Sorry for the rant but this is well deserved.

I am a Ford guy through and through. It’s all I own. I have never bought any other brand new cars but Fords. But I am sick and tired of my Explorer. It’s a 2016 XLT 4wd with the 3.5 non-turbo. Currently it just has over 50k on the odometer and I purchased it brand new. It has had way more issues than I feel a new car should. Here is a list of what I can remember.

Drivers door seal - the first issue I think it had. Noticed around 5k the vertical seal the is mounted to the rear driver side door worn through. Fixed twice before the cause was realized. More on this.

Drivers door number pad - attached with double sided 3m tape. Noticed it peeling off and warped. I forget the exact mileage but this was fixed twice as well. More on this.

Interior door panel damaged during the previous repairs. Was initially fixed. But then damaged again to a lesser extent during the subsequent repairs. This can’t be seen with the door closed so I didn’t make an issue of it. These are next to impossible to remove without leaving pry and stress marks in the plastic.

Drivers side doors misaligned - from the factory. With the previous issues repeatedly occurring, I took it the the dealership body shop and asked if the doors were misaligned. Both the front and rear were. The final fix to the keypad and seal was performed during this repair although I just noticed the seal wearing through again.

Seat covers - the factory front seat covers have cheap plastics clips that hold the cover to the seat frame. I noticed these were unattached a while back. Fixed by the dealer. Just noticed the passenger side unattached again. Broken clip. I guess it’s staying that way. Out of the factory warrantee.

Battery - the original battery died at about 18 months old. To me, the minimal acceptable life of a battery is 3-4 years. This was not covered by the warrantee at all. I put a high end Exide battery in it. Not spending more for an OEM battery that doesn’t last even two years. On a side note, I don’t think I have ever seen a Ford battery last more than 3 yrs. basing this observation on three new Fords I have purchased and several others purchased by friends/family. Ford should contract with Exide for batteries IMHO.

Hood - the paint started bubbling up and flaking off the front edge of the hood just before the factory warrantee was up. The aluminum hood was corroding (white powder). The hood was replaced and repainted under warrantee.

Trim piece above the right taillight - this was rubbing the paint off on the top where it contacted. Stupid but it shouldn’t have happened. They fixed this while the hood was being replaced.

Drivers door Keypad - annoying issue. The doors are supposed to lock when you hold the bottom two buttons on the keypad. This quit working a while ago. I gave up on it.

Stereo system - there have been several intermittent experiences where the thing won’t turn on. Of course this can’t be reproduced at the dealer so it’s never been addressed. Fortunately it has been a while since this has happened. Since the battery change this hasn't occurred so maybe it just needed a complete power off reset. I don’t know. Happy this has been working without issues since then. That said it still has it’s annoying nuances... such as warning me there is not a phone connected 15 minutes after I am driving down the road. My wife connects her phone via Bluetooth. I don’t do that crap.

Timing cover oil leak - so this leaks. The area around the bottom front side of the engine is damp. But the oil is not yet pouring out so the dealer can’t fix under the power train warrantee... yet. They said we can take another look before hitting 60k but not holding my breath.

Glove box hinge - Okay this one is on me. I broke the thing trying to replace the cabin air filter which has to be in the most inaccessible area of the entire vehicle. You almost need a pry bar to get the access panel off for the filter. Anyway I broke it and that’s not going to be covered by the warrantee. The dealer did me a solid and split the cost 50/50. So I paid $250. I will probably just pay them to change that filter from now on. To anyone that doesn’t know, you need to completely remove the glove box to replace the filter.

I have saved the best for last... She has about 51k on the clock right now and...

The actual name of the component escapes me but it functions essentially as a transfer case with a differential in it. This thing is binding intermittently while driving in reverse. So much so that you actually have to hit the accelerator to push through it. At least it happens enough the dealer was able to diagnose this and they ordered the part. Fortunately this is covered by the power train warrantee. It would otherwise be about a $2000 repair.

If there is a bright side to this experience it has been the service I have received at my local dealership (Geweke Ford -Yuba City, CA). When things break they are on it. I get this is in their interest as they get paid to do so but I imagine they (or FOMOCO) could make it significantly more difficult to resolve these issues and they don’t. Really they don’t even make an issue of accepting responsibility.

Fortunately I purchased Premium Care with the vehicle. At this rate, it’s most likely going to pay for itself a couple times over.

I paid about $48k for this thing. Monthly payments are over $500. 2 years left of payments. Long and short of all this is I feel right now as though I should be having a much better experience with the reliability of this vehicle than I am. I am disappointed. Not getting what I feel as though I am paying for. And that is a reliable vehicle.

 

Sell it and move on.

 

I agree 100%.
I had a top of the line Chevy Suburban that had 13 major warranty repairs done in 3 years, including a couple of "towed to the dealer" repairs. I traded it on a F350 PSD that ran flawlessly and never looked back. I did love that Suburban but was afraid to go anywhere far away in it.

 

Yeah. I appreciate that. I am conflicted on this. When I buy a vehicle I intend to keep it for a very long time. 10+ years. In my opinion, they are too expensive not to keep for as long as possible. I am probably not going to jump ship just yet. Hopefully all the issues get identified & resolved before the warrantees are up so I can get some return on my investment.

 

Time to jack up the keys and slip a new Ford under them.

 

And the rear brake pads went to metal at 60k. POS. Don’t even tell me this is normal because it’s not. This is challenging my brand loyalty. Was thinking about switching to the new bronco but not so sure now. 4runners are looking good.

 

Many years ago I was a service tech at a ford dealership..... I have owned a lot of fords and General Motors vehicles........they all have there issues I did have a brand new bronco back in 1988..... absolutely the worst vehicle I owned!....... all the power window Motors at least twice....... 4 times back for a fuel gauge...... 2 oil pumps before 24,000 miles!...... 3 cracked windshields...all from the roof flexing.....wheel bearings.....the list goes on and on..... I also had a 1989 GT mustang... 101,000 miles on it never did a thing to it except oil changes!..... go figure....... I just bought a 2019 explorer.....we shall see.....so far I love it........sorry to hear all your issues ....good luck whatever you decide.....

 

I said the same thing.... until I saw the price tags. I am in the same boat sort of. My Explorer finally found the afterlife last weekend. Currently not fully engaged into another purchase but pretty much everything is on the table. Considering a Hyundai SUV, Subaru, Toyota, and yes Ford. My thoughts were along the lines the Explorer lasted 10 years for me. However, things have changed. I don't know if want another Explorer since I had 2 of them before for the last 18 years.

 

They haven't made them better, my 2019 Explorer XLT has all kinds of issues too. I have a lot of electrical gremlins and pieces falling off mine as well. It only has 2k miles on it. I have random things not working. It's like the car picks something to not work during a particular drive cycle and then it works again. I share the OPs pain of it works when it's at the dealer. I've decided to always have my cell phone camera at the ready. Sometimes the doors won't auto unlock, the keypad won't work, the HVAC will just shut off when I press another function, the front and/or back sensors won't work. I was finally able to get this one on a video. Ford pass won't unlock, lock, start, or locate the car. It gets some information from it though. Answer was 'Not covered under warranty'. OBD connector that the dealer needs to use to run codes doesn't work, also not covered under warranty. Even though nothing else has ever been plugged into it. I have to re-read the manual on mine, but I also noticed that the bottom two keys won't lock all the doors either. Those two buttons lock the doors on my Super Duty...

Rear hatch at times won't power open and at times won't close properly. At least this was sorta repaired, it only took new motor/shock, latch, and a computer - but it still wigs out. Haven't totally figured out why on recirc mode with no one around me I get exhaust in the vehicle. (they keep blaming it on other vehicles, I even said no vehicles around me on recirc, I get - fresh air is brought in from the cowl and exhaust from other vehicles can enter the cabin as the reason... And what about it being on recirc mode where no outside air is supposed to be drawn in. I live in Alaska, pretty easy to find a place with absolutely no one around you.

I don't only buy Fords, but I have owned more Fords then any other brand. 11 so far - From Mustangs, Excursion, Taurus, and a bunch of Super Duties. Company cars were Fords too (Crown Vics and Taurus). Right now I need to replace my aging Super Duty, but I just can't get myself to buy another Ford with the issues I am having with the Explorer. And I finally got my wife to go over to a Ford with the Explorer.

 

On recirc the interior isn't pressurized. "Pressurized" in this case just means very slightly higher than outside as it is when it is not in recirc. With it unpressurized, there, exhaust gases can enter through a lazy seal near the back or the pressure-relief valves that allow the doors to close without popping everyone's ear drums.

Not saying it's right or wrong, just trying to take some of the weirdness out of the situation.

 

Yeah - I figured it was something like that or the rear seals of the hatch not sealing. I just haven't had a vehicle leak exhaust into the cabin like this truck does in a long time. I'm concerned enough that I bought a battery operated CO detector.

 

At the dealer again. Popping a code. P219C

cylinder failure. Guessing a sensor or fuel injector; covered under the extended if it. Or will wind up paying a few hundred dollars for a bad spark plug.