Shopping for 16 or 17 Sport - drove a slow one

[bigtexan99]

I've been shopping for a used 16 or 17 Sport and so have driven several and love the acceleration and power.

Drove a 2017 today, and it felt very slow and laggy. Not as much power as the other ones I've driven. At one point going up a hill, I had it floored and it would not downshift to a lower gear.

It's only got 15k miles on it. Any ideas what might be wrong with it.

 

[cwescapexlt4x4]

Some have had some loose intake clamps on the hose/ducting to the turbo that need to be snugged up..... or could be something worse.

 

[peterk9]

I've been shopping for a used 16 or 17 Sport and so have driven several and love the acceleration and power.

Drove a 2017 today, and it felt very slow and laggy. Not as much power as the other ones I've driven. At one point going up a hill, I had it floored and it would not downshift to a lower gear.

It's only got 15k miles on it. Any ideas what might be wrong with it.

Hard to say but maybe that is why it is back on the lot.

Peter

 

[Mbrooks420]

I'm not familiar with the newer sports. Are they all the same motor?

 

[peterk9]

I'm not familiar with the newer sports. Are they all the same motor?

They all have the 3.5L Ecoboost.

 

[Mbrooks420]

If one was particularly sluggish it'd go off my list of possibilities.

 

[bigtexan99]

Sadly, I agree and will take it off my list. The engine also did not sound as sweet and steady while idling with the hood open. Hard to describe the difference, it wasn't as smooth and there was a very soft tick tick tick sound.

While it might something easy to fix like a turbo pipe being loose, I don't want to risk getting the proverbial lemon.

 

[peterk9]

Sadly, I agree and will take it off my list. The engine also did not sound as sweet and steady while idling with the hood open. Hard to describe the difference, it wasn't as smooth and there was a very soft tick tick tick sound.

While it might something easy to fix like a turbo pipe being loose, I don't want to risk getting the proverbial lemon.

I believe that soft/low ticking at idle is normal. Had with my 2011, a 2014 MKT and also with my current 2017 but a little less noticeable.

Peter

 

[kraMFord]

Have the dealership make it right if you really want it because of some options.

It has a warranty to address issues too, right? I've never bought a car that I had an initial back feel for, you'll be pissed at yourself if it ends up being an issue rather than a loose hose.

 

[Brian41]

I just purchased a 2015 sport with 39,000 miles on it about 7 weeks ago, and it drove fast the first few days and now continually loses power. Do not buy this explorer assuming that it will get fixed under warranty. Mine has been at the dealer 3 times and they have said it drives fine. It will then drive sluggish for days at a time. As others have said it could be something very simple like a loose hose, but consider my situation.

Sometimes it has power for a week or two an then becomes sluggish. I have posted many times on here and tried 93 octane gas, checked the hoses, etc. nothing has helped. Its never had a check engine light, which the dealer throws in my face every time. I am at a complete loss, going to have to probably sell it, even though its under warranty.

This is my first Ford and it has been to two different dealerships and they seem like they don't care nor have the time, or want to mess with something under warranty unless it has a code telling them where to look.

If the one you drove has no codes thrown or wrench light, or a obvious simple fix, good chance the dealership will never solve the issue.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Never buy a car you have reservations on. I've done it, because it was beautiful and drove nice, but it was a HUGE mistake, and was a waste of money. Was a huge regret. There are lots of Explorers out there. When you find he right one, you'll know.

 

[bigtexan99]

Thanks for all the feedback!

I found a 2016 Explorer Sport and I'm scheduled for a test drive tomorrow morning. It only has 7,000 miles on it. It was a trade in and its at a non-Ford dealer. I've been haggling with them for the last 10 days, and they finally agreed to my price. Not sure if price discussions are allowed here, but we're down to 35.5.

It's got the upgraded option pkg, plus sunroof so its nicely equipped. I had to have the model with the cooled seats, lol. Build date is 28.05.2016, does anyone know if that's past the date where the newer throttle body parts were used?

Hope it drives the way I expect it to! Its a 3 hour trip to go get it.

 

[xlt03]

Mines had a build date of 4/7/2016 and I haven't had any issues with throttle body. Currently 18,780 miles.

 

[unixadm]

I just purchased a 2015 sport with 39,000 miles on it about 7 weeks ago, and it drove fast the first few days and now continually loses power. Do not buy this explorer assuming that it will get fixed under warranty. Mine has been at the dealer 3 times and they have said it drives fine. It will then drive sluggish for days at a time. As others have said it could be something very simple like a loose hose, but consider my situation.

Sometimes it has power for a week or two an then becomes sluggish. I have posted many times on here and tried 93 octane gas, checked the hoses, etc. nothing has helped. Its never had a check engine light, which the dealer throws in my face every time. I am at a complete loss, going to have to probably sell it, even though its under warranty.

This is my first Ford and it has been to two different dealerships and they seem like they don't care nor have the time, or want to mess with something under warranty unless it has a code telling them where to look.

If the one you drove has no codes thrown or wrench light, or a obvious simple fix, good chance the dealership will never solve the issue.

Mine had a recent turbo replacement due to a sticking waste gate. It had this problem when I bought my 15 at 27k miles. It runs so much better after the new turbo. Mine had a code of P0299 but no check engine light. They performed testing on the turbo, BOV and waste gate assemblies. The testing determined the problem and everything was replaced under the powertrain warranty. I'd be looking at the Wastegates or BOVs.