My truck’s engine finally seems to have blown and I can’t afford to keep repairing it so I am in the market for another SUV, the trouble is I’m not sure where to start, my budget is very limited, and since that was my only vehicle my time is limited as well. I’ve started my search with the Explorer, it’s affordable (2011-2017 model years, but 2014 is the more realistic top end for this area) and I was in one (A 2017, I believe) for about 2 weeks on a vacation last summer and it was one of the most comfortable vehicles I’ve ever been in so it seemed like the natural place to start, however I do have some concerns.

Based on my (limited, less than 24 hours) research, it appears to be a unibody and is more of a crossover than an SUV. My usage will be mostly as a daily driver and occasional long road trip vacations so comfort is my primary concern, but still, I will also use it to occasionally haul cargo and maybe tow and it needs to be off road friendly so that concerns me. My off road use would be limited and rare, think beginner level trails and logging and utility roads and empty fields and such that I might encounter on camping or hiking trips, and of course heavy Michigan snow and ice, but I’m also concerned with emergency off roading should the roads be unusable (have you seen the news lately?) so I DO want at least respectable off road performance. How well does the 5th generation Explorer do off road and in heavy snow and ice?

I have heard of an issue of exhaust fumes entering the cabin, how much of an issue is this? Is the customer service repair Ford offers enough to fix it? And how much does it cost?

I have also heard that the exhaust manifolds tend to leak and crack and the door latches don’t always work right, how much of an issue are those things?

Anything else I should be aware of?

I have also heard of a recall on the suspension system, how much of an issue is this? How can I tell if one I’m interested in has been fixed? If it hasn’t, how would I get it done and how much would it cost?

My other issue is that growing up I had some negative experiences with Fords, every Ford my family owned was a lemon, most notably a pair of 1988 (?) Tempos. It was the early to mid 90s at the time so they were not that old, yet one was constantly at the dealership getting repaired then when it would come out the other would go in then the next week they would switch, they would literally be broken again by the time we got home from the dealer to pick them up. I remember the started disintegrating and fusing itself to the engine block overnight, leaking heater cores and a constant puddle on the floorboards, burning oil, and the cabin filling with VISIBLE fumes and smoke, they defined the acronym “Fix Or Repair Daily.” It was enough to make me swear off Ford and I have never owned one before so this would be my first. That was a long time ago though and I am willing to bet the quality control improved considerably in the last 30 years, but has it? I need a vehicle that will be RELIABLE and not break down or need repairs constantly and what repairs it does need need to be few and far between and the repairs and parts need to be cheap (I am not at all mechanically inclined, I can do basic maintenance stuff but that’s about it, any repairs and I will have to hire a mechanic), is that the 5th Generation Explorer? Is this a reliable vehicle?

 

The 3.5 engine in the explorer has a internal water pump powered by the timing chain, if it leaks and is not caught soon will allow coolant to mix with the oil and destroy the engine.
The 2nd row seats have a issue where the seat connector pins for the airbags come apart and need new connectors, there's a TSB.
The exhaust issue has been recalled twice.
The rear suspension toe links has been recalled.
The door latch actuators do seem to wear out primarily on the driver door, I believe there is extended covered if this happens.
The strut mounts go bad and make a popping noise when turning the steering wheel.
Ford back up cameras aren't the best, I don't have experience with other brands though, and ford is picky about oem cameras.
If you get 4wd the ptu(transfer case) is known to leak, sometimes gears grind up and it has to be removed and the case opened to reseal, theres a TSB.
The door panels don't put up with extensive wear well, the sticking comes apart where your arm rests.
The door panel fabric adhesive comes apart on the front doors and have to be stapled back in place, there's a TSB.
The exterior a pillar trim panels clips break and they come off.
The sunroof drains clog up, water fills the sunroof track, spills over and shorts out the sunroof glass motor. You have to replace the motor to open the sunroof to clear out the drains.
The LED headlights each have a control module that can get corroded contacts, take out the module and the headlights. OEM is over $1000 to replace.
Check the battery terminals for corrosion, it eats the metal away and to my knowledge you cannot buy just the ends, you can make aftermarket terminals work though.
The body sheet metal around the rear hatch hinges crack and let water in, we put clear silicone over the area to seal it but if the any metal bits have broken off and leave holes a body shop needs to remove the liftgate and weld new metal there.
If you have the SD card for nav and the various ports for audio input they are very sensitive to people spilling soda on them and killing them.
Ford APIMs are known for failing, they are responsible for the phones bluetooth connection, in addition to controlling the touch screen, audio, nav system.

As a Ford dealer tech I love this explorer and the only reason I will not buy one for my next vehicle is the water pump issue, I love the engine but the water pump issue in the FWD vehicles is damn stupid.
FYI you will never need to pay for a recall to be completed.

 

Thank you

Is the water pump also an issue on the AWD version or is it just the FWD? (I would be getting the AWD)
Are the moonroof and transfer case issues expensive repairs? How about the shorted out nav system?

 

The water pump issue is any V6 engine in the explorer(also the flex, edge). Basically they took a good engine from the F150/Mustang/Expedition, turned it sideways to fit FWD vehicles and found the water pump pulley didnt have enough room so the changed the engine for the water pump to be internal.

The moon roof depends on how bad it is, its usually only 2.5 hours labor and the the glass motors around $200.
One time I had one were the customer was out of town for a week and so, the drains were completed totally blocked and so much water got in the shade motor, glass motor, and switch had to be replaced, in addition there was over 3 inches of water on the floorboards, I stripped the car bare save the dash and center console, I cleaned mold off the carpets and had to let everything dry out over three or four days before butting it back together, that was closer to 10 hours of labor and $600 in parts. That was the only time Ive ever seen it that bad though, thats pretty much worse case scenario though.

The PTU(transfer case) issue I think is around 3 or 4 hours labor, parts are around $200-$300. This one depends on how bad its leaking for it you care that it gets done though, maybe 3/4 of the times its under warranty, most customers dont approve us to fix it.

The nav system SC card/audio ports part I think is around $150 and maybe 30 minutes of labor, you can the swap your self, its just a pain cause there is a small hole it goes into and the wires have no extra slack to be pulled out the hole and plugged into the new port.

The APIM issue is around 1 hour labor and the part is around $400-$500.

 

Thankyou. Nothing too bank breaking there but I am concerned about the water pump thing. How common is that? How do you know it’s an issue before it is too late?

 

I've done two in the three years at my dealer, I've been taught to keep an eye for coolant near the alternator is, I assume there's a weephole there. We don't see them leak all that often but if they start leaking and you don't notice or decline the repair it can take out the engine. My senior master tech has one for his wife's car so he trusts it. He's told me that if the engine just starts leaking into the engine(temp guage will go up) and the customer turns it off we replace the water pump and change the oil two or three times in a row letting it run for a few minutes each oil change to flush out coolant that got mixed with the oil.
The engine damage comes not from overheating but from the coolant mixing with the oil and getting pumped through all the oil passages.

If you buy one consider buying ford esp.