Shortly after purchasing the vehicle (4/13) we noticed a burning odor inside the cabin during hard acceleration. This occurs when passing, towing and driving up steeper grades. We took the car to our local dealer and were told they could not reproduce the issue. Today the car is back at the dealer for the same issue and I am being told again that they cannot reproduce the issue, this after I took a technician for a ride and showed him how to reproduce it. A different technician called and asked a lot of questions about whether or not I run the A/C and what the smell was. After reading about many similar issue my next step will be to contact ford directly.
2013 Ford Explorer engine complaints
Page 10 of 11: complaints 251 to 280 of 291, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While engaging passing gear at road speeds, cabin filled with exhaust fumes. This has continued from that time until present. Vehicle how has 33000 miles. Vehicle has been taken to local dealer - [xxx] - on numerous occasions with no results in stopping the problem. The last visit after keeping our vehicle for 1.5 weeks , we were told that ford could not repair the problem and that the factory would take the vehicle under advisement - whatever that means. Meanwhile the problem continues to worsen while exhaust fumes now enter the vehicle at all stages of operation. We have been advised by several mechanics and other dealers no to drive the vehicle with our grand babies. This has become a serious health concern for our family as this is my wife's only mode of transportation. She frequently suffers headaches after trips in the vehicle to neighboring cities to shop!! Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, there was a odor of exhaust fumes coming from the vehicle. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 41,000.
The vehicles AC system floods the interior cabin with an overwhelming exhaust smell during hard acceleration or anytime the engine exceeds 3500 RPM as in climbing a mountain road etc. Dealer has performed ford technical bulletin however the problem was not fixed. Ford told me they are aware of the problem and to "check back" in a couple of months to see if the engineers have found a fix.
I purchased a new 2013 ford explorer. I often drive with my dog in the rear seats. Prior to my explorer, my dog never got sick when being driven. Since buying my explorer, my dog has often gotten sick, including vomiting, while being driven the car. I had may car tested, and carbon monoxide was found inside my car with the engine on but the car idle. There was a higher level of carbon monoxide in the back of the car than in the front.
I bought a 2013 ford explorer in march of 2012. I almost immediately began smelling exhaust inside the car. The smell was worst when I hit the accelerator getting onto the highway or other times when I quickly increased the acceleration of the vehicle. I brought my explorer into the ford dealership on numerous occasions. The dealership verified my complaint and performed ford's technical service bulletin 12-12-4. That did not fix the problem. I continued to smell exhaust inside the car. The dealer assured me there was no safety concern, and that there was no carbon monoxide getting into the vehicle. We later tested the vehicle and found harmful levels of carbon monoxide getting inside the vehicle, both while being driven and when idle. The levels were higher when the car was being driven. After long drives, my children have been ill and suffered headache, which was probably caused by exposure to carbon monoxide.
When accelerating a stong exhaust smell is present in the vehicle cabin. This is most pronounced during a long acceleration I.e. When entering a highway. Following a period of acceleration we need to open the windows to purge the exhaust from the cabin. This is regardless of the heating/cooling system being on or off, or if the recirculation feature is enabled. The dealership implemented a technical service bulletin for this condition and it had no improvement.
Exhaust smell, or acrid burning smell in cabin off and on since new, and especially during higher speed acceleration... Suspect exhaust fumes entering cabin...
Horrible exhaust fumes smell inside cabin of vehicle after moderate acceleration that lingers until windows are rolled down.
Under medium to hard acceleration a strong sulfur smell enters the cabin through the air conditioning vents and it smells very bad. Family of four and concerned about what we are all breathing in. Contacted ford and they have confirmed it and they don't understand where it is coming from and refused to fix it. This is the only car I have ever driven where there is this type of smell coming from AC under acceleration. Smell comes through for about 30 seconds and then stops. Stinks up the car until we roll down the windows to get the bad air out. Embarrassing when we have other people in the car. I know I am not the only person experiencing this problem. It is well documented in numerous chat forums and websites all over the www. This happens every time the vehicle is accelerated hard since we have owned it.(hundreds of times).
The vehicle has always had a issue with the cabin filling with exhaust fumes when under heavy acceleration. Merging onto a highway etc with the engine above 3500 RPM's will fill the cabin with a burning exhaust smell. This has been highly exposed on the explorer forums online. Many users are experiencing it, the tsb for has for the smell does not work. If I ride in the car too long in heavy highway traffic where I am accelerating and decelerating a lot it makes me and my family sick from the smell.
Upon moderate or hard acceleration, a strong burnt or exhaust smell enters the cabin.
During stop and go conditions the vehicle exhaust fumes with enter the cabin of the vehicle and being to make the occupants feel ill. Brought this issue to a ford service dealer, which confirmed this was exhaust fumes entering the vehicle. There has not been a solution from the manufacturer yet.
Every time I give an 'open throttle', or hard acceleration on my vehicle there is a foul smell that enters the cabin via the air condition vents. I had the issue looked into by my ford dealer after the problem started. The dealer acted like they have never heard of the complaint but after reading various threads on the internet it appears a lot of other people have had the same issue. After some research I've learned that the smell is actually exhaust fumes entering the cabin. Ford acknowledges the issue but states the amount of exhaust fumes are not enough to become toxic. I am very concerned of this issue and ford needs to fix the problem.
This happens virtually every time I enter a highway. Exhaust smell leaks into the cabin from what seems to be the rear exhaust. I have taken my truck in many times but ford dealers cannot seem to resolve the issue. The only way for me to clear the smell and fumes is roll the windows down and air out the truck. Please see the ford forums for other owners with the same issue: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=323597.
I have a 2013 ford explorer sport with approximately 8500 miles. The interior cabin often fills with exhaust fumes. Many occurrence over several months whether AC running with fresh or recirculating air. I called the dealer and they were unaware of any issues with this problem. Of course I will take the vehicle to dealer but based on other complaints, I have reviewed I don't expect much will be done unless ford motor co takes a deeper look to resolve the problem.
There is a foul smell in the vehicle, maybe burning plastic on the vehicle or exhaust. The fumes gets inside the vehicle that can make it unbearable when you have the AC on. You can not stay in the car. The AC has to be turn off and all windows open in order to continue driving. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership for service, last year. The service representative informed me that it was a plastic bag that got stuck in the exhaust. Once its burned off the smell will be gone. However. It does not seem to be the case. The foul smell is getting worse that its unbearable to stay in the vehicle with the AC on.
The first thing I noticed was that the car felt like it was sputtering and running roughly. When I came to a stop light, it ran really rough and just died. It started back up and I was able to drive it home. Not knowing if the problem was just a fluke or not, I drove it the next day. After having gone about 8 miles, it did the same thing again. The engine runs rough and then just dies. It also happened to my husband as he left our neighborhood. It started to die on him but he put it in neutral and gave it gas. He took it to the local lincoln mercury (bayway) on gulf freeway in houston, tx. They kept it for almost 3 days, could not find anything wrong and one of the service managers drove it the last day and it never happened to him so problem was not found. Today as I was traveling down the gulf freeway (I-45) service road I slowed down for a light, the car sputtered and died while sitting at the light. The car was hard to start up and I was able to get it going and trying to drive it to mcree ford where I bought it last summer. It stalled and I had to have it towed to dealership. Last week when I was driving around in it, the whole A/C system turned off and it started blowing hot air. All the A/C lights had gone out. Don't know if that was part of a problem or not.
I have a 2013 ford explorer ecoboost. Today (april 19, 2014), I was on highway 280 south heading towards san jose and my car decelerated twice. 1. The first time I noticed the deceleration, I pulled over to the shoulder and turned the ignition off. I did not see any warning lights on the dashboard and the fuel indicator was normal, meaning it was above the reserve line. I started the ignition, left the gear lever in neutral and pressed the accelerator pedal for a few seconds, it seemed normal. I moved onto the highway and resumed driving. 2. After about 2 miles, the car decelerated again, this time, I was afraid it might stall and pulled over to the shoulder. Again, I did not see any warning lights on the dashboard and the fuel indicator was normal, meaning it was above the reserve line. I started the ignition, left the gear lever in neutral and pressed the accelerator pedal for a few seconds, it seemed normal. I moved onto the highway and resumed driving. After about 1 mile, the fuel indicator popped up the message that the car reached reserve stage. Then the car worked fine for the next 4 miles. This is a serious technical issue. If the car decelerates suddenly without warning, it can cause issues for drivers.
Exhaust enters the vehicle cabin any time the engine is operated at higher rpms, such as climbing a long hill or traveling at highway speeds and passing other traffic. The problem appears to have been present since purchasing the vehicle (new), but we initially thought the odor was coming from surrounding vehicles. We shortly discovered that the exhaust odor occurred without the presence of any other traffic. The vehicle was taken to the ford dealer who contacted ford engineering for a fix. The "fix" didn't help. I contacted ford customer service and established a "case" in august, 2013, and was promised the problem would be taken care of. Ford told us to operate the ventilation system in the recirculation mode until the problem was solved. This only amplified the odor because the exhaust still entered but was then trapped in the cabin. At ford's direction the car was taken back to the dealer where it sat for 3 weeks but was not touched. The dealer then called and asked us to come get the car because they didn't know how to fix it. Since then, despite my continuing efforts, I have been repeatedly stalled and told "we're working on it". The odor is present year round but seems to be stronger in warmer weather.
While waiting in line at the local car wash the engine in my 2013 ford explorer sport began to rev up, then lost power and began to shake violently before the engine stalled completely. No warning lights were illuminated and no visible indications or warnings were displayed to give any indication as to what the problem might be. Several attempts to restart the engine failed and I had to push the vehicle out of line and into an adjacent parking lot. When I tried to restart the vehicle once tow truck arrived to tow the vehicle back to the ford dealership where I purchased the truck it started up as if nothing had happened.
When I accelerate fast, the exhaust enters the vehicle from the AC unit. My car was in 3 times before the prescribed technical service bulletin (12-12-4) was performed, which by the way does not fix the issue. Cant even imagine hooking up our boat to this vehicle as it will probably kill us with carbon monoxide poisoning. My 10 year old son has had bronchitis 4 times since we have had this vehicle.. Hmmm possibly related!! It is only a matter of time before a child that is strapped into his seat dies of c.m. Poisoning! The smell is extremely worse in the back seat, nevermind sitting in the 3rd row! You would probably die a silent death rather quickly!! And the worst part of all... Ford's ceo [xxx] and ford as a whole is very aware of this issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
When accelerating, with engine rpms rising above 3500 RPM exhaust fumes begin to enter the cabin through the AC ducts. Odor is present regardless of ventilation mode (recirculation or fresh-air). All attempts at repair, including official tsb bulletin published by the ford motor company (tsb 12-12-4) and inspection by field service engineer, by ford dealership service center personnel have failed. Here is a part of a response from ford to my service technician on 10/10/2013 this concern is currently under investigation. When a resolution is available, the dealer will be notified with a tsb, ssm, fsa, or broadcast message." I think this problem exists in every ford explorer manufactured since 2011 to present but consumers either don't know it is happening or they don't know to take it to ford. Others with the same complaint on this website: 2011-10545178, 10537052, 10485394, 2012- 10466807, 10458341, 2013 - 10548667, 10547404, 10545106, 10534074, 10531802, 10522939, 10511749, 10503135, 10497684, 10493493, 10472937, 2014 ' 10536610 (so far). One case (10521718) even had to be taken to the hospital because of the carbon monoxide. Page 206 of my owners manual states 'warning: if you smell exhaust fumes inside your vehicle, have this checked immediately. Do not drive your vehicle if you smell exhaust fumes. Carbon monoxide is present in exhaust fumes. Take precautions to avoid its dangerous effects.' ford won't do the right thing and buy this vehicle back from me and because I bought the car certified preowned from ford, when it was only 6 months old and 16000 miles, I can't lemon law the vehicle in fl. I have a dead vehicle that I can't drive because I won't risk mine or my family's health, so I'm at my wits end.
Under heavy acceleration exhaust fumes enter the cabin. This is well documented on the ford explorer forums. Http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=323597. A recall is needed or they need to buy these back!
After all the new car smells began to wear off we began to notice what seemed to be exhaust fumes when we were driving up hills. We soon noticed that it happened anytime upon hard acceleration. The smell is enough to make your eyes burn and water from up in the driver seat. We thought maybe it was coming from the rear but tried in all positions and off and still have it. The ford fix with the new vent, sealant, etc. Was done and had no effect on it. It was brought back into the dealership a second time and the opposite vent was replaced, still no change. We brought it back into the dealership a third time and it was checked for improper body seals and weather strips with nothing found. We are now told we have to just wait and see if ford comes up with a fix.
When accelerating, with engine rpms rising above ~3500 RPM, a noxious sulfur-like odor is admitted into the passenger cabin through the climate control vents. The odor occurs during acceleration or whenever engine speed exceeds 3500 RPM, as when on a steep incline. Odor is present regardless of ventilation mode (recirculation or fresh-air), and type of fuel used (octane ratings from 85 up to 91), or where fuel was purchased (including seven different states in multiple cities). All attempts at repair, including official tsb bulletin published by the ford motor company (tsb 12-12-4), by ford dealership service center personnel have failed.
I was driving on a two lane road with a speed limit of 55mph. I was behind a slow moving vehicle and wanted to pass it. There was another vehicle approaching in the oncoming lane and I thought I had enough distance to pass. As I turned into the oncoming lane and began to accelerate to pass this vehicle, I heard a strange noise like a "poof" and my vehicle lost power and slowed. Fortunately, there was enough distance between me and the oncoming vehicle and the oncoming vehicle had a wide shoulder . After that, I noticed the vehicle seemed to have less power on acceleration. About two months later it started leaking oil on the left front side. It is a sport model.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, there was a burning smell emerging from the vehicle on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis but they were unable to duplicate the problem. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 10. Updted 09/30/13
On a night with light rain, after traveling 1.5 hrs with cruise control on, I pulled off interstate exit to make a phone call. I did not turn engine off. After call I proceeded to get back on interstate, while merging back onto interstate I accelerated hard to attain merging speed, when I merged safely in front of semi the engine shook violently and lost power. To avoid being hit, I jerked vehicle into emergency lane. The check engine light was flashing and the car placed in limp mode. I turned the vehicle completely of and restarted the engine and every thing appeared to have returned to normal. I later read that night that the f150 with same engine was having similar problems. I took the vehicle to ford the following monday. The service advisor informed me that ford has been having the same problem with my engine that is in the ford f150 in humid areas. He stated that large amounts of condensation forms in the intercooler when driving for long periods without utilizing turbo, then next time you accelerate hard the turbos suck all the condensation into the engine causing a misfire and puts engine into limp mode. After a week of them contacting ford engineers and running test, they told me they cannot repeat problem and the engine did not store any codes in the ECM from the problem. Ford also told the dealer that I'm the only person with a 2013 explorer with the 3.5 ecoboost engine that has ever reported problem. Since then I have read about two lawsuits which have been filed against ford involving the ecoboost engine and included the 2013 ford explorer sport. Apparently this statement is not true. This is a very serious safety issue for me and my family. The ford company is apparently denying the issue exist, leaving me to drive a vehicle that can potentially put my family others with the same vehicle in harms way. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Purchased vehicle in early 2013. While driving at various speeds noticed exhaust fumes coming from air vents. Called my local ford dealership and they advised that it was normal to smell fumes because it was a new engine. Now six months later, I continue to smell exhaust fumes through air vents while driving but it seems to be while at high RPM's over 3000. I researched the federal safety agency website just to make sure I wasn't the only one and noticed that the following the federal safety agency id complaint numbers are also associated with exhaust fumes coming through air vents. They are #10522939, 10521718, 10511749, 10503135, 10472937, 10497684 and 10493493. It seems that there definitely is a problem with exhaust fumes entering the cabin while driving. I just received safety recall notice 13s04 for a possible fuel leak but I don't think that will stop smell from coming through the air vents. Seems to be that some kind of seal or gasket is not operating as required to keep fumes from entering the cabin. I hope that ford gets serious about conducting some testing for a possible fix or recall. As others have complained, I try not to use my vehicle when transporting my family as they could be exposed to harmful exhaust fumes. This vehicle is not safe.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2013 Ford Explorer?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history