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2013 Ford Explorer engine complaints

Page 5 of 11: complaints 101 to 130 of 291, newest first, as owners wrote them.

See the summary of 2013 Ford Explorer engine problems: which part fails, at what mileage and related recalls.

Filed Sep 10, 2019 · Engine · 73,763 miles · WA

The engine began leaking coolant caused by the water pump seal failing. We have had several others that also have had water pump failures.

Filed Sep 10, 2019 · Engine · 68,541 miles · WA

The engine began leaking coolant caused by the water pump seal failing. We have had several others that also have had water pump failures.

Filed Sep 3, 2019 · Engine · 90,000 miles · FL

Engine rattles upon startup for roughly 2 seconds. Thia is a known issue that the timing chain stretches and replacement of timing chain and phasers is needed.

Filed Aug 23, 2019 · Engine · 24,000 miles · OR

I own at 2013 ford explorer sport. On two separate occasions I have taken my explorer to the dealership because we keep smelling exhaust when we accelerate . The dealership has made attempts to repair the leak but as of today it's still doing it. I called ford today to see if has any more information they could pass along to remedy this problem and they only referred me back to the dealership. The sulfur is so bad sometimes we have to roll down the windows for fresh air which is not always good when the weather is bad. It happens with the air/heat is on and when it's not on. I'm at a loss now on how to get this repaired as it seems no one knows exactly what is causing it and no one is taking ownership of the problem.

Filed Aug 14, 2019 · Acceleration, Engine · 150,000 miles · SC

I have a 2013 ford explorer and have been recently experiencing random, dangerous stalls due to a faulty throttle body. I have had the throttle body cleaned twice and it continues to fail, leaving our car in a "limp-home mode" in dangerous road conditions. It usually stalls when accelerating from a low idle position, such as sitting at a stoplight and then accelerating. However, it had also stalled while traveling higher speeds and then accelerating. Once I pull off the road, the car engine shakes violently until I'm able to put in park and then turn the ignition off. After a few seconds the engine will usually restart at normal idle and proper engine function is restored until the next throttle body failure.

Filed Aug 13, 2019 · Engine · 115,000 miles · AL

Vehicle loses power when accelerating up hill or on flat surface. Take off power is dimished and vehicle will sometimes die unexpectedly when accelerating.

Filed Aug 12, 2019 · Engine · 104,000 miles · KY

Front manifold crack that is allowing exhaust fumes to enter the vehicle.

Filed Jul 12, 2019 · Engine · 56,000 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While pulling into a parking space and making a right turn, the engine suddenly shut off. After restarting the engine, the vehicle operated normally. During the failure, the power steering suddenly became inoperable and the steering wheel was difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was 56,000.

Filed Jun 12, 2019 · Engine · 55,580 miles · GA

While driving, engine stalls, with inability to accelerate, requiring vehicle to be stopped, turned off and restarted. A check engine light then appeared, which after taking vehicle to local dealership was determined to be a faulty throttle body which I was told has been common in ford vehicles/makes/models

Filed Jun 12, 2019 · Engine · PR

The vehicle been at the dealership many times because carbon monoxide fume inside the vehicle. This have cause many health problems to me and my wife (such as headaches, drowsiness etc.).

Filed May 22, 2019 · Electrical, Engine · 127,000 miles · AP

Vehicle experiencing intermittent engine shut off under all driving conditons which exhibits a serious and dangerous situation when the vehicle abrubtly loses total power while driving. This has recently been an issue in the past two weeks while my wife and kids were driving on the freeway at 70 MPH in traffic. Vehicle started back up once the ignition was turned completely off and waited a few minutes to start the vehicle back up. This scenario occurred on the freeway, in town driving and while stopped at traffic light. Contacted local ford dealership and all they said was to bring it in. I had a mechanic check it out and he was unable to retrieve any engine codes while running an ecu scan. There are several complaints noted online with other ford explorer owners who have attributed it to a "terrain management" fault. This is the same diagnosis my local mechanic came up with. This results in the engine control module to receive a throttle position in the wide open indication causing the vehicle to shut off. The vehicle is currently being operated in oahu, hawaii. I am currently deployed to the middle east so I am very concerned for the safety of my family while this is the only mode of transportation available to them.

Filed May 10, 2019 · Engine · 99,000 miles · MI

We have noticed a car exhaust odor in our vehicle while at a standstill. The odor comes and goes and we are not sure what is causing it. It seems that car exhaust is coming into the vehicle through the car's ventilation system. The dealer ship could not find the issue. The vehicle did have the ford carbon monoxide customer satisfaction program completed.

Filed Jan 29, 2019 · Engine, Fuel system · 138,636 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While the vehicle was idling or being driven, the contact noticed an abnormal sulfur odor inside and outside of the vehicle. Also, the check engine indicator illuminated. The contact called tamiami ford (1471 airport pulling rd n, naples, fl 34104, (239) 643-3673) and scheduled a service appointment. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired in december of 2017 per the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v812000 (fuel system, gasoline). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 138,636.

Filed Jan 10, 2019 · Engine · 75,000 miles · PA · 1 injury

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. On several occasions, while driving, excessive exhaust fumes and a fuel odor entered the vehicle. The contact suffered headaches and dizziness due to the exhaust fumes. Medical attention was not received. The vehicle was taken to kenny ross ford south (located at 3200 library rd, castle shannon, pa 15234, (412) 881-0001) where the mechanic stated there was a definite odor in the vehicle; however, he was unsure if it was carbon monoxide. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 75,000.

Filed Jan 5, 2019 · Engine · 30 miles · LA

Twice bring to the dealership about carbon monoxide leak in cabin? Making sick nauzia feeling I'll? Now look like my lungs are swallowing? Please tell me what to do

Filed Dec 18, 2018 · Engine · 60,000 miles · NY

Timing chain stretch. $3,000 to fix it

Filed Nov 29, 2018 · Engine · 66,000 miles · CA

Exhaust fumes inside vehicle causing nausea and headaches. Happening consistantly for the last 3yrs

Filed Nov 29, 2018 · Engine · 48,700 miles · PA · 2 injuries

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving in a high traffic area for over thirty minutes, the contact felt dizzy and light headed. The symptoms recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to welsh motors ford (330‑549‑3925, located at 13760 woodworth rd, new springfield, oh 44443) where it was stated that there was no recall on the vehicle. The contact's symptoms returned and the vehicle was taken back to the same dealer several times. The dealer later diagnosed that the gasket needed to be replaced. Again, the contact's symptoms returned. The contact stated that during a four hour road trip, one of her family members suffered the same symptoms. No one received medical attention. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer and it was diagnosed that the duct tape on the exhaust fell off. The duct tape was replaced, but the symptoms continued. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer where the technician test drove the vehicle and stated that there was no failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the situation and did not assist. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 48,700.

Filed Nov 1, 2018 · Body, Engine · 83,000 miles · WA

We recently began smelling a pungent 'sulfur' or 'rotten egg' like smell that comes and goes in the interior cabin of our explorer while driving the vehicle. Typically this seems to occur while or just after driving at freeway speeds/accelerating. We believe this is in line with other instances people have had in explorers of possible exhaust leaks into the interior cabin space of the vehicle. We have 83,000 miles on our 2013 awd 3.5l explorer limited. We took our vehicle to a ford dealer under customer service satisfaction program service # 17n03, but they stated our specific VIN does not apply to this service & thus would not cover that service fix for this issue.

Filed Nov 1, 2018 · Engine · 65,239 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, exhaust fume odor was detected inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact rolled the windows down and heard an abnormal noise emerging from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer quirk ford (540 southern artery, quincy, ma 02169) where they determine that the exhaust manifold was fractured and needed replacement. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 65,239. The VIN was not available.

Filed Sep 26, 2018 · Engine · 86,000 miles · CT

Three times in the last 2 weeks I've had either gasoline or exhaust fumes inside of the vehicle. I was accelerating on either a city street or highway uphill and the A/C was on.

Filed Sep 23, 2018 · Engine · CA

In summer 2015 we began smelling exhaust in the vehicle when the air conditioner was on. It started out as a mild smell and continued to get worse over time. We mentioned it to our service advisor multiple times who could not duplicate the issue. After many attempts, we got the dealership to duplicate the issue and admit there was an issue but unfortunately they could not fix it. As time went on, the smell was present all the time whether or not the air conditioner was on. In early 2018, we brought the vehicle to the dealership to perform the ford authorized fix for this known issue (sealing holes, reprogram the A/C, etc.). However, the smell never went away and we brought the vehicle back twice to have it verified. This last time the dealership stated that the exhaust manifold was cracked and that there was nothing that ford would do and that we had to pay for a replacement. The vehicle has 95k miles on it currently.

Filed Sep 9, 2018 · Body, Engine · 100,000 miles · CO

Smell of exhaust inside cabin under hard acceleration. This vehicle had the ford complementary repair done in july. Defect still occurring.

Filed Apr 10, 2018 · Electrical, Engine · 80,000 miles · CA

My explorer has an issue when stopped and in drive with the AC on the car pulls/lunges foward as if I hit the gas/ also when im parked and the air con is running at some point the engine goes down below 500 rpms then kicks up to 700 to compensate then kicks down to below 500 , over and over again. If rev the engine a bit, then it goes back down to normal idle and its fine for maybe 10 minutes then does it all over again. This can be a safety issue as the car pulls itself foward with no human interaction. There is multiple websites declaring this is a known issue for this car. Google 2013 explorer rough AC idle you will see lots of people commenting on it.

Filed Mar 21, 2018 · Engine · 100,000 miles · KY

There is an exhaust leak on the vehicle allowing toxic fumes into the cabin.

Filed Feb 5, 2018 · Engine · 106,500 miles · IA · fire

My wife and I took a trip for a baby shower, it was about a 2.5 hr drive. On the way there, the check engine light turned on. There were no other warnings or indications of an issue. We made it fine to our destination, drove around town a little bit, and stayed the night. The next day we headed home (another 2.5 hr trip). The check engine light was on the entire time, but there were no abnormal noises or odors, or any other indication that there was an issue. When we got home, we parked the car, turned it off, unloaded, then turned it on to back it into the garage and turn it off again. After sitting in the garage for 10 -15 minutes, the car exploded, shaking the house and catching the engine bay on fire. The engine bay was engulfed in flames, causing fire/smoke damage to our garage and everything in it. An independent investigator stated that the cooling fan had failed, which caused the check engine light, however that seems like not a sufficient reason to why the engine exploded. We are unsure what the root cause was, but something had to have gone very wrong for the car to explode in the garage, ignition off, and stationary and the only indication being a check engine light even if the cooling fan did fail. This all happened just over a week after an oil change at a ford dealership. This could have been a very dangerous situation that could have very likely ended up in injury or death.

Filed Jan 31, 2018 · Engine · NM

My 2013 ford explorer xlt has been to the repair shop twice in order to address ford recall 17no3. To this day, january 31, 2018, my co monitor picks up high readings (in my opinion) for such an enclosed space of a vehicle cabin (12-43 ppm). I drive a lot for work and am being constantly exposed to these fumes. My wife and I also have a 1 year old that we refuse to place in this car because even low levels are more dangerous to him. The readings occur while driving and accelerating, also when the vehicle is on recirculate. I've noticed that I get high readings of carbon monoxide levels after starting the vehicle or even just checking the vehicle periodically throughout the day. After getting into my car for lunch, the car was even turned off and I had a reading of 43ppm on my monitor (which I leave in the car). This tells me that toxic fumes are leaking from the exhaust into the cabin, even when the car is off, and staying in the vehicle because things have been sealed off due to ford's "attempts" at fixing this issue. Ford explorer, not just me, can't afford to put our health at risk while ford denies there's a problem. Considering that co is odorless, you don't need to be able to smell the exhaust fumes for carbon monoxide to be present in great amounts for enclosed spaces. The picture that I have attached is only 1 of at least 25 pictures and videos I have compiled to make my case that ford's "attempt" to fix this issue is being ignored by them.

Filed Jan 31, 2018 · Engine · 125,200 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, the contact was overcome by exhaust fumes entering the vehicle. The contact became exhausted and had severe headaches. The contact underwent medical tests at cary medical group (530 new waverly pl #200, cary, nc 27518, (919) 859-5955) for carbon monoxide poisoning. The contact was informed that the tests showed elevated levels of carbon monoxide. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or inspected. The contact stated that an appointment was made with an independent facility to perform a carbon monoxide test on the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 125,200.

Filed Jan 29, 2018 · Engine · 25,000 miles · NC

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 ford explorer. While driving various speeds, an unknown odor was detected inside the vehicle on the driver's side. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnostic testing and repairs. The contact called crossroads ford cary (2333 walnut st, cary, nc 27518, (877) 280-8932) and the manufacturer and was informed that there was an ongoing investigation and to contact the federal safety agency. The failure mileage was 25,000.

Filed Jan 25, 2018 · Engine · 56,000 miles · GA

When vehicle is under acceleration, there is an exhaust smell throughout the cabin. Ford has attempted to correct the issue, but the exhaust smell remains under acceleration.

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