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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
28,293 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2015 Ford Explorer engine problems

engine problem

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2015 Ford Explorer Owner Comments (Page 4 of 11)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #147

Dec 262019

Explorer

  • 73,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In December 2019 while driving at about 70 mph uphill on interstate highway at nightime, the engine suddenly lost power. Depressing the accelerator pedel had no effect and the transmission acted as if it was shifted to neutral even though it was still in drive. The engine RPM seemed to dropp to idle speed. I lost forward motion rapidly. I had to cross two lanes of high speed traffic to pull onto shoulder. It was a very dangerous manuever as there was considerable traffic and I had to react quickly. I had to cut in front of cars moving much faster than I was, causing them to have to brake heavily. The engine continued to run for a while at about idle speed once I reached the shoulder, but would the vehicle would not move forward. All lights on vehicle, including emergency flashers, worked fine. Within about a minute of getting to the shoulder, the engine started running rough and then shut down entirely and would not restart. I lifted the hood and saw nothing obviously wrong. After several minutes, I attemptedd to restart the engine. The engine restarted immediately and ran with no problems and I was able to continue with my trip.

- Mechanicsville, VA, USA

problem #146

Sep 192019

Explorer

  • 92,000 miles
On my 2015 Ford Explorer XLT, the water pump which is encased inside the cyclone/duratec engine, broke and leaked coolant which was mixed with the oil, tge oil pan and the oil pump causing complete engine failure. There was no advance warning and Ford has not issued a recall although a number of models have been affected. This caused me to have to replace my engine at my expense. Ford Motor Company has not taken any steps to resolve my or this issue with the vehicle owner having to resolve the issue at their own expense.

- South Plainfield, NJ, USA

problem #145

May 012018

Explorer

  • 30,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While the vehicle was parked outside of the garage, the contact smelled exhaust fumes inside and outside the vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to dch Ford of thousand oaks (located at 3810 thousand oaks blvd, westlake village, ca 91362, (805) 409-3895) where it was diagnosed that the air filter was faulty. The contact was unaware of the repairs, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 30,000.

- Moorpark, CA, USA

problem #144

Sep 192019

Explorer

  • 93,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Beginning in 2007 and continuing through the present, Ford has equipped millions of vehicles sold under the Ford, Lincoln and Mercury brand names with the Ford cyclone engine, also known as the duratec engine. Unbeknownst to purchasers and lessees of these vehicles, the Ford cyclone engine contains a defect in design, manufacturing, materials and/or workmanship that causes the water pump to suddenly and prematurely fail'before the end of the useful life of the engine'and can lead to catastrophic engine failure. Affected vehicles Ford edge2007'2010 Ford edge2015'present Ford edge 2852011'2014 Ford explorer2011'present Ford F-150 2822015'2017 Ford flex2009'present Ford Fusion sport2010'2012 Ford taurus2008'present Ford Taurus X2008'2009 Lincoln mkx2007'2010 Lincoln mkz2007'2012 Mazda 6 (3.7L)2009-2013 Mazda cx-9 (3.5L)2007 Mazda CX9 (3.7L)2008-2015 Mercury sable2008'2009

- South Plainfield, NJ, USA

problem #143

Oct 272019

Explorer

  • 70 miles
The first incident was about 9months ago I was driving with my 3 year old on highway at about 65mph the car locked up steering the wheel. The car was moving all directions on three lanes and it was very hard for me to atempt to steer as the wheel was very tight. It finally went down to 0 mph and I pulled over thanking god I did not crash. The lights were flickering all over. Attempted to trade at a dealership regor dykes in Texas bc I was scarred to drive it. They fixed it as a trade then got sued and returned it back to me and took my new car back. Then yesterday I left home to take all my kids to school 3. and got to 40 mph and it did it again luckily we were not on a highway. This time when it hit 0 mph it was still driveable but would not accelerate above 40. I'm scarred for my life in this car and there is nothing I can do about it. It is now parked and I dont know what to do.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #142

Oct 252019

Explorer

  • 103,000 miles
When the vehicle is not in motion and the climate control is active, a burning oil smell comes from the vents. The fumes irritate the eyes and respiratory system. There is no visual sign of any fluid leaks.

- Eagar, AZ, USA

problem #141

Oct 102019

Explorer

  • 61,902 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Ford Explorer 3.5L ecoboost engine timing chain stretch @ 61,902 miles... $2500 repair bill on a very well maintained and preventative maintenance schedule minded owner. Also, at 42K miles the lumbar bag on drivers seat deflated and won't inflate...

- Roswell, GA, USA

problem #140

Oct 262019

Explorer

  • 113,562 miles
It's popping up low engine power and it will shut down everything from lights to blind spot detection. It just started doing this after running through a small water puddle.

- Clinton, KY, USA

problem #139

Sep 172019

Explorer

  • 54,000 miles
The police interceptor utility was being driven with windows down in a parking lot when a foul odor was smelled by the officer, followed by the carbon monoxide alarm activating. The reading on the co alarm was 127 ppm. The vehicle was taken to hilltop Ford and a repair was made to the egr purge valve. The vehicle was returned to service and within a couple of days the co alarm activated again, however no smell accompanied the alarm. The vehicle was being driven during the activation. The co alarm is a honeywell bwc2R-M. the vehicle was taken back to hilltop Ford and after remaining with them for a month, a field service engineer tested the vehicle with specialized equipment and was unable to duplicate the complaint. No repair was made. All prior recall work had been performed on this vehicle.

- Hercules, CA, USA

problem #138

Oct 072019

Explorer

  • 55,000 miles
Strong odor of exhaust in cabin of vehicle

- Orland Park, IL, USA

problem #137

Aug 082019

Explorer

  • 91,273 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Both exhaust manifolds were cracked. Removed and drilled out broken studs and installed new converters. I heard a noise for a day or two and brought it in and they said this was the issue. I maintain my vehicle regularly at the Ford dealer and never indicated a problem. They said no recall but I googled it and I see many complaints with the same issue for my year, make and model.

- Howell, NJ, USA

problem #136

Aug 062019

Explorer

  • 72,960 miles
Wastegate issues. Decrease in power and acceleration causing safety hazards while driving. Pulled onto a highway while in traffic (65mph) and I couldn't accelerate as needed when pulling onto a highway and was nearly rear ended.

- West Plains, MO, USA

problem #135

Apr 012019

Explorer

  • 74,000 miles
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle stalled and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. However, the mechanic stated that the throttle body needed to be replaced. Haldeman Ford (640 us-130, East windsor, NJ 08520, (833) 668-9583) was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in a recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 74,000.

- New Egypt, NJ, USA

problem #134

Aug 052019

Explorer

  • 90,000 miles
While driving down the highway the Explorer has suddenly shut down on two occasions. The first time (July 2019) I was driving about 50 mph. I was able to cruise off into a median. The second time (Aug 5, 2019) I was coming off an on ramp onto a busy highway at about 60 mph. Once again the car suddenly powered off. I was lucky to be in the far right lane and was able to cruise off into a wide grassy area. The traffic I was merging into was at 70 mph. In both instances the wrench light came on. This is very dangerous as the car loses power and you have practically no control over the steering or brakes. If I had not been able to cruise off and/or had been in the center lane of a major highway I could have been rear ended by vehicles at high speeds. In both instances, once I was off the road I turned the car off, waited a few seconds, and restarted. The car started back up normally and then seemed to work ok. It's like the electrical or software system requires a 'reset'. this is a serious safety issue as it occurs with no warning and the driver cannot control the car and must come to a stop to turn off the engine and restart.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #133

Jun 042019

Explorer

  • 42,000 miles
A little over a month ago the left rear toe link broke while driving. This caused the car to lose control and go into a sideways slide, breaking the wheel hub in the process. Smooth road going about 50 mph in good conditions. We got the car fixed and had to pay for the repairs since the car is no longer under factory warranty. After the Ford dealer in mchenry il had it for over a week, we got the car back, drove it for a few days and suddenly we had a cracked exhaust flex pipe. We had to pay several hundred more to get that repaired. Again, driven on smooth roads in the summer, nothing that would have caused this so suddenly. Got the car back again after several more days in the shop.. drove it for a couple more days and the left rear toe link broke.. again... dealer this time installed the "recall kit" on both sides. Luckily, this time it was at slow speeds coming into a parking lot. Had the car towed back to the dealer. Again.. we have had the car back for about 3 days now, and the left toe link has come loose.. again.. the car will be towed back to the dealer tomorrow because it is unsafe to drive. It was driven 3 times at low speeds around town since we got it back. My wife is now afraid to drive the car out of fear of it breaking again. This is a serious issue if the recall part doesn't work. When this part fails, this car has a severe loss of control and can very easily result in an accident. Ford needs to get to the bottom of this before someone gets killed.

- Johnsburg, IL, USA

problem #132

Aug 202015

Explorer 6-cyl

  • 15 miles
I bought my new, 2015 Ford Explorer Sport, VIN [xxx] for $59,000 dollars at rich Ford auto dealership, service manager [xxx] 8601 lomas blvd ne, albuquerque, New Mexico. 87111 (505) 292-0000 rich Ford service manager [xxx], confirmed they have done this and all notices from Ford, tbs16-0165 became Ford recall program 17N03 and supplement #1 dated October 26/2017 expires December 31/2019 I filed complaints 08/20/2015 up until today with, rich Ford, Ford Motor Co, Ford Motor Co.com, about the carbon monoxide complaint, I have become; sleepy, sick, nauseous, vomiting, 08/20/2015 the rich Ford auto dealership salesman informed me that this was that new car smell, I filed complaints 08/28/2015 until today with, the rich Ford auto dealership salesman informed me again that this was that new car smell, mechanic performing nose safety sniff test using his nose, and declaring the vehicle safe, using only the nose safety sniff test, and I filed my complaint with the BBB albuquerque, New Mexico, they refereed me to BBB denver Colorado they refereed me to BBB auto line arlington va, they have said it is too late to file my BBB complaint [xxx] rich Ford auto dealership, 8601 lomas blvd ne, albuquerque, New Mexico. 87111 their mechanic has repeatedly performing nose safety sniff test using his nose, and declaring the vehicle safe, using only the nose safety sniff test, [xxx] was the service writer, she has been promoted to service manager, [xxx] has informed me that rich Ford auto dealership, is going to start charging me for service calls to check this carbon monoxide problem. On 08/20/2015 bought this vehicle, I have complained until now, even today 07/2019, this date, I purchased the 2015 Ford Explorer Sport, VIN [xxx] new for $59,000 dollars. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #131

Jul 132019

Explorer

  • 43,643 miles
The exhaust smell is overwhelming when you have to accelerate over 3,500 rpms. This is sometimes necessary when on highways or when traveling up a hill at higher speeds. It is not safe to inhaling exhaust fumes within the cabin. I worry about the safety of my child in this vehicle due to this issue.

- Hayesville, NC, USA

problem #130

Aug 202015

Explorer 6-cyl

  • miles
08/20/2015 I bought my new, 2015 Ford Explorer Sport, VIN [xxx] for $59,000 dollars at rich Ford auto dealership, 8601 lomas blvd ne, albuquerque, New Mexico. 87111 (505) 292-0000 I filed complaints 08/20/2015 up until today with, rich Ford, Ford Motor Co, Ford Motor Co.com, about the carbon monoxide complaint, I have become; sleepy, sick, nauseous, vomiting, 08/20/2015 the rich Ford auto dealership salesman informed me that this was that new car smell, I filed complaints 08/28/2015 until today with, the rich Ford auto dealership salesman informed me again that this was that new car smell, mechanic performing nose safety sniff test using his nose, and declaring the vehicle safe, using only the nose safety sniff test, and I filed my complaint with the BBB albuquerque, New Mexico, they refereed me to BBB denver Colorado they refereed me to BBB auto line arlington va, they have said it is too late to file my BBB complaint [xxx] with Ford Motor Co complaint, about carbon monoxide from the day I bought this vehicle until now, today, rich Ford auto dealership, 8601 lomas blvd ne, albuquerque, New Mexico. 87111 their mechanic has repeatedly performing nose safety sniff test using his nose, and declaring the vehicle safe, using only the nose safety sniff test, [xxx] was the service writer, she has been promoted to service manager, [xxx] has informed me that rich Ford auto dealership, is going to start charging me for service calls to check this carbon monoxide problem. On 08/20/2015 bought this vehicle, I have complained until now, even today 06/2019, this date, I purchased the 2015 Ford Explorer Sport, VIN [xxx] new for $59,000 dollars. Ford Motor Co vs lawyer 2015 Ford Explorer Sport, VIN [xxx] reference to Ford Motor Co, no 0:14-cv-61344-wpd 08/28/2015 information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

problem #129

Jun 242019

Explorer

  • 41,446 miles
Vehicle has strong exhaust like burnt hair under harder acceleration. For instances, climbing a hill and needed to speed up. The smell stays with the vehicle as well. For at least a mile after the fact. I have had several vehicles and never have I had one smell like that under acceleration.

- Hayesville, NC, USA

problem #128

Aug 202015

Explorer 6-cyl

  • miles
Carbon monoxide complaint, I have become; sleepy, sick, nauseous, vomiting, 08/20/2015 the rich Ford auto dealership salesman informed me that this was that new car smell, I filed complaints 08/28/2015 until today with, the rich Ford auto dealership salesman informed me again that this was that new car smell, mechanic performing nose safety sniff test using his nose, and declaring the vehicle safe, using only the nose safety sniff test, and I filed my complaint with the BBB albuquerque, New Mexico, they refereed me to BBB denver Colorado they refereed me to BBB auto line arlington va, they have said it is too late to file my BBB complaint [xxx] with Ford Motor Co complaint, about carbon monoxide from the day I bought this vehicle until now, today, their mechanic has repeatedly performing nose safety sniff test using his nose, and declaring the vehicle safe, using only the nose safety sniff test, [xxx] was the service writer, she has been promoted to service manager, [xxx] has informed me that rich Ford auto dealership, is going to start charging me for service calls to check this carbon monoxide problem. Ford vehicles involved in this event could be (bought back by the dealership) (if asked) I asked they said they would allow me to trade in the 2015 Ford Explorer Sport, VIN [xxx] for $2,000 of 1% of what I paid for it, it will be paid off in 09/2021. Tsb 16-0166 did not become or turn into program 17N03. They are different repairs for the same issue. The dealership must perform tsb 16-0166. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Albuquerque, NM, USA

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