Quality is not job 1

[Halwg]

Here's the issue that nobody wants to admit to. The Explorer is essentially a $30,000 vehicle that Ford gussies up to try to get people to believe that's it's a premium $50,000+ vehicle, which it is not. They all come down the same assembly line. It's just some of the pigs get lipstick, and others do not.

I admit I have a low end XLT that went off the dealer lot for under $30,000. Is it perfect, no, but I feel that for a $30,000 semi-full size SUV, it's a pretty good value. There are a few little fit and finish issues, but they really don't concern me. Now, if my pig would have gotten the lipstick treatment, with the cheap leather seats, something called MFT that doesn't seem to work most of the time, engines and transmissions that are less than smooth and refined, and I paid $50,000+, yeah, I'd probably not be happy either.

But if we think this is a luxury vehicle, then we are deluding ourselves. It's just a common, run of the mill, mid priced people and junk hauler, no more no less. Ford isn't stupid, they are going to wring out every nickel they can by selling the Sport, Limited, and now the Platinum versions. I think of all the models, the XLT makes the most sense.

 

[Uaglio]

Here's the issue that nobody wants to admit to. The Explorer is essentially a $30,000 vehicle that Ford gussies up to try to get people to believe that's it's a premium $50,000+ vehicle, which it is not.

What's a "premium" vehicle? Is it one that costs more? I most recently came out of an Audi Q7. It was more expensive than my Sport. A new one today, similarly equipped, is a LOT more than my Sport, like tens of thousands more. I have also owned both BMW and Mercedes vehicles. I loved Audi's fit and finish. Paint was impeccable and supernaturally strong. Interior was exquisite and beautifully designed. But god help you if it needed a repair. Indies wouldn't even touch it. Mine developed all sorts of problems over time, no different than a lot of cars, Ford included. But every repair was an involved odyssey, costing thousands of dollars, with simple parts shockingly priced ($350 for the plastic intake box that the air filter sits in? $400 per door handle (before paint)? $750 for bluetooth module? $400 for a key? $1400 for brakes? $1400 for headlights? $350 for a MAF (plus $120 to read the check engine code)? That's "premium." So-called higher end cars are definitely superior in some respects, but in my experience, they are often over-engineered to realize theoretical performance gains that no driver actually really experiences. And sometimes they aren't engineered well at all. Often the extra money you're paying for "premium" status is going to taxes, shipping, advertising budgets and decor of the dealer's service department waiting area. I think "premium" is often more about giving people a sense of perceived exclusivity, and I don't think that the price paid for that intangible is worth it. In Europe, everyone has a BMW. Mercedes makes taxicabs and trucks. It's all about perception.

 

[mzodarg]

You paid 30K, I didn't but I can tell you this, If I paid 30K and it had Fit and Finish issue I would have the dealer fix them at their cost. Especially since there are other similarly priced Exs that don't have the issue.

Please don't take this as "I don't Love the SUV" I do, just minor issues need to be corrected.

I drove BMW, Audi, Lexus, Mercedes, All GM products before I decided on the XSport.

Mike

 

[plumbago]

All 5th gen Explorers are built at the Chicago Assembly Plant but the parts aren't necessarily manufactured there. It is an accepted fact that many parts are 'outsourced' and then shipped to the plant to be assembled. That is why it is called the 'Assembly' plant. Also, I don't believe that the paint issue is an issue that affects the majority of the models. Why it does affect some and what the actual cause is, that is the question.

Peter

Outsourced parts, paint issues....That is NOT the "Question" The Question is "Why does Ford let the poor quality control CONTINUE ??" best regards Plum

 

[plumbago]

And as I said before, every single one of your posts is a negative post. You are not helpful in the least on here.. Frankly I don't know why you bother coming on an enthusiast site to be such a miserable person on here.

Why don't you go sell it so you can actually be happy.....

Some Folks like to "blow smoke" I prefer to say what I mean, and mean what I say. And here it is: I've said it before and I'll say it again. Quality is NOT Job 1 at Ford, they know it and that's most likely why they stopped using the slogan.........best regards Plum

 

[blwnsmoke]

Some Folks like to "blow smoke" I prefer to say what I mean, and mean what I say. And here it is: I've said it before and I'll say it again. Quality is NOT Job 1 at Ford, they know it and that's most likely why they stopped using the slogan.........best regards Plum

First off, I tell it how it is as well. Ford does have their issues and there are issues that should not still be happening... I freely admit that. Your play on words because of my name makes ZERO sense as I don't pretend that there are not issues out there.

And as I stated before, your posts do NOT help people out what so ever.. they are always negative and most of them are just a statement rather then a reply to actually help the members out. It makes ZERO sense why you even bother to come on here.

As I said, just sell your EX so you can stop being so miserable and actually enjoy a vehicle and go jump on the corresponding forum for your new vehicle.

 

[mikepriz]

Yes... We should all just go quietly into the night. We should not hold corperations, people or our children responsible or require acountability. Everyone should get a blue ribbon and every car should be best in class. How much you send doesn't matter, you need to protect other people's feelings most.

 

[mzodarg]

Yes... We should all just go quietly into the night. We should not hold corperations, people or our children responsible or require acountability. Everyone should get a blue ribbon and every car should be best in class. How much you send doesn't matter, you need to protect other people's feelings most.

You forgot; regulate school lunches, more entitlements and CHANGE...

 

[broken strut]

Here's the issue that nobody wants to admit to. The Explorer is essentially a $30,000 vehicle that Ford gussies up to try to get people to believe that's it's a premium $50,000+ vehicle, which it is not. They all come down the same assembly line. It's just some of the pigs get lipstick, and others do not.

But if we think this is a luxury vehicle, then we are deluding ourselves. It's just a common, run of the mill, mid priced people and junk hauler, no more no less. Ford isn't stupid, they are going to wring out every nickel they can by selling the Sport, Limited, and now the Platinum versions. I think of all the models, the XLT makes the most sense.

This is again laughable. You can settle for your subpar product. I paid for a product, plain and simple. Guess what? Where I come from, the customer is always>>>>> ALWAYS right. Doesn't matter to me if it's a 10 dollar watch, a 5000 dollar TV or a 50K vehicle. When I buy it and it doesn't work as advertised...... if you sold it to me with a warranty you're going to fix it. Your train of thought is completely asinine and just plain wrong. You can carry on with accepting crap you bought and carry on being O.K. with it not working as promised and as advertised. I won't. I will hold Ford responsible for every miniscule thing that is covered under warranty. I'd explain it to you further but you seem to be a Ford conformist. (FANBOY). I hope you never problems such as other paying customers on this site... but that wouldn't matter would it, you'd be completely fine with your vehicle leaking water every time it rained. LOL........ By the way. Mechanically the Sport kicks ass. I would never go back the aspirated V6, night and day difference. the ride of the sport is way smoother, way tighter and way more fun..... I like my heated leather seats and my surround sound stereo system. I like my 365 HP. It kicks ass. What I don't like is having a swimming pool in the third row. That wasn't part of the deal. We have had a lot of rain here in the last week. Guess what, leak free

If I buy a pig with lipstick, the lipstick better be on that pig until the warranty is up.

 

[Halwg]

My vehicle suits me fine, as I said, I think it's a very nice $30K SUV. I'm not the one on here whining about Ford not having the quality that I expect. I'm satisfied with what I have. Is it perfect, no, but I doubt there is a perfect vehicle made.

Yeah, I get that you folks are unhappy, but why come on the internet whining about issues that sound like a lot of buyer remorse to me. Sorry Ford didn't live up to your expectations. There are other car manufacturers out there. Go buy one of them and see how that stacks up.

Me, if I have a problem with a vehicle, I take it to the dealer and either have it fixed or I trade it off. I don't go around whining about a misaligned piece of molding. There are certainly other more important things to worry about. Sorry the lipstick didn't help your pig, mine looks just fine without it!

 

[HughCares]

Our 2013 EXP XT remains a POS..........best regards Plum

As do all of your posts :mattmoon:

 

[mikepriz]

Exactly my point. Your kid and my kid are responsible for there actions or lack of them, actually maybe Halwg is exempt because he is, self admittedly, ok with being misrepresented (lied) to. This point has nothing to do with perfection, and everything to do with what is advertised and sold. Bring this back to Ford, I will say this, I enjoy waiting for my Audi A6 to be service a lot more than my Ford or Hyundai, simple because of all the free food and amenities in the service lounge (unless of course you decide you want a loaner car). This all boils down to economies of scale; you cannot possibly do the QA you would like to with so many suppliers and parts, whether is a batch of bad backup cameras, or a batch of faulty radio seek buttons, when you are building the members that Ford is, the suppliers know you are not checking. This however does not negate Ford's responsibilities to deliver exactly what they advertise. This is called honesty. It is nice when the dealership do not make you feel like you are inconveniencing them when these issues are brought to there attention. Trying to make people feel bad for bring up a problem makes me think Halwg works as a service tech at a Ford Dealership, but then again Ford has a lot more cars on the road than Audi, therefore a lot more people going through service, that's enough donuts, sandwiches and drinks to put Audi right out of business.

 

[peterk9]

I think the above post would apply to just about any of today's manufacturers.
Look at all the recalls that have been issued by various auto manufacturers. Don't kid yourself, any 'free' stuff is probably paid for by the consumer somewhere down the line. I get free vehicle washes and all the coffee I want but I'm not naïve enough to believe that it is really free. The people that wash the vehicles aren't doing it out of the goodness of their heart. I had an excellent experience with both my 2011 Explorer and all the dealership personnel that I interacted with. The Ex came and performed as advertised. When my current lease on the MKT, from the same dealer, is up, I'm seriously thinking about the 2016 or 2017 Platinum model.

Peter

 

[plumbago]

As do all of your posts :mattmoon:

Who Cares? Pretty obvious not you and not Ford. Ford should be ashamed about the poor quality control on the Explorers. And, You should know better!
best regards Plum

 

[broken strut]

I'm a huge explorer fan. An enthusiast through and through. However, the fanboys on this site are ridiculously incapable of seeing the huge problems that have been going on with this model. Turns my stomach how someone can come on here on say that it's whining. Then I came across this and it all made sense.

 

[sciond]

Lol^

 

[tmg19103]

I've posted my issues with the Ex and what I consider some quality control issues. I've also posted a lot of positives.

I prefer to post my own views and experiences with the Ex and let them speak for themselves.

I really don't get personally attacking other posters. People can disagree on design or build quality of the Ex and discuss it, but I see no need to make it personal.

Mods should determine if a particular poster is trolling and only being negative (or overly positive with an agenda) with no real input otherwise.

 

[VinceL]

The two and a half years that we have owned our 2013 Explorer have been a lesson indeed. After 60,000 miles Ford, with its product and customer service, has convinced us to take our money elsewhere the next time it comes to purchase a vehicle. It is a shame that we could not support one of the hometown teams, but I in good conscience reward a company for producing what for us has been a sub-par product and then not stepping up to the plate to back it when it has let us down. Like any consumer we have a choice and the right to make decisions when it comes to where we spend our hard earned money. In this case Ford has made the decision for us.

It really is a shame as the vehicle could have been a great car. While Ford won't miss the money that will go elsewhere when it comes to our next vehicle purchase, we will miss Ford and our Explorer far less. When we bought this car we planned on driving it until the wheels fell off, we just didn't expect that to happen so damned quickly. What a tremendous disappointment and very costly lesson for us to learn.

I've already put the bug in my wife's ear to replace it so with any luck we can dump it in the next year or two. She is in no big hurry (she grew up with American cars so her expectations are lower and it doesn't irritate her as much as it does me) but I can't wait.

 

[mzodarg]

Quality may not be Ford MOCOs first priority but it definitely was for my dealership. They fixed all the body lines and molding, every door had to be adjusted. There was also two scratches to the metal under the clear coat, one was on the drivers rear door and one on the hood. Because of the metallic paint, they had to repaint both and they matched it perfectly.

I sure hope that all this is not a sign for the future, I'm cautiously optimistic!

Mike

 

[peterk9]

Great news Mike. Glad to hear that your dealership was able to come through for you.

Peter