fixed for '15, but I hear '14 has the problem - and it is a big problem if you plan to hold long term.
 






I've got a 2015 Limited that we purchased in Jan 2015. We've taken several long trips and had no smell issues; we use only Regular grade gasoline.
 






No smell on my 2014 XLT. Maybe those folks complaining had just come from eating at Taco Bell!
 






I do believe the folks complaining had valid complaints

I don't. Next to the infamous "Rain Noise" TSB, this is one of the most overblown, non-issues to date.
 






Just to add, 15 sport, regular gas, 3,000 miles, no smells, no leaks, no issues to-date. Love everything about it except the voice commands which are always a nightmare in vehicles.

When you test drive, if the vehicle has less than 50 miles on it there ARE sealants etc. that may be burning off and cause an odor. I tested a limited with around 6 miles on it and smelled a strong odor only once we got out after the test drive. Never in the cabin, but depending on driving and HVAC settings you might smell it there too. When I got my sport it had 36 miles on it and I've never had the issue, and yes, it sees wide-open-throttle frequently (thank god for rev limiters.)

That's my experience so far. Good luck, and happy test driving!
 






Just to add my 2 cents....Got my Explorer about a month ago (2015 Sport). Came from a Jeep Grand Cherokee (2011) as wife and I needed a larger vehicle for our 3 month old twins. No one told us kids travel with so much gear. Explorer is loaded for a safari every time we venture out. Jeep had to go.

Not sure what your comparing it too, however, I did a ton of research into three row SUVs. Tahoe, Highlander, GMC/Chevy Acadia, Pathfinder, Pilot. Explorer was the best value/best working for our family. While not the largest, it felt right sized. I feared my wife navigating a parking lot with a Tahoe.....

I can safely say the Jeep had more of a chemical smell than the Explorer has. Granted I only have about 250 miles on it but even when the Jeep was new I smelled something non-organic coming from the engine compartment some times. Never really bothered me and was worse if I was driving in the mountains or really taxing the engine.

First month with the Explorer has been wonderful. Great vehicle that is easy to access and very customizable. Just as a side note, if you have kids in car seats, only one of the third row seats (passenger side) has the Latch hooks. Not sure why but I did not notice until we got it home. Not a huge issue as they typically cruise in the second row buckets.

I would not hesitate to recommend an Explorer to anyone.
 






Not a huge issue as they typically cruse in the second row buckets.

I would not hesitate to recommend an Explorer to anyone.

Second row buckets are the key, IMO, with more than two kids. I would hesitate, although not fully dissuade, to recommend the Ex to anyone with 3 or more kids in carseats.
 






I have the burnt smell. I've also had water leaks in the third row, faulty fuel sensors, rough idle, MFT problems, GPS problems, air scoop has fallen off a total of 5 times. They had to replace some belts as everytime it rained out my engine would make a squealing noise and the lights and fan would dim. Seized rear calipers, warped routers a strange fan noise coming from the inside of the cabin. The drivers side door handle came off in my hand once. They said the bolt that is supposed to hold it in place must have fallen off. Trim issues up the hoop, squeaks rattles and thumps since they had to remove the headliner to fix the leak issue. Moon roof rattles and in the winter time when its really cold out the dash seems to rub up against the windshield and squeak every time you hit a bump. Sway bar has came loose 3 times and made rattling noises every time you hit a bump as well as the tie rod ends.

You can make up your own mind. This is my second and last Explorer. It drives like a beast and has tons of power. Ford has fixed all the issues so I have no complaints in the service area of things. Having your vehicle in the shop for 4 out of 12 months while still making payments sucks. They rented me a vehicle. So props to Ford for owning up to having built a substandard vehicle. However, it's probably just non issue stuff and crappy luck on my behalf. Good luck with whatever you decide to purchase!
 






Thanks for all the reply's

We do not jump through cars too often, why I was a little worried about my kids getting chronically poisoned cause we will have this vehicle until the wheels fall off :D. my shortest time owning a car is 6 years. Still have my first car on my side yard waiting for me to bring it back to life, lol.

My wife was set on a Highlander but I kept pushing her towards the Explorer and once she saw the Explorer in person she fell in love with it, we looked at the Highlanders after and she was picking it apart.

Thanks for all the positive feedback and even broken struts feedback has a positive outcome.

I guess my hunt for a Explorer continues :thumbsup:
 






I had the burnt smell in my 2013 limited, but after 45,000 miles it seems to have gone away. I also had a roof leak, which my dealer fixed for free out of warranty. Even with these few problems, i love the ex. Great vehicle. I only wish I had trailer tow package.
 






I rarely have the smell and if it happens it's short lived and typically caused by WOT (floored) vs. normal driving. It wouldn't sway me from another Ex
 






My late 2014 Ex smells. I am embarrassed to gun the engine with other people in the car.

I’ve had four generations of Explorer and the 2014 is the most unlikable out of the bunch. The headlights are terrible. What was possibly wrong with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation Explorer's lights? Nothing.

I'm 6' and I can barely see the part of the road that is lit up by the driving lights. I'd bet a 5½"er wouldn't be able to see if the driving lights are on or not.

There are some good things but overall it is a poorly thought out vehicle.
 






agreed, the stock Halogens are less than ideal, but easy and affordable HID upgrades are available (see my sig for a suggestion)
 



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agreed, the stock Halogens are less than ideal, but easy and affordable HID upgrades are available (see my sig for a suggestion)

But, but it's a brand new upgraded vehicle whose predecessors had totally acceptable headlights and cost $8,000 less.
 






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