I'm in the market for a new vehicle. We're having a kid soon and I have a small car, so I wanted to get something larger and more comfortable to accommodate the baby and all the stuff we'll be carrying around.

Looking around in my general area, I found this.

I really like the look of it and from what I can see in the pictures (without having seen it in person), it seems nice. It's also got 4WD which is a bonus for me, living in the wet, nasty area that I do (sand and mud as well down here). My question is...are newer Fords like this reliable after 100k miles? This one is quickly coming up on that and while the price is in my range and the vehicle itself seems nice, I don't really know much about Ford's reliability in regards to newer models. Any help is appreciated!

 

Welcome to the site..

If it’s regular services are documented, looks to have had good care, I’d have no problem in a purchase. You can have your local Ford Service run an Oasis Report per its VIN and any warranty repairs etc will show up during its coverage. As well as sources like Carfax if it had significant issues that happened outside of warranty. Have someone check it it prior tp purchase isn’t a bad idea either, but at that mileage if operated under normal conditions, it would have a good service life left..

 

After doing more research yesterday and today, and I found out that apparently most of these 5th generation Explorers have some kind of issue with carbon monoxide leaking through cracks in the exhaust / engine. Apparently there are even lawsuits against them from various people, including police departments. It's a shame too, I really like the look of this ride.

 

Most?

Exhaust leaks due to manifold gasket blow out, broken exhaust studs (very common), rusted out EGR tubes, catalytic converter failures, rotted through muffler/s, and certainly cracked manifolds aren't something new 'at all' and covers nearly all vehicle manufactures and a wide range models/ years going way way back..
Quite a few are engine size/equipment dependent meaning not all suffer failures depending on specific build etc.

That said,, I'd never downplay any safety concern, but most leaks in various vehicles never get noticed until severe enough to cause audible noise, nor do they in most cases pose a significant safety concern for minor bleeds.
One of the reasons I mention a trusted inspection no matter what vehicle is considered.

Cabin air isn't brought in directly through the engine bay,, but if a significant leak exists, it can widen the possibilities. More so through damage lift gate/door seals, open windows/roof panels, or in the case of police etc vehicles with added in features where body 'sealing' is compromised. In fact,, stopped high concentration commute traffic may be more of a risk with windows dropped, and ventilation systems then picking up higher concentrations of gases over a vehicle with a slight leak under normal driving ops. One of the main reasons motorcycles are permitted to 'split' lanes in stopped traffic. Air quality/safety...

Ford does have a running TSB 17-0044 in regards to body inspection/corrective measures, but the manifolds haven't failed in high numbers to warrant a Recall. If they were, the net would blow up with images of cracked units. Some, sure, but like mentioned exhaust leak issues are reasonable common more so in high mileage applications and like Explorer, many vehicles can suffer exhaust venting issues.
Generally if any component seems to follow a failure, a potential concern may exist, a SSM (Special Service Message) will be issued to check for potential issues which so far none has been published.
Doesn't mean Ford isn't aware given the TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) for cabin contamination, but currently not enough data or failures to support a manifold recall.
Understandably,, a concern, and may be wise to wait until the issue is ironed out, but again,, not uncommon at all for many vehicles to fall short or have exhaust leaks..