Used 2016 Ford Explorer Consumer Reviews
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Nice vehicle...but oh, those seats!
paul dekoekkoek, 11/16/2015
2016 Ford Explorer Platinum 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl Turbo 6A)
82 of 89 people found this review helpful
Full disclosure--I'm reviewing based on a week traveling with this as a rental vehicle as sort of an extended test drive before making an expensive purchase! Maybe this won't get published as a result and interpret accordingly. I've read all the online reviews of the 2016 model, looked at all the specs, compared to several other competing models that I've researched and test driven, and had some extended seat time before arriving at my conclusions. Disregard required ratings for things that can only be evaluated with months and years of ownership time like reliability, maintenance costs, etc. under the "Reliability" and "Value" categories. Overall, this is a great vehicle and I understand why many people ultimately decide to purchase one. It has the combination of luxury, styling, technology and performance that's hard to beat. The turbo v6 is a treat and I averaged 22-23mpg across over 500 miles of driving 70-75mph. City mileage in true urban/suburban traffic leaves a bit to be desired as I was more in the 12-14mpg range then, though perhaps not appreciably different from the normally aspirated standard v6. I also appreciate the lane-keeping assist (though not always reliable even when lanes clearly painted and favorable conditions for it to work). Most of the electronics and "Sync" were good, though I kept getting a "usb input error" message on screen from one of the charging ports used to charge phones that I don't get anywhere else. Will chalk that up to Microsoft and perhaps the next generation Sync3 on next year's model will improve some of these little annoyances. The highway ride is quiet and smooth, with minimal steering adjustments required to keep it tracking straight. I enjoyed driving it and all the electronic parking aids are useful though I didn't try the parallel parking assist. In the interest of keeping this review fairly short, won't go into all the details of everything I checked, but overall found the technology and features in this model to be very good. It's not going in my garage, however, for one simple reason--seat comfort. I plan for this vehicle to be the family roadtrip hauler and this is the fatal flaw for me. I can nitpick a few other items that I wasn't thrilled about, but could learn to live with, but seat comfort is a major problem area for me at least. Even with the Platinum's "Nirvana" leather and seemingly infinite amount of adjustment (including massaging seats), I eventually developed significant lower back pain over the course of many consecutive hours behind the wheel. I'm not sure if the highly inboard dead pedal placement is part of the equation, but the seat cushions' contours felt too narrow and the bottom cushion too short (at 6' 1", I'm not tall enough to expect that to be an issue) resulting in sciatica symptoms. I tried to wish them away as I really liked the vehicle enough to strongly consider buying one. Could just be the way it fits me, though I'm apparently not alone given what I've read here and elsewhere. For reference, both the Dodge Durango and Toyota Highlander (the latter with it's inflatable front seat edge extender for more thigh support) feel much more comfortable to me. There may be other vehicles in this class with even better seat comfort, though I have ruled them out for other reasons. My recommendation--try to get some extended seat time to confirm long-haul comfort if traveling on long trips is part of the intended use. Such a nice vehicle, though it won't work for me.
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Throttle body issue
Jth, 07/08/2016
2016 Ford Explorer 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
Do not buy this car unless they agree to change the Throttle body before you leave the lot. My 2016 shut down on me while I was making a turn into a busy highway. Thus could have been bad. Shame on you Ford for not issuing a recall. Now my rear AC is acting up. Strike 2. I have only made 3 car payments! I am disappointed.
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2016 Ford Explorer for sale near you
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- Sport 4dr SUVMSRP: $11,9507 mi away
- Limited 4dr SUVMSRP: $12,48025 mi away
- Sport 4dr SUVMSRP: $18,1127 mi away
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FAULTY THROTTLE BODY!! BE CAREFULL!!! 8400 miles
Adam from NH, 07/18/2016
2016 Ford Explorer XLT 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
65 of 72 people found this review helpful
I NEED to post a review with the rest of the people that have experienced this issue and Hopefully Ford will finally do a recall!! The same issue happened to me this weekend when my family and I (5 people) took a 4hr drive from New Hampshire to New York City. About 2.5hrs into the trip all of a sudden my 2016 Ford Explorer with 8400 miles started sputtering and running rough and I when I pressed on the gas nothing happened and the wrench light, check engine light and air bag light all came on. I had to drift over the breakdown lane on the highway! Luckily it happened where it did, there was a big enough breakdown lane, there are big stretches of the highway that only have jersey barriers and NO breakdown lane. If that was the case a major accident could have happened! So here we are stuck on the side of the highway (Saturday) with basically a brand new SUV, calling AAA and finding a ford dealer that is open. Called about 6 of them and finally found one that was opened past 12:00 noon. Luckily they told me to tow it to them (45mins away) and they will bring it right in because they knew exactly what the issue was since there fixing a lot of them. They said if they can't fix it right then we were pretty much screwed because all the rental car places close at noon. So basically we would have to rent a hotel room and wait till Monday! After waiting on the side of the highway for for AAA to tow the truck, we also needed had a cab pick up my wife, daughter and boyfriend because the AAA truck can only carry 2 people. The cab came first and got them after an hour and my son and I waited the additional 2hrs for AAA, (3hrs waiting). While I was waiting I looked online to see what the issue is and read everybody's review on the same experience happening to them and still NO recall. The dealer ship was able to replace the part (in 15 mins) and get us on our way. This was at 5pm when we should have been in NY by 12:30 so the whole day was ruined. How do I know this won't happen again? The same part was installed not the recall part! The 4hr drive back to New Hampshire was the most stressful i think i have ever been not knowing if my truck will just shut down with no notice on the highway with my family. This experience could have killed us or someone else. Please tell every 2016 Ford Explorer owner you run in to..
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Throttle Body Issue
Tanisha S., 07/06/2016
2016 Ford Explorer Limited 4dr SUV AWD (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
I was driving through a bad neighborhood, completely intending to hit the expressway when the system chimes and a wrench appears then the engine light appears. Immediately I lose the ability to accelerate. Scared to stop I literally coast/idle to a safe area for the FORD roadside assistance to come get me. The driver said he already picked up 6 Ford Explorers in the last few weeks with the same issue. WTF! I only have 8200 miles on it. Waiting to hear back now.
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Found on Road Dead
Disgruntled Ford Owner, 08/03/2016
2016 Ford Explorer Limited 4dr SUV (3.5L 6cyl 6A)
48 of 53 people found this review helpful
I own at 2016 Ford Explorer. I was on my way to Chattanooga, TN last week when the wrench light came on and the SUV lost its ability to travel over 3 miles per hour. It had 4,800 miles on the odometer when this incident occurred. This incident occurred approximately 35 miles from Chattanooga at 1:40 p.m. I called Ford roadside assistance and they are about the most useless group of people on the planet. Making a long story short, it took over 3 1/2 hours to have a service truck dispatched to take me to tow me to the nearest dealer. I arrived at the dealership about 6:50 p.m. The Ford roadside assistance people offered no assistance in helping me to obtain a rental car. Ultimately, I was left stranded at a closed dealership and had to take a $50 cab ride to the airport to rent a car. The problem with the SUV ended up being the throttle plate. It is very troubling to me that Ford is selling an automobile that they know can at any time leave you stranded by the side of an interstate. Even more troubling is the fact that when this happens, you are basically on your own. Ford roadside assistance is a joke and the people that I dealt with could not have cared less about my situation. The National Transportation Safety Administration should require an immediate recall of the 2016 Ford Explorer. If they fail to do so, eventually this problem is going to end in tragedy for someone.
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