While on the highway July 2021 a red warning light flashes, I didn’t get to see exactly what it said, it went away. Shortly after that I stopped at a Walmart service location off the highway, but by then the light wasn’t on and the mechanic said “they don’t do anything regarding engines”. Then about a week later it flashed again then I was ready and able to take a picture (attachment #1) it said “engine coolant over temperature”. I called several repair shops and dealerships and had gotten a few estimates (attachment #2). One place added a lot of coolant (Grease Monkey) and that seem to get me going and I didn’t see the light again until about 3 to 4 weeks later. Then my husband and I had to start checking my coolant level daily to see if more coolant had to be added which most times it did. The high cost for repair - is in getting to the water pump - which I’m being told by at least 4 people can take 11 to 12 hours of labor. One repair place said “I may be better off by getting rid of the SUV”. I previously had a 2003 Ford Explorer (original owner) kept it for 10 years then upgraded to a 2013 Ford Explorer (original owner) and thought I could do the same, however costly problems started in 2021. Ford is aware of all of the water pump related issues and should have a recall and/or make repairs free of charge. This has been apparently going on for 10+/- years. In October 2021 once while on a rural highway in Colorado about 30 minutes from home my car ran hot and stalled on me and my son who is disabled and cannot walk. We putt putted over to a restaurant lot, had to let the car cool down to then add water. After that we almost made it home before the light came on again, we were about 3 minutes from home. That was very scary to be driving in traffic and your car stalls. My car has been sitting for the last 4 months because of the cost for needed repairs.
2013 Ford Explorer engine complaints
Page 4 of 11: complaints 71 to 100 of 291, newest first, as owners wrote them.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated they had taken their vehicle to a local dealer for a crack in the water pump which the dealer repaired, After the repair, the contact noticed a burning abnormal odor when turning on their heat from their a/c unit, which caused the contact and his passenger to become light-headed and dizzy. The contact drove to a local hospital where it was confirmed that the reason for the symptoms was due to high level of carbon monoxide levels. The contact called the local dealer about the abnormal odor but the dealer informed the contact they would not be able to fix the issue and inform the contact to reach out to the manufacturer for the failure. The contact decided to take the vehicle's independent mechanic who diagnosed the failure as small oil leaks around the engine that contribute to the odor coming into the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 129,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, the instrument cluster showed that the engine was overheating. The vehicle stalled and was not drivable. The contact called the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The contact towed the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the water pump and engine were needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Ford Explorer. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, he started to smell exhaust fumes inside of the cabin of the vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact stated while inspecting the vehicle, he noticed the exhaust manifold was faulty and leaking. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 169,234.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that the water pump was leaking coolant and water causing the engine to overheat. The temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle was overheating. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the water pump had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the failure was related to an unknown ford recall regarding the water pump however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact was referred to the federal safety agency for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.
The poorly placed water pump. 2013 ford explorer xlt with the water pump inside engine. Just got the car 6 months ago has 107900 on it. Yesterday started leaking coolant. Have to take to the ford dealer today.
Catalytic converter failed at 137,000 miles
Smelling a weird smell coming from the cabin like carbon monoxide smell .
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving at 4o MPH the vehicle vibrated and then the engine shut off. The contact coasted to the lane closest to the side of the road and stopped and restarted the vehicle. The contact then was able to proceed back to his home. The contact called the dealer koons ford of annapolis 2540 riva road, annapolis, md 21401 (410) 224-2100 and they ran a diagnostic test after the vehicle was bought in but could not get a code or duplicate the issue. The issue occurred twice and the vehicle was at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer had not yet been contacted. The failure mileage was 67,000.
Four 2013 ford explorer ran hot while I was operating the vehicle. We thought it was low on antifreeze so we added some. Out of precaution, we began monitoring the antifreeze level and notice that the level would drop, over a couple of weeks, enough which required us to have to add more antifreeze. My wife called ford's service department to schedule an appointment to determine/confirm the problem. We were told that it sounds like the water pump was may be defective. On our way to the appointment, the vehicle shut down and had to be towed the rest of the way. Upon inspection, we were told that antifreeze had leaked into the engine, and further, the engine was damaged because of a broken timing chain.
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a msa altair floor xr gas detector which showed high levels of carbon monoxide. The contact stated that per one hour of driving the detector showed14 ppm (parts per minute). The contact stated that the failure was constant on a daily basis. The contact stated that the carbon monoxide detector was calibrated on a daily basis. The contact stated that his wife complained several times about headaches while driving in the vehicle. The contact stated that he sustained severe health issues and had heart ablation surgery from the carbon monoxide. The contact was concerned that continual driving presented a grave danger to health and safety. The vehicle was taken to chenoweth ford inc (1564 e pike st, clarksburg, wv 26301, (800) 344-1108) and an appointment was scheduled to have the vehicle repaired. The contact attempted to reach the manufacturer but, was unable to speak with a live representative. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 197,625.*dt
I have had the vehicle for about three months and have had more problems from it then anyone can imagine from the wrench light ( transmission) to the torque converter to camshaft codes to converters to sensors , AC condenser went out, brake issues after replacing new pads and rotors , this has been a nightmare . The truck only has 84k miles and I have experienced more issues from it then any vehicle I have ever had . Ford really made junk this time.
For the past several months had a slight ticking sound at warm or cold startup. Was getting tired/achy while driving more than an hour. The sound became much louder over the weekend. It has been diagnosed as a cracked front exhaust manifold and may have been leaking co into the passenger compartment.
Anytime I drive this vehicle in rain or wet roads the main belt slips and squeals. The result is major loss of power on many occasions. My dash lights up like a christmas tree, I lose power to steering, wipers, fans, etc. The belt slipping is causing the alternator not to function which in turns causes loss of power. It's always when it's wet which is even scarier bc I have lost steering and engine power. This happens on any roads while the engine is under a load.
My wife experience "spontaneous acceleration" of our ford explorer. My wife was pulling into a walgreens parking lot, slowed down to turn into a parking space when the car lunged forward at a high rate of speed. My wife had her foot on the brake as she was entering the space, but the brake could not control the car. There was an extreme and spontaneous acceleration. Once the car hit the pole, it automatically shifted into reverse even with my wife applying the brake. The car came to a stop after hitting a parked truck. Additionally, the air bags did not deploy even though there was enough force on the front end to make the airbags deploy.
I experience a rotten egg smell when accelerating. When I told the ford dealership during routine service, they stated "it's normal". I looked for recall 19n05 with my VIN but it stated there are no unresolved issues. So it seems perhaps the recall 19n05 was performed. But the smell is still there during acceleration.
Computer voice comand 80 MPH governor
Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that after multiple attempts to start the vehicle, the engine failed to turnover with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to jim click ford lincoln 6244 e 22nd st, tucson, az 85711 where the dealer was unable to diagnose the vehicle. Once the vehicle was returned to the contact, the vehicle operated as intended. The contact then stated that on another occasion while driving at 75 MPH, the vehicle began to lost motive power and the power steering ceased. The information screen became inoperable. The vehicle was again towed back to the same dealer. A diagnostic was not performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was since towed from the dealer to the residence. The manufacturer not been notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
On 2 separate occasions the truck loses power while driving. This effects the engine, power steering basically anything that uses power. This has happened while driving 65mph and 35-40mph. One time it happened on a street, the other time was while driving on the highway. This is very dangerous.
Engine fail make noise
While driving in normal fashion in medium traffic engine all of a sudden died restarted after 5 minutes of attempts only to die again about 3 minutes later in middle of a turning lane. After being pushed to a parking lot it was discovered that head gasket was blown without any warning or signs. Had to be towed over 100 miles to my home on a roll back truck paid by car insurance
My car started to leak coolant I've had to keep topping off coolant, took it to a ford dealership, stated it was my water pump which would cost about $2000 to fix. I am only at 108k miles & I was told by ford that they do not need maintencing and would last till 150,000 miles
When driving (various speeds high was 70 MPH - low was 25 MPH - various roadways) vehicle loses power goes down to about 5 miles per hour - check engine lights comes on-- message "see manual". Happened intermittently for 5 months initially one time- may go a month before happens again . Finally it started occurring 3 times within and hour then ok - did for that for two consecutive days before taking it to be fixed. Called ford dealer they claimed they had heard of this - said it could be many things - I mentioned the reports of this on 2016 explored. Took it to a local shop. Replaced throttle body and throttle body gasket on 2 oct 2019- issue has not occurred since.
Vehicle's water pump began leaking during a normal patrol shift. We have had several of these fail at various mileages and each repair that was not under warranty has cost us around $2000.00 each time. I know these are not isolated incidents and that these water pumps fail often. I recall being at a fleet conference this past august and seeing a slide during a presentation from ford and it showing the casting difference between the old style and new style pump. The old casting was thinner near the seal area and that allowed for excessive heat which caused the seal to fail. The new style pump has a thicker casting to prevent this fault. I would like to see a warranty extension or recall on the these pumps just like ford ended up doing for the catalytic converters.
Vehicle's water pump began leaking during a normal patrol shift. We have had several of these fail at various mileages and each repair that was not under warranty has cost us around $2000.00 each time. I know these are not isolated incidents and that these water pumps fail often. I recall being at a fleet conference this past august and seeing a slide during a presentation from ford and it showing the casting difference between the old style and new style pump. The old casting was thinner near the seal area and that allowed for excessive heat which caused the seal to fail. The new style pump has a thicker casting to prevent this fault. I would like to see a warranty extension or recall on the these pumps just like ford ended up doing for the catalytic converters.
Vehicle's water pump began leaking during a normal patrol shift. We have had several of these fail at various mileages and each repair that was not under warranty has cost us around $2000.00 each time. I know these are not isolated incidents and that these water pumps fail often. I recall being at a fleet conference this past august and seeing a slide during a presentation from ford and it showing the casting difference between the old style and new style pump. The old casting was thinner near the seal area and that allowed for excessive heat which caused the seal to fail. The new style pump has a thicker casting to prevent this fault. I would like to see a warranty extension or recall on the these pumps just like ford ended up doing for the catalytic converters.
When idling cabin fills up with what appears to be smoke from mufflers. Fell asleep in the car while idling, woke up dizzy and thru up shortly after, strong headache after. Rust around the lock on the trunk lid.
Initial complaint to ford dealership re: exhaust odors in cabin, possibly related to use of air conditioning (inspected 5/4/16, mileage 47,450, no repairs completed). Performance recall 17no3 completed 10/22/18. Exhaust odors worse after recall. Ford dealership inspected again on 10/30/18. Recommended using recirculation of cabin air at all times. Air conditioning has since stopped working. Per dealership rear A/C lines now need replacement, ext. Cost of $2,100. Cabin exhaust odors continue and inside of windshield is fogging. Odors worse when stopped at stoplights. Multiple occasions of co detection in cabin while in motion in rural areas. Elevated cohb with various health symptoms and children now complaining of car sickness. Various areas of rust also reported to dealership and new areas appearing (I.e. Near drain vales of the liftgate). *dt
Vehicle's water pump began leaking during a normal patrol shift. We have had several of these fail at various mileages and each repair that was not under warranty has cost us around $2000.00 each time. I know these are not isolated incidents and that these water pumps fail often. I recall being at a fleet conference this past august and seeing a slide during a presentation from ford and it showing the casting difference between the old style and new style pump. The old casting was thinner near the seal area and that allowed for excessive heat which caused the seal to fail. The new style pump has a thicker casting to prevent this fault. I would like to see a warranty extension or recall on the these pumps just like ford ended up doing for the catalytic converters.
The engine began leaking coolant caused by the water pump seal failing. We have had several others that also have had water pump failures.
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