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.
After completing a left turn on a warm sunny dry clear day on a flat road surface I had accelerated normally up to about 30 miles an hour (speed limit 45) and all of the sudden completely lost power. For a second I thought the car had stalled so I put it in neutral and tried to restart but it was in fact still running. It would not rev at all. I put the truck back into gear and turned on my four-way flashers. Pressing the gas did absolutely nothing, the engine was running rough and I was able to go about 5 miles an hour for about 500 feet at which point I pulled into a parking lot and started swearing at my 2015 Explorer with under 23K miles which could have killed me if it had lost power 30 seconds sooner while I was turning left. This is very clearly a health and safety defect and this vehicle should be recalled asap. Obviously I cannot allow my wife and child to drive in this vehicle. I've been driving for over 25 years and have never had anything like this happen.
Since purchased brand new in 2015, we noticed when accelerating that there was an exhaust smell inside the cab with the windows closed. We also noticed on long trips we would get headaches and feel sleepy/weak. Called the dealer and complained about exhaust odor, and was told it would be 600-700 dollars to reseal the cab and do some other repairs. I feel this is not fair and this is a defect the vehicle had since new.
I purchased the 2015 Ford Explorer used from a local dealership around July, 2016. My family noticed an odor (of exhaust fumes) in the cabin of the vehicle. It happened every time I accelerated quickly. More specifically, I was at a complete stop and then took off quickly to get onto a highway. I took the vehicle to the dealership from which I purchased it. They tested it and confirmed my complaint. They contacted the engineers at Ford to see how to fix the problem. I was told that my car was going to be a guinea pig. They replaced a seal and did something that required them to remove the rear end of the vehicle. The dealership did not charge me for the service. They also provided me with another vehicle to drive. When I got my vehicle back, I could still smell the odor. Again, I noticed it when I accelerated quickly. This time, I could smell it about 1 minute after the quick acceleration. During the acceleration, my air conditioning defaulted to an "off" position temporarily. I was concerned, so I brought the vehicle back to the same dealership. My car has been at the dealership for over a week this time. I have not gotten it back yet. They told me that they ordered a new exhaust system. I asked specifically if it was different from the previous one. They told me it was different. Again, they are not going to charge me for the repairs. I don't think the dealership should have to pay for the repairs either though. I think Ford should cover all repairs for this exhaust problem. To make matters worse, the Explorer they put me in while mine was in the shop had the same exhaust odor in the cabin. I reported it to the dealership, and they provided me a flex to drive. How can Ford expect their sales team to sell these vehicles knowing that there could be poisonous gasses going into their cabin?
- Kemp, TX, USA
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The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While driving various speeds, the contact applied the accelerator pedal with force and smelled an exhaust odor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (bill utter Ford located at 4901 S interstate 35 E, denton, tx 76210; (940) 321-7400) where it was diagnosed and repaired. The repair specifics were not available. The failure recurred several other times. The manufacturer was contacted at 800-392-3673 and stated that there was no issue. The failure mileage was 24,000.
The exhaust of the fumes coming into the cabin occurs during full throttle applications, especially when merging onto highways or climbing steep inclines and since the start of the problem has been causing members of my family health problems such as asthma. We have filed a complaint with Ford at least 3 times for which they held the vehicle 3-4 days for inspection, but found no discrepancy, we wonder why they can't smell it as it happens when it is being driven on the freeway and during instances mentioned above.
The inside of the car smells like exhaust any time I am driving at a high rate of speed (approx. 60mph or more) up hill. This occurs with the windows up and even with the outside air turned off, in fact it seems worse with the air conditioner on and recirculating air on. Happens every time I drive in these conditions.
Hydrocarbon fumes released into vehicle passenger cabin/compartment during heavy acceleration of engine. This has happened since owning this vehicle from November 2015.
When driving down the road and accelerating the car immediately stalled and I had to pull of the side of the road for safety. I was on a country road and able to restart my car without issue till 1 week later when I was downtown driving home at 1:00am and I had to push my car one block in order to get to a safe play and get a tow. It has been in the shop for over 1 month with Ford saying its a number of things it isn't. it is till under warranty and I believe this is an issue with the ecoboost on the vehicle. This in its own could have been a very dangerous situation. This could have been even worse if I was on the interstate (which is where I was headed) they initially said it was the power train module and we waited on the part for 1 month and it didn't fix anything. Now they are stating its the tubing for the turbo engine (ecoboost) and we continue to wait on the part and the repair. This Explorer has 34,000 and is a red Ford Explorer ecoboost.
Engine was shaking vibrantly at idle. It was not moving unless you stepped more into the acceleration and that made it dangerous to judge. It does not have the acceleration needed to drive uphill even you step down on it. Car doesn't auto start with key fob.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While driving 50 mph, the vehicle lost power and slowed down independently. The contact stated that an unknown warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle stalled and was able to be restarted. The failure recurred three more times. The vehicle was taken to autonation Ford (St. Petersburg 2525 34th St N, St. Petersburg, fl 33713) where the dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle or replicate the failure; however, the alternator and battery were replaced. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and mentioned that they would call back to inform the contact of whether the vehicle's warranty would be extended. The contact also called a lemon law hotline and was informed that the law did not apply to the case. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.
Exhaust fumes in the cockpit. After purchasing the vehicle (2nd owner) we started smelling exhaust smells when accelerating on to the interstate. This would happen with moderate or higher acceleration with 1 or 2 occupants or moderate with full tank of gas and 4 occupants and luggage. Dealer performed technical bulletin - no fix. Dealer then updated computer software - no fix. Dealer then replaced entire exhaust system - no fix. Service manager advised he was out of options and I should call Ford customer service at 800-392-3673. Finally talked to samantha who eventually told me there was nothing Ford could do because the NHTSA did not consider this a safety issue.
I own a 2015 Ford Explorer. When I start the vehicle it has a foul odor that come from the ac. It has a rotten smell. I bought numerous air freshener products to hide the odor but the odor was very bad. When I am driving and I accelerate I can smell a burning odor coming from the ac. When I am stopped the rotten odor start to come out of the A/C. on many different occasion I have gotten light headed when driving this vehicle. I am very afraid to drive the vehicle with the ac on and the windows closed. I have to drive the vehicle with the ac off and all the windows down. I have brought the vehicle to the Ford dealership where I bought the vehicle to have them check on the issued. A manager checked the car and he stated that he did smell the odor. Instead of trying to fix the issued they offered to sell me a new 2017 Ford Explorer. If I gave them my vehicle they wanted to give me nothing for it I would be basically get like a 5 grand discount on a new vehicle and they get my vehicle. I would lose everything that I paid on my vehicle because of a defect that is caused by them.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. While driving the vehicle on several occasions, there was a strong odor of exhaust fumes in the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated that the odor was more prevalent when the air conditioner was in use. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed of an exhaust leak emitting from the engine compartment. The vehicle was not repaired. A child in the vehicle had to be rushed to the emergency room to seek medical treatment for nausea and migraines due to the exhaust fumes. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000. The VIN was not available.
When I drive my Explorer and the engine revs up above 2800 RPM while merging onto a highway, a strong exhaust odor comes in the cab of my vehicle. The smell is bad enough that all my family has become very dizzy to the point of almost passing out and we have had headaches immediately after. I have a 2 year old daughter and I worry that the exhaust odor can harm her and the rest of our family. Before filing this complaint I did research and I found that a police officer in California sustained serious injuries due to a crash that was caused by the same exhaust smell on his Explorer which made him faint. Additionally, the austin police department has now installed carbon monoxide detectors in their police vehicles due to a police officer experiencing the same symptoms after his vehicle had exhaust enter the cabin of his Explorer. I believe that this issue needs immediate attention because lives are at risk and it has not been resolved. This issue that has happened in my personal Explorer is not random. It happens every single time that the engine exceeds 2800 RPM. This happens whether I have the air conditioner/heater on or not. I am honestly considering stopping using my vehicle until this matter is resolved. I have taken my vehicle to the local Ford dealership and they wanted to charge me 1,800 dollars to fix the issue, but they advised that it is not 100% guaranteed that the issue would be resolved. I strongly disagree with this and therefore I will sincerely hope that our NHTSA can help us Ford Explorer owners to fix the problem.
July 29, 2016 we bought a used 2015 Ford Explorer Sport 4X4. Somewhere around Oct 2016 we noticed exhaust fumes smell inside the cabin of the car. It S me to be more noticeable when vehicle was under high acceleration. Took it to Ford dealer 10-12-16 where they found tailgate seal leaking and it was replaced. Couple weeks went by and smelled the same odor again, took it back to Ford dealer on 10-31-16, they say could find anything. Crazy because when I let and accelerated on it you could smell it. When you take off from a stop sign getting up to speed, pulling out onto freeway or passing traffic you can smell it. My husband got a gas monitor that they use for manholes and I drove with it for a few days and the CO2 monitor went off and we have a video. We called Ford dealer and sent video and they say we need to call Ford direct. I have been researching this issue on the internet and Ford does not want to do anything about this problem. I can tell you on 3 different occasions that I have gotten dizzy from the fumes and had to roll windows down and it has given my daughter severe headache. I bought this used car as I can't afford a new one and this is my only means of transportation. I am making a good size car payment and it is very frustrating that this vehicle has this issue and Ford can't fix it. It is now March 2017 and still having exhaust smell issue.
We own a 2015 Ford Explorer that we bought new. Since we bought it it has been serviced at the dealership and we have had them look at it many times. I finally convinced them to do a repair on it after I told them about a tech bulletin. They kept it a few days and done something to it (not sure what) and told us it was repaired. We resumed driving it and since the repair we have told them we can still smell the same thing as before. The dealership has looked at it many times since then and has also drove it and continue to tell us they can't smell it and nothing is wrong. Now my wife and I can smell it everytime we cross over the mountains to go to town and have told them that you have put this vehicle under a load to get it to smell. They still continue to say they have done everything we have asked and they can't smell. Now that I have researched this issue I'm now concerned about the health of my family driving and riding in this Explorer. Someone please help all of those who are having this issue before someone get hurt or killed. The dealership has documents concerning this issue on our vehicle and I have documentation on it as well. However I do not have it scanned into my computer to send to you. If you need a copy of this please contact me and I will mail it to you.
The contact owns a 2015 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that there was an abnormal odor in the vehicle while the air condition was in operation. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, after several months the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, the contact was informed that no further assistance would be offered. The approximate failure mileage was 10,000.
Vehicle cabin is filled with a rotten egg/sulfur smell upon acceleration with the air conditioning running. The heating/ac system is normally in the "auto" mode. Not noticed much in the winter because I live in Michigan, but the rest of the year it is noticed every time I pass a vehicle or enter the freeway. Had it to the dealer and my concern was verified, but I was told there is no fix yet. Seems they are waiting for a recall. I have real concerns about my health and the health of those that ride with me. I sent a complaint to Ford and received a "thank you", thats all. I hope you can move them into some type of action for a fix to this situation. Thank you for your time.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Warrenton, VA, USA